CVS Health recently named WEI its 2025 Supplier Star of the Year, its highest honor for supplier performance. This recognition is given to just one partner annually and reflects exceptional, long-term performance across every area CVS Health values most. That includes everything from execution and innovation to service, ethics, and outcomes. It’s a rare, enterprise-level endorsement that signals trust, consistency, and impact at national scale.

Importantly, this wasn’t a one-off recognition. It marked a decade-long partnership between WEI and CVS Health. This is a partnership that continues to deliver measurable outcomes across 7,500+ locations, under real-world pressure, and without shortcuts.

For enterprise IT leaders, the award signals something more than partner praise. It proves that with the right execution model, technology investments can deliver sustained business value and not just short-term wins.

Start with Identifying Desired Business Outcomes

Too often, enterprise technology partners focus on deployments, not outcomes. A provider might complete a project, install the tools, and move on. But what happens when that implementation is scaled across thousands of locations, or placed under the scrutiny of operational uptime, regulatory pressure, and board-level ROI expectations?

CVS Health has faced exactly this challenge. The organization needed more than implementation support. It also needed a strategic partner who could tie every technical decision to a clear business result.

That is where WEI and its world-class engineering depth stand apart.

WEI begins with business objectives like reliability, consistency at scale, cost discipline, security, and user experience. It then engineers and executes solutions designed to hold up in real-world enterprise conditions. In this case, it is custom retail solutions within the demanding and compliance-driven healthcare sector.

This execution-first mindset becomes critical when:

• Downtime can create financial or reputational risk
• Small inconsistencies scale into large operational problems
• Boards demand measurable outcomes, not technical milestones

CVS Health: Complex Goals, High Stakes

CVS Health operates one of the most complex enterprise environments in the United States. Its technology must support millions of customer and patient interactions across thousands of locations nationwide. That requires high standards for uptime, compliance, security, and financial control.

Their strategic goals include:

• Improving operational consistency and quality at scale
• Modernizing infrastructure without disrupting operations
• Using automation and AI to improve decision-making
• Delivering long-term ROI beyond the initial implementation

How WEI Delivered and What That Means for Enterprises

WEI works closely with CVS Health to translate strategic goals into real outcomes across the organization. While specific metrics are confidential, the impact closely reflects the KPIs most CIOs are measured against today.

Operational Reliability: Uptime was protected during modernization projects, even in a highly distributed environment.

• How: WEI validated solutions before deployment, tested them under real conditions, and executed phased rollouts to protect continuity.

Risk Reduction: Deployment failures were minimized and issues were addressed before impacting operations.

• How: WEI led early risk identification, conducted proof-of-concept testing, and owned accountability through rollout.

End-User Experience Stability: Employees and frontline teams benefited from stable systems that supported productivity.

• How: WEI prioritized user impact during design and deployment, not after disruptions occurred. This is largely attributed to WEI’s approach to making end user devices ready to go out-of-the-box.

Sustained Business Value: Technology investments were aligned to long-term enterprise outcomes.

• How: WEI maintained alignment with CVS Health’s business goals and delivered results that lasted beyond go-live.

These outcomes did not happen by accident. They were the product of an award-winning execution-first model built to handle real-world enterprise pressure.

Why CVS Health Chose WEI as Supplier Star of the Year

CVS Health selected WEI for its 2025 Supplier Star of the Year award based on consistent, measurable excellence across every critical performance category.

The recognition was not tied to a single project. It reflected years of disciplined execution, technical partnership, and trusted delivery. Per CVS Health leadership, WEI operates as an extension of their internal teams, bringing accountability, engineering depth, and a focus on outcomes. This award is not the first for WEI, as it also received the 2015 Innovator of the Year honor from CVS Health.

What This Award Proves for Your Enterprise

CVS Health is not unique in facing these challenges. Many organizations are navigating distributed operations, regulatory requirements, budget pressure, and the expectation to deliver reliable results at scale. What sets this story apart is the model behind the execution:

• Business-first alignment
• Early solution validation
• Disciplined rollout
• Ownership beyond deployment

This is exactly the kind of model that closes the execution gap highlighted in Gartner’s 2025 CIO and Technology Executive Survey and IDC’s research on IT value realization. For organizations under similar pressure, the message is clear.

