Polish retailer Żabka has upgraded to SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) technology for its Internet connection in store, in collaboration with Trecom and Cisco.
SD-WAN technology will enable the unlimited connection of additional devices and branches, integrate with other systems, and reduce the time spent on maintenance and ongoing support administration to a minimum, the retailer added.
Until now, Żabka had relied on the VPN network to connect its branches. The technology allows a maximum of 10,000 outlets, and the retailer will exceed this limit later this year.
Moreover, the stores used the services of 300 different Internet providers, with different connection qualities and technologies.
Jakub Masłowski, technology director at Żabka, stated, “The dynamic growth of the Żabka chain makes it necessary for us to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of our franchisees. Nowadays, a shop without stable Internet access loses its raison d’être, cannot provide extensive services to our customers, or take advantage of the digital ecosystem we make available to our franchisees.
“So, in order to maintain the dynamics of our development and ensure the comfort of work of the entrepreneurs cooperating with us, the implementation of this project was a priority for us. The implementation of a modern SD-WAN network, completed together with our partners, provides our shops with a stable connection to the Internet, as well as opening up the possibility of implementing new services.”
A New Solution
Żabka teamed up with Trecom to prepare the infrastructure and software and minimise the unavailability of the store to a few minutes during the migration to the new solution.
The implementation took place simultaneously in over 250 branches a day.
The application, developed by Trecom, guided the franchisees, step by step, through the device installation process while automating the configuration and testing phase.
It also enabled the integration of SD-WAN technology with Żabka’s main business systems: SAP and Salesforce, as well as the Power BI platform.
The application also allows for the automation of network management, including relationships with nearly 300 operators providing Internet connectivity, the retailer added.
Przemysław Kania, general director of Cisco in Poland, added, “Cisco SD-WAN is a software-defined, cloud-delivered wide-area network that enables enterprises and organisations to securely connect users to their applications.
“We are extremely happy that Żabka has decided to implement this modern solution, and we are convinced that it will help in the further development of the company. We are also very impressed with the competence and innovative approach of the Trecom engineering team, which turned out to be crucial to the success of this implementation.”
