Managed WiFi is basically a business alternative which enables an organisation to contract with a third-party service provider to undertake the various tasks involved in setting up, securing, configuring, maintaining, enhancing and/or updating a workplace WiFi network. This reduces the time-consuming nature of undertaking such tasks by hand and minimises risk. Most large companies employ several IT staff to manage their own networks. They have IT professionals who manage day-to-day network maintenance tasks as well as hardware and software installations, backups, security, application updates, WLAN configuration, VoIP / VOIP trunking and additional features. While some companies employ only a single person to manage their networks, others have multiple personnel assigned to different tasks to spread the workload.
Managed WiFi can be of great help to them as it streamlines their operations and cuts costs.
WiFi networks are inherently less-reliable than wired networks and hence the costs involved to install one can be high. It also has a shorter life span than wireless networking and needs regular monitoring to make sure it still exists in place. A business with its own WiFi system can easily extend its life span by availing of a managed WiFi service. One can get alerts from time to time about the absence of a WiFi connection. They can also get notifications about power shortages that may affect their services too.
A managed WiFi service offers many benefits.
Apart from cutting costs, it also provides higher employee productivity since employees do not need to wait for a wired connection to work. The network performance is enhanced because the servers used for managing the WiFi resources are scalable and can be made more powerful depending on the traffic requirements of the business operations. They can also be allocated with higher bandwidth to make sure the customer experiences optimal web browsing performance.
When it comes to enhancing employee productivity, the use of managed wifi network management plays a vital role. This is because it manages and protects the usage of the internet by employees in the office. The use of the internet can easily harm the reputation of the company and so it is very important to ensure its security. A managed service provider can do this for you by controlling the website’s employees can access. They can block inappropriate content and they can also set restrictions based on the level of risk for each employee.
Before getting into the details of using a managed service provider for your business, it is important to have an in-depth discussion with an expert to understand your unique needs. They can provide you with a detailed worksheet for you to understand the complete process. If your organization already has an existing WISP then the process is relatively easy. However if you are a small or medium sized organization without a WISP then you will have to undertake the task yourself.
You need to establish the primary goals of your organization before initiating the process of getting a managed services provider. What departments of your organization require the most connectivity and how fast, reliable, and secure are these requirements? This is where you need to conduct a Needs Analysis. You need to identify the devices that require these services the most and you should also be able to anticipate the traffic patterns for these devices within the office premises.
After ensuring that these two basic requirements are met, you can move onto the next step which is to identify the types of connections you want for your business. In most cases, offices have one primary access point (AP) and several secondary access points (SPAs). If you have high bandwidth usage in your business, you may consider getting a dedicated SSID’s for each device. One of the benefits of dedicated SSIDs is that users share the same connection. This is an ideal solution for a large office network, since it allows devices to connect quickly even with heavy traffic.
- Once you have chosen a suitable Managed WiFi service provider, it is time to look at billing.
- Many managed services providers charge per hour or per day. If you are a small network and you do not incur large charges, this option may be suitable for you.
- For medium and large sized companies, it is better to opt for a flat rate or a monthly plan as this will ensure that you are always aware of your usage and you will be able to manage your budget efficiently.
