Computacenter predicts melting Wi-Fi access points by 2014

Computacenter predicts that organisations will face melting Wi-Fi access points by 2014 if they don’t prepare for a rapid increase in mobile activity across their wireless networks. Research carried out by Computacenter highlights that more than 60% of organisations are using tablets and smartphones in the workplace today, and by 2020, each person could own up to 6.58 devices, according to Cisco, which will put strain on networks that are not fit for purpose.

Wednesday, 24th July 2013 Posted 11 years ago in by Phil Alsop

“Nearly 80% of employees get their connectivity from the corporate Wi-Fi network but most of today’s WLANs were not designed for such intense levels of activity,” says Colin Williams, Practice Leader (Networking, Visual Collaboration & Security), Computacenter. “The issue is that most businesses have not updated their Wi-Fi systems in the last five years and cannot expect legacy wireless access points to cope with different traffic types and end user expectations.”

Computacenter is also warning that wireless is not a one-size-fits-all and organisations need to gain advice about the right solution for their business need. For instance, it would only take four HD Youtube videos to overwhelm the average wireless access point, based on a throughput capacity per access point[1] of 33mbps. Whilst this might currently be sufficient enough for a small environment, it would not fit the needs of a medium size business, which may use video content for a range of activities, such as product demonstrations during a sales pitch.

Not all industries are failing to prepare for the surge in Wi-Fi access. Retailers are pioneering with in-store wireless technologies to meet the needs of the tech-savvy shopper. Shop floor workers are also being issued with tablets to improve productivity, and are using mobile devices for activity such as checking product availability. This is all done at the touch of a button, as opposed to spending time traveling back to the stock room, sorting through inventories.

“Other sectors should take a leaf out of the retail industry’s books,” continues Williams. “They are already preparing their stores for the user who wants to stay connected all the time. That said, with the device to person ratio expected to grow rapidly in the next few years, retailers too must ensure they have the back-office capabilities to support the front-office tools.”

Williams concludes, “Whilst connectivity is always the main discussion point with wireless, understanding security and end user access control is paramount to wireless networking success.”