Saving £2.7m & bolstering performance at the forefront of eCommerce

Summary

StableLogic delivered a global review of network connectivity for ASOS resulting in enhanced performance, cost optimisation and digital enablement.

About ASOS

ASOS is a British online fashion and cosmetic retailer, primarily aimed at young adults. The website sells over 850 brands as well as its own range of clothing and accessories, and ships to all 196 countries from fulfilment centres in the UK, USA and Europe.

As ASOS grew their global footprint, they were looking to have a review of their network infrastructure to ensure it was scalable in line with their business strategy. ASOS engaged with StableLogic to perform this review.

The Challenge

ASOS were facing the following challenges with their network:

• Incumbent MSP has disparate access to the network and documentation, creating handover and ambiguous demarcation of responsibility
• Disparate WAN resilience solutions do not always failover successfully
• Difficulties with increasing or decreasing Committed Information Rates (CIRs) on provisioned MPLS circuits
• Delays with provisioning new circuits into ASOS sites
• Limited and immature monitoring and alerting service
• Too many parties involved in the delivery of Lumen MPLS circuits, resulting in rack space issues
• No standard network approach for delivering ASOS sites
• US-based support resources causing delayed response due to timezone differences
• Poor configuration management provided by the incumbent MPLS provider
• High ongoing cost of the current MPLS solution

The Solution

StableLogic partnered with ASOS to develop a strategy that harnesses the power of SDWAN overlay, utilising internet circuits at ASOS sites for seamless connectivity to performance hubs accessing Azure and other internet services.

SDWAN technology offers centralised orchestration, enabling efficient management of multiple circuits and a consistent user experience. The connectivity strategy for ASOS sites is founded on fully diverse Dual DIA or DIA/Broadband circuits. By leveraging the same ISP and staying on-net with DIA, MPLS-quality performance was achieved.

Following the consolidation of connectivity into a single supplier model, the service transitioned to a proactive support framework. StableLogic managed the procurement process for ASOS, ensuring a fair and transparent evaluation and assisting in drafting a robust contract emphasising commercial terms and service-level agreements.

The Results

Upon completion of the project, ASOS experienced the following results:

• More bandwidth, local breakouts and granular security controls improving end user performance
• Better monitoring capabilities to mitigate incidents faster
• Significantly increased visibility into the network
• AIOps & SDWAN increasing ASOS speed to resolve incidents
• Fully managed service (NOC) monitoring and maintaining the network 24×7
• Internet-centric underlay providing flexibility for future projects
• Network operating costs reduced significantly — c.£2.7m over the contract period

By taking the time to understand ASOS’s requirements, StableLogic identified critical challenges and tailored solutions that aligned with their strategic goals. The partnership exemplifies how targeted consultancy and in-depth collaboration can drive significant business outcomes.