Aspial Group’s Glittering Partnership with SPTel

Background

Aspial Group, consisting of brands such as Goldheart Jewellery and Lee Hwa Jewellery, is a well-established jewellery chain with over 80 outlets in Singapore. They embarked on a digital transformation journey to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market. Recognising the potential of digital platforms, Aspial began leveraging TikTok and other social media as a sales channel to reach younger audiences. Despite initial success, they faced significant network congestion issues that compromised their live-streaming quality, essential for their new digital strategy.

The Challenge

Aspial’s existing network infrastructure was complex and challenging to manage, leading to a bottleneck at their headquarters. This setup did not allow for traffic steering and application prioritisation, which meant that all applications were running on the same IPVPN connection. Their initial approach, increasing bandwidth to ease congestion issues, proved to be a costly and unsustainable long-term solution.

The Turning Point

Realising the limitations of their current network and the escalating costs, Aspial sought a more efficient and scalable solution. They partnered with SPTel, renowned for its expertise in innovative network solutions, to overhaul their network infrastructure.

SPTel’s Solution

SPTel proposed a comprehensive solution to address Aspial’s network challenges and support their digital initiatives. The solution encompassed:

1. SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network)
• Traffic Steering: SD-WAN technology allowed Aspial to prioritise critical applications and functions. This ensured that essential services, like their live stream on TikTok and other social media, received the necessary bandwidth for smooth operation.
• Unified Network Management: SPTel unified Aspial’s entire network on SPTel’s software-defined platform. This enabled Aspial Group to receive alerts when bandwidth thresholds were reached and also provided access to on demand bandwidth and cyber security services. When paired with SD-WAN, they were able to have a holistic view of their network performance, facilitating better control and management.
2. Managed Virtual Firewall
• Enhanced Cybersecurity: Aspial needed robust security to protect customer data in compliance with PDPA regulations. SPTel’s managed virtual firewall solution, hosted in SPTel’s data centre, provided a centralised and secure gateway for all data traffic going in and out of the network, effectively securing their data without increasing network complexity.
• Simplified Management: The managed virtual firewall eliminated the need for Aspial to maintain hardware at each outlet, reducing the burden on their IT team and ensuring consistent security across all locations. SPTel provided additional flexibility with a dedicated Managed Virtual Firewall solution that can be customised to meet Aspial’s needs.
3. Scalable and Reliable Software-Defined Network
• Resiliency: The setup included a backup MPLS link to ensure continuous operation. In case of issues with the primary link, the SD-WAN controller would seamlessly switch traffic to the backup, maintaining optimal performance and uptime. Supported by SPTel’s alternative fibre pathways that run alongside the power network cables, enhanced reliability is achieved by minimising reliance on shared infrastructure.
• Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation: Instead of continually increasing bandwidth, Aspial could now request additional bandwidth on-demand during peak traffic periods, such as during popular live-stream sessions, via SPTel’s customer portal. This means they pay only for what they need when they need it to reduce unnecessary network oversizing.

Bringing the sparkle to Aspial Group’s network

The massive 80-site project was managed end-to-end by SPTel, ensuring a seamless migration with minimal disruption to Aspial’s operations. The benefits of the new network infrastructure were immediate and substantial:

1. Improved Total Cost of Ownership
• Cost Optimization: By prioritising applications and leveraging on-demand bandwidth, Aspial avoided the recurring costs of continuous bandwidth upgrades. This optimised their network expenses and provided a better return on investment.
2. Enhanced Control and Performance
• Network Visibility: SD-WAN provided Aspial with a comprehensive view of network performance, enabling proactive management of traffic and resources.
• Scalability: Should network congestion be detected via their SD-WAN dashboard, Aspial now had the ability to scale bandwidth as needed utilising SPTel’s software defined network and customer portal to increase their bandwidth in minutes to handle sudden traffic spikes efficiently, ensuring a smooth live-streaming experience.
3. Increased Resiliency and Uptime
• Redundancy and Resiliency: The backup link ensured that any issues with the primary link did not affect overall network performance, providing reliable service continuity. SPTel’s alternate fibre paths also reduce the reliance on shared infrastructure for more resilient network connectivity.
4. Robust Cybersecurity
• Centralised Protection: The managed virtual firewall secured all data traffic, ensuring customer information was protected without the need for Aspial to manage individual security devices at each location. With the support of SPTel’s clean-pipe network that comes with DDoS attack detection as a default, they would also receive alerts for DDoS attacks on their network and have the option to mitigate in real-time to enhance their cyber defences.

Aspial Group’s revitalised network forms a centrepiece for their organisation

Aspial Group’s digital transformation was significantly bolstered by SPTel’s innovative network solutions. By adopting SD-WAN, a managed virtual firewall, and a scalable software-defined network, Aspial overcame their network congestion challenges and positioned themselves for future growth. The streamlined network infrastructure not only supported their digital sales channels but also optimised costs and improved overall operational efficiency. This strategic partnership with SPTel exemplifies how traditional businesses can successfully navigate the digital landscape by leveraging advanced technology solutions.