Killer Ink

The customer

Killer Ink is a leading supplier of tattoo supplies and equipment in the UK and Europe. With distribution points in Liverpool, UK, and Butzbach, Germany, the company operates 24/7, ensuring rapid order fulfilment and next-day delivery across multiple regions. Given the nature of their business, network security, uptime, and resilience are critical to operations.

When Killer Ink was founded as a family-run business in a small warehouse in central Liverpool, connectivity needs were minimal. A single 100 Mbps leased line sufficed for operations. This setup worked well for a small-scale operation but was soon outdated as the business began to scale.

The Challenge

In 2020, Killer Ink faced security concerns and networking challenges with their incumbent ISP, BT. They needed a more secure and robust networking solution that could:

• Enhance network and device security, improving both firewalling and security posture.
• Scale with ongoing operational growth.
• Provide a resilient internet connection spanning two distinct buildings.
• Ensure 24/7 uptime for seamless business operations.
• Deliver enterprise-grade security solutions to prevent cyber threats and unauthorized network access.

The Methodology

Evolving Networks initially provided networking and security consultancy to assess Killer Ink’s existing setup, identify vulnerabilities, and design a solution that would integrate with existing leased lines whilst delivering significant cost savings and improved end user experience.

As Killer Ink was contractually tied to BT, a phased migration plan delivering seamless integration of the existing leased line into our Ultimate Internet service was used. This ensured a smooth transition while improving network security, resilience and reliability.

Additionally, legacy firewalls were to be replaced with new, advanced security appliances without disrupting operations. This required careful planning and execution to minimise downtime and ensure a seamless transition, guaranteeing continued protection and optimal network performance for end users.

The Solution

Evolving Networks deployed a new networking and security solution comprising Ultimate Internet and Software-Defined Firewall services, ensuring High Availability and seamless failover across two sites. The key components of the solution include:

Ultimate Internet:

• 4 circuits from diverse carriers aggregated to present one single logical connection providing maximum resilience and seamless failover.
• Two leased lines (one per building) and a diverse Point-to-Point (P2P) link between the buildings, with the leased lines being carrier and exchange resilient.
• Broadband circuits complement each leased line, ensuring diverse alternative routes for data transmission.
• 100% uptime SLA, ensuring uninterrupted service with full IP affinity.
• Hardware Resilience: Should either network appliance (EVX) fail, the customer remains online with the same IP, ensuring continuous operations without disruption, leveraging a Stretched HA architecture for maximum reliability.
• Zero-touch bi-directional QoS, ensuring prioritization of business-critical applications.
• Carrier-independent, always-on internet with aggregated bandwidth across multiple ISPs.
• Proactive monitoring and telemetry to detect faults before they impact operations.
• No loss of IP address in the event of circuit, hardware or carrier failure, ensuring business continuity.
• Seamless scalability, allowing Killer Ink to expand with zero downtime.

Software-Defined Firewall:

• ‍LAN Segmentation with Multiple VLANs and ACLs: Secure, policy-driven network segmentation using VLANs and Access Control Lists (ACLs) to enhance security, optimise performance, and control access between different departments and functions.
• VPN Access for Remote Workers: Secure, encrypted VPN solutions allowing remote employees to access internal systems safely and efficiently.
• Pair of Software-Defined Firewalls in a Stretched HA configuration across both sites.
• Built on OPNsense, an open-source platform delivering stateful firewalling, IDS/IPS, and VPN endpoint services.

The results

• Enhanced Security: Advanced firewalling, real-time threat prevention, and VPN solutions ensure data protection.
• Uninterrupted Operations: 24/7 uptime with automatic failover and intelligent packet vectoring.
• Cost and Performance Efficiency: Optimised cost structure and high-performance connectivity with no wasted failover bandwidth.
• Scalability and Flexibility: A future-proof infrastructure that can adapt as Killer Ink continues to grow.

Today, Killer Ink benefits from a fully managed, high-performance, resilient, and secure network infrastructure, ensuring their business remains agile, protected, and ready for future challenges.