The Opportunity

A 1,000-store women’s apparel chain needed to upgrade its data network and increase retail store bandwidth to remain competitive. After receiving an initial projection that estimated 25% savings, they came to BAZ to generate more savings while increasing network resiliency.

The Solution

To determine the best, most cost-effective design, BAZ conducted a four-round request for proposal process.  The following variables from multiple providers were evaluated based on capabilities, benefits, and costs to determine the best network design:

1. The number of circuits per location

2. The SD-WAN equipment platforms

3. Cyber security features

4. Vendors’ technical capabilities and track record.

Once the design was finalized, we evaluated the options based on the three-year total cost of ownership and vendor/client culture fit.  Final pricing and terms were negotiated with the top two providers to arrive at the final solution.

The Outcome

The BAZ Group proposed two solutions:

• The first was a similar structure to the original proposal yet would have generated 45% (versus 25%) savings. Although this solution provided the most cost savings, this design provided only one circuit per store with no network backup and redundancy.
• The second solution added an additional circuit at each store, providing a cost-effective redundancy option. This solution generated 37% in savings.
• The retailer determined the second solution was better for their technical and business needs and fit well within their budget.

 

Both of our solutions generate significantly more savings than the original competitive projections. This is primarily because we invested the time to develop a deep understanding of their company and then deliver the optimal solution to meet their business, technical and budgetary needs.

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