How to Maintain Optimized Enterprise Networks when New Infrastructure is Slow to Arrive

While IT professionals work tirelessly to make and keep networks optimized, they require the right infrastructure, devices, and other equipment to make optimization possible. With many vendors still experiencing supply chain issues, receiving the right equipment isn’t an easy process.

This means that enterprises are faced with the need to use their existing WiFi infrastructure for longer than they planned. Sometimes this degrading equipment must stay on-premise, in use, for as many as 6-12 extra months.

Since the WiFi network is an enterprise’s most critical non-human resource, this isn’t good news. Almost every business process and department depends in some way on the WiFi. It’s critical that the network be reliable and optimized. With degrading equipment, how is this possible?

With the hard work of an AI-powered WiFi Assurance platform, enterprises can sustain their current networks and safeguard business continuity. 

How does an AI-powered WiFi Assurance platform help?

AI-powered WiFi automation platforms can:

• Analyze the entire WiFi network ecosystem, 24/7. This includes a business’s core network infrastructure and connected devices, as well as WiFi-and-non-WiFi sources of interference, including any nearby networks sharing the airspace.
• Learn to recognize normal and abnormal network behavior.
• Automatically alert IT as soon as any issues occur, allowing teams to respond proactively rather than reactively.

This ability to have an intelligent system keep eyes on the network, proactively alert IT to issues, and deliver in-depth insights and analytics as to what needs to be done to maintain optimal performance means two things:

1. Enterprises now have the support they need to get more from their existing network while they wait for next-gen WiFi. With these platforms, there are no network mysteries. IT will have real-time and historical analytics into user experience across the enterprise. This gives teams the knowledge they require to know what the network needs to keep going.
2. Platforms also help manage the transformation from old WiFi to new WiFi once new WiFi equipment is delivered and installed. Vendor agnostic platforms provide the reassurance that analytics will never stop. No matter what upgrades happen or when, IT can provide WiFi Assurance to all users.

Let’s look at common optimization challenges and the Wireless Intelligence Platform™ (WIP) in more detail to better understand how these benefits are delivered.

Common WiFi optimization challenges for enterprises

With out-of-date equipment, the following challenges stand in the way of real-time and long-term optimization:

• Limited resources: There aren’t an endless number of IT experts to go around. With multiple systems and unique use cases to master, IT has their work cut out for them. There are very few cookie cutter solutions when it comes to complex WiFi problems. If problems are growing because of outdated equipment, IT will feel the stretch.
• Higher infrastructure costs: Enterprises that have to design and build large networks face high costs. This makes it even more important for these networks to need minimal upgrades and updates. In other words, the more future-proofed and scalable they are, the better. 
• Remote locations: How many WiFi network specialists does an enterprise employ? If a company operates from more than one site, it’s unlikely that every site has a permanent WiFi specialist. This means that when issues arise, IT often has to spend time traveling to a location before troubleshooting can begin. This costs enterprises time and money.
• Thousands of devices: Enterprise networks have hundreds of thousands of connected devices and more are being added all the time. Every new device changes and stresses the network. IT must be able to analyze every single device performance in real-time, all the time, to ensure a reliable, optimized network. If infrastructure isn’t up to the task, real issues will occur.

Using Wyebot Wireless Intelligence Platform (WIP) to overcome challenges and proactively, continuously optimize

Here’s how WIP promotes network optimization even with older infrastructure.

Actionable resolutions

WIP automatically alerts IT to existing and potential issues, and provides automatic alerts when network tests fail. These alerts include root cause identification and actionable analytics so that IT can resolve problems faster than ever. Faster resolutions often mean that users are never impacted by the issue. They also mean that there’s less of a chance for issues to grow from minimal to monumental before IT is made aware of them. 

Scalable

The platform is vendor-agnostic and can analyze and troubleshoot networks with hundreds to thousands of devices. Not only does this make it cost-effective, but it also reduces the training time needed for IT: once they know how to use WIP, teams can employ it at any site, regardless of a site’s WiFi vendor.

Complete visibility

The WIP  sensor has three WiFi radios, which allow it to analyze both the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz frequencies nonstop, while also running network tests. This gives IT visibility into the entire network ecosystem at all times. This includes but is not limited to:

• User experience
• Real-time health and performance of all applications and infrastructure
• Airtime and client utilization
• The types and number of devices connected to the network
• The capabilities of connected devices
• Any network issues
• Any security issues
• Client distribution

Optimizing networks and providing WiFi Assurance requires an end to network mysteries. This is how WIP delivers.

Historical wireless analytics

In addition to proactive, real-time analytics, WIP also automatically provides and saves historical wireless analytics. With this data, IT professionals can review network performance from the past day, week, or month, giving them complete insight into network health.

Teams can also use the data to review long-term trends for APs, client distribution, RF and client utilization, RSSI, non-WiFi interference, and noise level. When the time comes to upgrade, this empowers decision makers to make cost-effective, personalized plans to keep the network optimized and future-proofed. 

Even if supply delays continue, the network is in a great place to weather all challenges.

Remote capabilities

WIP provides remote visibility and troubleshooting, allowing IT professionals to analyze network performance and resolve issues from any location at any time. Degrading infrastructure doesn’t have to mean that IT is spending more time and money traveling and resolving issues. With fewer problems and remote, automated troubleshooting, IT can promote business as usual, regardless of supply delays.

Vendor agnostic

The WiFi network ecosystem is bigger than any one vendor. By providing vendor agnostic support, WIP ensures that critical insights and analytics never stop. Whether an enterprise changes vendors or not, WIP’s detailed, problem-solving answers are always delivered.

Deliver the support your business needs

Every enterprise that is asking for more from its equipment and its IT teams needs to provide the support of AI-powered WiFi automation platforms. These platforms boost productivity and end user satisfaction by providing detailed insights and analytics into the WiFi network ecosystem. Empower your network to do more, for longer, now and into the future. 

If you want to see the difference that WIP can make, request a free demo or trial now.