Mobility is the mainstay of how most Canadian businesses and organizations need to successfully operate, and how customers are looking to engage with every company from whom they purchase a product or service.

Wi-Fi has rapidly evolved from a nice-to-have communication service to an essential and primary way to connect. Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity are as essential to many people as other basic utilities, such as hydro or water. But Wi-Fi implementation, management and support can be a huge operational burden that drains scarce and overextended internal IT resources and, when it doesnt operate reliably, results in lost opportunities to drive business goals, including innovation and customer engagement.

IT professionals are an important resource for any business: they can drive innovation in IT and support business process improvements that achieve greater productivity and efficiency, as well as a competitive edge. But research shows nearly 80% of IT professionals say they feel too much of their time is spent just keeping the lights on rather than contributing to higher-value business projects that drive greater success and more revenue for their companies. About the same number also say too much time and money are wasted in managing old and legacy network systems.1 Other research shows that, compared to managed systems, networks managed by in-house organizations can go offline more often and for longer periods of time, resulting in employee productivity losses.2

In consumer-facing industries such as retail and hospitality, traditional approaches to guest Wi-Fi and the use of outdated and unreliable technology can result in missed opportunities to engage customers, the inability to develop valuable insights about their onsite behaviours, and poor customer satisfaction.

1 Canadian Business Leaders Survey 2015, Vision Critical2 Business Value of Managed Network Services, 2015, IDC

80%of business and IT leaders spend more time and money just keeping the lights on.1

Wi-Fi as a Service: Is it right for my business?

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UNDERSTANDING MANAGED WIFIWI-FI AS A SERVICE: IS IT RIGHT FOR MY BUSINESS?

Wi-Fi: Whats here today

Currently there are three general approaches a business can employ to provide Wi-Fi to employees and/or guests:

Wi-Fi as fully managed by in-house IT organizations

In this traditional scenario, a business purchases the hardware then configures the network. All functions, from adding new users and setting permissions, to troubleshooting, repairing outages and managing network security, are done in-house.

Business owns the hardware but outsources Wi-Fi management

Some businesses look to ease the strain on IT staff by outsourcing the management of Wi-Fi networks. In this hybrid scenario, a business supplies and owns its own hardware (and is responsible for costs such as warranties and service contracts) but an external service provider configures, monitors, manages and keeps the network online.

An as a service Wi-Fi solution

Wi-Fi as a Service is an end-to-end product and services solution where the hardware, set-up, ongoing monitoring and service are all included in a single monthly recurring fee. A service provider assesses, installs and manages the Wi-Fi solutions, and owns the equipment. This approach avoids the upfront capital cost of equipment purchase and can be a cost-effective way to replace old legacy technology with a newer state-of-the-art solution.

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UNDERSTANDING MANAGED WIFIWI-FI AS A SERVICE: IS IT RIGHT FOR MY BUSINESS?

Who benefits from Wi-Fi as a Service?

Wi-Fi as a Service relieves the pain points associated with providing guests and employees with fast, reliable internet. A new study by IDC found that businesses that have switched to a NaaS solution reported cost savings of up to $341,000 per 1,000 employees. Whats more, midsize Canadian organizations ranked managed Wi-Fi/WLAN as the most appealing NaaS component. Along with their ability to deliver secure Wi-Fi/WLANs, organizations using managed network services told IDC that they have also experienced efficiency and productivity improvements amongst their IT staff.3

A Wi-Fi as a Service solution, designed for businesses with up to 500 employees per location, can be cost-effective for single location operations that require more than one access point, or for multi-location businesses. Depending on how your business is configured in terms of square footage and number of locations, a solution can often be tailored to suit your requirements.

Wi-Fi in Action

Reducing network management

Consider the following scenario: A Canadian insurance company has four regional offices in Ontario and employees often move between offices. With a Wi-Fi as a Service solution, employees no longer need to log into a new network every time they work from a different office and, in the case of a network outage, no longer need to wait for IT to be dispatched from head office to fix the problem. Through a remote cloud-based management process, installations and configurations can be done virtually, remote monitoring and ongoing management are provided more comprehensively and efficiently, and onsite repairs are required less frequently.

Example 1

3 IDC Solution Brief: Assessing the Business Value of Managed Network Services

Up to

$341per employee saved after switching to Network as a Service3

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UNDERSTANDING MANAGED WIFIWI-FI AS A SERVICE: IS IT RIGHT FOR MY BUSINESS?

Better reception and better engagement

A Canadian retailer has a large, single location outlet with departments spread across several floors. But because of the large space, customers often have trouble getting mobile reception in certain areas and would need to log in multiple times as they move through the store. With a Wi-Fi as a Service solution, customers can easily log into the Wi-Fi once and stay connected throughout the store, leaving the business with the opportunity to connect with customers as they shop. Those customers can now receive coupons and promotion alerts based on their previous purchases and their location within the store.

Can your business benefit from Wi-Fi as a Service?

When considering a networking solution, the first step is to do a quick assessment of how your company might benefit from Wi-Fi as a Service.

Here are some questions that can help you make that determination:

1 Does your company have multiple locations or a single, large square-footage to connect?

2 Does your IT department service multiple satellite offices or stores?

6 Does your business offer free Wi-Fi to customers? If so, are guests required to log in?

3 What is the average time required for your network to be brought back online following an outage?

4 Do your employees frequently utilize high-bandwidth collaboration apps such as video conferencing or work in areas spread throughout a single location?

5 Is your IT department responsible for setting up logins for guests and new employees, and how much time does this process take?

7 How much are you currently spending on annual service contracts/warranties, and how predictable is your current spending on networking?

Example 2

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UNDERSTANDING MANAGED WIFIWI-FI AS A SERVICE: IS IT RIGHT FOR MY BUSINESS?

Now IT can focus on more important projects

Imagine what your IT team could accomplish by spending less time managing network operations and more time innovating. With Wi-Fi as a Service from Rogers, we make it easy for you to monitor your networks and check performance anywhere, anytime, across multiple sites. Wi-Fi, security and other features become part of a service that is fully managed, and you receive predictable monthly billing. Best of all, it helps free up valuable time that your teams currently spend managing the day-to-day, so that they can spend more time moving your business forward.

Businesses demands fast, reliable wireless connectivity that doesnt drain in-house resources. Wi-Fi as a Service can take on the operational responsibilities of management and support to free up your IT department. That way, they can spend more time working with your lines of business to deliver better IT-enabled business processes that create new opportunities and drive additional revenue.

Whats next?

Rogers can help you determine whether Wi-Fi as a Service is right for your business.

Call 1-866-307-3992 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm EST)

Speak with your Rogers Account Representative

Resources

Wi-Fi: The primary network improving business and IT operations with managed Wi-Fi

More than just a network: 6 ways Wi-Fi can improve the customer experience

Network as a Service: Benefits for Canadian Businesses

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