Hotter Shoes improves communications with MPLS
By Retail Technology | Thursday June 12 2014
The shoe retailer uses Multiprotocol Label Switching to speed up data transfers between stores and head office
UK multi-channel shoe retailer Hotter Shoes has rolled out a fully managed Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network across its 68 UK stores and its head office.
The network, provided and managed by solutions provider Vodat International, is tasked with improving communications and speeding up the transfer of data between the retailer’s stores, including its concessions, and its head office.
“Previously, it could take up to four days to resolve network failures,” said David Ainsworth, head of IT at Hotter Shoes. “Managing our network in-house placed great demand upon the IT team’s resources and was no longer sustainable for our evolving business model. “
He noted that since the migration, issues are now dealt with in a matter of hours. “Hotter is a multi-channel retailer and we need a comprehensive view of the customer at all times, so a secure network capable of managing all our business data was essential.”
In-store Wi-Fi
Vodat has also supplied the retailer with a Wi-Fi network which will allow customers to access and browse the retailer’s website when in-store.
Ainsworth explained that this solution not only gives internet access to customers, but also gives Hotter scope to introduce mobile devices (MPoS) in- store. “Since go-live, the network connection has significantly improved and my IT team can now focus on other areas of the business.”
This news coincides with Hotter’s recent expansion plans, which included the recent opening of five stores. A further five stores are scheduled to open this year.
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