In a modern office environment, users require seamless connectivity across the building. However, when staff from a global consultancy firm moved into their new London office, it quickly became clear the WiFi infrastructure was underperforming.
Employees and guests were experiencing difficulties connecting to the WiFi and there were many ‘black spots’. Also, the throughput speed of the WiFi was very poor, especially when compared to the wired infrastructure. This was having an adverse impact on the productivity of office staff and visiting contractors. The poor WiFi infrastructure was also detrimental to employee satisfaction – staff were complaining that they were unable to use the WiFi infrastructure reliably.
WhiteSpider – having been recommended by a US technology partner – was approached by the consultancy firm to assess the current infrastructure and improve the WiFi. WhiteSpider’s experts, having worked with enterprise wireless networks for over 20 years, had the experience to recommend and implement the necessary changes. The company’s initial assessment ascertained that:
At a glance
WhiteSpider approached this project using its ea4 framework, a proven methodology that standardises the delivery of IT services. This 4-stage approach can be flexibly adapted to fit projects of differing scopes and scales. During this engagement, the emphasis was on the ‘Audit’ and ‘Alignment’ parts of the framework.
Audit
Once the consulting firm’s business objectives were understood, WhiteSpider started by building a detailed knowledge of the environment and the capabilities of the existing wired and wireless infrastructure. This assessment was undertaken in three stages:
Alignment
With a detailed image of the environment, a plan was created that accounted for both the existing AP locations and their ideal locations based on the RF analysis. The plan recommended alterations including:
WhiteSpider, with their deep knowledge of WLAN technologies, worked alongside the company’s IT team to assess the existing design and implement changes that transformed user experience and enabled the use of high-bandwidth applications. WhiteSpider undertook a detailed assessment of the WLAN environment and, after implementing the recommended changes, users were able to reliably access the WiFi for ‘production’ capabilities.
The improved WiFi infrastructure helped the consultancy business ensure:
The difference in the WiFi from before WhiteSpider undertook their work and after was like night and day. Since implementing their reccommendations, we have had no further complaints about the WiFi across the building. Their work has made a real difference to the way we connect.
UK IT Infrastructure Manager
Established in 2012, WhiteSpider specialises in providing consultancy, strategic advice, and practical support in enterprise service architectures. The company helps organisations to standardise their IT and communications infrastructures by using a unique new service framework – ea4 – developed specifically with the needs of global enterprises in mind. Headquartered in the UK, WhiteSpider works with global companies across a range of industry sectors, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, construction and motorsport.
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