Your outcomes depend less on the tools you choose, and more on the partner you trust to deliver them.

Let’s Build What’s Next, Together

The CVS Health Supplier Star of the Year award affirms what WEI has always believed: that outcomes matter more than implementations, and that the right partner makes the difference. This is a validation of a long-standing, engineering-led approach that delivers measurable results across 7,500 locations and beyond.

At WEI, . You meet the engineer on day one and they stay with your project through design, development, deployment, and beyond. With over 100 certified engineers and deep expertise across cloud, automation, security, and infrastructure, WEI brings the technical bench and continuity that enterprises need to succeed at scale.

Start a conversation at wei.com, or reach us directly at 1-800-296-7837.

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Customers expect a smooth and direct shopping experience whether they’re in-store, browsing online, or using an app. On the other side of this, retail businesses are also busy protecting sensitive customer data, complying with industry regulations, and keeping operations running smoothly. Traditional networking approaches aren’t built to handle these demands, so retailers are turning to more innovative, more automated solutions.

That’s where AI-native networking comes in. By using automation, predictive analytics, and real-time data, retailers can keep their systems running smoothly for both shoppers and retail personnel. Whether ensuring reliable transactions, improving store layouts with IoT insights, or securing customer data, AI-driven networking keeps everything connected. In this blog article, we explain how this approach shapes the future of retail and why it’s a game-changer for businesses looking to stay ahead.

The Role Of AI-Native Networking In Retail

Retailers rely on their networks for far more than just processing transactions. From in-store analytics and smart inventory tracking to digital customer interactions, a stable network becomes the backbone of the business. However, legacy networking solutions can result in unreliable connections, slower transactions, and security risks.

AI-native retail networking solutions like Juniper Apstra offer a smarter, more resilient approach by:

• Automating network management: Reducing manual setup and making updates easier.
• Proactively resolving issues: Leveraging AI-driven insights to detect and fix network problems before they impact operations.
• Boosting speed and security: Enhancing both in-store and online shopping experiences with a faster, more secure network.

As more retailers shift to AI-native networking, they can support a growing number of connected devices. The next step is leveraging these capabilities to build a retail networking solution that supports a digital-first approach, ensuring omnichannel experiences and efficient operations across all locations.

Building A Secure, Digital-First Retail Network

Retailers are blending digital and physical shopping, which calls for high-speed, secure connectivity. Networks must support various technologies while ensuring seamless transactions and data security. AI-native networking solutions address these challenges by automating processes, improving visibility, and minimizing disruptions.

Key advantages of AI-native retail networking extend beyond connectivity, offering a strategic foundation for modern retail operations:

1. Smarter store layouts and inventory tracking: AI-driven insights allow retailers to track shopper movement and optimize store layouts for improved customer flow. Additionally, real-time product tracking helps retailers minimize stockouts and overages by ensuring that products are readily available to customers.
2. Lower costs, better productivity: Automation brings significant financial benefits for retailers as it reduces manual IT workloads and minimizes maintenance expenses. Retailers can then focus on more important things that drive business growth. For example, a major U.S. retailer saved $30 million in network infrastructure costs while increasing bandwidth capacity by 50% by simply integrating AI-native networking into their system.
3. Stronger security and compliance: AI-driven networking assists businesses in maintaining compliance with the through automated policy enforcement, network segmentation, data encryption, and cyber threat protection.
4. 24/7 threat detection: AI-native networking provides real-time network security monitoring and built-in segmentation to reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
5. Reliable connections across all locations: Retailers using intent-based networking ensure uninterrupted service across multiple locations, supporting digital signage, self-checkout kiosks, and real-time analytics.
6. Fewer outages: Retailers often experience network downtime due to misconfigurations or performance bottlenecks. Intent-based automation continuously monitors and adjusts the network to align with your business goals. This automation enables:

• Faster store rollouts with automated network provisioning.
• More engaging customer experiences with location-based promotions and interactive digital displays.
• Consistent and secure network performance that adapts to evolving retail needs.

With a strong network foundation, retailers can improve customer experiences, strengthen security, and set themselves up for long-term success.

