Scalable infrastructure for a pan-European Start-up

Ideal’s templated, cloud-first, zero-touch network approach enabled fully functioning connected hubs to be rolled out throughout Europe, without IT specialists on-the-ground.

Map of Europe in blue with red dots showing hubs

Up to 50 European hubs were planned

The Challenge

This investment-funded logistics start-up aimed to roll out an innovative net-zero last-mile vehicle-as-a-service business for delivery companies in urban centres.

To support their rapid growth plans, the vision was to create a Network and Connectivity template that would be the technology backbone for each new hub as the business expanded into new cities.

This would include networking and Wi-Fi technology to meet operational and business functions in a secure, cloud-first approach that would require minimal kit on-site. Zero-touch deployment was a priority for simple roll out, with proactive 24/7/365 managed services provided by Ideal from the UK.

With a target of up to 50 hubs across Europe, rapid deployment, secure reliable operation and efficient support were all identified as critical factors for overall business success.

The Solution

Ideal designed a comprehensive solution template to accommodate logistics hubs and offices of different sizes that could be deployed and supported remotely, without the need for local network engineers at each site.

The components of each hub included:

· Templated zero-touch deployment network technology

· Fortinet Firewalls/SD-WAN

· Cisco Meraki LAN/Wi-Fi

· Cloud-native Network Access Control

· Managed Service for all network infrastructure

Once a physical space was identified in each city, Ideal’s engineers completed a remote predictive wireless site survey and detailed implementation plan, adapted from the template to suit the physical layout of each individual site.

Adaption would cover local anomalies like the need for Wi-Fi to work in inspection pits or in busy logistics garages, with the possibility of multiple trucks blocking Wi-Fi sightlines at any time.

The equipment was pre-configured by Ideal and shipped on a just-in-time basis, as soon as each site was available for local contractors to install. All the technology was plug-and play, configured and managed in the cloud by Ideal’s engineers in the UK, so contractors didn’t require any specialist networking knowledge.

The Result

Ideal’s template enabled the smooth roll-out of networking and Wi-Fi capability across multiple sites in the UK, Germany, France and Spain.

The templated cloud-first approach reduced the cost of installation and enabled faster validation and testing. The time from site approval to operational network could be reduced to under six weeks, giving the client the flexibility they needed for rapid growth across multiple territories.

Support and management of each site was much simpler too, with standardised reporting, analytics, upgrades and fixes across all of the live hubs.

Feonix Tahany, Account Director, Ideal, said:

“This project demonstrated the value of robust upfront design and planning. The templated approach gave our client better budget control, simplified procurement and faster deployment, enabling us to support a growing multi-site European business from the UK.”