SD-WAN 101: The Beginner’s Guide
Discover the basics of what software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) can do, and the benefits it can bring in our useful guide.
The client
Footasylum was established in 2005 and now covers over 60 high-street stores across the UK. The retailer has made its name as a leading brand selling fashion streetwear and sportswear.
From an IT perspective, Footasylum needed high-speed connectivity across each of its retail sites, a head office and two distribution centres based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
Fast, reliable connectivity is essential for recording sales figures, providing consistent communications across all sites and ensuring stores are properly supplied.
If you’re wondering how technology can be used to enhance customer service in retail, take a look below to learn how we at Node4 boosted Footasylum’s connectivity and its service through our network support services.
“Whilst working with node4 our services have changed, but our continued partnership means there is always a reliable connection to sites and if there are any issues these are resolved quickly and efficiently. We look forward to extending our services beyond this foundation.”
The challenge
In 2010, Footasylum turned to Node4 to provide a connectivity solution that would allow the company to speed up the delivery of broadband to retail sites, as well as support a restructuring of its central head office and distribution sites. At the time, Footasylum was operating around 20 sites across the UK and required a solution to support their rapid growth.
The head office and distribution centre originally operated from a single site, but in 2011, Footasylum moved the distribution centre to a new location approximately four miles from its head office. In 2012, a third unit was added, meaning Footasylum could better support the added distribution demands of future growth.
Footasylum’s previous supplier wasn’t equipped to cope with their growth demands, and they knew they needed to look elsewhere. It was imperative for them to find a connectivity provider that could deliver high-speed broadband between all main central sites, but also get a high number of stores up and running with broadband in a short space of time. Node4 was able to provide a high-quality solution with the necessary level of technical expertise and support.
The solution
Node4 provided a high-speed fibre connection between Footasylum’s main sites for around 250 users to support the use of VoIP and online business applications. On top of that, Node4 also delivered its resilient Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network to connect all Footasylum retail sites to the head office and the distribution centres.
Broadband is essential for organisations such as Footasylum. “Whilst working with Node4 our services have changed, but our continued partnership means there is always a reliable connection to sites and if there are any issues these are resolved quickly and efficiently. We look forward to extending our services beyond this foundation.” Barry Greenwood, Cloud/Infrastructure Manager, Footasylum.
The feedback
The MPLS network allows Footasylum, which now has over 60 stores nationwide, to open new sites fully equipped with high-speed broadband far more comfortably than it was previously able to do. This ensures that Footasylum has tighter control over its connectivity provision to individual sites.
When providing broadband to a new site there is a four-week period in between sorting out the lease and administration to opening the store. Once this has been achieved Footasylum has to install the PSTN lines, which can take two to three weeks. This means that they need to be able to guarantee that we can deliver the ASDL lines within one week to ensure the store opens with a broadband connection. As their IT partner, Node4 supplies and installs the equipment itself, so Footasylum has complete control over the speed of this broadband provision.
How can technology be used to enhance customer service in retail?
If you are wondering how technology can be used to enhance customer service in retail, our work with Footasylum demonstrates what Node4 can provide for your business with digital business transformation.
For Footasylum and many other businesses, we have provided retail digital transformation that has seen a big return on investment. By boosting connectivity, you can keep your distribution sites and stores in constant communication, increasing supply chain efficiency and thereby improving customer experience greatly.
As a leading managed service provider in the UK, we provide a range of services and solutions that can help your organisation run more efficiently and provide visible results.
If you are interested in boosting your online services to their full potential, get in touch with one of our specialists today. We will be happy to discuss how our digital transformation service and a range of other improvements can enhance your business.
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Contact us using the form and we’ll get back in touch shortly. Please use the telephone number below to call us, or drop us an email if you’d prefer.