Customer Profile

Industry:

National Auto Parts Retailer 

Company: 

National Auto Parts Retailer with 1,000s of locations across North America.

Application:

The company’s operational excellence is underpinned by a suite of applications encompassing Business Continuity, Network Backup, Video Solutions, Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems, customer Wi-Fi, and Broadband Connectivity.

Problem:

Secure connectivity for network endpoints was costly and difficult to manage.

Network downtime resulted in lost revenue, missed calls,  and decreased worker productivity.

New locations were slow to turn up and begin generating revenue.

Solution:

Secure and reliable fully managed 5G Branch Office Connectivity for all retail locations with specific location options for best carrier network specific to the geographic nuances.

Result:

Optimized bandwidth management

Increased network security

Higher network reliability

Simplified network management

Lower operational costs

Reliable, resilient 5G connectivity and failover kept POS and other systems operational even during a network outage

Worker productivity maintained

New locations were able to be deployed in days instead of weeks.

Hybrid 5G SD-WAN Solution for Auto Parts Retailer

INTRODUCTION

SD-WAN solutions with 5G increase reliability for voice and data services, reduce IT costs, simplify network management and speed up deployments for a national auto parts retailer.

For retail operations, access to POS systems, voice and data services and corporate resources are some of the most important factors of success for a business. As the size of the business continued to grow network costs soared, performance suffered, network outages were prevalent, calls were getting dropped and their distributed network became complex and difficult to manage.  The retailer needed a simple, flexible, cost effective solution that could be deployed quickly, would simplify the management of their network resources, and allow them to stay operational even in the event of a network outage.

To meet their needs, MACH’s Partner proposed a fully managed Hybrid 5G SD-WAN solution that included fully managed 5G connectivity with an enterprise class Cradlepoint 5G router from MACH Networks. This end-to-end solution featured a leading SD-WAN appliance with broadband connectivity along with an OPEX financed router and an No Overage 5G wireless data plan. The solution empowered the company’s IT staff to maximize limited resources and keep each retail location connected to its most critical resources, ensuring a positive customer experience.

BUSINESS NEEDS

With hundreds of branch offices to support, and new locations rapidly popping up all over the U.S., the network was expensive, slow to deploy and far too complex to manage effectivity. The corporate IT department was looking for a secure, reliable, fully managed, all-in-one network solution that would be quick to deploy, easy to manage, and could facilitate both wired and wireless WAN connectivity through a single platform.

Reliable network connectivity with seamless wireless failover was vital, as connectivity for voice and data services is an integral part of any retail operations. The existing solution was not providing the level of reliability expected because, in most cases, the secondary broadband wired connection was also failing when the primary connection failed. This was unacceptable because the company relies on many mission critical tools and services that require connectivity. 

These mission critical applications include:

·Point-of-Sale (POS) services 

·Gift cards and apps

·On-line orders

·Cloud-based applications

·Voice services

·Access to corporate servers

·Loyalty program services

·CCTV / in-store security

In some locations they needed connectivity quickly, particularly where wired lines aren’t feasible due to extremly high installation costs, installation delays, rural locations, or frequent network  outages.  Because they processed credit cards, factors affecting security and PCI compliance also needed to be addressed. The company needed an enterprise class solution that could be deployed quickly, provide best-in-breed security and could be managed remotely without on-site IT support at each store.

THE CHALLENGE

Confronted with a sprawling network of hundreds of stores and multiple distribution centers across the country, our client grappled with pervasive connectivity challenges that threatened the viability of their operations. The repercussions were profound: jeopardized business continuity, eroded customer satisfaction, and impaired sales metrics.

The root of these issues lay in the reliance on outdated 4G and MPLS networks—technologies that once stood at the forefront of innovation but now serve as a bottleneck to progress. Compounded by suboptimal site-to-carrier connectivity configurations and a history of flawed installation practices, the network’s shortcomings were evident.

The impact was most acutely felt in the performance of mission-critical applications. Systems integral to the retail experience—Point-of-Sale (POS), video surveillance, in-store wireless connectivity, and digital signage—suffered frequent downtimes or chronic underperformance. This not only fueled employee frustration but also directly translated into customer dissatisfaction, casting a shadow over the brand’s reputation and its promise of a seamless shopping experience.

“The timing of opening a new location doesn’t always coordinate with provisioning  the network. With SD-WAN I am able to get locations online quickly, and for as long as needed. Once installed the failover 5G connection ensure four 9’s reliability.”

– IT Manager, US Auto Parts Retailer

FEATURES OF THE SOLUTION

The solution was designed to provide more network flexibility, reduce the complexity of managing the network, increase the security of business applications and improve network reliability with diverse 5G WWAN connectivity. 

Features of the SD-WAN include:

•Application Visibility & Control: Manages routing policies with a centralized management tool.

•Application Optimization: Monitors and selects network paths for higher performance.

•Dynamic WAN Selection: Preserves application performance based on set business policies.

•Dynamic IPsec: Enables end-to-end encryption for secure data transmission over public networks.

•Security and Stateful Firewall: Deploys and manages security policies with integrated firewall.

•Flexible Connectivity: Connects remote locations to leading cloud providers.

•Managed Services: Offers proactive monitoring and optimization.

•Dual Active Links:  Increases reliability with resilient and diverse broadband and LTE access at each site.

THE BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING SD-WAN

Day-1 Internet Access:  Broadband service providers are not always able to meet the company’s target dates for store openings.  In locations where broadband access is unavailable or delayed, SD-WAN with 5G gives the company the flexibility to open new locations quickly and on schedule.

Reliable VoIP and Credit Card Processing:  Before deploying a hybrid SD-WAN solution, network outages often prevented the company from answering calls or processing credit cards.  5G offers clients a diverse path to the Internet, so issues with VoIP services and credit card processing are now a thing of the past.

Worker Productivity Maintained:  With the wired primary WAN and secondary LTE WAN providing separate and diverse access to the Internet, hybrid SD-WAN provides reliable and resilient connectivity.  In the event of a network failure caused by a natural disaster, services continue as usual and worker productivity maintained.

Cloud Delivered Security for POS and PCI Compliance:  Simple to configure business policies for various applications, allows POS services and valuable customer information to be separated from everything else, which helps prevent security breaches.

Simplified Network Management:  The customer uses hybrid SD-WAN for a number of monitoring functions, including alerts when the Internet goes down, reboots, or fails over to the 5G connection. It is now a simple process for the IT department to manage or add remote locations to the corporate network.

Reduced IT Costs: SD-WAN offers a comprehensive, end-to-end solution that helps reduce connectivity costs by deploying 5G not only as a primary option but also as a secondary WAN connection.  5G has proven to be a fast, scalable, and cost-effective solution for connecting branch offices.  Companies can easily deploy and manage thousands of stores with a small staff, and without wasting valuable company resources.   

SUMMARY

SD-WAN is changing the way businesses communicate.  By combining landline broadband connectivity with wireless 5G connectivity, hybrid SD-WAN solutions provide more network flexibility, reduce the complexity of managing the network, increase the security of business applications, lower the cost of access, and provide reliable and resilient connectivity, even in the event of a natural disaster.

To learn more and get your retailer on a similar path to 5G, Contact us HERE.