Final Thoughts

AI-native networking is more than just a technology upgrade; it’s a strategic investment in the future of retail. By integrating automation and real-time intelligence, businesses can create a network infrastructure that adapts to growth.

Navigating retail networking challenges requires expertise and the right technology. WEI specializes in Juniper Apstra’s AI-powered networking to help retailers maximize the benefits of intelligent, automated infrastructures. Reach out to our team today to discover how Juniper Apstra and AI-powered solutions can help your retail business move forward.

Next Steps: Juniper Apstra enables retailers to achieve both through targeted innovations that deliver meaningful results. Paired with WEI’s hands-on support and integration services, discover how Juniper Apstra allows retailers to implement reliable, secure technology solutions that meet business goals.  to learn more!

The post Smarter Shopping And Retail Networking: The Future Of AI-Native Connectivity appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

IT teams do more than just maintain connectivity; they need to ensure fast, reliable, and efficient network performance while managing an increasing number of applications, devices, and users. Traditional networking solutions often focus on uptime rather than user experience, leading to inefficiencies and unresolved issues.

This is where AI networking changes the game. By integrating artificial intelligence, AI-native networking platforms automate repetitive tasks, anticipate and prevent disruptions, and provide comprehensive network visibility.  Here are some reasons why IT leaders are taking this smarter approach:

• Accelerates troubleshooting: AI-native insights help IT teams diagnose and resolve issues by analyzing real-time telemetry data from connected devices.
• Enhances security: AI-powered anomaly detection continuously monitors network traffic, identifying irregularities and mitigating threats before they escalate.
• Optimizes cloud networking: AI ensures optimal bandwidth allocation, prioritizing critical applications and improving overall network performance.
• Reduces IT workloads: AI-native platforms decrease network-related trouble tickets by up to 90%, allowing IT teams to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Juniper Network’s exemplifies these benefits, using cloud-based microservices architecture to provide real-time event correlation across wireless, wired, and WAN domains. This proactive approach has led organizations to achieve an 85% reduction in network-related on-site visits and deploy solutions up to nine times faster than traditional methods.

AI Networking For Cloud And Wireless Optimization

The adoption of cloud-based applications and services has made networking a fundamental component of enterprise IT strategy. Organizations worldwide depend on SaaS platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, requiring networks to dynamically adjust to shifting workloads.

AI-powered automation ensures these applications operate efficiently by continuously monitoring network resources and optimizing performance. Juniper Networks’ AI-native platform leverages cloud microservices to deliver predictive insights that enhance network automation and infrastructure management.

Reliable wireless connectivity is equally essential for uninterrupted operations. AI-powered wireless assurance guarantees consistent, high-quality Wi-Fi experiences by:

• Continuously monitoring network conditions and user experiences.
• Detecting and resolving connectivity issues before they impact performance.
• Reducing Wi-Fi-related help desk tickets by up to 90% with real-time, AI-driven insights.

Juniper’s Mist AI applies advanced machine learning to optimize wireless assurance. It identifies anomalies and dynamically adjusts network parameters to maintain peak connectivity and minimize downtime. This intelligent approach to cloud networking enables IT teams to provide uninterrupted, high-performance digital experiences while reducing operational strain.

Enhanced Effectiveness With AI Networking

AI-powered solutions automate crucial tasks such as network monitoring, configuration management, and traffic optimization. This automation reduces manual workloads, enabling organizations to reallocate IT resources to more strategic initiatives while boosting overall network reliability.

Additionally, AI-driven analytics provide real-time visibility into network health, allowing for early detection and resolution of potential issues before they escalate. Furthermore, AI reduces configuration errors, ensuring accurate and efficient network adjustments without human intervention.

Organizations leveraging AI networking experience measurable cost reductions, and data backs this up. In a study, found AI-driven automation can lower TCO by up to 28% and OpEx by as much as 85%. These savings arise from several factors, including:

• Fewer manual interventions: Automated processes lessen the time IT teams spend on network maintenance and troubleshooting.
• Lower support costs: AI-driven troubleshooting decreases help desk tickets and enhances resolution times.
• Optimized resource allocation: Automated bandwidth management guarantees applications receive the necessary resources without overspending on capacity.
• Minimized downtime: Predictive analytics assist in preventing network disruptions, thereby reducing revenue loss associated with outages.

