By Prakash Krishnamoorthy
At the nexus of regional economic ecosystems, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) stand as the cornerstone, significantly bolstering job creation and fostering sustained economic growth. In fact, with a focus on fortifying future resilience and improving business agility, 35% of SMBs plan to migrate one-third of their critical workloads to the cloud by 2024, as per IDC’s 2023 predictions. However, prevailing challenges like talent shortages, inflation, cybersecurity threats, hybrid work dynamics, and rapid technological changes are intensifying pressure on their success.
Today, numerous organisations are embracing the cloud to navigate the era of hybrid work and digital transformation. The cloud offers SMBs an array of advantages, from cost savings and flexibility to scalability. Moreover, it is important to consider the potential of cloud-based network management. Migrating networks to the cloud can have a profound impact. Therefore, it is imperative to know how cloud network can empower businesses to address current issues and set the stage for success.
Monitor your network remotely
Amidst the surge in remote work and the proliferation of IoT devices modern networks are grappling with unprecedented pressures. However, with limited IT resources, SMBs constantly face difficulties in overseeing and troubleshooting network issues.
For SMBs, devoting their time and energy to running the business is crucial, and not constantly monitoring the networks. Despite the decentralisation of facilities, cloud network management applications can provide quality connectivity assurance. Through an intuitive dashboard, even non-technical personnel can access insights into network performance. This reduces network downtime and enabling instantaneous remote solutions.
Tailor the guest experience
Optimal network performance is key to fostering both employee contentment and enhancing the customer experience. Cloud network management platforms offer dynamic segmentation capabilities that allow to divide the network into employee and guest segments. Many cloud network platforms also support Wi-Fi 6 which is crucial for leveraging IoT devices such as voice assistants. Additionally, these platforms offer analytics and reporting, providing insights into guest behaviour and network usage patterns. This empowers businesses to tailor the network to meet evolving customer needs and pinpoint new opportunities.
Bolster security efforts
Cloud network platforms not only facilitate distinguished employee and guest networks but also offer built-in security features such as multi-factor authentication and defenses against unauthorised access.
The bottom line: Effective network management, especially in the cloud, can certainly demonstrate its numerous capabilities and this strategic approach can empower SMBs to thrive in an evolving business landscape.
The writer is director—India at HPE Aruba Networking
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