Big Data and Wi-Fi: Are You Using Both to Your Advantage?

IDC predicts that the amount of data created around the world will grow from 33 zettabytes in 2018 to 175 zettabytes by 2025. We’re living in an always-on, data-driven world in which devices and applications are constantly churning out massive volumes of data. In fact, we create as much data every day as we did from the beginning of time through 2000.

Although the term big data has been used since the 1990s, we’re starting to see just how big it can get. Organizations that harness the power of big data most effectively will be able to make better business decisions and gain a major leg up on their competition, both operationally and strategically.

Big data is more of an evolving concept than a concrete term. Big data has evolved from information produced by desktop computers to the vast amounts of data generated by billions of Internet-connected devices and objects, from smartphones and sensors to smart technology. More than the data itself, big data refers to how we use data to solve problems.

Even before big data exploded, everyone knew that the true value of big data was in the insights that could be extracted. The more data points you have, the better equipped you’ll be to identify patterns, correlations and other helpful information, which are then used to predict future trends, behaviors and business opportunities. Big data analytics automates and accelerates this process by running large data sets through advanced algorithms and simulations to produce these insights.

The use cases for big data analytics are endless. In healthcare, big data analytics can help doctors predict and detect disease and develop new treatments. In retail, big data analytics can be used to better understand customer behavior and preferences and improve marketing strategies. Any property owner or manager can use big data analytics to improve energy efficiency and physical security.

Given that so many devices connect wirelessly, Wi-Fi networks are a rich source of big data. Data generated, collected and stored on Wi-Fi networks can be used to enhance network deployment and operation, allowing you to maximize cost-efficiency without compromising performance or quality of service.

Of course, the holy grail is the customer experience. By offering guest Wi-Fi, you can gather and analyze information about customer preferences, interests, demographics, physical movements, web browsing behavior and more. Using big data analytics, you can then tailor your products, services and processes to suit the needs of your customers.

The ability to learn so much about customers makes it possible to develop truly personalized strategies for engaging individuals. You can predict their concerns and problems before they happen so they can be prevented or quickly resolved. You can also make sure that your employees are prepared with the tools and knowledge to deliver the kind of experience your customers expect.

SageNet’s managed Wi-Fi solutions use wireless networks and analytics to improve employee productivity and the customer experience. We can help you:

• Optimize Wi-Fi through real-time monitoring, management and support.
• Leverage guest Wi-Fi to increase engagement and loyalty.
• Expand marketing opportunities by integrating with your loyalty database, payment processor and social media pages.
• Implement reporting and analytics solutions to provide visibility into network health and usage.

If you’re not leveraging big data and your Wi-Fi network to improve the customer experience, you could be falling behind your competition. Let us show you how SageNet managed Wi-Fi solutions can help you take full advantage of big data.