Final Thoughts

AI networking is revolutionizing infrastructure management by empowering IT teams to leverage automation, predictive analytics, and real-time visibility into network performance. 

Juniper Networks offers a comprehensive automation platform specifically designed to streamline network operations and security. If your organization is ready to embrace network automation, contact our team of experts at WEI today to learn how AI-native networking can transform your operations.

Next Steps: In today’s retail environment, success relies on maximizing margins while improving customer experiences. Juniper Apstra enables retailers to achieve both through targeted innovations that deliver meaningful results. Paired with WEI’s hands-on support and integration services, discover how Juniper Apstra allows retailers to implement reliable, secure technology solutions that meet business goals. to learn more!

The post AI Networking: The Key to Smarter, Faster, And More Secure Infrastructure appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

In today’s high-stakes retail landscape, staying ahead of the competition requires innovative solutions that enhance the customer experience, streamline operations, and provide reliable connectivity. This is where AI-driven networking solutions from industry leaders Juniper Networks and Aruba Networks come into play. By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, these companies are revolutionizing the way retailers approach their networking infrastructure, delivering exceptional results and driving business success.

One of the key benefits of AI-driven networking for retail enterprises is the ability to enrich and streamline the customer experience. By leveraging advanced technologies such as location-based services and virtual beacons, retailers can provide personalized and interactive experiences for their customers. These technologies enable retailers to offer turn-by-turn directions, push notifications, and real-time offers tailored to each customer’s preferences and location within the store.

Additionally, AI-driven networking solutions empower retailers to analyze customer footfall data, dwell time, and pedestrian flow, providing valuable insights that inform staffing levels, store layouts, and promotional strategies. By understanding customer behavior and preferences, retailers can create a seamless and engaging shopping journey that drives customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Making Informed Decisions with AI-Driven Insights

In the ever-evolving retail landscape, making informed decisions is crucial to staying competitive. AI-driven networking solutions provide retailers with valuable insights into their network performance, customer behavior, and operational efficiency. With Mist AI’s virtual network assistant, retailers can monitor their network in real-time and proactively identify and resolve issues, ensuring a seamless and optimized customer experience.

Furthermore, AI-driven networking solutions enable retailers to gain a comprehensive view of the customer journey, both online and offline. By analyzing data from multiple touchpoints, retailers can understand customer preferences, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions that enhance their business strategies. Whether it’s optimizing inventory management, scheduling staff effectively, or launching targeted marketing campaigns, AI-driven insights empower retailers to make informed decisions that drive business growth.

Reliable Connectivity for Seamless Operations

In the fast-paced world of retail, reliable connectivity is essential for seamless operations. Poor in-store connectivity can lead to shopper abandonment and frustration, impacting the overall customer experience. With robust networking solutions from industry leaders like Juniper and Aruba, retailers can ensure reliable connectivity for both customers and employees.

These networking solutions provide seamless access to inventory systems, speedy frictionless checkout services, and immediate connectivity for associates and customers. Whether it’s providing guest Wi-Fi, enabling self-checkout options, or supporting IoT devices for vital equipment monitoring, AI-driven networking solutions deliver the connectivity retailers need to keep their operations running smoothly.

Securing Data and Assets with Enterprise-Level Security

As retailers embrace digital transformation and rely on data-driven insights, ensuring the security of customer and commercial data is paramount. AI-driven networking solutions from Juniper and Aruba offer enterprise-level security measures to protect sensitive information across the network.

These solutions extend security to all users, safeguarding customer payment information, confidential data, and in-store IoT devices. With features like unified edge security, network segmentation, and real-time threat intelligence, retailers can maintain compliance with industry regulations, protect against cyber threats, and build trust with their customers.

Reducing IT Operations Workload with Automation

Managing a retail network can be complex and time-consuming, especially as businesses scale and expand. AI-driven networking solutions help reduce the IT operations workload by automating repetitive tasks and streamlining network management.

