Can your business be without a WiFi hotspot?

Remember the time when free WiFi at a hotel used to be a privilege and a luxury. More often than not, you would have to pay to use the internet for a short period through a pre paid card. Or to connect to the internet you had to rely on snail paced dial up, waiting for minutes or even hours at a time for one file to open?

Now, however, the web is literally at our fingertips. With tablets, android and smart phones readily available, the web has never been so accessible. There are now more mobile phones in the UK than people and with children as young as five, and even younger, regularly using mobile phones, we are a nation of data hungry communication addicts.

The number of smartphone searches doubles every two months and over 52% of UK mobile users have a smartphone. A staggering amount of consumers just waiting to get online and search for the latest piece of celebrity gossip, where to buy the next top gadget, compare prices or download the latest software, game or song.

There is still a cost associated with using data via a mobile handset. Most networks cap the users data with customers having to pay for additional MB usage each month. This can lead to exorbitant mobile bills if the user is unaware how many MB each YouTube search is costing them.

But, with the introduction of thousands of WiFi hotspots around the UK and globally, there is a way for UK consumers to surf, purchase and connect through their mobile device or tablet for free. Tablet sales are growing 378% year on year with over 38% of UK tablet owners spending more time on their tablet than watching TV.

The portability of the tablet and mobile device means consumers are no longer tied to the office. The worry of missing important emails or not being able to get a document finished and sent when your car has to go into the garage for emergency repairs, is now obsolete. And with free WiFi hot spots littering many of the UK’s car dealerships, the humble garage has become a hub for working professionals of those just eager to catch up on the latest Facebook gossip.

So just why are car dealerships, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels and supermarkets offering customers free WiFi? It’s an added bonus that can deliver heavy extra revenue for the supplier. If the customer can surf for free, will they order that extra cup of coffee, sit for that extra half hour and maybe order their lunch rather than heading back to the office? Possibly. Will the busy mum taking her kids out for a treat stay that extra ten minutes, order the kids a desert just so she can have a window of peace to catch up on the latest news story or reply to her Facebook messages? More than likely.

We are a time-starved nation and anything that can offer us the opportunity to multitask, is a bonus. Getting the car fixed while finishing the latest proposal, bonus. Launching a Facebook selling business and being able to reply to customers from anywhere, perfect. Doing these things for free and keeping your data usage for the times you really need it, even better.

Are businesses, which do not offer free WiFi, missing a trick? Yes. For a relatively small initial investment, free WiFi hotspots can be installed to almost any business offering its customers an added bonus much as the, free cup of coffee while you wait, used to be. And the longer you have a client in your store, restaurant, garage, coffee shop, the more chance you have of them purchasing something additional. While their waiting, checking their emails or Facebook, they’re more relaxed and likely to be more open to the suggestions of an air con check on special offer for just an extra £20. Or more likely to buy that bag they've been converting, that is after they've uploaded the picture to Facebook, for free, and ten people have commented on it telling them to buy it.

We are a nation of data loving consumers who want everything at our fingertips and if possible, we want it for free. Why would you not offer this to your customers?

APC Solutions has installed Hot Spot WiFi links for a variety of car dealerships and retailers across the UK, to read more visit the APC Solutions website www.apcsolutionsuk.com 

APC Solutions is a leading global wireless communications and networking company based in the UK. For our latest news, follow us on Twitter @apcsolutionsuk 

Is there a place in the office for your own mobile device?

For years, employees have had to carry two mobile devices. Their own and the work phone, which is usually a lot older, lacking in features and passed through several other team members. Employment policy would also often forbid the use of an employee’s own device for business due to data protection and management of company sensitive information. Many companies were also unable to allow employees to use their own device as they simply could not sync personal devices to their business network.

However, in the current technological age where a Blackberry, IPhone or a tablet such as an IPad is often more common place than a diary, employees are using their own devices to connect their work and home lives. To constantly update to the latest software or mobile device would cost small companies substantially. But, to an employee on contract, the cost is nominal.

Does this mean the death of the work device is nigh? Could we argue the use of a personal device not only means employees are more likely to conduct their work more productively due to their existing knowledge of their own technology, but also work more effectively with only one device to manage? We believe so. But at what cost to data protection and management? With most mobile devices linked in some way to a social network channel and with spam, viruses and malwall a daily battle, could employees run the risk of losing critical business data to opportunist hackers? And if so, how do businesses manage this risk?

With initial software investment to protect employees personal mobile devices, which can be monitored via the company IT department, personal devices can play a role in corporate culture. After the initial investment in the software, which can work out considerably lower than that of several new mobile devices, companies can be sure that their employees are not only more effective but also protected.

The current mobile devices also come with inbuilt security, password protection and the opportunity to back up date to an online portal accessed anywhere. They can also lock, unlock and transfer data without having the mobile device with them, critical if the device has been stolen. And how can we forget, documents are often left in train carriages, memory sticks are found and company information shared over glasses of wine or social networking chats. Is there really much more of a risk of data being put in the wrong hands because it is on a personal device? No, not at all.

Companies are constantly looking to streamline their business, cut costs and ensure employee productivity is at its highest. Could utilising the employee’s own technology be one of the easiest ways to do this? With the right management and policy in place, yes.

And not forgetting, is the use of a personal mobile device which could be monitored and tracked by your company, in other words big brother, be an infringement on your personal life? Or would you rather have just one device linking both your home and work existence?  After all, so much of your work life seeps into your home life is the use of a device for both really going to change much?