Halfords Delivers Consistent and Convenient Shopping Experiences with Juniper Networks’ AI-driven Wired and Wireless Access Solutions
19.4.2023 11:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Juniper Networks ®, (NYSE: JNPR), a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, today announced that Halfords, the UK’s leading provider of motoring and cycling products and services selected Juniper’s AI-driven wired and wireless access solutions in its stores, garages and offices to serve as a flexible foundation for its business growth and operational efficiency. The 125-year-old company has invested heavily to accelerate its digital transformation, leveraging the benefits of Mist AI and the cloud to create better commercial services and a unified, omnichannel retail experience for its customers. Halfords has reduced network-related trouble tickets by 100 percent and has seen a 35 percent improvement in uptime in the garages and stores where the deployment has been completed.
The Juniper® AI-driven network provides an agile digital foundation for Halfords’ continued success and drives a more consistent and convenient customer experience across locations and channels. It can tailor communications to Halfords Motoring Club members when they come to the store. The new network provides employees details about products such as child seats, cycle racks and roof racks, so they can have informed conversations with customers and sell with greater confidence.
Halfords pivoted during the pandemic, with strong growth in online sales and the addition of contactless tactics such as click-and-collect in its parking lots. Its innovative mobile field service software was key to delivering 70,000 services safely and efficiently per week for more than four years at its auto centers and customers’ homes. Many pandemic-motivated shopping behaviors are now permanent, requiring an IT infrastructure that is flexible and scalable enough to support changing customer demands.
As shoppers return to stores to test drive an electric bike, get an oil change or replace worn tires, for example, reliable wired and wireless connectivity is essential for both workers and shoppers alike. Halfords had an aging in-store network that was increasingly a roadblock to sales and service due to inconsistent performance and difficult troubleshooting, which resulted in poor user and operator experiences. To address this, the retailer is now deploying a Juniper wired and wireless network across its retail stores, auto centers and offices. Mist AI works in conjunction with Juniper Access Points to deliver scalable and reliable Wi-Fi 6 and virtual Bluetooth® LE services to Halfords’ staff and customer smartphones, point-of-sale devices, in-store video displays and other connected devices. Juniper EX Series switches provide high-performance, secure access to wired devices with AI-driven automation and insights for easy provisioning, troubleshooting and operations. Marvis™, the industry’s only virtual network assistant driven by Mist AI, provides proactive actions for easy fault identification and self-driving network operations for fast and proactive correction. Juniper is a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure for the 3rd year in a row, positioned highest on the ability to execute axis and furthest to the right on the completeness of vision axis.
Halfords plan to transform its network further with the modernization of its WAN, which connects its 1400+ stores, auto centers and mobile service vans. To achieve this, they are also planning to deploy Juniper’s AI-driven SD-WAN solution, which leverages the same cloud and Mist AI engine as their new wired and wireless network. By deploying a full-stack Juniper solution, Halfords can achieve superlative insight into end-to-end user experiences and the superior automation from client-to-cloud.
Halfords worked with ConnectedID, a Juniper partner, to create the optimal network architecture, working on the design, validation and testing to ensure that the Juniper solutions met Halfords’ strategic goals.
Supporting Quotes:
“The network is a utility. It is a big part of our digital transformation journey, and we needed a very intelligent, secure network with next-generation capabilities. Juniper is a disruptor in the industry. The network user experience that it offers far exceeds anything else in the market. The ease of operations and self-healing capabilities of Juniper’s technology, along with the user experience metrics it delivers for Halfords, are outstanding.”
- Neil Holden, Chief Information Officer, Halfords
“Smart retailers like Halfords are leveraging AI technologies to ensure customers’ shopping experiences are positive at every touchpoint. Halfords has invested in Juniper’s AI solutions to build a more detailed picture of its customers to keep up with changing consumer behavior. Mist AI helps Halfords optimize user experiences and simplify IT operations with automated network assurance and the proactive problem detection and resolution. Users and devices have predictable connectivity and the number of network-related trouble tickets have dropped by 100 percent.”