With Mist AI’s virtual network assistant, retailers can leverage automation to monitor, analyze, and troubleshoot their network, reducing the number of network tickets and fixing issues more quickly. This proactive approach to network management minimizes downtime, optimizes performance, and frees up IT resources to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Implementing Universal Changes Swiftly

Retail enterprises often face the challenge of implementing changes across multiple locations or deploying new promotions quickly. AI-driven networking solutions offer a centralized management approach that allows for universal changes to be made swiftly and efficiently.

With a modern microservices cloud-based architecture, retailers can deploy changes across their entire network estate, ensuring consistency and agility. Whether it’s rolling out new services, updating configurations, or addressing time-sensitive operational changes, AI-driven networking solutions make it easier for retailers to adapt and evolve their network infrastructure.

Networking Solutions for Retail

Juniper and Aruba Networks are industry leaders in providing networking solutions tailored to the specific needs of retail enterprises. These companies offer a range of products and technologies that enable retailers to deliver innovative connected services, enhance the customer experience, and make data-driven decisions.

From improved Wi-Fi connectivity and location-based services to secure access and automation, Juniper, and Aruba offer comprehensive solutions that empower retailers to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. By harnessing the power of AI-driven networking, retail enterprises can unlock new possibilities, drive business growth, and deliver exceptional experiences for their demanding shoppers.

Partnering with WEI for Networking Solutions Deployment

WEI is a trusted partner for retail enterprises seeking AI-driven networking solutions. With expertise in leading networking technologies with Juniper and Aruba Networks, WEI can design and deploy industry-leading solutions at scale. From implementing reliable connectivity to optimizing network performance and ensuring data security, WEI provides end-to-end solutions that meet the unique needs of retail enterprises.

By partnering with WEI, retailers can leverage the power of AI-driven networking to drive innovation, enhance the customer experience, and achieve operational excellence. With WEI’s commitment to customer success and expertise in deploying cutting-edge networking solutions, retailers can stay ahead in a rapidly evolving retail landscape.

Conclusion

Providing exceptional retail customer experiences and efficiently managing retail network operations are crucial for success. AI-driven networking solutions offer retailers the tools they need to enrich the customer experience, make data-driven decisions, enhance security, and reduce IT operations workload. By partnering with WEI, retail enterprises can deploy these innovative solutions at scale and stay ahead in an ever-changing retail landscape. Embracing AI-driven networking is the key to unlocking the full potential of retail enterprises in the digital era.

The post The Power of AI-Driven Networking for Retail Enterprises appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Some secrets are worth keeping, but we’re here to spill the beans on reliable, secure network connectivity for fixed retail locations. Overall, the retail industry has some of the most advanced data centers and hybrid cloud networks within today’s IT landscape. But the corporate center is not where the majority of business operations take place as many retail transactions occur at the outer edge. Some of these edge locations are more remote than others, yet they still rely on the same level of network connectivity. Overall, retail edge locations face unique connectivity challenges that urban, metro, and suburban locations simply do not. These challenges include:

• A lack of traditional network connectivity options
• Limited IT support in the area
• Higher rates of IT literacy amongst staff
• Disaster recovery and business connectivity

Despite these inherent challenges, retail vendors must satisfy consumer markets because customers are mobile and expect the same experience regardless of location. This means that retail vendors must have networks that are just as mobile as their customers. They also need networks that can be implemented quickly enough to respond to emerging and shifting trends, and unexpected events. Clearly, the next phase of retail digital transformation is taking place at the edge.

The Challenge of New Store Locations

In many ways, the opening of a new retail location is like a Broadway opening. Store openings must meet strict deadlines to satisfy revenue and business goals, and the show must go on without a hitch, ensuring that new store patrons have an optimized customer experience. These coordinated store openings do not have time to wait on unknown local vendors to install the wired lines required for network connectivity.

Launching a new retail location is a tumultuous task on all fronts that must be completed in a highly compressed window. Openings are often handled by specialized teams that streamline the process. The network solution must be ready to go out of the box and duplicated repeatedly, regardless of location. The out-of-the-box experience is incredibly important because, in many instances, retail locations lack on-site technical professionals.

And then there is the challenge of temporary or seasonal retail businesses whose peak activity and operations fluctuate across the calendar year. These sites need temporary networks that can be unboxed and deployed whenever and wherever needed. Yet, while network connectivity may be fleeting, they must still offer the same robust security posture that protects permanent fixed locations. Wherever the point of sale is, it must be secure, regardless of temporary nature.

