Business Case OneAccess Smart Solutions For Retail June 2015 Author Emma Richardson
An integrated, high-speed communications service platform for the Retail Sector Business driver: increase the addressable market for the Professional The Retail Business Challenge In recent years the retail sector has undergone a major revolution in the way business is done with customers. Advances in wired and wireless high speed broadband connectivity and mobile technology have led to a new generation of IT-savvy shoppers that are forcing retailers to re-think their service offering in order to stay competitive. Today we expect to be able to access our favorite store s Web site and search and pay for what we want from a range of connected devices, whether that is from our desktop, tablet or mobile phone, in-store or from a sofa. This means that any retailer who cannot offer a fast, reliable omni-channel shopping experience is likely to lose out to their more agile, forward-thinking competitors. In addition to maintaining an online ecommerce presence, retailers also need reliable, high-speed in-store connectivity that can support point-of-sale card transactions and increasingly free customer Wifi, as well as back-office VoIP and inter-branch VPN services. Ultimately a critical element in enabling retailers to build out the IT infrastructure to provide the necessary omni-channel environment is the ability to access scalable, managed communications services at the optimum price point. However, finding a service provider that can meet the SLA requirements of such a fast-paced ecommerce network can be a significant business challenge for a wide range of retail based companies. But with the industry analysts Forrester forecasting that revenues via online and mobile shopping will reach US$90bn by 2017 there is a clear and significant market opportunity for any provider that can rise to this challenge. Omni-Channel Environment WiFi Video Surveillance Secure Financial Transactions PCI-DSS In the Box ISDN Migration SIP Trunking $ Cost Efficient Small Footprint Zero Touch Installation 4 2
The OneAccess Multi-Service Communications Platform For the retailer two key essentials needed to support their ecommerce environment are highspeed performance and service availability. Performance is critical for all types of application traffic including high bandwidth consuming multi-media streaming, voice, data and general Web browsing. Availability in particular is essential to ensure card-payment and PoS transactions are not interrupted or suffer delays that can result in abandoned baskets and lost revenues. OneAccess multi-service access routers (MSARs) provide Service Providers with the ability to offer retail customers a single-box solution designed to meet all their data and voice communications needs. Business Continuity and Hybrid Access Business continuity and high-speed performance can be guaranteed due to the market s widest choice of integrated WAN interfaces including xdsl, Fiber and mobile broadband via 3G/LTE. Using the latest hybrid access technology, service providers can configure the on-premises device using a combination of the available fixed line and wireless links together with application-aware traffic management software to ensure 24/7/365 optimum performance and cost efficiency. This feature also enables dynamic failover; if a failure occurs in the primary WAN connection traffic can be diverted to a back-up link until the problem is rectified, ensuring business continuity and protecting against potential lost sales. Unified Voice and Data Communications OneAccess MSARs include VPN access and can be integrated with a wide range of existing PBX systems using an SBC /SIP trunking interface. This provides secure inter-branch communications and enables retailers to take advantage of the cost benefits offered by the latest voice over IP (VoIP) technology across the corporate WAN. Always-on Secured Payment Transactions Retailers that process card payments online or at the point-of sale must ensure that customer card details are protected against data leakage at all points in the transaction process. OneAccess MSARs are Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant ensuring secure payment over the Internet. Zero-Touch Deployment OneAccess communications service platform are easy to set up and configure via an intuitive management interface at the CSP s central office without the need for on-site engineer support. Shop employees can easily connect the box and the service can be up and running within 10 minutes. Remote multi-site provisioning is also possible and means that routine service updates can be applied out of normal trading hours, and in just a few minutes, across the entire customer s retail network. 3
Cost Efficient $ Significant savings can be made by consolidating multiple services onto one box: less hardware is required on-site; only one installation tool is needed; the box takes up no space; and there is no need for rack based systems, resulting in a small footprint, which can be an important consideration for small shops and pop-up distribution points. Rapid Deployment The ability to ensure shops are open for business within a short time frame is a strategic advantage in a highly competitive market. Where fiber or an xdsl connection is not currently available the service can be initiated using a high-speed mobile broadband connection until the fixed line has been installed. For pop-up shops mobile network is often the only available connection. Enable New Customer Shopping Experiences The OneAccess MSARs are available with integrated Wifi for improved shopping experiences including free customer Web and email access, drive-by marketing, brand reinforcement and targeted advertising. The WiFi securely separates access zones for end customers and shop employees. The customizable Web management interface has been designed to enable secure and effortless management by non-it staff, minimizing pressure on the service provider s help desk. Branding OneAccess understands the importance to our customers of their brand name. To help promote their brand recognition, OneAccess multi-service platforms are fully customizable to carry both the service provider and the retail chain branding. 4
Customer case 1 Providing fast and reliable VPN and connectivity services to sectors including to the grocery retailers The protagonists: A large provider of IP VPN services using OneAccess solutions including projects providing machineto-machine connectivity covering 1,200 ATM locations for a banks consortium and a data services network for, a government owned betting agency with 4,000 sites. A large grocery chain franchise, providing support to grocery retailers in areas such as marketing, store development and logistics. The solution: Working with OneAccess MSARs has enabled the Service Provider to seamlessly connect 1,400 shops with VPN services over G.SHDSL and fiber lines and ensure business continuity with 3G back-up. A personalized Web-GUI enables rapid installation and a built-in SLA probe provides 24/7 network performance monitoring capability. This means that it is no longer necessary to send a senior engineer on-site, and service quality checks can be carried out at a distance for the entire network of shops, resulting in significant operational cost reductions for the Service Provider. 5
Customer case 2 Movies Anytime The protagonists: A fast growing carrier providing fixed and mobile communications to both residential and business markets. A large cinema chain, with 450 screens and approximately 800 rental kiosks. The solution: A key reason for selecting OneAccess MSAR was the ability to supply data service with the same product family for the cinemas and the rental kiosks, whereas the main competitors were only able to supply one or the other. The cinemas are serviced with ADSL2+ connection and the rental kiosks via 3G networks. The kiosks are installed in shopping malls and car parks nationwide, therefore the robustness and high MTBF of the OneAccess MSAR is also an advantage, as this avoids sending engineers out to replace units. It is key for the cinema chain that the solution be business class grade and manageable via CLI yet remain cost effective. By working with OneAccess, the carrier is able to service the cinema chain like any other of their business customers, providing high performance solutions with guaranteed service quality within a price conscious environment. 6
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ABOUT US OneAccess designs, develops and markets innovative platforms for the profitable delivery of CPE-based managed network services for communications and managed service providers. Its industry-leading multi-service access routers and Carrier Ethernet devices are designed to deliver service continuity, high quality of experience and high speed performance for SMBs and Enterprise customers. OneAccess hardware and software solutions for data and voice enable service providers to optimize the delivery of managed Cloud services and migration to SDN/NFV architectures. OneAccess CPE platforms are used by more than 110 communication service providers globally, including many of the largest telecommunications companies. Phone: +33 (0)1.41.87.70.00 Fax: +33 (0)1.41.87.74.00 OneAccess, Pentagone Plaza, 381 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 92140 Clamart, France marketing@oneaccess-net.com www.oneaccess-net.com