Vodat is now able to sell and install Meraki’s Cloud-based Wi-Fi, for increased visibility and reduced costs by offering retailers a single view across all individual outlets.
Managed by Vodat, Meraki Wi-Fi offers a host of benefits: self-configuration; simple installation; is highly secure, fully integrated and even automatically selects the strongest signal, thus ensuring minimal interference from nearby Wi-Fi networks.
Retailers are gradually adopting more wireless devices to deliver a better customer experience in-store and Wi-Fi is critical in order to run these services effectively. While having a managed network in place is vital, it is also important to gain visibility of how a network is being used; by extracting statistics and analysing them accordingly, retailers can gain a greater understanding of their operation through the Cloud with Meraki, the company claimed.
Security is paramount to retailers and adding an insecure wireless solution to a network could breach the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) standards for wireless solutions. The PCI DSS v1.2 standard describes clear requirements for building compliant wireless LANs.
Meraki’s solution is PCI-compliant, and its integrated mapping, logging, and rogue AP detection tools eliminate the need to build a solution from component parts. In addition, centralised control of geographically distributed networks makes it easy to implement the same PCI-compliant architecture across large numbers of retail locations.
Greg Harris, managing director and co-founder of Cloud Distribution, Meraki’s UK distribution partner, commented: “The main benefits that the Cloud brings are visibility and control. For a small IT team, looking after multiple retail locations, leveraging the Cloud with Meraki Wi-Fi would be very financially beneficial, especially for those with stores across the world, as it allows them to see and control all their outlets securely, from anywhere via a web browser. Wi-Fi is business critical not only for back office, but for customers too, as it’s the applications that run off this network that will ultimately drive customers into the store.”
Meraki and Cloud Distribution will provide Vodat with training, both technical and sales, and will support the communications provider to help generate further business in the retail sector.
Paul Leybourne, head of sales at Vodat International, commented: “By adding a strong Wi-Fi solution to our portfolio, we can now provide our customers with a reliable wireless solution at a time when retailers are starting to deploy wireless devices to deliver a better customer experience. This value added service will help us meet our customers’ future needs for wireless connections. Meraki is a valuable addition to our product portfolio and will assist us in supporting our customers’ Wireless business strategy.”