How to buy Wi-Fi networks

Wi-Fi is a ‘must have’ these days, but organisations need to be very clear about why they are using it. “The first consideration any customer needs to make is, why are they spending the money? What is the objective of the exercise: to make money, boost productivity, or improve a service?” says Steve Johnson, regional director, Northern Europe at Ruckus Wireless.

The investment may just be a straightforward refresh and upgrade to a new technology scenario. But there are now so many other types of business where Wi-Fi is a strategic investment and not a tactical one, says Johnson. “Take the hospitality industry, for example, where the Wi-Fi experience is now in the top three things users rank a hotel’s quality by.

“It doesn’t matter how big the bed is or how good the food is, if I have a bad Wi-Fi experience, I won’t go back. Good Wi-Fi helps to boost occupancy and that makes the hotel more money, so it is an investment that needs to be made as it contributes strategically to the outcome of the enterprise,” argues Johnson.