Large U.S. Retailer Modernizes Remote Support for More Than 900 Stores with Splashtop

With more than 900 stores and over 22,000 connected devices, the retailer’s IT teams faced increasing demands to support field and retail operations securely and in line with tightening compliance requirements  

The retail IT services team, with 17 support agents, are responsible for supporting POS systems, Android-based signage, handheld devices, and networking hardware in stores across the Midwest. Their day-to-day work involves remote access to systems to resolve tickets escalated from front-line store staff. 

“If it talks to the network, we support it. And we needed something secure and reliable to keep up.” ~ IT Retail Services Support Manager .  

Meanwhile, the corporate IT Service Center supports more than 3,000 internal employees using desktops and laptops. They were using tools like SCCM and ConnectWise for remote sessions and software management. 

But the limitations were clear: 

• Difficult to coordinate support across a distributed environment and multiple stores 

• No remote access support for Android digital signage and handhelds 

• Legacy VNC tool lacked security, access control, and auditability, posing compliance risks 

• Tools like ConnectWise and SCCM were unreliable for day-to-day support 

• Remote troubleshooting for on-site personnel was slow and error-prone, relying solely on verbal instructions. 

• ScreenMeet was evaluated but found too tied to ServiceNow and not flexible enough 

The organization needed a scalable platform, OS-agnostic solution that would work for every department and device type. 

The retailer deployed Splashtop Enterprise and Splashtop AR across its entire retail footprint and internal systems. 

• Unattended Access for Retail Systems: Splashtop was deployed across 22,000 retail devices, replacing VNC and enabling secure, unattended access to POS systems, Android displays, digital signages and Zebra handhelds. 

• Attended Support for Internal Staff: Corporate support teams used the Splashtop Business App to provide real-time assistance to over 3000 users, reducing wait-times and simplifying workflows. 

• AR for Field Operations: Splashtop Augmented Reality was adopted by IT and store engineering teams for visual guidance and annotation abilities during equipment replacements and HVAC repairs, reducing downtime and communication barriers. 

• Secure Role-Based Access: Granular permissions ensured that different departments from developers to talent operations only access the devices they’re responsible for, enhancing PCI compliance. 
  
  “With VNC, if you could get into one device, you could get into all of them. Now, it’s controlled and traceable.” ~ IT Retail Services Support Manager 
  
  Why it matters: PCI DSS requires strict access control and audit logging. With Splashtop, every access session is logged, and permissions are role-specific, ensuring accountability and reducing risk across retailer’s 22,000 devices. 

• Endpoint Management for Android Devices 
  With Splashtop Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM) capabilities, the IT team scheduled reboots and pushed bulk APK updates to Android-based signage devices across stores, resolving memory leak issues and improving uptime without needing to remote in. 

• File Transfer and Command Line Tools: With Splashtop Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM) capabilities, remote scripts, reboots, and deployments were executed across devices without involving end users, minimizing disruption during business hours. 

• Cross-Platform Coverage: Splashtop supports Windows, Android, macOS, and virtualized environments, allowing the retailer to standardize support across diverse devices. 

• Fast, Self-Guided Implementation: A robust knowledge base empowered the IT team to complete the rollout without delays, with minimal dependence on Splashtop's support team. 
  
  “We were never waiting on Splashtop. Honestly, they were waiting on us,” ~ Retail Services Support Manager. 
  “The support team and documentation made it incredibly easy,” ~ IT Service Center Manager. 

• Organization-wide Scalability: Splashtop was adopted not just by IT but also by operations, store engineering, and talent development teams for a variety of remote support needs.