forklift upgraden.
An upgrade to a computer network or other electronic system that requires a massive hardware investment.
Example Citation:
"Manufacturers of profitable PBX systems, notorious for requiring forklift upgrades and heavy maintenance fees, need a new five-year plan: Call it survival."
—Ken Phillips, "Sphericall 1.0 Dissolves PBXes Into the LAN/WAN," PC Week, May 5, 1997
Earliest Citation:
Rolm users were forced to choose between an expensive "forklift upgrade" and keeping their old box with its large power-and space-consumption, poor growth path, complex bridges to network services, and a dead-end technology incompatible with any future ISDN (integrated services digital network) upgrade.
—Robert Feldman, "N. Telecom rebate offer is new volley in price war," MIS Week, March 7, 1988
