Perpay is a FinTech-enabled e-commerce marketplace based out of Philadelphia. The company serves over four million members, allowing customers to “buy now, pay later” and improve their credit simultaneously.
The challenge
Arik Misler, CTO at Perpay, oversees the engineering, infrastructure, and product teams, which also includes IT operations.
Arik came to Perpay from Lockheed Martin, where he designed and built out networks for many enterprise clients. Arik set up the local network with Unifi products and a consumer Apple router at Perpay’s first office. Unfortunately, employees complained about the network performance several times a month, and managing the network became a nuisance. When Perpay’s lease ended and the company decided to move into a new space, Arik knew that outsourcing the network deployment and management was the best plan of action.
Meter is the most cohesive and cost-effective option
Arik reached out to a number of firms for bids, which included hardware, a network design, cost model, and licensing fee structure. Ultimately, it came down to what made the most sense for the end user, and Meter was the clear winner.
“There is a gap between Cisco Meraki, where you are paying top dollar, and the more “do-it-yourself” option with Ubiquiti. I was looking for something that was reliable, what made the most sense from a cost perspective, and what was flexible enough to grow with us, and that’s where Meter made the most sense,” Arik says. “When I found Meter, it was a much more cohesive option, and the monthly subscription was an easier way to understand the cost model over time. I knew we needed hand-holding to get our networking right, and that’s exactly what Meter was there to do.”
Meter allows Perpay to focus on innovation
Meter procured and coordinated Perpay’s internet connections, installed the physical wiring and wireless access points, and stood up everything related to Perpay’s network. The build-out involved outfitting the IT closet with Meter Switches and a Meter Controller.
“Now, we don’t have to worry about our network, which means we can dedicate more time to our product. Meter provided us with that peace of mind: They know how to build a secure network, designed for enterprise, that’s still simple and cohesive,” Arik explains. “Networks have so many permutations, but Meter understands how to take something complex and variable, and package it into a beautiful product.”