In the ever-evolving realm of retail, technological innovations have ushered in a new era. Yet as technology advancements continue to revolutionize the industry, the reliance on network infrastructure has grown exponentially. From Internet of Things (IoT) devices that enhance in-store experiences to the critical point-of-sale (POS) stations that facilitate transactions, stable and secure network connectivity is now the backbone of successful retail operations. While these innovations have revolutionized the shopping experience, they have also exposed retailers to an ever-present challenge—network downtime.

Today, everything from transaction processing to in-store security and digital signage hinges on the stability and security of network connectivity. The implications of a disrupted network are far-reaching. Retailers stand to lose not only revenue opportunities but also incur hefty recovery fees in the aftermath. As we’ve written about before, A simple hour of network downtime can cost large retailers a staggering $5 million.

The fallout from network disruptions extends beyond the financial realm. Productivity takes a hit, customer relationships strain, and valuable data often ends up incomplete or corrupted. In such a high-stakes environment, it’s imperative for businesses to adopt proactive strategies to bolster network resilience. Out of Band management and Failover to Cellular are two such indispensable approaches, helping retailers combat the challenges posed by the last mile problem. This is where Opengear steps in; let’s explore two real-world case studies that illustrate the transformative power of Opengear’s Network Resilience Platform.

Furniture Retailer: Protecting Business Continuity Across the Nation

Picture a large US-based furniture business, expanding its reach to encompass multiple store locations, delivery centers, and data centers across the nation. In a retail world that never sleeps, network reliability is non-negotiable. Any downtime could mean lost revenue, tarnished brand reputation, and unsatisfied customers.

The company was growing its retail operation across a few dozen store locations, serviced by several delivery warehouses and data centers. To help streamline and accelerate the setup of new locations, the retailer embarked on a dynamic multipoint virtual private network (DMVPN) rollout. This required transitioning all locations to MPLS primary connectivity and a commodity internet. The project also called for a cellular backup solution with emergency failover functionality.

Opengear’s Network Resilience Platform emerged as the ideal solution, offering reliable, secure cellular Out of Band management.

The result? A network resilience solution that provides a set-it-and-forget-it solution, delivering peace of mind that network connectivity will remain available, even during a disruption. The organization relies on the Out of Band capability to ensure remote connectivity, perform site setup activities, and successfully put systems in place prior to MPLS circuit delivery. On top of that, Opengear’s support team offers timely responses and actionable best practices. As a result, the retailer experienced significantly reduced network downtime, leading to increased network reliability and uninterrupted business operations.

Luxury Goods Retailer: Streamlining Data Center Management Across Continents

Now, let’s shift our attention to a multinational market leader in luxury goods, one boasting over 50 businesses, 75 prestigious brands, and 5500 stores spread across the globe. This retailer operates more than ten data centers, each processing millions of records daily. With data centers located thousands of miles from the company’s headquarters, the central IT team faced a complex problem.

Managing specialized devices like switches or firewalls in these far-flung data centers was a challenge. When disruptions occurred, the team had to rely on local technicians to diagnose and resolve the issues, a time-consuming and costly process. Opengear’s Network Resilience Platform once again emerged as the ultimate solution.

By deploying the Network Resilience Platform, the Central IT team can now access and manage their data centers remotely in more than 10 locations from their headquarters with Smart Out of Band. With Opengear, they streamlined the deployment of pre-configured console managers, making remote configuration and deployment a seamless process. The results were astounding, offering both enhanced access to data centers and substantial cost savings.

Remotely managing data centers through central management software allows on-demand response to issues, troubleshooting control, and offers peace of mind for the company’s central IT team.

Empowering Retail Network Resilience

These two case studies showcase the transformative power of Opengear’s Network Resilience Platform in the retail sector. With solutions that guarantee uninterrupted connectivity and simplify remote management, Opengear empowers retailers to conquer the complexities of the dynamic retail landscape. It’s a partnership that ensures network resilience and business continuity, even in the face of adversity.

Contact Opengear today to strengthen your network resilience.

In today’s retail world, technology like IoT devices, POS stations, and security cameras has transformed the shopping experience. But these innovations, while convenient, rely heavily on stable networks. When connections to network infrastructure and edge apps fail, retailers face transaction issues, security risks, and logistical nightmares. It’s crucial for retailers to understand downtime’s impact, pinpoint its causes, and invest in resilient solutions. They must also address the “last mile” problem in their network plans.

The High Cost of Network Downtime in Retail

Network downtime in the retail industry carries significant consequences, with perhaps the most immediate impact being lost sales; after all, downtime directly affects the bottom line. An ITIC survey revealed that just one hour of downtime can cost large retailers upwards of $5 million. Network outages not only disrupt physical devices but can also render online stores and customer relationship management systems inaccessible.

