When is the last time you have been out and about and not had a connection for your smartphone? Do you walk into a business, be it retail, restaurant or bar, or even the doctor’s office and not expect a connection to the internet?
But the pervasive nature of wireless does not stop there; insurance companies offer lower insurance rates if you want to place a “good driver” tracking device in your vehicle. Entire entertainment venues are creating a new way to experience the main event. This is seen in new sports complexes which come complete with applications for ordering food, or sharing information on your favorite player.
Beyond the consumer space, there are new applications for wireless in areas you would not expect, such as hospitals, critical transit systems, and in every aspect of how things are made from the collection of raw materials, transportation, manufacturing, distribution, consumption and beyond.
All of this without one direct mention regarding the proliferation of IoT devices. But where is all this leading?
The experts at Statistica1 predict that devices of all types accessing wireless networks will be 75.4 billion by 2025; this density of wireless devices will make a NYC Subway ride during rush hour seem like an open road Sunday drive in rural Virginia. The pure density of wireless devices accessing the internet will test the limits of any of your customers’ infrastructure
More and more demands are being placed on their wireless devices. How many people use their phone and a smartwatch or other wearable smart devices? They are even being asked to use their smartphone as the second level security validation for a critical application or process.
Wireless in the form of a smartphone is already one of the important items you always have with you. But one thing you are not thinking about is how everything comes together to make that smartphone be such an important addition for your life. I once met with Dr. Mitchi Okaku after he finished lecturing on technologies becoming ubiquitous.
He used the analogy of clean running water, which was once considered a breakthrough technology, but now we expect it as a pervasive and fully integrated part of our daily experiences. WiFi is just as ubiquitous.
The impact mobility is having led Cisco to be a member of the global WiFi Alliance, and Cisco shocked the industry to bring out the first virtualized wireless controller in the Catalyst 9800. For two years, Cisco thought about not just a controller but a platform that can be ready to answer all of your wireless needs. Did we stop there, of course not, we also have provided the latest in wireless access points like the Catalyst 9100, built first with security in mind to stop attacks before they can start. The Catalyst 9100 can scale and alleviate digital traffic and prevent any rush hour crunch. Add to this the ease of one operating system environment across the entire Catalyst family in IOS XE.
I have been talking about many examples of how wireless is a part of how we live, work, and play, and it is not just a story of the technology, but a story of life. From a business perspective, I would like youto think about how you are bolstering your wireless readiness. If you think about business cycles, now is the best time to invest in your wireless practice and stake your claim to the massive wireless gold rush that is coming to your customers and you.
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Excellent piece. The age of ubiquitous wireless is here and the expectations of the general population is that they turn on the tap and it just flows out. Salable, secure technology as we move to 5G and WiFi 6 is the key to fulfilling user expectations.