Hosted Voice Provider? Why Not Hosted Wireless LAN Too?
Welcom, NC
Posted on: Aug 18, 2014
By Brandi Wheeler
Service Provider Marketing Manager
ADTRAN
Service providers who are delivering hosted voice services to their customers today are in a perfect position to strengthen their services portfolio with the addition of hosted wireless LAN. Seamless wireless access to a company’s network resources via any WiFi®-enabled device across a campus or multi-site environment is clearly a need for the efficient business environment demanded today. For customers who are presently utilizing hosted voice, the addition of hosted wireless LAN is a simple and logical next step to integrating business efficiency with the latest technology.
Utilizing ADTRAN’s virtual wireless LAN (vWLAN®) architecture where the control plane can be centralized anywhere, including the network operations center (NOC), and leveraging the multi-tenant management features from a vWLAN instance, service providers can offer a hosted vWLAN product that becomes a new reoccurring revenue opportunity that is much more scalable – and profitable – than traditional WiFi® service offerings. With a software-based controller solution, vWLAN can leverage existing data center infrastructure by running on a hyperviser such as VMware® or a virtual appliance. This virtualized control offers unparalleled scalability, ground breaking flexibility, simplified administration, and substantially lower OPEX, CAPEX, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for a wireless LAN solution. Additionally, vWLAN takes advantage of intelligent access points that operate a stateful firewall to enforce security at the edge, never allowing potential security risks to enter the network. By the way, the vWLAN architecture seamlessly allows for transitioning between service models of hosted, managed, and resale—without service interruption for the customer.
Intrigued? Take a look at your current customer base, particularly those already subscribing to hosted voice. Do they have multiple sites, a campus environment, or a distributed workforce? Are they seeking a solution for the demand of utilizing “pure wireless” devices (e.g. smartphones and iPads) to conduct business or integrate into the education environment? For businesses that already have a wireless LAN, ask if they are looking to upgrade their WLAN to 802.11n technology. The opportunity exists to bring a service solution of hosted vWLAN to market, allowing service providers to become more closely tied to customers, solving a current market demand at an affordable price, and creating a new and profitable revenue source.
With Walker and Associates’ Managed Wireless Service and ADTRAN’s Bluesocket vWLAN products, service providers can begin offering a hosted vWLAN service immediately. Contact Walker or ADTRAN today to learn how.