About Viva Energy
With a proud 110-year history, Viva Energy is one of Australia’s leading energy companies and supplies over 10 percent of Australia’s fuel – and more than 50 percent of all the fuel used in Victoria. Every second flight out of Victoria takes off with their locally supplied jet fuel. Viva makes and supplies the bitumen that paves Australia’s roads, runways and racetracks, and the chemicals used by industries such as mining, paint and adhesives. They are also the exclusive supplier of high-quality Shell fuels and lubricants in Australia, including Australia’s favourite high-performance fuel brand, Shell V-Power. Through their extensive and rapidly growing network of over 1,200 service stations across the country, Viva’s high-quality products are conveniently located and easy to find wherever you are.
Challenge
With a growing number of new service stations opening across Australia, Viva Energy sought to identify a partner who could simplify the provisioning of network hardware and internet connectivity for each site. The existing process was time-consuming and involved dealing with separate teams from the incumbent telecommunications provider, in addition to Viva’s own internal team having to engage in the complexity of multiple suppliers/vendors for hardware purchases and on-site technician attendances.
Viva required a partner that would work with the business to develop a solution that was scalable and provided a single point of contact for the provisioning of network equipment for new sites.
Solution
Viva Energy engaged Acurus to be the single supplier for provisioning internet connectivity, network hardware commissioning, and the ongoing maintenance, monitoring, and support of their retail network. Acurus deployed a hybrid MPLS (Multi-Protocol Layer Switching) network that supports CCTV, fuel, and point of sale monitoring, with scope for future expansion into areas such as SD-WAN and private connectivity, ability to interconnect with cloud infrastructure, multi-factor authentication, and Power over Ethernet devices.
New sites would be provisioned with either nbn™ or DSL technology with backup connectivity over 3G/4G, along with a voice service. At a hardware level, Fortinet firewalls and switches were pre-configured by Acurus before being shipped to each site, making it quick and easy to install.
All hardware and connectivity is centrally managed and supported by a 24/7 Network Operations Centre (NOC) and monitoring platform.
Success
The Acurus solution has enabled Viva Energy to successfully open 20 stores (growing monthly) in rural and metropolitan locations throughout Australia. Acurus are responsible for managing the provisioning of nbn™/DSL, 4G failover, and voice services, along with the procurement, configuration, and onsite installation of network hardware for each site.
This low-touch approach allows Viva to free up resources to concentrate on core business functions and reduce the complexity and time involved in dealing with external suppliers/vendors.
Acurus delivered a network with improved visibility through a single pane of glass monitoring solution showing health, usage, and performance, which is constantly monitored by a 24/7 NOC providing direct support to each store. Key Viva staff have access to the same monitoring, extending the single pane across both Viva and Acurus. The Acurus in-store solution provides segmentation and separation to support a multitude of devices including digital signage, menu boards, point of sale, and CCTV.
Acurus works directly with third-party vendors to ensure each in-store system has the required capabilities while maintaining isolation from other vendors. Acurus also supports a combination of Fortinet provided Wi-Fi for staff and Meraki Wi-Fi for analytics, supporting both simultaneously.
The network has been designed with the future in mind, with the ability for Viva to easily implement SD-WAN technology, private connectivity, and interconnection to cloud infrastructure as the business sees fit. With a future-proof network in place, Viva can also consider future technology options including location services, security services, social/guest/corporate Wi-Fi, and integrated loyalty programs.