CASE STUDY our technology integration partner , Insight , we determined that HPE Aruba Networking offered the best combination of innovations , automation and ease of use .
The end-to-end solution we selected included the latest location-aware access points ( APs ) for Wi-Fi and high-speed multi-gigabit switches for our wired LAN along with industry-leading administration and security tools for unifying and managing wired and wireless .
This included AI-powered , cloud-based management along with policy-based network access control ( NAC ) to secure access for users , devices and IoT . The solution also furnished a robust tool for app creation , deployment and evolution that would leverage data supplied by our location-aware APs .
A significant benefit for a lean IT team like ours is the automation inherent in the network management solution we adopted . This ranges from remotely applying configurations and automatically applying updates to assigning devices to the proper switch ports on-the-fly , rather than requiring tedious manual tasks .
In addition , the AI-enabled network management tools not only help us quickly troubleshoot root causes of problems , but also provides us with data and analytics for proactively identifying issues before they impact users .
Although we had yet to deploy our employee app , by the pandemic ’ s onset we had the balance of our modernized networking infrastructure in place . This enabled us to rapidly pivot by accelerating cloud-based application migration , which included Microsoft Teams and a virtual showroom solution that enabled brides to visualize what a gown would look like on them .
By combining live video interactions , the virtual showroom and other cloud applications like virtual desktops , we were able to very closely replicate the in-store experience , including sending champagne , charcuterie or other refreshments based on using data to generate customer insights .
Our associates could show brides their gowns and conduct virtual fittings remotely , which kept customers connected with us and enabled them to make critical decisions confidently . Although many weddings were postponed , brides could continue planning – for which they were grateful .
Beyond carrying the video and virtual showroom streams , our network infrastructure ensured the communications were crystal clear . This was critical to creating a virtual experience that was as similar as possible to what our customers expect in our stores .
As the pandemic continued , we gained confidence and competencies with optimizing infrastructure and security , while also evolving to add software-defined , centrally managed WAN ( SD-WAN ) from HPE Aruba Networking for improving the connectivity between our locations .
In addition to significantly enhancing video , voice and application performance , the SD-WAN enabled us to take advantage of more flexible , simplified and cost-effective telecommunications connections . Equally critical were the security features built into our SD-WAN , giving us a foundation for taking a Zero Trust security approach .
Our SD-WAN also furthers our goals for increasing customer engagement by using our infrastructure to enhance the customer identification and personalization initiative we began envisioning pre-pandemic .
Moving ahead , we ’ ll continue migrating to cloud platforms and applications , such as Microsoft Azure and a more advanced virtual desktop infrastructure ( VDI ) solution . This is also leading us to evaluate adopting a cloud-delivered , subscription-based network-as-a-service ( NaaS ) model . It would provide us with the same wired , wireless and SD-WAN infrastructure , as well as the management
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