Beijer Ref moved 110+ Australian sites onto SD-WAN in under 60 days without branch disruption
Beijer Ref operates in refrigeration, HVAC and climate technology, with a distributed Australian branch network supporting customers, suppliers, field activity, sales, logistics and operational coordination across the country. Having expanded through acquisitions over recent years, the business needed a national SD-WAN rollout across more than 110 Australian sites — established branches and acquired locations across every Australian state. The timeline was aggressive, the branch footprint geographically diverse, and the operational requirement clear: modernise the network without disrupting daily branch operations.
Inlight IT designed and delivered the rollout across every Australian state in under 60 days. The programme used centralised device staging, validated site data, zero-touch provisioning, sequenced cutover and centralised monitoring so each site could come online with minimal branch-side complexity. The outcome was a consistent, centrally managed SD-WAN environment across the national estate, delivered at pace with zero branch outages during cutover.
- Client
- Beijer Ref
- Industry
- Refrigeration, HVAC and climate technology
- Scope
- 110+ branch sites across every Australian state
- Starting point
- A distributed national branch network built through acquisition, needing modernisation without disrupting daily branch operations
- Engagement type
- National SD-WAN design, deployment, cutover and managed network transition
- Delivery timeline
- Full rollout completed in under 60 days
- Outcome
- A national SD-WAN environment with centralised visibility, consistent policy, integrated branch security and zero branch outages during cutover
Beijer Ref — a national SD-WAN rollout in under 60 days
How 110+ sites moved onto a single managed SD-WAN environment with zero branch outages during cutover.
A national rollout delivered at pace
Branch sites across every Australian state moved into a single SD-WAN programme.
Full rollout completed inside an aggressive national programme window.
Cutover sequencing and pre-staged configuration protected branch operations during the transition.
Site and underlay assessment, SD-WAN architecture, centralised staging, sequenced cutover and post-go-live managed visibility.
At this scale, delivery discipline is the architecture
A 110+ site SD-WAN deployment is not mainly a hardware challenge. The technology is known. The real risk sits in site data, carrier timing, branch readiness, configuration accuracy, cutover sequencing and post-go-live visibility.
Every site that goes live is a site that cannot go dark. Every configuration error discovered during rollout creates delay. Every unclear branch dependency creates operational risk. A national deployment succeeds when those issues are resolved before the rollout starts, not during the cutover window.
Inlight IT approached the Beijer Ref rollout as an engineering-led deployment programme: assess the estate, design the architecture, confirm site requirements, stage devices centrally, validate configurations, sequence cutovers and keep the national network visible from the first site live.
Beijer Ref needed national SD-WAN delivered at pace without turning branch connectivity into an operational risk
A national rollout creates a different risk profile to a small branch deployment. The issue is not whether one device can be configured correctly. The issue is whether the same standard can be repeated across more than 110 sites, across every Australian state, inside a compressed delivery window.
More than 110 sites across every Australian state
A national branch estate creates variation in connectivity, site readiness, local coordination, physical installation requirements and carrier availability. The deployment needed a repeatable model, but not a generic model. Each site still required correct information, correct staging and correct sequencing.
Branch operations could not be disrupted
Beijer Ref's sites depended on connectivity for daily operations. A cutover issue at one site could affect users, customer response, supplier coordination and branch productivity. The rollout needed to protect operational continuity at every site, not only complete the technical migration.
The timeline left no room for rework
A sub-60-day national rollout requires decisions to be made before deployment begins. Site data, device configuration, underlay readiness, logistics and cutover sequencing all had to be prepared upfront. At this pace, rework is the enemy — a configuration issue found after a device ships is not a technical inconvenience. It is a programme delay.
Centralised visibility was required from the start
The business needed the new environment to be visible and supportable as sites came online. A partially deployed network without central visibility would create unnecessary operational risk. The management model had to be in place before the rollout accelerated, not added after completion.
Network and security needed to operate together
Branch SD-WAN cannot be separated from branch security. Direct cloud access, internet breakout, application policies, failover and firewall controls all affect the risk profile of the environment. The rollout needed to support connectivity and security together, not treat SD-WAN as a basic circuit replacement.
