Forbes posted a great infographic showing how important free wireless access is for hotels around the world. Hotels.com conducted a survey that found 49% of business travelers actually consider free wireless access to be a deciding factor when they’re choosing a hotel to stay the night at. They also found that 25% of leisure travelers also consider free wireless access to be a deciding factor, as well.
Here’s the thing: Internet connectivity isn’t just an amenity that’s nice to offer anymore. It’s a necessity for most travelers because their day-to-day lives and responsibilities depend on it. It might seem crazy, but the world has become so incredibly connected and digital that we require Internet connectivity to get almost anything done.
Nowadays, in our complex personal and professional lives, technology is essential to us – not only for staying in touch with those we care about, but also getting work tasks done as businesses no longer follow the typical nine-to-five schedule. Often, employees are expected to stay connected even when they’re outside of the office.
How are you meeting the demands of visitors? Do you have a fully managed wireless network they can leverage when they’re staying with you? Rafiki provides fully managed Wi-Fi in Calgary and surrounding areas. Call us at (587) 353-5555 or email us at itsupport@rafiki.ca for more information.
You think your hotel is pretty spiffy, right? I’m sure you’ve got a lovely lobby that’s nicely decorated. Maybe you’ve even got some beautiful signage that attracts tons of people. Or you’ve got a great pool that’s a huge hit with families. All of this is great, but it doesn’t mean you can get away with not offering free wireless access!
You can dramatically boost the number of visitors coming by each and every month with the rightfully managed Wi-Fi solution. That’s right… You’ll be able to get MORE customers than ever before, and those customers will likely become repeat visitors, as long as you give them what they want: connectivity.
So that should be pretty simple to setup yourself, right? Unfortunately, setting up a wireless network isn’t as easy as you’d think, even if you are pretty tech-savvy. It’s important to work with a professional team of technology experts who know what they’re doing when it comes to managed Wi-Fi in Calgary and surrounding areas.
Making security a priority first and foremost
One of the most important considerations when it comes to setting up a wireless network is security. Cybercrime is evolving at a rapid rate – becoming more complex and sophisticated than ever before. Travel Weekly wrote an article about how susceptible to cybercrime hotels are nowadays.
They referenced IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) data breach that happened back in 2016. Over 1,161 hotels were impacted with their largest brand, Holiday Inn Express, topping the list with 771 hotels impacted – although 12 hotel brands were involved. The data breach left the following information disclosed:
- Cardholder names
- Numbers
- Expiration dates
- Verification codes
Hotels have become a major focus for cybercriminals all around the world. Hackers are always finding new ways to take down their essential services and steal their guests’ personal and/or personal data. This is why it’s vital to make sure you’re using the most secure wireless connection possible.
But many hotels struggle to secure devices that aren’t their own, especially when there’s a wide range of types of devices accessing the network. That’s why we make security a priority first and foremost when it comes to our managed Wi-Fi in Calgary and surrounding areas.
You can rest assured knowing your wireless network will be protected against all types of threats with our advanced network security solutions:
- Web-content filtering to block malicious or inappropriate web content from being accessible, therefore enhancing employee productivity.
- Enterprise-grade firewalls that are configured and maintained properly to block any sort of malicious traffic.
- Intrusion protection wherein we apply a virtual patch to your network, then monitor and maintain that patch to ensure compliance.
- Email archiving to securely store and archive all communications sent or received via email to ensure compliance.
- Anti-virus and anti-spam software to minimize the risk of spam and/or viruses reaching your network or inbox.
- Regular vulnerability analyses performed on an ongoing basis to pinpoint vulnerabilities and/or weak points and resolve them immediately.
We know security never ends – it’s a constant job that requires eyes on your network around-the-clock. We provide 24/7 remote monitoring and regular maintenance that keeps us ahead of any and all threats targeting you and your livelihood.
Planning for current and future capacity requirements
The next priority after security is performance, and this starts with planning for current AND future capacity requirements. We’ll determine the following:
- What types of devices will be accessing the network
- What types of applications will be used
Then we’ll work on designing your network to give you the performance you need throughout the building. Our technicians can help you with:
- LAN/WAN setup
- Data Cabling
- Wireless network setup (wireless routers, access points, network cards, etc.)
- Network troubleshooting
- Network performance analysis
- And much more
Placing your access points properly
Like most hotels, you need your wireless network to perform optimally to keep your staff members and employees satisfied. We’ll make sure your access points are placed in the appropriate areas – ensuring guests are able to get the best speed and connectivity from their rooms.
You can rest assured knowing we’ll ensure minimal interference – keeping your staff productive and guests happier with a connection that works well for everyone in the building.
Keeping pace with your ever-changing needs
Technology is never a set-it-and-forget-it type of situation. New technologies and ways of using technology are always coming out. That’s why you can feel confident knowing our team will work alongside you to keep up with your ever-changing needs as time goes on.
This means you’ll never have to worry about your wireless network becoming antiquated and outdated – leaving you with lackluster performance that needs to be upgraded. We’ll stay ahead of changes that need to be made because we know you need to impress visitors’ year after year.
Your wireless network will be designed and developed to achieve the most optimal computer networking solution for your hotel. This allows you to ensure:
- Functionality
- Performance
- Capacity
- Flexibility
- Scalability
- Availability
For more great articles like this one, check out our blog here. Call us at (587) 353-5555 or email us at itsupport@rafiki.ca for more information on our managed Wi-Fi in Calgary and surrounding areas.