Fast and reliable WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) access is sometimes taken for granted, despite the wide range of things that can go wrong with it at any moment. These potential problems run the gamut from major Wi-Fi-related security breaches – like the KRACK exploit in WPA2 identified in 2017 – to more subtle risks, such as ones stemming from insufficient bandwidth allocation, the chosen transport type (e.g., copper or T1 line) and/or traffic bottlenecks across the WAN.
Development of what we now call Wi-Fi began in the 1970s, and the Wi-Fi Alliance itself is almost 20 years old. Nevertheless, ensuring end-to-end internet security for wireless users is still a struggle at many organizations due to the above issues and many others. While SMBs and enterprises want to focus on serving customers and making sure they have the IT infrastructure to enable that, they often get sidetracked dealing with mysteriously slow connections, incorrect configurations and major security vulnerabilities.
All is not lost, though. Managed security services from a trusted provider like Telesystem eliminate the hassle and complexity of managing corporate Wi-Fi networks. With IT managed security services, your organization can gain a leg up not only in the safety of its WLAN but in the overall responsiveness of its IT infrastructure, with benefits such as:
A more secure company network
Wi-Fi is vulnerable to a broad spectrum of security threats. Since it's accessible over the air, there's always the theoretical issue that any unauthorized user in range of a corporate SSID could gain access if it isn't properly configured.
For example, if a router's default username/password combination hasn't been changed or its firmware is not regularly updated, it could be exposed to coordinated attacks like the VPN Filter malware, or to simple brute-force guessing. Many routers have relatively weak passwords and vulnerabilities via open telnet ports and/or the use of Universal Plug and Play.
Managed security services, including Wi-Fi, address these problems in several ways:
- First, they have centralized management consoles with usage monitoring, providing full insight into access attempts, configurations and login credentials.
- Second, they can segment the networks in multiple public (guest) and private SSIDs.
- Third, they can ensure certain protected data never leaves the local network, ensuring full compliance with statutes like HIPAA through end-to-end internet security.
Less maintenance and overhead for IT
Maintaining a corporate WLAN on your own is a full-time responsibility. In addition to the necessary security oversight, you have to make sure you have enough access points deployed, that you're keeping up with network equipment lifecycle management and that you can respond to unexpected outages.
With managed Wi-Fi and internet security, you can rest easier thanks to 24/7/365 technical support and oversight. As your provider, Telesystem takes care of the day-to-day and long-term maintenance of the network. That frees you and the rest of your team up to work on projects that are closer to the core mission of your organization.
A better user experience
You might have had some variation of the following happen to you before: You try to log in to the company network, entering the exact credentials provided to you, only to be prompted that the entry is incorrect. Or, along similar lines, you try to access a guest Wi-Fi network, see the Wi-Fi icon go live on your device, but discover that you're not actually connected to the internet.
Such experiences are frustrating, and they can be caused by many possible mistakes in how the Wi-Fi network was configured and customized. Fortunately, managed Wi-Fi enables much better overall usability and performance.
A managed service gives you options for custom landing pages, onboarding guides and bandwidth allocations, all of which help fine-tune each network for the requirements and expectations of its users. You can make sure that instructions for guest access are clear and that your private networks perform as expected, with complex passwords and sufficient bandwidth, the latter perhaps also supported by dedicated internet access from the same provider.
Superior scalability
Imagine what a WLAN looked like a decade ago. IEEE 802.11ac-compatible devices hadn't even been released yet, and smartphone usage was in its infancy. In other words, WLAN technology changes fast, as do the demands placed on it by users.
Accordingly, it's crucial to have the capacity to scale and modernize your network as key requirements change. Managed Wi-Fi services allow for easy addition and subtraction of access points and the integration of extra bandwidth as needed, so you're never left behind.
As a provider of a portfolio of synergistic solutions for managed security services, managed Wi-Fi, hosted VoIP and much more, Telesystem can help you take the next step in modernizing your WLAN. Learn more by contacting our team or viewing some of our additional resources.
