Mysterious network performance issues? Check your edge devices.
By Simon Gamble
Convenience retailers are increasingly dependent on high-volume, real-time data transmission for a growing range of essential applications that improve customer and employee experience. Payment processing, digital menu boards, retail media, fuel tank monitoring and video surveillance are among the more popular technology applications deployed by c-store operators.
As technology becomes more important to operations there is also an increased risk of disruptions in network performance, which can lead to operational inefficiencies, unnecessary downtime, customer dissatisfaction and potential revenue loss—creating an urgent need for a comprehensive solution.
For example, a c-store operator with around 50 locations recently deployed a variety of new technology solutions to improve its customer and employee experience. However, after roll out, its network performance began to degrade.
With so many new technologies in play, the root cause of the network performance issues was not immediately clear, but was eventually traced to the edge networking device that transmits data between the local network and the cloud. Examples include security gateways (commonly referred to as “firewalls”), VPN concentrators, access points and managed switches. However, many of the standard managed network service provider (MNSP) solutions are built on older edge networking devices. (Older edge network devices have CPU and processing limitations that create substantial throughput bottlenecks. Sometimes, a different approach to restore and enhance performance is required—this approach involves advanced edge devices and implementing an innovative SD-WAN architecture.
Exploding Bandwidth Demand
In our example, the convenience retailer added digital signage, self-service kiosks, retail media, CCTV and guest Wi-Fi to its network over a short period of time. The high data volume video surveillance alone can quickly saturate available bandwidth, crowding out other applications. As the strain on its network grew, the retailer started to see performance issues that included media lagging and poor Wi-Fi performance.
The most obvious solution was to buy more bandwidth, so they upgraded a test location’s broadband data plan from 50 to 100 Mbps. There was no improvement. Then they tried shutting off one application at a time to see if one or two “greedy” applications were to blame, but that showed no obvious bottlenecks. It was clear that doubling available bandwidth would not help if outdated networking equipment with limited processing capacity is the limiting factor.
Limited Edge Devices and Antiquated Network Architecture
Only a few years ago, typical edge devices would only have a 20 Mbps throughput limit, which is far too low for the latest bandwidth-intensive applications. This retailer was using a very common edge device model (from a major oil brand’s approved MNSP), which was preventing the full speeds of the broadband data plan from being realized.
Networks built with these limited edge devices typically suffer from poorly designed network architecture that routes all data through the equipment vendor’s central data center before it reaches application providers. This introduces unnecessary overhead and latency, especially during peak usage times. The added complexity of this inefficient, indirect routing not only slows down application performance but also creates a potential single point of failure for the entire network.
Advanced Edge Devices and SD-WAN Architecture
Advanced security gateways have significantly higher throughput capabilities than older edge devices, far exceeding the requirements of even the most advanced convenience stores. Ample access to bandwidth allows edge devices to enable immediate data availability, which is critical for maintaining operational efficiency and enhancing overall performance. Even during peak usage times, the network remains responsive and reliable, improving customer and employee experience.
Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) allow for easier management of multilocation networks. They optimize performance across sites by directing traffic through the most efficient paths and ensure that every connected-application routes directly to its host, significantly improving data transmission efficiency and eliminating the potential single point of failure found in more typical designs. This direct connectivity allows for fast processing of payment transactions and uninterrupted video feeds, enhancing the customer experience and operational reliability.
As the retailer case study illustrates, throwing more bandwidth at an older, outdated network infrastructure won’t significantly improve an underperforming network. Once an advanced security gateway was installed at the retailer’s test location, the full data plan speeds immediately became available, and the network disruptions disappeared. Within two months, the retailer’s entire network had converted to advanced edge devices, and all network applications at each store were working together flawlessly.
Simon Gamble is the co-founder and president of Mako Networks North America, a company specializing in network management, PCI DSS security, SASE SD-WAN connectivity and cloud management with deep experience in the petroleum space. For more information visit makonetworks.com.
