The SecurEdge Blog

Do you manage IT for a multi-location retail chain? Do you find it challenging to cost-effectively provide reliable, secure, high-speed WiFi services to employees and customers? Or is IT just one of many hats that you wear in addition to your real job?  

There’s no shortage of advice on how to measure WiFi performance. Heck, a quick search on Google turns up a mind-numbing 231 million results. But when you dig in, how much of this information is valuable to you if you’re trying to remedy problems with slow WiFi?

Is something wrong with your company’s WiFi performance, and you just can’t put your finger on it? Are you starting to wonder whether your wireless network design is keeping up with your company’s growth and how much your employees depend on your WiFi? Does slow WiFi make your team more irritable than running out of coffee, or battling through broken air conditioning on the hottest day of the year?

It’s hard to believe, but as recently as 15 years ago, wireless networks were still a novelty and a rarity. Sure, if you had a large IT budget and advanced in-house IT talent, you had WiFi back then. Fast forward to today and wireless networking is now considered a must-have in nearly all industries; enterprise, education, government, hospitality and retail.

The Internet of Things- The slew of new WiFi enabled devices and technology that are reshaping the way that we live and interact, bring with them not just convenience, efficiency, and let's be honest, some major cool-factor, but also some potential problems for your wireless network. Slow WiFi speeds, storage problems, potential security threats, these are all concerns that are probably top of mind for your companies IT team. But don't worry! The right wireless network design can make sure you are ready for everything the IoT boom has to throw at you. Here are a few tips to help you get ready for the future:

It’s no big secret that traditional retailers are facing tough times. Every few weeks, there’s another news story appearing like this one in Business Insider declaring “More than 3,800 stores will close (this year) — here's the full list.” But what those sensational headlines don’t reveal: Last year, the U.S. retailing industry added 4,080 stores (14,248 new stores opened, while 10,168 closed).

The office: a cubicle-filled, fluorescent-lit mecca where millions of Americans gather daily to crunch numbers, create spreadsheets and craft expert emails. 

At least among IT professionals, it’s no big secret that public WiFi networks are not safe places. A quick search on Google, or simply skimming through your news feed or social media feed, will almost certainly turn up headlines such as “All Wi-Fi networks are vulnerable to hacking, security expert discovers” from the Guardian and “Why You Really Need to Stop Using Public Wi-Fi” from Harvard Business Review.