A national SD-WAN rollout delivered through assessment, architecture, staging, zero-touch provisioning and managed operation
Inlight IT structured the Beijer Ref rollout around five delivery streams: site and underlay assessment, SD-WAN architecture, centralised staging, sequenced cutover and post-go-live managed visibility.
01Site and underlay readiness
National SD-WAN deployment depends on knowing what exists at each site before the programme starts. Inlight IT reviewed site requirements, connectivity context, branch readiness and deployment dependencies so the rollout could be sequenced without avoidable delay.
02SD-WAN architecture and policy design
Inlight IT designed a consistent SD-WAN operating model across the national branch network, with centralised management, application-aware routing, integrated branch security and visibility across sites as they came online.
03Centralised device staging
Devices were staged and validated centrally before being deployed to sites. This reduced branch-side complexity and avoided discovering configuration issues during live cutover.
04Zero-touch provisioning
Zero-touch provisioning allowed devices to come online with minimal branch-side action. Once connected, devices could authenticate, retrieve configuration and appear under central management.
05Sequenced cutover and managed operation
Cutovers were sequenced to protect branch operations. As sites went live, they moved into central monitoring and support so the environment was visible throughout the rollout, not only at the end.
The engineering work was done before the deployment window opened
Select a stage to trace how the rollout moved from assessment to managed operation.
Most rollout problems at scale are planning problems, not technology problems
Large SD-WAN deployments usually fail or slow down for predictable reasons: site data is incomplete, underlay lead times are underestimated, device configuration is not validated before shipping, cutover sequencing is too loose, rollback logic is not defined and post-go-live monitoring starts too late. Inlight IT addressed those risks before devices moved into the field — the result was a national rollout that could move quickly without relying on improvisation.
Branch sites across every Australian state moved into a single SD-WAN programme.
Days from programme start to full national rollout, inside an aggressive delivery window.
Branch outages during cutover — sequencing and pre-staged configuration protected daily operations.
Australian state covered — national reach across a geographically diverse branch network.
Beijer Ref gained a consistent, centrally managed SD-WAN environment across its Australian branch network
The rollout moved Beijer Ref from a fragmented branch connectivity model to a more consistent national SD-WAN operating model. The result was better visibility, more consistent policy, faster supportability and a network architecture designed for multi-site operations.
National consistency
Beijer Ref's branch network moved into a more consistent SD-WAN architecture across more than 110 sites.
Operational continuity
The rollout was completed with zero branch outages during cutover, protecting daily operations through the transition.
Centralised visibility
Sites moved into central management and monitoring as they came online, giving the network team clearer visibility across the national estate.
Faster deployment model
Centralised staging and zero-touch provisioning reduced branch-side configuration effort and helped the programme move at pace.
Integrated security posture
Branch connectivity and branch security were treated together, supporting a more consistent operating model across the estate.
Managed network foundation
The new environment created a stronger foundation for ongoing monitoring, policy management, carrier escalation, firmware lifecycle and future site changes.
Do the engineering work before the deployment window opens. That is the difference between a national rollout and a national scramble.
A national SD-WAN environment shaped by delivery discipline at scale
110+ sites deployed
Branch sites across every Australian state moved into a single SD-WAN programme.
Under 60 days
Full rollout completed inside an aggressive national programme window.
Zero branch outages
Cutover sequencing and pre-staged configuration protected branch operations.
Every state
National coverage across a geographically diverse Australian branch network.
Zero-touch onboarding
Devices were pre-staged and brought online through zero-touch provisioning.
Managed central visibility
Sites came under centralised management as the rollout progressed.
The work connected SD-WAN architecture, deployment logistics and managed network operation
Architecture and design
6- SD-WAN architecture design
- Application-aware routing
- Centralised management model
- Integrated branch security
- Standardised configuration framework
- Policy consistency across sites
Staging and provisioning
7- Centralised device staging
- Configuration validation
- Serial and site mapping
- Lab testing before dispatch
- Zero-touch provisioning
- Pre-registered devices
- Deployment logistics coordination
Readiness and cutover
7- Site & underlay readiness
- Branch connectivity validation
- Carrier dependency awareness
- Cutover wave planning
- Branch-by-branch sequencing
- Rollback readiness
- Validation before site completion
Managed operation
6- Centralised network orchestration
- Centralised monitoring
- Carrier escalation support
- Post-go-live network management
- Firmware lifecycle
- Future site changes
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