**Partner post courtesy of Ruckus.
Today’s federal IT networks are at a crossroads. For too long, government networks have been locked into old technology and have not had the budget to innovate. Current systems are delivering a poor experience – for both end users and IT teams – that prevent technology from enabling the mission as it should.
This needs to change, because wireless is the new network onramp for accomplishing the mission. Right now, that mission is being hindered by a very poor and frustrating wireless experience in federal. New research conducted by the Government Business Council bears this out.
GBC conducted a random sample of 148 federal employees in March of this year. The results were sobering:
Clearly, the status quo isn’t meeting the needs of the federal workforce. But here’s the good news – new wireless technology allows agencies to meet these challenges in a far more efficient and economical way. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) have made dramatic leaps in performance over the past few years.
This survey shows that 63 percent of federal employees have a better wireless experience at home than at the office! Just imagine the productivity possible if there was better wireless at work.
Ruckus Networks has helped cities become “smart” via wireless networks with a speed and efficiency unheard of just a few years ago. Greenfield, Massachusetts is a good example. Greenfield is a town in western Massachusetts that like many rural communities lacked reliable broadband Internet access.
By deploying the latest wireless access points and virtual management tools from Ruckus, the city provided an economical residential service that utilizes the public Wi-Fi signal for high speed, in-home Internet access. The service covers a 21 square mile area and is future proofed, ready to evolve and deliver whatever performance Greenfield needs moving forward.
Agencies can’t continue to ask employees to accept an inferior user experience every time they log in at work. Specific private sector verticals such as hospitality and “smart city” initiatives such as Greenfield and New York City’s LinkNYC have demonstrated a better way forward, with clearly established best practices. By leveraging the latest technology, agencies can improve the user experience, simplify management and reduce costs.
Much like many of our country’s roads and bridges, the federal wireless onramp is behind schedule for required maintenance. But the good news is the right technology can give federal agencies a wireless network second to none, both quickly and economically.
By Ruckus Networks
Published with permission from Ruckus.