Are You Winning with Wi-Fi?

You’re hosting a meeting with several key stakeholders who are awaiting an in-depth presentation. If this meeting goes well, it could provide your company with the opportunity to expand and grow. You’ve prepped, you’ve practiced, and you are prepared. PowerPoint is up and ready to go, and you get ready to start the meeting off with a real-time view of your business intelligence dashboard. You click on the link but then nothing happens. Your Wi-Fi connection isn’t working.

At this point, Wi-Fi is something we expect to have access to in most public places. And, when the Wi-Fi is either slow or unavailable, we can get frustrated. Contrary to popular belief, Wi-Fi is not something that can easily be fixed by purchasing a new wireless access point from across the street, but rather is something in which we need to invest. Here are a few reasons why you should be budgeting for Wi-Fi for your business:

Boost Customer and Prospect Relations

Free Wi-Fi is a great service to provide your customers and prospects. Whether they are waiting for an appointment or are in a meeting with your sales team, offering them free and fast Wi-Fi helps improve satisfaction and encourage engagement with your brand. Additionally, offering Wi-Fi gives them the opportunity to access email and the web through their laptop or tablet, which means they can continue their work while waiting for their appointment or pull-up pertinent business information during their meeting. Slow Wi-Fi is almost worse than no Wi-Fi, and can leave a client frustrated; it is important to ensure your Wi-Fi is properly set-up and fully functioning.

Improve Employee Morale

Wi-Fi in offices is as expected as having a stocked coffee machine. Just like coffee, fully functioning Wi-Fi around the office makes for happier (and more productive) employees. Having the flexibility to walk anywhere in the office with a laptop and internet connection fosters more collaboration in meetings and gives employees an opportunity to update documents, send emails, and pull relevant data in real-time. Additionally, with the BYOD workforce constantly expanding, it’s a necessary amenity for employers to offer. By planning and investing in the right Wi-Fi technology for your environment, you can ensure the wireless router can accommodate all of your employees.

Control Security

How much access does Wi-Fi give to your network? Are you at an increased risk of attack because your Wi-Fi is not properly configured? Wi-Fi security is more than just worrying about someone stealing your Wi-Fi; it can also be a portal for attackers to access your network and data. By investing in and securing Wi-Fi through measures such as strong encryption algorithms, hidden SSIDs, and   protected Ethernet ports, you can ensure that the access points your employees and guests are using are safe and secure. If you’re granting access to guests, you may want a separate access point to the LAN that will protect your network. Self-configuration of a wireless access point may not provide the security you think you are getting.

Just as your server and network need proper investment and configuration, so too does your Wi-Fi technology in order to provide the best service and protect your business. Is your Wi-Fi supporting your business to the best of its ability? Call us today to schedule a Wi-Fi spectrum analysis where our team can perform a strategic assessment using enterprise-grade tools for a detailed look at your set-up and offer custom recommendations for your environment.