Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 20 | Page 19

LATEST INTELLIGENCE A MOBILE-FIRST NETWORK: IS IT TIME? T he explosion of smartphones, tablets, cloud-based applications, and the Internet of Things has changed the nature of work. This new mobile-first environment is mostly a good thing for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Forbes reported SMBs that adopt mobile technologies see double the revenue growth and create up to eight times as many jobs as their less mobile-ready peers. Small businesses alone save over $67 billion a year using mobile apps, tablets, and smartphones. In fact, 67% of the SMBs are using tablets for business purposes, and 93% are using employee-owned smartphones. But too often, networks – even networks that are just a few years old – simply aren’t robust or flexible enough to keep up with the demands of a mobile environment. For SMBs with these network challenges, there is a simple, affordable option: an integrated network built around 802.11ac LAN technology, a secure and scalable switching solution, and simple cloud management. While wireless is the primary means by which employees will access the network, the best solution for SMBs is an end-to-end wireless and wired infrastructure that is easy to deploy and offers built-in security and tools to collect and analyze network performance data. This eBook explores how an integrated network built around 802.11ac can provide SMBs with a higher- performing, secure network for today’s business environment. And how simple – and profitable – setting up such a network really is. n Download whitepapers free from www.intelligentcio.com/me/whitepapers/ www.intelligentcio.com INTELLIGENTCIO 19