A regional building-supplies retail network: 1C in the cloud, CCTV, handheld scanners and a unified store network

A small regional building-supplies retail network in Moldova — not in Chișinău, but in one of the regions. When we first met, the client had one operating store and another in preparation. Accounting system — 1C; the server base — a single physical server of roughly twenty years of age, inherited from a previous team and quietly running until "the day it falls over".

The brief — sort the infrastructure out before that server fails, and lay a foundation for growth. The business is regional, the requirements are calm, but with an eye on the future: opening a new store should become a standard operation, not a one-off "build it from scratch" project.

A quiet, no-buzzword rebuild of the infrastructure for the network's growth:

• Move off the twenty-year-old server before it fails, and put 1C on a modern platform with proper sizing, updates and backups.
• Make the network in every store predictable: correct segmentation, fault-tolerant Wi-Fi, reliable routers, ready for new services.
• Bring up CCTV in the stores with local recording and remote viewing for management.
• Bring up POS terminals and handheld scanners (TSD) for stock takes and goods receiving — the store's main operating tool.
• Make opening a new store a standard operation — with a clear IT checklist: "network, hardware, POS, scanners, CCTV, link to central 1C".

1C in the cloud, instead of a twenty-year-old server

A new 1C server has been deployed in our cloud: properly sized for the workload, regular platform updates, scheduled maintenance (integrity tests, reindexing, temp-table cleanup). The database is backed up with regular restore verification — not "backups exist somewhere" but "backups exist and are regularly tested".

Store and office staff get a single login to 1C with role-based permissions. The old physical server was decommissioned cleanly after a successful migration and a parallel-keep window.

The store network: UniFi and MikroTik

Every store gets the same network profile: MikroTik routers with redundant uplinks, Ubiquiti UniFi Wi-Fi with a centralised controller, and segmentation by device type (POS, scanners, CCTV, guest Wi-Fi for shoppers). That makes every service stable and diagnostics simple: when something goes wrong, you can see immediately which segment is affected.

CCTV

CCTV is deployed in the stores with a local recorder and remote access for management. Recording is local — available even if the link to the central perimeter drops; metadata and clips can be sent up as needed.

POS and handheld scanners

POS terminals are configured — wired into 1C, on a stable network, with receipt printing. On top of that — handheld data scanners (TSD) for stock takes and goods receiving: the operator works by barcode and the data lands directly in the accounting system, with no paper round-trip.

Opening a new store as a standard operation

In our first year working together, the network grew from two to three stores — and opening that third location ran as a standard operation, not as a fresh "start from nothing" project. There is an IT checklist (network, POS, scanners, CCTV, central 1C connectivity), a battle-tested equipment set and a familiar process. That is exactly the kind of infrastructural readiness for growth that was the point of year one.

Outcome

• 1C on a modern platform with regular backups and restore verification — the twenty-year-old server didn't fail "at the worst possible moment", it was retired on a plan.
• A unified network and connectivity in every store — POS, scanners, CCTV and guest Wi-Fi on a clean topology rather than "however it grew".
• Opening a new store ran without firefighting — as another iteration of a familiar checklist.
• In one year the network grew from two to three locations — and the infrastructure is ready for further growth.

Why we are invested in our client's growth

To be direct about it: our economics are arranged so that we have a real stake in the client's growth. The more stable their business runs, and the more actively it expands, the more meaningful work we have and the longer the planning horizon for both sides. That's why we don't "keep the network on minimum" — we invest in its stability and in readiness for the next step: so that opening the fourth, fifth, tenth store is a normal part of operations rather than a separate project.

In that sense, our interest and the client's interest are aligned: the client does well, we do well. As simple as that sounds, it is one of the most reliable foundations of a long-term IT partnership.