Digital integration: 2 rules to get it right for SBs

Digital integration: 2 rules to get it right for SBs

Digital integration is already the driving force behind business growth. From restaurants to retail, innovative digital services are outpacing traditional businesses. These emerging applications are exciting and nearly endless, such as integrated virtual kitchens and interactive, AR-based ads. However, they all depend on reliable connectivity, without which even the most creative and engaging applications will undoubtedly fail.

A reliable and secure network is essential for small businesses to achieve last-mile success. Here are a few golden rules for small businesses to get this right.

Rule #1: Guarantee connectivity that's always on and fast

Slow. Unstable. Dropouts and dead spots… These issues commonly frustrate Small Businesses, employees and connected customers. Unfortunately, these are worsening as the rising numbers of connected devices and bandwidth utilization creates a much heavier network burden. A large number of customers connecting to a restaurant network, for example, can generate problems with bandwidth availability. Additionally, businesses utilizing wired devices can be vulnerable to their dependency on a single physical connection to the internet (WAN). The abovementioned issues could impact some mission-critical devices like mobile POS systems taking orders and payments, or the digital signage showing menus and promotional content.

Additionally, small businesses like pop-up shops or food trucks require agile and flexible solutions that can be deployed as the primary connectivity without the complexity of waiting for a service provider to provide traditional physical connectivity.

The good news is that Zyxel has practical solutions available to solve these pain points. For small businesses that require reliable "always-on" connectivity, we have a series of 4G LTE/5G mobile routers¹ that can cover from being a single device to support remotely connected "pop up" shops to a solution that can help businesses maintain "always-on" connectivity, and ensure business continuity even when the primanry internet is down.

For reliable wireless connectivity with lightning-fast speeds, you can utilize our WiFi 6 series of Wireless Access Points to remove many of the pain points often associated with WiFi connectivity. In addition, Wireless Access Points like the NWA90AX provides a fast way to set up captive portals to support guests access with other extended choices over authentication methods to suit each type of business need.

Rule #2: Stay safe with innovative security

Cyberattacks' existential threats to smaller businesses are well documented, from causing businesses to go offline to stealing company or client data.

Cloud-based security delivered through a business firewall like the Zyxel USG FLEX 100 is one of the most effective ways to address rapidly evolving cyber threats. Firewalls that carry Unified Threat Management, also known as UTM, can provide multi-layered protection across devices, applications, and networks by blocking threats and restricting risky online behaviour. In addition, firewalls can segregate networks between staff and customers to create a secure business network environment to help you comply with privacy regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD.

Many smaller businesses or start-ups find this type of solution very costly or too complex for their needs, often leaving them without a solution to protect themselves or their customers.

With the introduction of Connect and Protect (CNP) service², Zyxel can now help protect these smaller businesses by applying security directly to the Wireless Access Point. Connect and Protect creates an incredibly powerful first line of defence that allows you to quickly set up protection from unwanted online threats, along with gaining access to easily configurable bandwidth management to help prioritize business-critical applications.

The key takeaways

A reliable and secure network is the most fundamental building block for small businesses or start-ups seeking to offer innovative services that require online services. However, for small businesses, finding a simple, scalable, and flexible solution often results in trying to piece together a mix of technologies that don't quite fit. Zyxel's Nebula solution and its range of connectivity hardware can quickly address the needs with its plug-and-play, and straightforward design means you could be up and running with just a few clicks.

Notes:

  1. Product availability differs by region. Please get in touch with your local Zyxel sales team for details.
  2. NCC users can experience a secure and optimized wireless experience by claiming a 1-month free Connect and Protect Service license. Find out more. (Promotion ends April 10, 2022.)