Retail
POS failover, guest WiFi segmentation, multi-location coordination, and cloud voice — sourced across a multi-supplier network and managed through one desk so every store stays open when it counts.
The Problem
Retail technology decisions made location-by-location accumulate into a set of fragile, uncoordinated systems — and the failure mode is always the same: it shows up at the worst possible moment.
When the internet goes down, the terminal stops. Cash-only creates friction, slows the line, and turns away customers who do not carry it — especially during peak hours when margins matter most.
Each store has its own provider, some reliable and some not, with renewal dates scattered across the year. Nobody is watching the whole picture — until a location goes dark.
Holiday traffic floods the network exactly when uptime is non-negotiable. Base connectivity sized for an average Tuesday is not sized for peak season.
Sharing the payment network with customer WiFi is a PCI-DSS violation. Separating them requires proper network segmentation — something that often gets deferred until an audit forces the issue.
What We Arrange
Point-of-sale systems need a primary connection and a backup on a different network path — typically cellular standing by behind the wired line. When the primary drops, the failover takes over automatically and the terminal keeps processing. We source both connections together so the failover is actually tested and sized correctly, not just plugged in and forgotten.
We treat your locations as a portfolio, not a set of unrelated accounts. Renewals are tracked across all stores so nothing auto-renews on unfavourable terms, service levels are benchmarked against each other, and adding a new location goes through the desk instead of starting from scratch with a new provider.
Guest WiFi and payment systems must run on separate network segments. We work with your networking setup to ensure the guest network and the POS network are isolated at the supplier level — and we document the configuration so your next audit has something to point to.
Cloud phone systems give each location a business number, tie stores to head office, and let staff reach each other without cell charges. When a location moves or opens, numbers move with it rather than being left behind at an old address.
When to Call the Desk
Connectivity belongs on the fit-out checklist alongside fixtures and signage. Ordering early means the POS terminal is live on opening day, not the week after.
A new POS is the right time to evaluate whether the underlying network is fit for purpose — including failover, segmentation, and whether bandwidth has kept up with cloud-based systems.
An upcoming audit is the clearest signal that guest WiFi and payment network separation needs to be sorted. We handle the supplier side so your IT or compliance team can focus on the controls audit.
How the Desk Works
Tell us about your locations — how many, who each is with, and when contracts are up — and we build an inventory of the whole portfolio. From there, every renewal, new location, and upgrade goes through the desk: we source options, confirm pricing, place orders, and track installs so your store managers can focus on the store.
When you order through us, the supplier pays us a commission — you don't pay more by using SwitchU, and your pricing comes from the supplier. If the right answer for a location is staying with the current provider, that's what we'll recommend.
FAQ
Tell us about your stores — current and upcoming — and a SwitchU advisor will come back within one business day.