How Updated Networks Can Save Operators Money

This article is brought to you by Mako Networks.

The world of retail technology is becoming increasingly complex and more connected every day. Retailers are investing in touchscreen ordering, digital signage, payment processing systems, inventory automation, omnichannel fulfillment, emerging AI applications and Wi-Fi that keeps everything online. “These advances rely on networks that are fast, secure and resilient,” said Jon Kelly, chief revenue officer at Mako Networks.

Many retailers that have not maintained their technology stacks are encountering roadblocks that require them to upgrade the hardware and network connectivity needed to support these new investments. “Retailers that have avoided upgrades to their technology infrastructure have the opportunity to improve the security and reliability of their networks while also enabling new retail technologies that will improve the customer experience,” said Kelly.

Retailers that choose to invest in their technological needs realize benefits that range from streamlined operations and improved customer service to major cost savings and improved cybersecurity and compliance.

Often retailers begin by addressing a single challenge and find benefits that extend throughout the business. For TXB (Texas Born) that challenge was internet speeds and reliable connectivity. TXB operates restaurant-style convenience stores across Texas and Oklahoma. The retailer partnered with Mako to meet its growing technological needs as it expanded from 50 to 100 stores.

Previously, the company had dealt with throttled Internet speeds and unstable connections from the outdated edge gateway (aka, “firewall”) from its Managed Network Service Provider (MNSP). TXB adopted Mako Networks’ 6600 security gateway and the Mako 1024 managed switch, which, together, offered a more robust and reliable network infrastructure. The transition resulted in significant improvements, which led to higher uptime, better data security, and overall increased efficiency, the company reports.

“We absolutely have a higher uptime with Mako,” said Daniel Gaddy, vice president of IT at TXB. “We’ve always been within our SLA with other providers, but 1-3% of ISP downtime that isn’t consistently online is incredibly costly.”

Retailers that have chosen incremental upgrades over time can find themselves with a different challenge: this approach can lead to a complex multi-vendor network which is difficult to manage—making the deployment of any new technology more challenging, and with greater risk.

Golden Oil grappled with a fragmented, multi-vendor network that strained efficiency, support, and compliance. With eight company operated locations and 32 dealer locations in Wisconsin, Golden Oil managed these vendors in silos, with fragile integrations, leading to excessive overhead and friction for employees and IT teams.

To improve its network infrastructure, Golden Oil invested in a unified technology stack by adopting Mako Networks’ fully integrated, PCI-certified, cloud-managed solution to streamline and secure its distributed sites.

This investment resulted in a 50% reduction in tech spend—saving Golden Oil more than $750,000 annually by leveraging built-in redundancy and cloud-hosted remote access, replacing POTS lines with Mako Voice, vendor consolidation, and utilizing Mako Periscope for remote POS configuration to reduce IT-related field service.

“Mako Periscope has been a game-changer, saving us significant time and cost by eliminating the need for field dispatches,” said Taylor Wilson, Director of IT at Golden Oil. “We reprogrammed 22 Commanders in just four hours, all remotely.”

So how should retailers approach upgrades to their technology stack? According to Kelly, retailers should plan for scale, so that their solutions can evolve along with technology. “The future of the fuel and c-store industry will be defined by its ability to embrace digital transformation while mitigating risks,” said Kelly.

This is the first in the two-part article series from Mako Networks. Look out for part two, which will explore forward-looking tech solutions, on Thursday.