The New Wireless WAN

You may be expecting this discussion to steer towards SD-WAN technology, but we are touching on the evolving solution of wireless WAN with Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions. To be clear, this isn’t just any wireless WAN that relies on fiber connectivity. Instead, this is a cellular wireless solution, built on LTE and that provide the low latency, high bandwidth capacity that retail business requires. Only cellular wireless has the agility and reliability to service retail storefronts residing at the edge or temporary pop-up locations with a defined service window. This is wireless WAN built to service-day connectivity and outdoor operations without the aid of on-site IT professionals.

A Full-Service Network

Retail locations at the outer edge need more than just network connectivity and wireless access. They require all the basics such as firewall protection, threat detection, access control, content filtering and security policy protection. That is what Ericsson’s cloud-managed, all-in-one deliver. Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions has wireless edge networking solutions that can provide your outer edge point-of-sale location with all network services needed to ensure that every sales transaction goes through predictably and securely. Ericsson enterprise-class cellular routers include features such as:

• End-to-end encryption to protect every sales transaction
• Cloaked private address spaces
• Integrated security measures to meet most business or government requirements
• Application-aware firewalls and threat management capabilities
• VPN access to corporate or regional offices when necessary
• Policy-based routing that is centrally configured by your corporate IT team or solution provider to separate and prioritize traffic according to your needs.

Predictability

Enterprise Wireless edge networking solutions help safeguard predictability. Its zero-touch deployment means that you’re not dependent on physical infrastructure or local IT talent to set it up. The router is preconfigured ahead of time and shipped to the designated location. This makes deployments standardized so every implementation gets completed as planned and on schedule. If you want to ensure predictable performance in the event of a device path failure, simply add a redundant router, with each router linked to a different carrier or cell tower.

Predictability isn’t just limited to hardware. A cellular wireless solution from Ericsson Wireless Enterprise Solutions allows for standardized and consistent WAN pricing as you can use the same cellular providers across wide expansive geographical areas. No longer are you bound by the rates of each localized ISP. Now you can leverage your hundreds of locations to negotiate the best price across the board. The simplicity of Ericsson’s inclusive cellular wireless package means that there are fewer vendors, fewer devices, and fewer configurations, all contributing to the predictable nature of this easy to deploy, easy to manage solution.

Conclusion

Now, fixed and temporary retail locations have access to enterprise-class reliability, manageability, and security at the converged LTE or 5G edge. And with Ericsson, your edge locations can operate on a level playing field with your other retail location and provide customers a secure place to make transactions. WEI can guide you every step of the way with Ericsson’s next-generation WAN solution.

Next Steps: Watch our video to learn even more on why wireless WAN is the next step to replacing legacy WAN solutions for your fixed retail location.

The post The Secret To Network Connectivity For Branch Retail Locations appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Delivering a personalized and efficient shopping experience to customers is crucial in today’s competitive retail landscape. Whether customers are shopping online or offline, achieving this goal requires retail organizations to take strategies. To successfully create this in a hybrid cloud era, retailers must meet these four key requirements: 

• Setting up a heightened Wi-Fi connection for employees
• Optimizing location-based services
• Establishing a reliable network infrastructure
• Forming a unified data and connection security between retailers and customers

Improved Wi-Fi Network Infrastructure For Retail Employees

Today’s business world requires consistent, reliable, and optimized Wi-Fi access for in-store and warehouse operations. This is vital in delivering seamless online-to-offline customer services such as click-and-collect, appointment-driven shopping, and home delivery. With experience-first networking, users are assured of coherent operations, optimal experiences, and increased revenues.

An integrated is key to achieving maximum efficiency, productivity, and revenue. To achieve cohesive operations and experiences, coordination is necessary across WLAN, LAN, Data Centers, and security domains. With event correlation and Marvis actions, troubleshooting is made easy while dynamic packet capture (PCAP) eliminates truck rolls.

