Out-of-band for distributed retail: what Mercado Libre and an Asian retailer did with ZPE Nodegrid
Out-of-Band Remote Access for Distributed Retail
Managing IT infrastructure across hundreds of retail locations presents a unique challenge: when internet connectivity fails at a remote site, resolving the issue quickly becomes critical. For large distributed retailers like Mercado Libre—which operates over 200 sites with limited IT staff on-site—unexpected downtime can cascade across operations. Traditional solutions requiring on-site technicians or truck rolls are costly and slow.
Out-of-band remote access technology like ZPE Systems’ Nodegrid offers a faster alternative by maintaining a secondary communication channel independent of primary internet connectivity. Using LTE connectivity, these devices enable remote teams to diagnose and resolve infrastructure issues instantly, even when standard network connections are down. Both Mercado Libre and a major Hong Kong retailer have deployed this approach to eliminate costly service calls and restore operations in minutes rather than hours.
Out-of-band for distributed retail: what Mercado Libre and an Asian retailer did with ZPE Nodegrid
Mercado Libre runs 200+ sites and only a quarter have IT staff. ZPE Systems says Nodegrid devices with LTE out-of-band access let remote teams fix problems without a truck roll. A Hong Kong retailer used one Nodegrid unit for the same job.
A shop or warehouse loses its internet link. Nobody technical is on site. What happens next depends on whether anyone can reach the equipment without the link that just failed.
Two ZPE Systems case studies show how retail and e-commerce operators handle it. Both use out-of-band management, and both are vendor-published, so the figures below are ZPE’s and ByteBridge’s, not ours.
What out-of-band management means
Out-of-band (OOB) management is a separate, independent path to network equipment. It usually runs over cellular LTE or a serial console and works when the production network is down.
The practical effect is that an engineer can reach a failed router or switch from anywhere. A truck roll is the trip a technician makes to a site to fix something on the spot. OOB aims to make most of them unnecessary.
Mercado Libre: 200+ sites, a quarter with IT staff
ZPE describes Mercado Libre as Latin America’s largest e-commerce and fintech platform, with more than 148 million users and over 200 sites. Only 25% of those sites have dedicated IT staff. Most depend on non-technical staff or a truck roll when something breaks.
ZPE lists four problems. An internet outage at any site can stop payments, logistics and applications. Outages at core data centres can cut off order management and inventory. Troubleshooting is slow and costly. And without rollback, one configuration error on a core switch or router could take 24 hours or more to recover.
Mercado Libre deployed Nodegrid devices and ZPE Cloud. The design has six parts: dual-SIM 4G/5G modems for out-of-band access, IPsec over LTE to keep data centre connections alive, ZPE Cloud with SSO and TACACS+ authorisation, zero-touch deployment, remote sessions for rescue and recovery, and built-in services such as DHCP for cameras and guest connections. Nodegrid also manages Cisco, Juniper and other vendors over Ethernet and serial, with SNMP and syslog integration to Zabbix.
“The built-in LTE automatically took over and distribution carried on like normal.”
Evandro Soares Correia Jr, IT Admin, Mercado Libre
ZPE’s case study PDF reports that deployments save up to six hours each and truck rolls fall by 50%. It also says Mercado Libre plans to expand Nodegrid across more logistics hubs and offices.
Hong Kong: one Nodegrid unit instead of a stack
ByteBridge, a ZPE partner, wrote up a second case. A leading Asian retailer selling beauty and wellness products needed central, resilient remote IT management across its sites. Many had no wired failover or standard access, and the existing systems could not provide 4G backup or multi-site console access.
ByteBridge replaced the legacy bill of materials with one Nodegrid device, listed as ZPE-BSR-23-4G, combining serial, Ethernet and 4G. A local demo of WAN failover built stakeholder trust before rollout. ByteBridge lists the deployment as Hong Kong, May 2025, and says it lays the groundwork for expansion across North Asia.
ZPE’s summary credits the design with streamlined operations from a single portal, lower TCO and automatic cellular failover. Neither ZPE nor ByteBridge publishes a cost figure.
What the case studies do not say
Both are vendor material. ByteBridge does not name the retailer. ZPE’s Mercado Libre summary page says remote fixes prevent 24+ hour downtime, while the PDF says recovery within hours in one place and within 24 hours rather than days in another, so we have not quoted a recovery time. LTE bandwidth, carrier costs and per-site hardware are not stated. Neither study describes a Singapore deployment.
| Mercado Libre scale | 200+ sites, 148 million users, IT staff at 25% of sites |
| Connectivity | Dual-SIM 4G/5G, IPsec over LTE to data centres |
| Management | ZPE Cloud, SSO, TACACS+, zero-touch deployment |
| Reported savings | Up to 6 hours per deployment, truck rolls down 50% (ZPE) |
| Hong Kong retailer | One Nodegrid unit: serial, Ethernet and 4G (ByteBridge) |
| Pricing and lead times | Not published in either study |
Frequently asked questions
What is out-of-band management and why does retail need it?
Out-of-band management is a separate path to network equipment that works when the production link is down. Retail estates have many small sites, little local IT and links that carry payments and stock systems. When a link or a configuration fails, OOB lets a remote engineer reach the device without a site visit.
How did Mercado Libre use ZPE Nodegrid?
According to ZPE, Mercado Libre deployed Nodegrid devices with dual-SIM 4G/5G modems and ZPE Cloud across more than 200 sites. LTE provides out-of-band access and failover, IPsec over LTE keeps data centre connections alive, and remote teams open ZPE Cloud sessions to restore services.
What did the Asian retailer deploy?
ByteBridge, a ZPE partner, deployed one Nodegrid device, listed as ZPE-BSR-23-4G, combining serial, Ethernet and 4G. It replaced a legacy bill of materials. ByteBridge lists the site as Hong Kong, May 2025. The retailer is not named.
Does LTE failover replace the primary internet connection?
No. In both studies LTE is the second path. It carries out-of-band access and keeps core applications reachable during an outage. ZPE does not state the LTE bandwidth or the carrier cost, so check the data plan against what each site must carry.
How reliable are the savings ZPE reports?
They are vendor figures. ZPE’s PDF reports up to six hours saved per deployment and a 50% cut in truck rolls at Mercado Libre. They are not independently audited, and ZPE’s own pages give different recovery times for the same incident, so treat them as indicative.
What do I need to scope a multi-site out-of-band design?
The site count, how many sites have IT staff, the primary link type at each, the devices to be managed over Ethernet and serial, and your authentication setup. Enova can sketch a design from those and discuss ZPE hardware options.
Planning out-of-band for many small sites
Enova is an authorised ZPE Systems partner in Singapore. If you run shops, warehouses or branches with little local IT, send us the site count, the primary links and the devices you manage. We will sketch what out-of-band would look like.
Ask about ZPE NodegridSources: ZPE Systems, Mercado Libre & ZPE: Ensuring Uptime for Latin America’s E-Commerce Backbone and its case study PDF. ZPE Systems, Lower Costs, Greater Resilience: Supporting Business Continuity For A Leading Asian Retailer. ByteBridge, Enabling Next-Gen Remote IT Architecture for Leading Asian Retailer.
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eNOVA Technologies is Singapore's specialist distributor for data centre IT management solutions, representing Adder, Guntermann & Drunck, Raritan, Sunbird, ZPE Systems, and VuWall across Singapore and Southeast Asia. Our technical content is produced with AI assistance and reviewed by our in-house team before publication.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by the eNOVA Technologies team. All technical claims are verified against manufacturer documentation.
