In business since 1840, Lobel’s of New York is one of the most respected butcher shops in the world. With an upscale clientele that includes business luminaries, world leaders, and entertainment stars, their products are prized by in-the-know food aficionados.
Now serving customers worldwide via online and phone ordering, it’s common for Lobel’s to receive more than 100 orders via their VOIP phone system before 10 AM. Any loss of connectivity can mean missing out on hundreds of orders—and thousands of dollars in revenue.
Success Factors
- Reliable, persistent voice support
In order to provide prompt, high-quality service to a customer base that expects the best, VOIP phone calls must be uninterrupted.
- Always-on internet
Like so many modern businesses, Lobel’s depends on internet connection for a number of mission-critical operations, including online ordering and credit card processing.
- Multi-WAN technology
With hard winters and exposure to hurricanes, it’s essential that any solution have multiple WAN connections to ensure unbreakable connectivity.
Peace of Mind with Multi-WAN
Because they know that they can’t compromise on connectivity, Lobel’s of New York works with BerkmanTech, a Frontier Computer Corp. partner focused on providing networking solutions to small businesses. Early on in their working relationship, BerkmanTech president Lucas Kane deployed a Peplink Balance One multi-WAN router powered by Verizon FIOS, with cable as a backup WAN.
“By utilizing multiple internet connections from different providers, we can provide the best uptime for critical business systems,” Kane said. “This is more reliable than a dedicated data circuit, and at a much lower cost, which our small business customers definitely appreciate.” Jon Grote, Frontier Computer Corp. Partner Development Manager, agrees.
“The Balance One is the perfect solution for any small business that desires multi-WAN capabilities, built-in Wi-Fi, and the ability to truly assign types of internet traffic to the desired WAN connection.”
Jon Grote, Partner Development Manager at Frontier Computer Corp.
The Threat of Natural Disaster
Though Lobel’s of New York had enjoyed excellent connectivity with the Balance One, they were shaken by the impact of Hurricane Isias in August 2020. One of the shop’s owners lost his home connection, and with much of the city struggling with connectivity, the team decided to take any steps they could to ensure that they’d stay connected, even through future hurricanes.
Looking for ways to reinforce the strong connection already provided by their Peplink products, Lobel’s reached out to BerkmanTech. Kane suggested the addition of an LTE WAN to the mix, provided by a Pepwave MAX BR1 Mini cellular router and a data partnership with Kore Wireless.
“Hurricane Isais caused us to realize that dual-landline internet connections can’t guarantee uptime in the event of a major disaster. That’s why we began offering LTE data as an option for failover, using Peplink devices to handle the multiple WANs.” Kane said.
Now running with two backups, Lobel’s connection is nearly unbreakable. Thanks to Peplink, they know they’ll be able to provide outstanding customer service—even under the most difficult of circumstances.
“The third connection gives you peace of mind knowing that your business can stay online even through the worst of possibilities.”
Lucas Kane, President at BerkmanTech.
Deployment
Balance One
- Supports 2x Ethernet WAN with USB add-on support
- Access corporate resources via VPN with head office
- Ideal for smaller sized accommodations between 5 to 25 users
MAX BR1 Mini
- Single-cellular mobile router, delivering outstanding performance
- Able to run 5x cellular connections by adding a 5G modem
- Allow implementing SpeedFusion technologies within the SpeedFusion tunnel