The Private IP network enables Rent-A-Center - which leases furniture, consumer electronics and other appliances, with an option to buy them - to standardize delivery of a wide range of internal business applications to the company's more than 19,000 employees across more than 3,000 retail locations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. The new MPLS-based network also powers Rent-A-Center's in-store employment kiosks, as well as the company's Web-based management training program. The company previously employed network access from multiple service providers.

"IP is helping Rent-A-Center transform business operations in many ways," said Robert Rapp, the company's chief technology officer. "IP is driving improved efficiency and the ability to reliably deliver applications ubiquitously to all of our branch locations, using a single platform. With a strong network foundation in place, Rent-A-Center is now focusing on new initiatives that will further enhance our productivity and enable the company and its employees to better serve our customers."

In addition to streamlining network management, the new IP-based infrastructure helps enhance Rent-A-Center's in-house network security and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance programs by reducing the number of access points and consolidating data onto a single platform, making it easier to secure, analyze and store information. The PCI DSS, established by the PCI Security Standards Council, is a set of comprehensive requirements for enhancing payment account data security.

Verizon Business professional consultants worked closely with Rent-A-Center staff to design a highly reliable and secure network for the retailer's thousands of store locations. Verizon Business project management staff then coordinated onsite deployment activities and seamlessly transitioned 3,000 Rent-A-Center retail locations.

"The success of this project underscores the close working relationship between Rent-A-Center and Verizon Business that has developed over the years," said Stephen P. Young, Verizon Business senior vice president for corporate and government sales.