An American Grocery Chain Saves $1 Million During Massive IP Communication Deployment

American Grocery Chain Upgrades Communication Capabilities Across More Than 60 Locations in Line with Its Sustainability Objectives

3-minute read time

Summary

• An American grocery chain wanted to upgrade from its outdated Nortel phone system to provide its users with new Cisco IP handsets across 60+ stores without negative environmental impacts, business disruption, and high network readiness costs.
• The reseller partner, FirstLight Fiber, recommended using NVT Phybridge PoE innovations to improve digital transformation outcomes by leveraging existing network infrastructure assets.
• Since the first phase of the IP modernization project in 2016, FirstLight Fiber has leveraged a repeatable, predictable, and scalable deployment methodology to deploy over 3,000 IP devices.
• The organization has experienced over $1 million in infrastructure cost savings thanks to NVT Phybridge PoE innovations, while maintaining operational efficiency and minimizing disruptions.
• The grocery chain leveraged NVT Phybridge technology to reduce the project’s impact on the environment while aligning with the retailer’s four pillars of sustainability: sourcing responsibly, protecting the environment, making a difference in the community, and promoting employee well-being.

Challenge

A regional supermarket chain operating on the East Coast of the United States faced the significant challenge of upgrading its outdated Nortel phone system. With over 60 stores requiring an upgrade to Cisco IP handsets, the grocery chain faced the daunting prospect of overhauling its existing network infrastructure to support the new Cisco system. This would involve substantial financial investment and present logistical challenges, including business disruptions to store operations, which could negatively impact employee productivity and customer experience. The grocery chain, recognized for its commitment to sustainability, needed a solution that would align with its environmental goals by minimizing waste and reducing its carbon footprint. The challenge was to find a way to transition to a modern IP communications system without the high network readiness costs, complexity, and business disruption associated with the cable type and reach limitations of traditional network switches.

Solution

A leadership member of the grocery chain’s digital transformation team had previously used NVT Phybridge solutions, which bolstered the solution’s credibility. Since the project began in 2016, FirstLight Fiber has partnered with the grocer to implement NVT Phybridge PoE innovations. Mark Sparling, Sales Engineer at FirstLight Fiber, was also familiar with NVT Phybridge solutions and assured the customer that it was a straightforward decision once he understood the full scope of the project. FirstLight Fiber recommended the PoLRE24 managed switch solution to leverage the grocery chain’s existing, proven, and point-to-point connections, enabling the new Cisco IP devices. This modern and innovative approach to network design enables a smooth and cost-effective transition from analog to IP across multiple sites at the right pace for the customer, while minimizing material consumption and e-waste.

The PoLRE switch innovation delivers Ethernet and PoE over Single-Pair UTP cabling with up to 1,200ft (365m) reach – four times the reach of standard Ethernet switches. FirstLight Fiber used the NVT Phybridge PoLRE switch innovation to help the grocery chain leverage its existing cabling, rack space, cooling, and other supporting infrastructure, significantly reducing unnecessary costs, risk, complexity, and business disruption – creating better digital transformation outcomes for all stakeholders.

Result

NVT Phybridge PoE innovations helped the grocery chain to reduce unnecessary network readiness costs by more than $1 million while avoiding years of operational complexity and business disruption. Additionally, the project has been executed with minimal network downtime or impact on store operations, preserving the customer experience. The consistent and reliable performance of the PoLRE solution has allowed the grocer to continue the rollout across its stores, with future phases expected to deliver similar results. Over the course of the project, more than 3,000 endpoints will be deployed across 60+ stores, with each phase demonstrating the efficiency and effectiveness of NVT Phybridge technology.

Sustainability

NVT Phybridge PoE innovations helped FirstLight Fiber align the digital transformation project with the grocery chain’s four pillars of commitment to sustainability:

1. Sourcing Responsibly: By avoiding the need for new cabling materials, the grocery chain has minimized its consumption of new resources.
2. Protecting the Environment: The PoLRE solution has significantly reduced landfill waste by utilizing existing infrastructure assets, preventing the disposal of cables and other equipment.
3. Making a Difference in the Community: By ensuring that store operations were not disrupted, the grocer maintained its exceptional service to the community, reflecting its commitment to being a positive force in the areas it serves.
4. Promoting Employee Well-Being: The seamless implementation of NVT Phybridge technology to deploy the new Cisco IP devices minimized disruptions to employees, allowing them to continue working in a stable and consistent environment.

The NVT Phybridge PoLRE solution provided the grocery chain with a cost-effective and reliable technology upgrade that supported its broader sustainability objectives and reinforced its reputation as a responsible and forward-thinking organization.

About FirstLight Fiber

FirstLight provides fiber-optic data, Internet, data center, cloud, unified communications, and managed services to enterprise and carrier customers throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. FirstLight’s mission is to empower organizations to deliver the promise of a limitless future by supplying the critical digital infrastructure our customers need to connect locally and thrive globally.

About NVT Phybridge

Our mission is to help organizations maximize their IP migration return on investment by providing high-quality network solutions that are robust, secure, simple to implement, and environmentally responsible. NVT Phybridge is a global leader in PoE network innovations that eliminate the reach and cable type limitations of traditional PoE switches. Our diverse and award-winning portfolio of long-reach PoE switches and extenders help organizations deploy the latest IP technologies over any new or existing single-pair UTP, coax, multi-pair UTP, or 2-wire infrastructure without high costs, complexity, business disruption, or security concerns.