Space: The final frontier.
For your last family vacation, you loaded your SUV with everything important and necessary, then transported the SUV and its contents (luggage, one spouse, 2.5 kids, one dog) cross-country. That’s quite a feat.
That’s what you need to do with your company data. Your next project (and it’s no vacation) is to move your data center to the cloud. What’s important? What’s necessary? What’s too risky to transport?
Managed Wireless Security
There are plenty of reputable companies (including Amazon and Google) with migration programs, appliances, and services that can be used on an as-needed basis. They charge accordingly.
Getting back to that vacation: You can move everything in the SUV but what’s too risky? Until you get the security issues addressed, keep your spouse, kids, and the dog in your on-premise data center. Security is the biggest risk of cloud-based managed wireless.
Advantages of Wireless Services
Mobility is no longer the exception to the rule; it’s the rule with some exceptions. How many times have you accessed information from the field; on the road? Wireless is necessary for your company’s mobile employees. That may be the greatest advantage. Other benefits include:
- Automatic software/security updates – Alerts are sent out as soon as a deviant AP (access point) is detected.
- Savings – You’ll save on the cost of wired networks and their installation and maintenance. Yes, moving-to-the-cloud up-front expenses are necessary, but less maintenance may justify your ROI (return on investment). You’ll also save money on recovering system failures.
- Scalability – A cloud-managed wireless service grows with you with fewer growing pains. APs and controllers can be added or reduced as needed.
- Single point of management – Remote management of data can be more effective. You can monitor security and “see” all the devices accessing your network.
- VOIP – Voice over internet protocol allows for one-on-one phone conversations from anywhere in the world.
Disadvantages of Wireless Services
If mobility is an advantage, then it stands to reason that management and control will become more difficult. Monitoring by management can be challenging. Other disadvantages include:
- Range – Additional APs increase your costs.
- Security – Authentication, even good encryption programs have been known to be compromised. At this time, limiting your cloud-managed data to management – not user data – is recommended.
- Signal reliability – Wireless integrates radio-wave communications. Interference and loss of signals can occur.
- Speed – You may notice a slow-down when you move from wired to wireless.
What’s Next?
Cloud-managed data is just the beginning. “2010 was the decade of the cloud, but 2020 will be the decade of microdata centers,” said Jeff Ready, CEO of Scale Computing. Just because your company isn’t Big Six doesn’t mean you don’t need a cloud-based infrastructure.
Atrion has supported many companies in moving their wireless management platform to a cloud-based infrastructure. Downtime is expensive! Your cloud-managed wireless service will include built-in redundancy that is customized for your level of operations.
Your company – and your budget – matter to us. Atrion can help you manage more with less. Call 908-231-7777 or contact us today.