- Gos Hein van de Wouw, Vice President, Enterprise, EMEA, Juniper Networks
Additional Resources:
- Halfords: Success Story
- 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure: View Report
- Blog: When it Comes to Wired & Wireless Access, Juniper Mist is in the Driver’s Seat
- Follow Juniper Networks online: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
- Juniper Blogs and Community: J-Net
About Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks is dedicated to dramatically simplifying network operations and driving superior experiences for end users. Our solutions deliver industry-leading insight, automation, security and AI to drive real business results. We believe that powering connections will bring us closer together while empowering us all to solve the world’s greatest challenges of well-being, sustainability and equality. Additional information can be found at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net) or connect with Juniper on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Juniper Networks, the Juniper Networks logo, Juniper, Junos, and other trademarks listed here are registered trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Category – AI
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230419005100/en/
Contact information
Pelin Murphy
Juniper Networks
+44 (0) 1372 385 686
pelin@juniper.net
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Starburst Introduces Starburst Torin, a GPU-Native Analytics Engine Built on NVIDIA cuDF21.10.2026 14:30:00 EEST | Press release
Starburst today announced limited general availability of Starburst Torin, a GPU-native, Trino-based analytics engine for Starburst Enterprise. Built on NVIDIA cuDF, Torin accelerates SQL workloads with native GPU execution, delivering up to 7x faster query performance.1 By complementing Starburst’s existing CPU engine, Torin gives enterprises the flexibility to run workloads on CPUs or GPUs without changing existing Trino SQL queries, applications, or agents. AI agents create a different kind of load on data platforms. A single agent task can trigger a chain of dependent queries, where delays in one query can slow the entire workflow. These bottlenecks also affect interactive analytics, making it harder to explore data, evaluate results, and make decisions in real time. Faster query execution helps agents complete analytical work sooner, improves user responsiveness, and lets teams run more workloads on available infrastructure. Meanwhile, enterprises are investing in NVIDIA AI infras
Compvide Announces Commercial Launch of CIMED and Presents New Research at European Meeting on Complement in Human Disease (EMCHD) 202621.10.2026 13:47:00 EEST | Press release
Compvide, Inc. today announced the commercial launch of its CIMED platform. The CIMED-AP, CIMED-LP, and CIMED-CP kits assess the alternative, lectin, and classical complement pathways, respectively, using 50% serum to support testing under more physiological conditions. The commercial launch follows Compvide’s participation in the 20th European Meeting on Complement in Human Disease (EMCHD), held September 1–5, 2026, in Cardiff, Wales. Through a scientific presentation, poster, and exhibition, the company shared research highlighting the importance of assay conditions in evaluating complement activity and the effects of complement-targeting therapies. Unlike conventional assays that often use highly diluted serum, CIMED assays use 50% serum. Research presented by Compvide at EMCHD highlighted how serum dilution can influence measurements of complement inhibition, particularly at lower drug concentrations. These findings underscore the importance of assay conditions when evaluating pote
Forrester’s 2027 B2C Marketing, CX, And Digital Predictions: Rising AI Costs Will Force B2C Leaders To Scale Back A Third Of AI Initiatives21.10.2026 11:30:00 EEST | Press release
According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) 2027 B2C marketing, customer experience, and digital predictions, rising AI costs will force B2C marketing leaders to scale back a third of AI initiatives. As AI usage grows and martech vendors increasingly adopt usage-based pricing models, every agent interaction, generated asset, and automated workflow becomes a billable event. As a result, leaders will need to make tougher decisions and focus investments on AI initiatives that deliver measurable business value. Forrester’s Predictions reports deliver forward-looking insights into the signals and trends that will shape the year ahead. Forrester’s consumer marketing, CX, and digital business predictions cover topics including B2C marketing, customer experience, consumer behavior, digital commerce, media and advertising, marketing agencies, content and creative, and trust and privacy. Additional highlights from Forrester’s 2027 B2C marketing, CX, and digital predictions include: CX staffing will
Forrester’s 2027 B2B Go-To-Market Predictions: AI Agents Will Influence 75% of B2B Purchase Decisions21.10.2026 11:30:00 EEST | Press release
According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) 2027 B2B go-to-market predictions, business buyers will increasingly deploy AI agents to handle tasks across the buying process, from supplier discovery and information gathering to contract-renewal analysis. While truly autonomous buying will remain concentrated in high-volume, low-risk, and repeatable purchases, the ubiquity of these agents will require providers to ensure that their systems and sellers can respond with speed, accuracy, and consistency. Forrester’s B2B Predictions reports, covering topics including B2B go-to-market strategy, business buyers, and content and creative, offer forward-looking insights to help executives and their teams anticipate change, reduce uncertainty, and make confident decisions ahead of market shifts. Key highlights from the 2027 B2B go-to-market predictions include: Buyers will double their human interactions to validate AI-generated recommendations. As AI becomes the primary interface for researching prod
Forrester’s 2027 Technology And Security Predictions: AI Will Account For 20% Of All Business Technology Spend21.10.2026 11:30:00 EEST | Press release
According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) 2027 technology and security predictions, CIOs and CISOs will face growing pressure to realize returns on their AI investments in infrastructure, security, digital sovereignty, and emerging technologies. Additionally, with global technology spending forecasted to reach $6.1 trillion in 2027, technology leaders will need to balance AI governance and control with innovation and business agility. Forrester’s Predictions reports offer forward-looking insights into the trends and signals that empower leaders and their teams to think beyond the conventional and ignite bold ideas for the year ahead. Forrester’s technology and security predictions cover topics including AI, automation and robotics, tech leadership, cloud computing, tech infrastructure and operations, enterprise software, software development, cybersecurity and risk, and smart manufacturing and mobility. Key highlights from Forrester’s 2027 technology and security predictions include: A q
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom