With the explosion of the Internet of Things, your company’s network needs to adapt and scale to accommodate the explosion of IP-based devices inside and outside your building.
Users work wherever and whenever they want – and on the devices of their choice – making employees and employers more efficient and productive. Underneath these devices and the Internet of Things is the network to support this connectivity. The wireless LAN industry continues to evolve, with 802.11ac Wave 1 and Wave 2 specifications hitting the market. A network and wireless solution that is optimized for an IoT environment can’t be built on outdated standards, speeds or bandwidth capabilities.
Wireless standards have various release cycles. An early version of 802.11ac, for example, may not perform as well as a later version. While several vendors may offer 802.11ac products, actual speed can be different based upon when the products were released.
Wireless networks are no longer an “addition” to a wired LAN. Companies looking to improve communications, expand their reach, and continue on a path to increased productivity, must provide employees access to all applications on any device via a comprehensive wireless solution. A mobile-first strategy is mandatory, with the ability to function just like the wired network.
Mobility is a powerful tool on its own, but when paired with cloud computing, the growth and productivity opportunities present new and exciting options in wireless solutions.
Many companies use a mix of on-premise and cloud for IT applications, storage, compute workloads and operational systems, but the cloud model is a good alternative to owning, managing and upgrading your own internal network infrastructure. The cloud offers more flexibility and reduced IT costs, both in terms of capital purchases and labor costs associated with maintenance
The billions of devices we use not only connect to the network but also produce massive amounts of data using built-in sensors. You've probably already seen an example of this in action, especially if your building uses sensors to automatically adjust HVAC or lighting levels, for example. Data is being collected from several devices and systems, providing more actionable information to support our business decisions and informing wireless solutions.
As more data is collected, wireless security solutions become critical. This data contains sensitive company, employee and customer information. When data is transmitted over the wireless network, you must ensure it is secure to protect workers and organizations and to meet necessary regulatory requirements.