A solid Wi-Fi network is a must have for most businesses today. From free Wi-Fi access as a customer incentive in a small coffee shop to the heart of connecting a large warehouse that relies on Wi-Fi connected mobile devices to run operations, some businesses simply can’t function without an awesome Wi-Fi. In this article, we’ll explain some of the reasons why you can expect Wi-Fi needs to grow over the coming years and how you can be ready.
Increasing amount of users on your network
Almost every job today requires internet access. In your typical office environment, every employee needs to connect to the network to complete their daily tasks, and the more users you have the stronger your network needs to be. Businesses have started to incorporate more mobile devices into their network and the need to be mobile is growing. This means more and more connections will be present on your network.
Bandwidth-hungry Applications
As an end user, you work with many applications that require a constant internet connection. An application is any web-based tool or program you use. Imagine some applications like Google Drive, Dropbox, One Drive, Outlook, etc. These applications stay connected to the network even when running in the background and can be bandwidth hogs. The more users you have connecting to these applications, the larger the demand on bandwidth and potentially the higher the latency (amount of time to transmit).
Wi-Fi Security
Having a properly configured and setup wireless network helps when it comes to security. When you think of network security the first thing that probably comes to mind is eCommerce (commercial transactions conducted electronically on the Internet). However, its no longer only eCommerce companies that are at risk, almost every business keeps confidential information based on your transactions with them. Imagine someone sitting on your network and seeing everything you do or send to anyone without you knowing, if you’re using older network equipment this can be easily done.
Multiple devices per user
With the amount of devices per user in today’s age, it’s not uncommon for one user to have multiple devices that require a network connection. The typical user has a cell phone, tablet, laptop, and a desktop. These devices all play a role in everyday business and its not uncommon for your network to be flooded with connections. Imagine you have a meeting, carrying a desktop to the meeting area is unacceptable when you could bring a laptop or tablet and share the same information. This is one reason why laptops have become more common than desktops.
Company Growth
As your business grows and you continue to go above and beyond you will begin to see the need for a better network. The more users, devices, and applications you acquire will start to slow down the network and you may begin to see issues. You could end up spending an hour on a meeting that really should have only been 15 minutes or maybe you’re trying to load a site to do some work and keep getting network issues. Any time you have downtime on your network is lost revenue. You know what they say, time is money.
If you have any questions or need any assistance building an awesome Wi-Fi network, SandStorm IT is your wireless networking headquarters for the Mid-South area. We cover projects as small as installing a single wireless access point in small business to large retail chains with multiple diverse networks (both private and public) with thousands of simultaneous connections. Give us a call at 901-475-0275.
