Establishing, securing, and consistently maintaining a large Wi-Fi network in an organisation can be incredibly challenging, which is why many enterprises and SMBs struggle to provide their employees and customers with reliable connections.

Unsteady wireless networks that are slow to connect or constantly get disconnected can disrupt your business operations, lead to loss of data and severely affect the end customer experience.

In the BYOD era, Wi-Fi isn't an option or luxury for businesses anymore - it's a necessity, regardless of the size of your business. The longer you ignore wireless connectivity issues, the greater the scale of problems it could lead to, both in terms of disrupted business operations and excessive costs.

Let's take a look at the connectivity challenges businesses have to deal with, and then we'll explore how Aruba's suite of enterprise-grade Wi-Fi solutions can help rectify them:

Wi-Fi dead spots: If you have a big office or a space with a lot of rooms, dead spots can be common due to degrading Wi-Fi signal quality. They can disrupt your employees' work and affect customer satisfaction. Enterprise-level smart mesh Wi-Fi ensures your whole business receives seamless connectivity, including offices and outside workspaces alike.

Unstable or slow connection: Even when the internet is connected, you may experience unstable or slow speeds. This can be even more severe in spaces that already have degrading Wi-Fi signals. Upgrading to high-quality Wi-Fi with automatic data routing and automatic software updates means you'll always receive top-speed connectivity.

Inefficient bandwidth usage: When your business requires bandwidth-hungry applications like cloud storage, video calling, and virtual desktops to stay connected, it can be challenging to achieve efficiency and bandwidth optimisation. For instance, your video calls may start to lag because your cloud storage app is continuously hogging bandwidth. Enterprise-grade Wi-Fi allows you to direct bandwidth to where it's needed most while setting limits for less important processes.

Cybersecurity issues: Keeping company data secure and protected from malicious hackers is a growing global concern. Businesses are required to adhere to strict data protection compliance laws, and even a small data breach due to unsecured networks can be costly for the company's reputation and finances. By upgrading your Wi-Fi to include security protocols like two-factor authentication, you can help prevent unauthorised data access.

IT management and support: Most SMBs have a small IT department that is already overburdened with core work responsibilities. Adding the burden of deploying and managing Wi-Fi networks can not only decrease their productivity, but it can also make it difficult for them to focus on crucial business functions. The beauty of first-class Wi-Fi is that it's simple to deploy and even easier to monitor and manage. Apps enable you to track network usage on your phone from wherever you are.

How enterprise-grade Wi-Fi can help businesses stay connected

Enterprise-grade Wi-Fi is built for fast-moving, continually growing businesses. It uses advanced equipment, more access points, and a strategic design in order to create a web of connectivity on which your employees and customers can rely. Enterprise-grade Wi-Fi has the ability to support larger loads without the disruption of dropped signals or the signals tapering off into dead zones.

More importantly, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi offers advanced user access controls. Admins can monitor traffic, manage the devices connected to the network, and ensure only the authorised users can connect to the company Wi-Fi.

Aruba Wireless Solutions: Built for growing SMBs and established enterprises

A global leader in enterprise networking and security solutions, Aruba offers wireless connectivity products for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Aruba Instant, a cloud-managed, controller-less Wi-Fi, was developed specifically for enterprises that need seamless wireless connection as well as high enterprise-grade security for business-critical operations.

Alternatively, Aruba Instant On has been specifically designed for SMBs or smaller offices looking for a simple and quick way to set up and implement powerful wireless solutions. It only takes a few minutes to set up through Aruba's mobile app and there is absolutely no technical know-how needed. You can also monitor and manage your entire company network through your phone, even when you're not in the office. Some of its many features include:

• Smart mesh to get rid of dead zones: Aruba uses smart mesh Wi-Fi with multiple access points that work together to ensure your entire office space has a strong signal.
• Add and manage multiple access points: For a single site, up to 25 Instant On devices (a mix of APs and switches) can be connected to support eight wireless (SSID) and 22 wired (VLAN) networks.
• Bandwidth in your control: You can set bandwidth limits to ensure the most important processes get the bandwidth that they need. For example, Instant-On automatically prioritises your video and voice calls to ensure there is no lag.
• Enterprise-grade security: It uses two-factor authentication (2FA) to prevent unauthorised access in the event user credentials are compromised -- securing your company data from outside attacks. You can easily separate customer traffic from your employee traffic, as well as set hours of network availability and block malicious websites

Recently, Instant On networks were used to improve the reach and management of Wi-FI networks to help pop-up clinics, hospitals and testing centres utilise and extend existing Wi-Fi networks and increase safety. Schools, libraries, and other public buildings were able to extend Wi-Fi into parking lots and fields to enable socially distanced learning.

Instant On is proving useful to support those working from home, particularly during the pandemic. Once your access point has been set up, remote workers can create multiple networks and allocate the required bandwidth. Importantly, they can also prioritise or block certain application types.

Talk to us about your Wi-Fi tech needs

As your IT partner, we can provide you with tailored and sound advice on the best-fit Aruba solutions for your Wi-Fi network needs. Reach out to us today.