REMarkets utilizes next-gen solution to prioritize tangible business outcomes over network maintenance

The Challenge

REMarkets is in the reverse logistics business, reclaiming used IT technology and ultimately reselling that equipment. John Buller, REMarkets technology director, has to ensure that the company’s network supports both the corporate side of the business and the refurbishment, testing and inspection that happens in its certified, purpose-built facilities. An outdated network with poor Wi-Fi capacity and coverage was making that difficult, frustrating everyone, regardless of which side of the business they were on.

When the time came to move to a new REMarkets headquarters building, Buller knew he needed to find a new way to network.

• Meet unique network demands to support both corporate employees and those on the factory floor
• Eliminate Wi-Fi performance issues moving forward
• Get new HQ site up and running with Wi-Fi capacity and coverage before move-in day
• Deploy entirely new network and support it ongoing with a very lean internal IT team

The Solution

Nile Connect Partner, Barcom, recommended that Buller go with Nile to deploy the network, end to end, in time for the headquarters opening. The Nile Access Service is delivered as a fully managed service, giving REMarkets both the network performance and IT assistance to easily support its 60 Austin HQ employees and the thousands of devices they access every day.

• AI-enabled Nile Access Service deployed in 30 days
• Nile’s predictive site survey accurately placed Access Points in complex factory environment
• Capacity and coverage for the front office and the manufacturing floor, backed by performance-based guarantees
• Built-in campus zero trust isolation brings new level of security to REMarkets network
• Nile Customer Portal provides visibility and support

The Results

Today, the Wi-Fi experience is great for everyone, no matter where they are in the new building, with Nile delivering the fresh start Buller was looking for. He doesn’t have any of the coverage, capacity or performance issues that he did in the previous facility.

“In the old facility, our biggest problem was the escalations when the Wi-Fi hiccupped, and that happened far too often,” says Buller. “Walking away from that and into something better with Nile made a lot of sense. Nile provides simplification, manageability, security, and resilience right out of the box, and that’s a game changer. ”

• Fast and consistent Wi-Fi lets corporate focus on the business, manufacturing assure the quality of its refurbished products
• Nile OpEx pricing model brings predictability to network costs, provides alternative to capital outlay
• REMarkets now focuses on its core competencies rather than network management

Partners for the Long Term

Working with Barcom, Nile was able to meet the deadline for installing the Nile Access Service at the new REMarkets building, and Buller reports that the team went above and beyond.

“In the weeks that Nile was here working on our install, the level of expertise that was in our building was high, it was very confidence inspiring,” he says. “I’m not a network engineer, so I really needed to understand the change we were making from VLANs to network segmentation. The Nile people on site were very informative and thorough in providing explanations in nontechnical language.”

Being an IT team of just one, support is crucial to Buller.

“We’re a small company without a lot of in-house expertise, so I rely on third-party managed service providers,” he says. “Nile and Barcom are my IT team now.”

“In the weeks that Nile was here working on our install, the level of expertise that was in our building was high, it was very confidence inspiring.”

– John Buller, Technology Director, REMarkets

Getting it right the first time

Wi-Fi is important throughout REMarkets, but on the shop floor it’s business critical. That’s why Buller needed Nile’s help and why Nile had to get it right. The factory is a very different environment than the front office with pallet racking, test racks and significant electrical interference from the large number of computers and mobility devices being powered up. A lot of up-front design went into getting the APs placed correctly the first time, and the results show that the initial design was right from the start.

“No news is good news,” Buller says, “We haven’t had a single complaint or concern raised about the Wi-Fi from anyone on the factory floor.”

Much-needed support, delivered

Without a doubt, the biggest benefit Nile provides for Buller is taking the burden of IT management off of his plate.

“Unless I’m adding a new device to the network, there’s nothing for me to manage,” he explains. “What it comes down to is that I don’t have to think about it.”

The Nile Customer Portal has been easy to use and intuitive for Buller to navigate, making troubleshooting a thing of the past.

“When I tried to find the root cause of Wi-Fi complaints in the old facility, it was problematic and became a big time suck, all while the level of red-hot urgency was growing quickly,” he says. “But that’s not an issue with Nile because the network constantly self monitors the infrastructure and automatically self tunes the APs. Troubleshooting is no longer ambiguous.”

“I’m an IT force of one in this company, but I’m not stressed about it.”

– John Buller, Technology Director, REMarkets