At the end of 2020, the world's leading sporting goods retailer called on Wifirst to modernize and enhance the reliability of its point-of-sale WiFi networks in its INTERSPORT and Blackstore banners (around 500 stores). These networks are used on a daily basis by INTERSPORT teams to work mobile in their points of sale.
// CHALLENGES FACING THE IPS
Outsource management of in-store WiFi networks
Following mixed experiences with several integrators, and the start of a migration phase to WiFi 6 technology, INTERSPORT France's IT Department set out to find a pure player in WiFi to delegate the deployment and management of its point-of-sale networks.
INTERSPORT's decision to change service provider to a managed WiFi specialist confirms a fundamental trend: professional WiFi is a complex and critical subject, requiring specific expertise and a lot of resources, difficult to manage in-house on large point-of-sale networks.
// TECHNICAL CHALLENGES
Capitalize on the technical solution chosen by the IT department
An initial deployment phase had seen several stores equipped with WiFi 6 thanks to a Cisco Meraki solution before the arrival of Wifirst.
As the solution itself seemed to meet INTERSPORT's expectations, and in order to guarantee homogeneity across the entire network, Wifirst chose to continue the deployment with the same solution based on Meraki access point models. Wifirst's teams are already highly experienced in Cisco Meraki technologies: Wifirst operates tens of thousands of Meraki WiFi and LAN devices for customers in a wide range of industries, including defense, tourist accommodation, retail and corporate.
INTERSPORT's IT Department thus benefits from Meraki Dashboard's advanced network supervision features to monitor activity and performance in each store, while management remains in the hands of Wifirst's NOC teams.
// PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
Ensuring tailor-made radio coverage in every outlet
Although stores are often built on fairly similar models, each one remains unique and requires a customized approach in terms of WiFi coverage.
For this reason, each INTERSPORT site is visited by our technical teams to assess the number of access points required and define their layout. This method ensures a "haute couture" network in all stores, without any white zones, whatever their specificities.
Managing a multi-site project on a national scale
In addition to Wifirst's unique expertise in WiFi technology, INTERSPORT's IT department was won over by Wifirst's rigorous project management, industrial capabilities for both deployment and operation, and knowledge of the retail environment.
With tried-and-tested processes, technical resources (tools built for the specific needs of an operator, developed entirely in-house) and human resources (team size and qualifications) tailored to the needs of large retailers, with numerous sites spread over vast territories, Wifirst's structure is designed to meet the requirements of these large retailers.
Nearly 300 INTERSPORT and Blackstore stores have already been equipped, with Wifirst adapting to the pace of a parallel project to connect sales outlets to fiber optics. Each store is guaranteed a 4-hour recovery time. If WiFi service is interrupted, Wifirst is committed to resolving the problem in less than 4 hours, either remotely or on site.
"The choice of the Wifirst solution was an obvious one for us, not only does Wifirst handle all the implementation but also the supervision of all the teams for all our points of sale."
Eric Goutry
Intersport store IT support manager
