For a small business the benefits of utilising fast and effective Wi-Fi can provide a competitive edge, make employees more productive and encourage customers spend more time and money at a business.

Wi-Fi adoption continues to expand at a formidable rate. The global Wi-Fi market is expected to grow from US$5.96bn (£4.8bn) in 2017 to US$15.6bn (£12.5bn) by 2022, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.2% during this period[1].

Wi-Fi is a tool which is expected by customers, employees need it, and small businesses view it as an essential element of their flourishing working environment. Whether a small business is switching Wi-Fi providers, or installing Wi-Fi for the first time, there are some key must-have functionalities which every Wi-Fi system has to provide.

Reliable

Wi-Fi which only works sporadically or which fails to work might actually be more damaging that not offering Wi-Fi at all. This will likely lead to employees experiencing workplace dissatisfaction and frustration.

You’d expect Wi-Fi with today’s technology to be reliable and robust, so a small business must adopt Wi-Fi that “just works”.  Designed with small businesses in mind, Aruba Instant On is a high-performance offering which has focused on reliability. This is aided by Aruba’s Smart Mesh technology, which enables Wi-Fi coverage in even hard to reach places, inside or outdoors.

What does all this offer? Less Wi-Fi drop-outs, happier customers and more productive employees.

Purpose-built

There are 5.7m SMEs in the UK, which have 250 or less employees, but 5.4m of these are micro-businesses with nine or less employees[2]. These firms all have differing needs and goals to be facilitated by their Wi-Fi connection.

A professional office will need high density Wi-Fi with the best performance. Hospitality outfits will want Wi-Fi for guests which has a personal touch, while Retail businesses will be looking for Wi-Fi which can be easily configured for customer access. Basically, a business must adopt the Wi-Fi offering which is right for them.

Aruba’s Instant On offerings are designed with the individual nature of small businesses considered, with offerings to cover small, medium or large space. There are also indoor access points for enclosed businesses, outdoor access points which have weatherproof durability, and desk/wall access points with in-room wireless for businesses and home offices.

Easy-to-install (and manage)

Adopting and installing Wi-Fi doesn’t have to be a challenge. When a business decides to adopt Wi-Fi it also expects that system to be installed and continually monitored with relative ease.

Aruba boasts super-fast setup for small businesses – you power up the Aruba Instant On access point, download the Instant On mobile app to a phone and then just follow the steps in the app to configure employee and guest networks.

From there, the Instant On mobile app allows the business to monitor and manage the Wi-Fi network from anywhere, at any time (there is also a web version which provides the same functionality).

Secure

Security is simply a must-have for technology, Wi-Fi is no exception and there are specific threats which can target a business Wi-Fi that must be considered.

As we all know, Wi-Fi networks can be susceptible to a malicious attacker gaining access to a network to steal personal data or create rouge access points. This can impact network connectivity and cause an organisation’s systems to crash, could also have implications for users of the network, including guests or customers. If customers are tricked into visiting phishing websites because of a network breach or install malware or ransomware, they will place the blame on the firm and its network.

For Aruba Instant On, the access point products have built-in security that’s ideal for today’s business-ready apps and devices – no matter where you roam. Further to this there are automated software and security updates meaning the network is always safe and secure.

Scalable

Many small businesses want growth and scale are cornerstones of business success. They want to become medium and large businesses eventually so when a business adopts a Wi-Fi system it will have these ambitions in mind, whether its to double up office space, adding external areas for working and meetings etc. The important element is that the business has adopted Wi-Fi which can provide a scalable solution in the future.

The Aruba Instant On product stable is broad enough that other access points can be added or enhanced as the requirement for a business to scale changes. This allows a small business to adopt Aruba Instant On safe in the knowledge their Wi-Fi network is ready to grow with them.

For more information visit https://www.arubainstanton.com/

Resources:

[1] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-wi-fi-market-2018-2022-market-is-expected-to-grow-from-usd-5-96-billion-in-2017-to-usd-15-60-billion-by-2022–at-a-cagr-of-21-2-300632967.html[2] https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06152/SN06152.pdf