Whether your customers check email, read the news, or browse the web, they expect your WiFi network to always work quickly. And that’s where managed WiFi comes in.
A managed WiFi provider designs, procures, installs, monitors, and upgrades a wireless network.
Increased Productivity
As technology evolves, business owners have become accustomed to high-speed internet connectivity. It enables employees to work from home, collaborate on projects in a conference room, or access productivity platforms and company data from the cloud. This connectivity has allowed businesses to stay ahead of competitors and improve their bottom line.
However, a company’s IT department may need to gain specialized knowledge and skills to keep its WiFi network running smoothly. Managing your wireless network requires extensive training that often needs to be covered by traditional help desk IT certifications.
A managed WiFi solution for businesses eliminates this issue by allowing your third-party provider to handle all aspects of your wireless network. Their in-depth industry knowledge lets them offer you the best deals on long-term licenses, maintenance, and other cost-effective options your IT team might have yet to learn. This translates into significant savings and increased efficiency.
Increased Customer Satisfaction
Suppose you have a busy customer-facing business or a large, campus-based company with several locations and employees working remotely. In that case, WiFi connectivity issues can be frustrating for your customers and workers alike. A managed WiFi provider can help alleviate this frustration by delivering an easy-to-use, quick, and convenient installation system. Depending on your specific needs, these providers may also provide software that provides 24x7x365 proactive monitoring and detailed uplink performance reports that give you the visibility to identify potential issues before they occur, reducing downtime and providing a better overall user experience. Additionally, you can use your business’s free WiFi to promote and engage with customers by creating custom splash pages that display videos, promotions, surveys, and other content when a customer logs onto the network. This is a great way to reach out and create deeper, more meaningful relationships with your customer base.
Improved Employee Satisfaction
There’s nothing that can derail productivity like a bad WiFi connection. For employees and customers alike, a business that offers fast and reliable internet access is a big selling point.
But managing a wireless network can be full-time for any IT department. Many companies opt for a managed WiFi solution that helps alleviate the stress of maintaining their network by outsourcing the design, procurement, installation, monitoring, and upgrading. A well-managed WiFi provider will provide 24/7 support for their client’s networks. This ensures that no matter when a problem occurs, someone can troubleshoot and resolve it as quickly as possible. In addition to this, a managed WiFi provider can also offer a variety of other customizations that help to improve network performance. These can include things such as bandwidth throttling and content filtering. This is particularly useful for businesses that host guests outside the company. The scalability of these new enterprise-grade systems means that your managed WiFi provider can easily adjust these settings to match the needs of your business.
Reduced Downtime
A business’s WiFi network has become as critical as utilities like electricity and plumbing. When it’s bungled, the impact is immediate and expensive. The solution is to turn to a managed WiFi provider specializing in enterprise networks and can help keep your wireless network running smoothly and efficiently.
A good managed WiFi service provider with extensive industry experience can recommend the best hardware, provide competitive pricing for long-term licenses, and offer cost-effective options that your IT team may need. Additionally, your WiFi provider can reduce downtime with 24x7x365 proactive monitoring. They can also use advanced analytics in their gateway controllers and firewalls to learn more about your network, such as which users and applications use the most bandwidth.
This helps your IT department to make decisions based on real data, not just guesses. Finally, a managed WiFi provider can quickly add fresh access points and WiFi extenders to crowded areas of your building with poor Internet connectivity. This is especially helpful for multi-unit apartment complexes, hospitals, chain-retail stores, and corporate offices.
Increased Security
With many devices connected to networks, the right managed WiFi provider can help you secure your business and protect your customers from cyber threats. A reputable provider will conduct a detailed discovery before recommending network equipment and create a security plan that ensures your networks are secure. The best-managed WiFi providers can provide 24x7x365 proactive monitoring that enables them to learn more about your network and its users, helping you make more informed decisions about how you use bandwidth. They can also provide reports with granular details on your uplink performance, network utilization, and other primary metrics.
The bottom line is that a properly installed and managed wireless solution saves you time and money. It eliminates the need to hire and train internal IT team members. And it allows you to rely on third-party specialists who can provide the high-quality service your guests and employees expect.