Location-Based Services For Optimized Retail Operations

Experience-first networking means elevating your retail organization with location-based services and optimized warehouse operations. This boosts inventory tracking and reduces errors, creating seamless experiences for your shoppers. To make the most of these services, you need a strong network solution that predicts problems before they occur. This is particularly crucial during busy periods such as holidays to avoid network overload.

Reliable Network Automation And Connectivity

Part of delivering an experience-first networking approach to retail is prioritizing the needs of the operations team – and this is where network and optimization come in. By streamlining operators’ experiences through better automation and increased AI, businesses can provide new retail apps and services, maintain user experience and security, and quickly address issues.

One significant advantage of automation is access to speedy cloud-hosted operations to swiftly resolve network issues. This gives users seamless availability without any downtime. This approach also automates network deployment, testing, and validation to decrease the possibility of costly human errors. This empowers businesses to simplify network planning, design, and operations while also boosting operational efficiency across multiple locations and departments.

With a stable network infrastructure and strong connectivity between stakeholders, this solution will truly aid your retail business.

Unified Data And Connection Security

As a retailer, you need to ensure the safety of your confidential customer payment information and commercial and employee data. Cyberthreats not only cause significant financial losses and reputational damage, but also leave you and your customers vulnerable to fraud. That’s why your network security should be a top priority when deploying networking solutions across stores and headquarters.

Safeguarding your organization with a zero-trust, threat-aware solution that covers all IoT devices and networks ensures rapid response to cyberthreats and integrated compliance with external standards.

Enhance Your Retail Network Infrastructure With Juniper Network

Retail organizations looking to deliver a connected store experience need to prioritize an experience-first approach in their networking strategies. Fortunately, WEI works closely with Juniper Networks to offer retail organizations a and strategies, such as:

• (vBLE) and to enhance customer and employee experiences through virtual beacon accuracy and delivering on-the-spot retail information to customers.
• Automated for advanced security solutions that protect retailers and customers from cyberthreats and offer next-generation firewall protection, intrusion prevention, and advanced threat detection.
• Cloud-Ready for simplifying underlay/overlay management with intent-based automation.

With an AI-driven networking approach, Juniper Networks is an ideal partner for retailers to streamline operations, reduce IT costs, and focus on network agility. Consult with WEI’s team of experts to start connecting your retail business to a seamless and reliable network strategy.

Next Steps: Our white paper titled “” identifies how Juniper Networks’ location-based networking helps higher education institutes overcome complex technology challenges. Readers will better identify:

• Concerns of higher education IT professionals
• Why network infrastructure is a differentiator
• Challenge of improving remote experiences
• Value of a virtual network assistant

The post Four Significant Ways Retail Businesses Adopt Experience-First Networking appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Due to no staffing, our pharmacy will be closed on Thursday, December 21, 2022.

For months, signs reading like this have been a frequent occurrence at retail pharmacies across the country. Amid a national shortage of pharmacists and technicians, pharmacy closures and reduced hours have become the new norm. As a result, pharmacies have extended wait times to fill prescriptions, had less availability for vaccines and patient consults, and have seen growing customer dissatisfaction.

The sad reality is that the shortage is likely to worsen. But technology can help retail pharmacies weather the talent shortage.

According to the , the U.S. will see at least a 2 percent decline in pharmacists over the next ten years. Fewer workers and the upsurge in online retailers and tech-enabled startups entering the healthcare delivery space will make competition for qualified talent fierce.

Can Technology Help Retail Pharmacies Weather the Talent Shortage?

The short answer is yes. While there is no one perfect solution to overcome a worker shortage, implementing new technologies can alleviate many issues created by a lack of employees. For example, the manufacturing industry has struggled to fill jobs for more than a decade due to the “great retirement” of baby boomers exiting the industry and a lack of interest among younger workers to enter the sector. In response, manufacturers have invested heavily in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to reduce human involvement in repetitive and physically demanding tasks. The impact has been greater efficiencies, fewer injuries, and less quality issues on production lines.

While the pandemic ushered in many technology changes for retail pharmacies, more opportunities remain available.

According to a survey by Surescripts, nearly half of pharmacists (48%) reported an increase in technology use in the 18 months following the pandemic. The survey concluded, however, that “there still appears to be plenty of room for technology to improve everyday workflows and frustrating processes.”

