Page 115 - Security Today, September 2018

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS
Forbes reported SMBs that adopt mobile technologies see double the revenue growth and create up to eight times as many jobs as their less mobile-ready peers. Small businesses alone save over $67 billion a year using mobile apps, tablets, and smartphones. In fact, 67% of the SMBs are using tablets for business purposes, and 93% are using employee-owned smartphones. But too often, networks – even networks that are just a few years old – simply aren’t robust or flexible enough to keep up with the demands of a mobile environment.
While wireless is the primary means by which employees will access the network, the best solution for SMBs is an end-to-end wireless and wired infrastructure that is easy to deploy and offers built- in security and tools to collect and analyze network performance data. A strong integrated solution provides the following benefits:
• A reliable, high performing network that can handle your customers’ employees and customers mobile, Wi-Fi needs
• An infrastructure that is easy to deploy and offers built-in security and the tools to collect and analyze network performance data
• A flexible and easy-to-use network management solution that can grow with the business
• Integrated and automated security controls and intrusion detection to help protect business data from malware and unauthorized users
FLEXIBLE. SCALABLE. SECURE.
These are the three undeniable attributes that any and every SMB network must possess moving forward. Whether wired or wireless, or a mixture of the two, it must remain reliable regardless of the mobile devices and “things” connected to it, so your customers can focus on their business, instead of managing their network.
Network technology manufacturers have recognized this need and are offering comprehensive solutions
to address it. For example, Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, provides an integrated wired and wireless access portfolio, and simplified network management and security solutions to minimize business disruption. With Aruba’s Instant Wi-Fi portfolio of network products and solutions, you can help protect your small and medium size customers’ business data and keep their applications up and running.
Aruba Instant access points are a controllerless Wi- Fi solution that delivers superior Wi-Fi performance, business-grade security and flexibility. They provide simple setup and do not require network expertise to deploy and manage. Simply power up your access points and one dynamically elected.
Access Points will distribute your network configuration to the rest of the network. Organizations can also utilize zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) and cloud network management through Aruba Central or AirWave. The entire process takes as little as five minutes.
As network demands grow and IT resources expand, businesses can re-purpose Instant access points with a controller-based network to maximize deployment flexibility and investment protection. By integrating advanced controller functionality directly within the access point hardware, IT can gain rich insight into wireless client health and application usage.
The key takeaway should be to keep your eye on the network. With new mobile and connected products continually hitting the market and dazzling our collective imagination, it’s easy to forget about the network that’s supporting them all. Your customer won’t think about it until it breaks down, so you have to do it for them. After all, the coolest devices mean nothing without the network that supports them.
Ask your ScanSource representative about the Aruba “Buy 3 Access Points, Get 2 Free” promotion, and how to get a one year Aruba Central Cloud management license for only $30. Reference Big Deal ID# 95864206.
ScanSource Networking and Security Focus FALL 2018 | 2