Extreme Networks has introduced 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, maximise 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 optimised 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 personalisation 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 optimised and configurable to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Continuous delivery updates may be minimised 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 recognised by the ISO for its commitment to information security management systems best practices and controls.