Five Areas Technology Can Make the Biggest Impact on Retail Pharmacies

Technology leaders feel a growing pressure to find technology solutions to combat their retail pharmacy’s staffing issues. Digital transformation initiatives may be considered across the company, but which ones can significantly impact labor-related issues? WEI has implemented solutions to tackle five of retail pharmacies’ most pressing needs, resulting in reduced capitalized costs, shortened time to market, minimized operational expenses, and an improved customer experience.

1. Reduce Prescription Fulfillment Delays
   

Prescription verification is a critical last step in the filling process that requires a pharmacist’s sign-off. When faced with a shortage of pharmacists, stores may be forced to delay filling patient prescriptions for hours or even days, worsening patient dissatisfaction.

Fortunately, new virtual verification technologies can alleviate this issue. A pharmacist working miles away can be sent a high-resolution image of the medication to verify the prescription remotely. The highly secure technology solution complies with state laws and is a game changer for retail stores, helping prevent delays and gain efficiencies with existing staff.

2. Eliminate Medication Dispensing Errors
   

A technician (or a pharmacist if technicians are in short supply) spends considerable time manually processing hundreds of prescriptions daily. Unfortunately, as with many manual processes, human errors occur, a study in Patient Safety News reported that 68% of medication errors occur during administration.

With the introduction of digital drug dispensing systems (DDS), pharmacies have experienced zero errors and accelerated prescription processing. Per a study published in Innovations in Pharmacy, manual processing generated an average of 2.73 errors per month, while the DDS yielded zero errors. In addition, the digital system filled more prescriptions per month than staff members did by hand.

Such systems, which involve medication management software and medication dispensing machines, provide a dependable approach to medication management across locations. And these systems free up pharmacists to spend more time on profitable offerings, such as point-of-care testing, medication adherence services, and personal consultations.

3. Improve Medication Inventory Visibility
   

Another area ripe for improvement is medication inventory management. The timely availability of medications for patients directly impacts patient safety, satisfaction, and outcomes. Unfortunately, many stores rely on manual, error-prone methods, such as “eyeballing the bottle,” to capture inventory levels, methods that can cost companies millions of dollars annually.

For pharmacies to successfully manage real-time prescription medication inventory and monitor prescription expirations, planning teams need the right tools and technology. Automated systems, including wireless digital scales that communicate with a company’s inventory management system, are being utilized to support chain-wide inventory counts, forecasting, and replenishment.

4. Eliminate Manual Monitoring Activities
   

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have enough day-to-day tasks to attend to without the added responsibility of checking refrigeration temperatures. But to ensure a pharmacy remains CDC, VFC, and FDA compliant, these checks are required.

The introduction of cloud-based wireless temperature sensors enables remote temperature monitoring of vaccine and medication storage units and automated validation and data backups for compliance managers. Such systems are easily scalable to ensure compliance across multiple locations.

5. Streamlines Processes and Clerical Tasks
   

As noted above, pharmacists are spending more time handling paperwork and other clerical tasks. The widespread use of mobile technologies has created new opportunities for pharmacies to digitize many paper-based processes. This assistance is vital for teams that may be shorthanded or are busy retraining green personnel.

Retail Pharmacies Turn to Technology Partners to Support Digital Initiatives

Developing and implementing the right solutions is a massive undertaking for most in-house retail technology teams. By partnering with WEI, nationwide pharmacy retailers have a knowledgeable technology advisor who proves solutions work and delivers efficiently and accurately to go to market quicker. Our tailored solutions can:

• Reduce capitalized costs: We standardize across locations by combining best-of-breed technology and award-winning expertise.
• Shorten time to market: By providing effective material planning and inventory stocking strategies we enable fast rollouts. Our integrated logistics drive efficiency and accuracy.
• Minimize operational expenses: Our solutions reduce in-store installation efforts and generate savings via custom integration, fulfillment, and delivery programs.
• Improve customer experience: With innovative, scalable, agile response to evolving in-store technology.

Next Steps: Would any of the above-mentioned technologies help your nationwide pharmacy retailer locations? Let’s talk. We have developed technology solutions that can be quickly implemented to solve these pressing challenges. Complete the form below to request a call from a member of our technology team.

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