There are an estimated 30 billion connected “things” as of 2020, and it has become quite clear that consumer-grade Wi-Fi routers are simply no longer capable of meeting the needs of small and medium businesses. These days, even smaller businesses are demanding fast, reliable, always-on connectivity for dozens or hundreds of connected devices. However, small and medium businesses often lack the budget, time and in-house resources to install and manage complex Wi-Fi deployments.
Bandwidth-hungry video applications. Internet of Things (IoT). Constant demand for mobile connectivity. They add up to a perfect storm —and your Wi-Fi better be ready for it. The days when a consumer-grade Wi-Fi device from BestBuy could meet most small business needs are over.
Today there are solutions available for business WiFi that can be managed in the cloud and eliminate the complex deployment of a controller based WiFi network. Access points can be deployed at a single location or multiple geographic locations with simple installation and all APs managed remotely. A multi-site manager can support up to 1000 networks or 10,000 Aps making these solutions incredibly scalable. Many Hotels, Banks and Retail are finding they lose business if a good WiFi guess network is not available for their patrons. Companies like McDonalds have increased customer retention by 24% from providing a solid WiFI network that improved the customer experience and analytics to take advantage of marketing opportunities. Purple & Cisco – McDonald’s Belgium Case Study on Vimeo
Our world is teeming with connected mobile devices — from laptops, to smartphones, to smart watches and fitness wearables, to asset-tracking beacons — all of which are designed to connect wirelessly using protocols like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to relay and receive information. Gleaning actionable insights about how these devices — and the people who carry them — interact in physical space can give organizations a competitive advantage and enable them to differentiate as a business.
Most industries now compete heavily with online counterparts for wallet share (think: brick-and-mortar retail vs. Amazon), gaining insights about customer foot traffic finally levels the information playing field. Online competitors have always had access to web-based metrics that provide insights into who visits their website, for how long, and who returns later — enabling targeted marketing as well as testing opportunities to optimize the online shopping experience. With the right WiFI solution organizations can leverage their wireless infrastructure to deliver a more personalized, tailored experience and you can finally ascertain patterns in foot traffic and customer visits, onsite dwell time, and repeat visit rates just like their online competitors.
