Providing Reliable Technology Solutions & Support to Regional Grocery Store Wholesaler

BACKGROUND

Bozzuto’s Inc.  is  a  leading  wholesale  distributor  of  products to retailers in New England, New York,  New Jersey,  Maryland and Pennsylvania. Established in 1945, Bozzuto’s has won the International Grocers Alliance (IGA) President’s Cup five times. This prestigious award is the highest honor that an IGA organization can receive and identifies Bozzuto’s as a leader among IGA distributors.

Bozzuto’s offers a total service approach to its independently owned grocery retailers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, providing a wide variety of goods and services that includes everything from dairy, produce, meat and seafood to transportation and logistics. The company’s state-of-the-art distribution centers use the latest technology designed to maximize connectivity, security and customer service.

IMPROVING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Network engineering isn’t one of the company’s core areas of expertise, so they decided to look at outsourced providers. Bozzuto’s reached out to SageNet. “We look for the brightest minds in technology to improve our retail customer’s experience,” said Russ Gorman, Bozzuto’s Senior Project Lead. “And this is precisely what we found in partnering with SageNet.”

Headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., SageNet designs, implements, manages and protects fast, secure and reliable networks that empower organizations to achieve their business objectives. SageNet’s integrated network infrastructure, dedicated personnel and innovative products and services have set the standard for managed network services. The company’s customer base represents many of the nation’s leading retail, healthcare, energy and financial companies.

MORE BACK-UP, SAME PRICE

At present, SageNet works with 180 of Bozzuto’s customers throughout the Northeast. In addition to providing these stores with broadband connectivity for their point-of-sale systems, SageNet implemented an automatic failover to a 4G cellular backup connection in case of a broadband outage. The solution provides more backup at the same price the grocers were already paying while eliminating overage charges from previous providers.

SageNet conducted a short pilot program to prove the benefits of the proposed solution. The pilot was so successful that Bozzuto’s moved forward with SageNet providing turnkey network services to Bozzuto’s customers.

“Ultimately, we at Bozzuto’s work for our independent grocers, so our job is to make their jobs easier. SageNet works hand-in-hand with us to make this happen,” said Russ Gorman. “We work with a wide range of both small and large independent grocers, but they all have similar technology needs. With SageNet’s help, we meshed together a best-of-breed technology solution that helps their operations run efficiently, decreases costs and increases capabilities.

“From day one, SageNet has provided impeccable customer service that has never faltered. They’ve proactively anticipated changes in technology, offering creative solutions to address our unique needs. Their engineering team is the best, by far, that I have had the privilege to work with in my 32-year career! We’re 10 months ahead of schedule. And our network is faster, more reliable and more secure. In fact, this new, more-robust network is opening up other possibilities such as Wi-Fi, Voice over IP, video and more. It’s really exciting.”

OPERATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, FOR EFFICIENCY

While Bozzuto’s doesn’t mandate that its retail customers utilize SageNet’s advanced technology package for their connectivity needs, the wholesaler does offer incentives to these independent grocers because it recognizes the benefits the grocers will see in their operations.

In addition, SageNet also now manages the retail locations’ data center firewalls and unified threat management licensing.

COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

SageNet’s expertise in managing technology solutions for multiple-site locations was one of the big draws for Bozzuto’s, according to SageNet’s Chairman Daryl Woodard.

“The Bozzuto’s/SageNet partnership is a great example of our collaborative approach to managed network services,” said Woodard. “Bozzuto’s chose to partner with us due to our engineering team’s expertise in PCI compliance and cybersecurity. We’ve proven ourselves by helping Bozzuto’s help its customers. It is an honor to play a role contributing to the success of this customer-focused organization.”

And while creating a reliable broadband and backup solution was SageNet’s initial success with Bozzuto’s and its independent retailers, the relationship has expanded in several key areas.

SageNet’s experienced cybersecurity group has developed a VPN solution for Bozzuto’s customers to securely gain access to their networks. SageNet also has piloted a VoIP solution that Bozzuto’s can offer to its customers as part of its technology package. Most recently, Bozzuto’s began a SageNet pilot program to offer an end-to-end digital signage solution that will enhance the shopping experience for the independent grocers’ customers.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Outsourcing network operations to a managed services provider enables Bozzuto’s to provide its customers with cost-effective, reliable and secure connectivity, while empowering them to concentrate on their core business and customer satisfaction.