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LEADING RETAILER
SD-WAN CASE STUDY

 

Building a Resilient, High-Performance Network with 1Nebula’s Cloud Network Engineering Services.

See how 1Nebula helped a major South African retailer deploy a resilient SD-WAN architecture across 900+ stores—eliminating network downtime, improving customer experience, and accelerating digital transformation.

 

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CUSTOMER OVERVIEW

 

Customer: Leading South African retail group
Industry: Retail
Scale: 900+ stores, 4 distribution centers, and global operations
Objective: Modernise from legacy MPLS to a multi-vendor SD-WAN infrastructure

This transformation was part of a broader strategy to strengthen operational resilience, reduce downtime, and enhance in-store network performance.

However, the transition introduced new operational and financial complexities, including:

  • Network outages that disrupted sales and customer experience
  • High failure rates due to single-vendor dependency
  • Delays and costs from manual failover and reactive incident handling
  • Capacity bottlenecks affecting transaction speed

The result?

An unacceptable level of business risk. With an average daily revenue of R55 million, just one day of downtime across 20% of stores represented R11 million in potential lost trade.

Why the Retailer Turned to 1Nebula

The retailer's MPLS network was no longer fit for purpose. The IT leadership team identified critical failure points.

 

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LOSS OF TRADE

20% of stores affected by outages monthly.

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BAD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Slow checkouts and in-store systems lag during peak hours.

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LACK OF REDUNDENCY

Poor failover resilience, leading to business interruption.

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OUTDATED SERVICE MODEL

Inefficient cost structure driven by legacy service models.

WHAT WE SET OUT TO ACHIEVE:

01

Design a resilient, high-availability SD-WAN architecture.

02

Minimise single points of failure across store locations.

03

Improve failover and routing automation to support business continuity.

04

Streamline deployment across hundreds of distributed locations.

05

Ensure SLA alignment and enforce accountability across multiple ISPs.

06

Enhance security posture with integrated policy-based controls.

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THE SOLUTION: 1Nebula’s Cloud Network Engineering Services

1Nebula’s Cloud Network Engineering team took ownership of the network transformation leading design, deployment, and vendor governance.

  • Multi-Link Resilience: Dual ISP links at each store eliminated single points of failure.
  • Automated Failover & Load Balancing: Real-time traffic rerouting ensured uninterrupted operations during outages.
  • Decentralised Internet Breakout: Branch-level cloud access reduced latency and eliminated bandwidth chokepoints.
  • Secure Edge Deployment: Unified firewall and security policy management improved protection and compliance.
  • SLA Enforcement & Vendor Oversight: 1Nebula ensured full accountability on delivery timelines and technical outcomes.

KEY LESSONS LEARNED

 

  • 01

    Multi-vendor SD-WAN must be centrally governed: Without strong coordination and oversight, vendor sprawl can lead to misaligned outcomes and rollout delays.

  • 02

    Failover and routing must be automated: Manual intervention during outages is no longer viable, automation ensures seamless uptime and continuity.

  • 03

    Cloud Network Engineering expertise is non-negotiable: A successful SD-WAN deployment requires expert planning, orchestration, and vendor accountability from day one.

Business outcomes and impact to the retailer.

 

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in direct savings through WAN infrastructure optimisation.

Asset 8@2x-8

improvement in network uptime, reducing trade disruption and operational downtime.

        

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Enhanced network security with integrated firewall and policy controls.

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Zero service interruption during ISP outages due to real-time failover.

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18-month migration completed ahead of schedule, with minimal business disruption.

Understanding SD-WAN Cost Management

 

Enables stores to use multiple ISPs simultaneously, reducing single points of failure.

  • Multi-Link Resilience – Traditional MPLS relies on a single provider. SD-WAN enables multi-vendor flexibility, but also introduces billing complexity.
  • Automated Failover – Instantly reroutes traffic during outages, maintaining business continuity.
  • Decentralised Internet Breakout – Reduces latency by allowing direct cloud access at each store.

Modern retail requires modern networks. Whether you're planning a migration or rethinking resilience, 1Nebula’s Cloud Network Engineering team is ready to design and deliver the right SD-WAN architecture for your business.
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