Beyond the financial toll, there are non-monetary consequences that are equally detrimental. Downtime can strain customer relationships, leading to negative reviews and heightened customer turnover. A PwC survey found that one in three consumers will walk away from a brand after just one bad experience; after several negative interactions, 60% vow to never to return. In an age of brand loyalty, no retailer can afford a disruption affecting their customers’ experiences within their store.

Network downtime can also place additional stress on employees who must handle frustrated shoppers, ultimately increasing employee turnover. Another concerning outcome is a retailer’s inability to collect data. In today’s retail landscape, data is invaluable, enabling retailers to track trends, boost revenue, and anticipate inventory needs. When retailers’ data analysts work with interrupted data streams, they must contend with gaps that diminish data accuracy.

Complexity at the Edge: Risks and Solutions

As shopping habits change, businesses leverage technology to enhance the customer journey with new touch points. From Point of Sale (POS) systems to in-store analytics tools, retail applications at the edge are on the rise, offering benefits but also introducing points of failure. Managing this complexity increases the risk of downtime, something retailers want to avoid.

Retail infrastructure now extends beyond physical stores, requiring IT teams to seamlessly manage networks from anywhere. Network disruptions in retail can come from various sources, including ISP carrier issues, fiber cuts, human errors, and cable problems. The growing intricacy of retail technology, with frequent software updates, inadvertently exposes systems to more bugs, vulnerabilities, and cyber threats, leading to an uptick in outages. Another threat to consider is that retailers are lucrative targets for cybercriminals.

Dealing with all these complex challenges, network administrators in the retail industry need a fast way to remotely diagnose issues. However, pinpointing the root causes of outages can be a formidable task without comprehensive network visibility.

Here, Out of Band management emerges as a valuable solution, empowering secure monitoring of network devices. This approach establishes an alternative path to reach devices in remote stores when the primary network faces disruptions, enabling administrators to access and manage these devices without disrupting normal operations.

Remarkably, top-tier Out of Band solutions seamlessly integrate with existing IT networks and management systems, eliminating deployment complexities and streamlining operations. In an environment where the retail sector’s reliance on technology continues to grow, such solutions become indispensable for maintaining network resilience and business continuity.

Building Retail Network Resilience: The Four Pillars

Creating a resilient retail network relies on four key pillars:

• Monitoring and managing infrastructure without disrupting operations is vital; this is where Out of Band management, including Failover to Cellular, plays a crucial role.
• Robust security is also of paramount importance, and leading Out of Band solutions meet stringent security and encryption standards.
• Secure provisioning allows retailers to automate configuration and setup from a central location as they expand.
• Maintaining network visibility during outages is possible with solutions like Failover to Cellular, which automatically restores WAN connectivity while the IT team resolves issues.

Retailers also face the “last mile problem” as they rely on cloud services and SD-WAN. This last segment of the network is a weak link, limiting data transmission to ISPs. To address this challenge, retailers need additional bandwidth and a separate link for uninterrupted Internet connectivity. Out of Band and Failover to Cellular technology offer an alternate network path, ensuring smooth network operation and enabling remote issue resolution. These solutions prepare retailers for network challenges, from worst-case scenarios to daily operations.

Ready to fortify your retail network against downtime and disruptions? Discover how Opengear’s Network Resilience Platform, featuring Smart Out of Band, Failover to Cellular, and automation capabilities, can provide the critical support you need on the first day, worst day, and every day. Explore our solutions now and ensure business continuity for your retail operations.

Global Retail Network Boosts Resilience with Opengear Solutions

See how a global retail company increased network resilience at its stores and point of sale locations with always-on access, thanks to Opengear’s Smart Out-of-band and Lighthouse Centralized Management software.

To learn more, visit https://opengear.com/retail

Resilient Networks for Retail Stores and Distribution

Resilient Retail Networks: Out-of-Band Management in Stores and Warehouses

Opengear helped a global company improve network resiliency across their 106 corporate and venue sites throughout Europe. To enable always-on network availability and ensure business continuity, they chose to implement Opengear’s total solution as part of their SD-WAN roll out. This included utilizing Lighthouse for centralized management – enabling the organization to view all the sites through just one point – and pairing that with the ACM7000 Resilience Gateway.

Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) enables the organization to reduce on-site visits required to turn up the SD-WAN before the solution was on site. If any errors do occur, everything can be fixed remotely through the Opengear device.

The teams are now using Opengear’s solutions in each of their 106 remote sites, allowing them to remediate any issues in minutes, instead of hours and providing a view of the cross-section of all of their sites. The organization now has always-on network availability, reduced downtime, failover with a cellular card and true out-of-band.