In today's competitive retail landscape, seamless service is a key differentiator. Customers expect a smooth, hassle-free experience in stores and a well-functioning point-of-sale (POS) system is essential to meet this demand—facilitating everything from swift transactions to real-time inventory checks. Simultaneously, safeguarding customer data and complying with stringent regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is important. For a global retailer with outlets across six continents and every European nation managing disparate POS systems and enduring delays in service calls present significant challenges on both these fronts.
The Challenge
To support thousands of devices across stores in more than 75 countries and markets worldwide, HCLTech support often had to travel long distances to address issues onsite.
- A heterogeneous environment: Stores were utilizing POS and other back-office devices with varying hardware configurations and software platforms, requiring specialized expertise and tools to ensure compatibility and interoperability
- Sensitive customer information: Security was a top priority as the client’s systems manage protected customer and financial information, such as payment card data. All data needed to be safeguarded during remote access and transmission
- GDPR, PCI-DSS and other regulations: The retailer needed its devices to align with the GDPR and the global Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), among other regulations
- Costly downtime: The retailer faced sales-impacting downtime when HCLTech installed software updates, patches and security enhancements, as well as when techs would troubleshoot and resolve issues
- Optimized performance: The company requires fast, performative machines to manage critical functions like POS transactions, inventory management and sales analytics.
The Objective
Leveraging Advanced Remote Management Solutions to Enhance Retail Operations Worldwide.
- To achieve sustainable remote management of thousands of devices across stores in over 75 countries and markets worldwide, minimizing the need for onsite visits
- To ensure compatibility and interoperability among a heterogeneous environment of POS and back-office devices with varying hardware configurations and software platforms
- To safeguard sensitive customer and financial information compliant with GDPR, PCI-DSS and other regulations during remote access and transmission
- To reduce costly downtime associated with software updates, patches, security enhancements, and troubleshooting, thereby optimizing the retailer's sales performance
- To improve overall device performance and reliability for critical functions like POS transactions, inventory management and sales analytics, while adhering to security requirements
The Solution
HCLTech Deployed Intel vPro to achieve sustainable remote management while meeting performance and security requirements. HCLTech and Intel collaborated on a successful project for the fashion retailer, showcasing sustainable remote management technology that also met performance and security requirements.
- Intel EMA enables HCLTech user support team to securely manage Intel® Active Management Technology remotely, allowing for diagnosis, repair and updates of devices through the cloud or Wi-Fi networks, even when devices are off or unresponsive
- Intel® Hardware Shield’s hardware-based security features that safeguard endpoints against malware, rootkits and other cyber threats
- Intel® Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) that provides hardware-based root of trust for verifying system integrity
- Intel® Threat Detection Technology (TDT) for better proactive, real-time threat detection and response, including Accelerated Memory Scanning and Advanced Platform Telemetry
- Remote configuration and provisioning, which allowed the HCLTech User Support team to deploy, configure and manage devices at scale without requiring physical access
- Cost and operational efficiencies gained by proactive remote maintenance capabilities
The Impact
Over the course of several months, HCLTech deployed thousands of new devices for the retailer, reducing TCO and improving IT service.
- Reduced the total cost of ownership (TCO) by reducing onsite support visits and minimizing downtime
- Improved servicing speed, as the HCLTech user support team can now quickly identify and address technical issues without the need for physical access to devices
- Reduced downtime as HCLTech can remotely manage, update, and troubleshoot devices, even when they are unresponsive or powered off for the night
- Reduced operational overhead for HCLTech with centralized remote management capabilities
- Improved performance and reliability of devices, enabling HCLTech to deliver higher quality service to the retail leader
