FatFace

A bespoke digital infrastructure designed for this iconic British retailer enhanced network performance, improved business-wide functionality and increased security.

The challenge

Looking to underpin its technological operations to support future success, FatFace needed to change from a legacy MPLS structure, which had a complex management system and was proving expensive to maintain.

In addition to this necessary integration, FatFace required significant improvements to connectivity security across all stores and office locations in order to optimise business functionality.

The solution

The Focus Group team took FatFace on a digital transformation journey to transition to a cloud-based Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN), Local Area Network (LAN) and Wi-Fi infrastructure for 209 locations across the UK, increased security through Cisco Umbrella and deployed network services in FatFaces’ AWS and Microsoft Azure cloud platforms.

Deploying FatFaces’ connectivity solution across all stores required carefully planning each store's migration, ensuring they all had the strongest connectivity, from the highest-rated provider available in the area.

The solution is fully PCI-compliant and includes enhanced security through Cisco’s Umbrella, with Secure Internet Gateway to over 1,500 users across the business, and additional improved accessibility through FatFace’s cloud environments.

The new infrastructure was developed to:

Greatly enhance network performance
Reduce complexity
Enable remote configuration and management through cloud-based services
Increase security through Secure Internet Gateways (SIG) and Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) with Cisco Umbrella and DUO

The results

The bespoke cloud-based design has provided FatFace with an infrastructure that delivers critical line of business and secure Point of Sale (POS) connectivity, without the risk of downtime. The resilient SD-WAN paired with Cisco’s Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) components has improved business-wide security.

FatFace now benefits from reliable in-store and remote working network support, new applications being delivered through the wireless have enhanced the customer experience, while delivering valuable insights into consumer behaviour.