Doddle , a provider of click-and-collect parcel delivery services, has implemented a cloud-managed network in support of a rapid ongoing expansion into new host locations, and to make sure it plays nice with its partners.
As previously explored by Computer Weekly, Doddle recently implemented a Couchbase NoSQL database to help its staff more easily process information such as parcel status, customer details and specific instructions for the delivery or return of parcels back to retailers.
At the same time, the company, which was founded in 2014 as a joint venture between Network Rail and Travelex founder Lloyd Dorfman, is rapidly expanding its business.
It went into 2016 with around 40 locations, mostly at major train stations, and ended it with just over 80. Chief technology officer Gary O\u2019Connor plans to close out 2017 with nearly 1,000 locations thanks to new partnerships with retail chains such as B&Q , Morrisons and Cancer Research UK.
However, during the course of the past 12 months, he found that Doddle\u2019s standard model of operating small concessions within larger transport hub or retail environments was starting to cause it problems from a networking perspective.
\u201cThe system we started out with was a web-based system; it always had to be online in each store,\u201d he says.
\u201cWe needed resilient broadband because we pride ourselves on customer experience, so we had ethernet and digital subscriber line (DSL) connections in each store, with two routers and switches to guarantee connectivity, but it was bulky and expensive.
\u201cWhen we looked to grow the network, we had to do the same thing more cheaply and using less space. This was important because we were going into locations that were smaller and needed to maximise space,\u201d says O\u2019Connor.
Many of its stores, particularly those in railway stations, were in Victorian buildings that had never been upgraded for fibre connectivity. This threw another spanner in the works because it meant having to go through BT Openreach\u2019s often lengthy processes to establish broadband.
O\u2019Connor turned to Cradlepoint to help design and build a more cost-effective, robust and easy-to-deploy solution that, critically, would not require fixed cable infrastructure, or a hardware cabinet.
Doddle chose the AER1600 all-in-one, cloud-managed solution, which uses a single connection support DSL, ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity with dual-modem, multi-carrier mobile support over a 4G long term evolution (LTE) network.
To date, Doddle has replaced legacy networking equipment in 50 existing stores, and will be using Cradlepoint going forward at all new locations.
Doddle can now eliminate bulky equipment from its standalone units, freeing up more storage space for parcels, and save around 50% on both capital and operational expenditure by enabling greater flexibility for deployment and maintenance through the cloud.
The organisation claims that having made the switch, it can have a new store up and running within hours, including setting up handhelds, label printers, tablets and payment devices alongside the network hub running off a single connection.<\/p>\n