Managed Wireless Solutions for Small Business | Need for Speed

Picture this: you are attempting to download a new movie on your personal computer, but it is running at a gratingly slow speed. In your search for the cause of this frustrating situation, you discover your son or daughter is taking up a sizeable share of your bandwidth playing their latest video game online. Does this sound like a familiar scenario?

At home, this is little more than a nuisance that most must endure on a regular basis. But, when it comes to your business, bandwidth issues can prove far more disruptive. The vital role the Internet plays in managing a business means that unfortunate fluctuations in bandwidth can prove catastrophic. You don’t want to miss a tight deadline because your upload speed is tanking, or reschedule a meeting because Skype is relentlessly buffering.

A strong, consistent internet speed is vital for your business. However, such an ideal in the rise of flexible working can prove challenging, with an explosion in the number of wireless devices now employed in businesses throughout the UK (laptops, phones, tablets). With this stack of devices vying for the attention of your bandwidth, it is important to consider how you are going to give them their fair share.

You could upgrade your existing WAN infrastructure to maintain a reliable connection speed. However, the cost to improve your connection could be excessive, especially if you are growing your company. With more staff, customers and users to consider, your bandwidth will be spread thinly to compensate.

That is where managed wireless solutions could benefit your business. Taking advantage of the Cloud to remotely manage your business’ Wi-Fi, you would no longer risk bottlenecking your bandwidth through a single connection point. With the Cloud predicted to be at the heart of a business’ infrastructure by 2020, it could be time to make the early leap.

How will cloud-managed wireless help your business?

1. Divide bandwidth

First and foremost, a managed wireless solution allows you the option to designate your bandwidth to where it is most required. Tracking tools can monitor your internet usage, indicating if certain devices are taking up excessive bandwidth. Through this, you can determine a strategy to negate the damage this could cause for your connectivity, whether that is minimising usage of these devices or limiting the bandwidth they receive.

2. Remote access

A Cloud-based WLAN offers a single point of management, which means greater ease to oversee your bandwidth usage and track areas of excessive use. This is especially helpful for businesses that have multiple offices, as this means you wouldn’t need to employ controllers for each site, as this would be possible from one remote location. With everything organised in the Cloud, changes across the entirety of your business are easier to implement.

3. Guest options

In many cases, you would not want guests to interfere with your Internet speed, and more importantly have the ability to see secure corporate resources. In this instance, Method would be able to introduce a separate network for guests, meaning they do not affect the bandwidth of your office’s devices. Plus, this secures your primary network from harmful devices someone outside your business may attempt to use.

4. Scalability

Onsite servers and controllers can significantly slow down the expansion of your business, as you would need to purchase more capacity to accommodate new users. The Cloud will automatically update to the latest specifications and through your remote updates, you can allocate an exact increase in bandwidth space when necessary quickly and easily. Just one less thing to worry about when building your business!

5. Reduced costs

Finally, there are the savings you can expect to make. Your business would no longer need to purchase controller appliances for each site, saving you money on expensive hardware. But that is not all – you would not need to hire someone to monitor each network. A managed Cloud-based will save money and time safe in the knowledge that experts are configuring and managing the wireless network to your suit your business needs.

Structuring Your Managed Wireless Solution

At Method, we understand the need for fast, secure Wi-Fi for your internal workforce and external users. Operating throughout the South East, our skilled technicians take the time to understand the ins and outs of your business to introduce wireless solutions that ease workflow and demand on your bandwidth.

If your IT infrastructure needs an update, contact us today at our offices in Southend, Chelmsford and London. Call 0345 521 6111 or email us at enquiries@method-it.co.uk.