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ANDRIES JANSE VAN RENSBURG , COMMSCOPE RUCKUS AND LINKIFY PRODUCT MANAGER , WESTCON- COMSTOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
If you have previous experience with a Wi-Fi deployment you will be familiar with some of the challenges that one may encounter such as interference , coverage and capacity . Deploying a Wi-Fi solution is easy . Deploying a Wi-Fi network today is much more complex , but truly getting the best results from the infrastructure while keeping costs down is where the challenges arise .
Today , Wi-Fi is as engrained in business as the boardroom is . Yet , networking experts will warn that firstly not all technologies are created equal and secondly , unless secured , managed and continually monitored , a Wi-Fi deployment will never reach its full potential .
What we are seeing is the next wave in Wi- Fi ’ s evolution , by way of Wi-Fi As-a-Service ( WaaS ). The premise of WaaS is not just a concept that can be deployed by service providers , but by businesses themselves as they strive to better package and monitor the costs of these deployments . There is an argument that with fewer people returning to physical offices as a result of the new business normal we find ourselves in , there will be less need for Wi-Fi in general . But the opposite is true . With the escalated march to Digital Transformation , we have opened the taps on the need for widespread high-speed network coverage fuelled by the development of Smart Cities , cloud connectivity and even VPN access . Conversely , this is also driving the need for more cost-efficiency in available solutions .
According to a recent report by ResearchAndMarkets . com , the global WaaS market is projected to grow US $ 3.39 billion in 2018 to US $ 8.36 billion by 2025 , at a CAGR 19.8 % from 2020 to 2025 . Much of this growth , however , will not just come from the physical sale of solutions , but the
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THERE IS AN ARGUMENT THAT WITH FEWER PEOPLE RETURNING TO PHYSICAL OFFICES AS A RESULT OF THE NEW BUSINESS NORMAL WE FIND OURSELVES IN , THERE WILL BE LESS NEED FOR WI-FI IN GENERAL . BUT THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE .
professional and managed services required to install , implement and maintain them .
Beyond the market size and the applications shaping the Wi-Fi industry is the advent of Wi-Fi 6 . With this sixth-generation technology , businesses can expect faster connectivity , expanded reach and support for a higher density of connected devices . Wi-Fi 6 is the partner to 5G , it will be the best delivery mechanism of higher speeds and feeds offered by 5G and will allow for the better rollout and efficacy of sensors required by Smart Cities , IoT devices and
will unlock the value of immersive and augmented virtual experiences .
Looking ahead , Wi-Fi will remain a quintessential part of our business , consumer and city-wide networks . Its role will become more critical than ever , but companies and consumers are going to have to become more discerning in their selection of a solution . Namely , is it standards-based , will it support Wi-Fi 6 , does it have intrinsic security , will adding more devices degrade its performance , how much energy does it consume , how easy is it to manage , can it be deployed alongside other proprietary solutions and what will it cost my business .
Critically your Wi-Fi solution needs to be adaptable , future-ready and flexible enough to scale without scaling costs . My suggestion is that you don ’ t just buy devices to add to your network , but that you couple this with a management platform that will provide better insights into the usage and efficiency of your Wi-Fi technologies . Your network will only ever be as powerful as its weakest link and unless you can see these weaknesses – your implementations will remain sub-standard . • www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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