Extreme Networks Simplifies Retail Networks with Cloud Packages

Turn-key network solutions give retail chains and franchises ability to quickly and easily automate set-up and management of network connectivity from one to thousands of sites

Extreme Networks, Inc., a cloud-driven networking company, has announced availability of Extreme Retail Select curated cloud technology packages designed to remove the cost and complexity associated with selecting, buying, building, deploying, and managing network services at retail locations.

Solutions include a dedicated retail cloud environment and pre-selected hardware and services elements, giving merchants the ability to quickly and remotely deploy and support all retail stores from anywhere. With a simple, turn-key solution, customers can automate new store setup, maximize operational efficiencies, and deliver consistent services and experiences at scale so they can advance.

Leveraging its deep expertise working with retail customers including Fortune 500 brands, Extreme Retail Select packages are optimized for the unique needs of the retail sector, providing IT teams with all of the elements they need to deliver seamless connectivity and the same level of customer service, convenience, and personalization that is available online. Customers can choose from six configurations based on requirements for essential connectivity or for high-performance, evolved environments. Extreme Retail Select packages are available now via Extreme resellers.

Key Features

Right-sized Configuration: Essentials packages include the tools necessary to connect customers, employees, and point-of-sale devices safely and securely. They also provide out-of-the-box analytics. Performance packages deliver more capacity for real-time pricing, smart shelf and digital signage, augmented reality experiences, real-time IoT, and distributed order management. These packages are further segmented to accommodate locations of varying size.

Rapid Deployment and Cost-Effective Management: Configurations include access to a dedicated retail cloud – ExtremeCloud™ IQ for Retail – and are packaged with next generation Wi-Fi 6 access points, PoE switches, and SD-WAN routers. ExtremeCloud IQ for Retail provides unified management of the wired, wireless, and SD-WAN environment. It is based on ExtremeCloud IQ, a third-generation cloud architecture that leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence. The combination of hardware, software, and services elements provides an elastic, cloud-driven network that easily and seamlessly scales to accommodate fluctuations in retail demand. It also lowers cost in procurement by reducing the number of individual solutions needed.

Analytics and Insights: A dual-persona dashboard offers pervasive client and network visibility for all shoppers, devices, applications, and IoT devices, along with comparative analytics for how stores are performing relative to other locations. Store or business managers have visibility into KPIs such as dwell times, loyalty information, and site flow. IT users have visibility into response times, alerts, and application usage across the unified network. 360-degree views of the customer and network ensure the appropriate team can take advantage of advanced analytics for shopper presence and proximity as well as comparative analysis and cloud telemetry.

Assurance and Automation: Proven, third-generation cloud capabilities, cloud-agnostic service integration, industry-leading data retention of 13 months for historical look-back and year-over-year comparison, and open APIs give retailers assurance that their back-end operations are optimized and configurable to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Continuous delivery updates may be minimized to reduce potential disruption during peak retail season, such as from Black Friday until January. Beginning in April 2020, customers can leverage Co-Pilot, a feature of ExtremeCloud IQ for Retail, to speed back-end troubleshooting and automate issue resolution – from initial detection to opening a ticket to resolution and reporting that the issue has been solved.

Security: PCI compliance gives administrators the ability to secure customer and business data while protecting their reputation with segmentation and granular control capabilities that isolate guest or IoT traffic from store operations. ExtremeCloud IQ for Retail is ISO/IEC 27001 certified by the International Standards Organization (ISO). Extreme is the first cloud-driven networking vendor to be recognized by the ISO for its commitment to information security management systems best practices and controls.

Mike Leibovitz, Senior Director of Product Management, Extreme Networks, said, "Every retailer understands the need to digitally transform to advance– but they don't always know where to start. Extreme Retail Select packages meet retailers wherever they are on their transformation journey – whether that's just starting to provide guest Wi-Fi and wireless POS, or if it's implementing computer vision and smart shelves. We're giving customers a flexible, cloud-driven platform that meets their fundamental IT needs, simplifies purchase and deployment, and enables next-generation customer experiences."

David Raftery, Chief Customer Officer, Integration Partners, said,
"In a fiercely competitive retail environment that's been completely reshaped by Amazon, it can be challenging to grow mindshare and sales. Extreme's Retail Select packages provide all of the ingredients we need in order to compete in retail, from cloud-managed Wi-Fi access points, PoE switches and SD-WAN routers, to analytics dashboards, to security capabilities. We're looking forward to leveraging these solutions to help customers create the innovative brick-and-mortar stores of the future."

Chad Simpson, Vice President and Deputy CIO, City Furniture, explained, "As one of America's top-selling furniture retailers, we know that customer experience matters, and our customers expect more than quality products and a friendly smile; they also want frictionless network connectivity so they can research and compare while shopping. With Extreme's Retail Select package, we have a perfectly optimized, cloud-driven networking solution that provides fast, agile, and secure connectivity. It also provides our IT team with a centralized network view of not only our individual retail locations, but also our supply chain. From this single, easy-to-use cloud dashboard, we can support and manage the use of handheld scanners in our warehouses and fulfillment centers, tablets to support inventory check and point of sale on the showroom floor, and in-store guest Wi-Fi access across our entire footprint, saving time and resources."