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Within the next five years, there is a good chance that every wire, except power, in brick-and-mortar stores will be gone. Data will be transferred over a more efficient 5G network, which will quickly become less costly as the world rolls out 6G after that. Extensibility and flexibility will be crucial. Given these rapid changes already in motion, restaurant and retail operators will need managed IT networks and security solutions that span across both technology and contracts. Now is the time to keep your options open because agility, whether business or technical, provides a competitive edge as you streamline operations and adapt to industry changes.
Don’t Lock Your Business up into Long-Term Wired Technologies
Today’s retail, restaurant, and hospitality businesses face challenges from evolving consumer behavior, industry uncertainty, and rising costs. It’s easy to focus on store connectivity as the place to cut expenses with a long-term wired contract. But wired networks are often inflexible, take longer to set up, and may not offer the mobility needed for drive-through ordering or curbside pickup. Wireless networks provide the flexibility and agility that multi-unit restaurant and hospitality franchise owners and operators demand. Your guests, and even employees, likely expect wireless connectivity at your business. While wireless networks may be perceived as less secure than wired networks, thorough network planning and cybersecurity installation ensures data protection and compliance with industry standards like PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard).
Disadvantages of wired technology and long-term contracts include:
Wireless benefits include the flexibility and agility to adapt to the inevitable restaurant industry changes. To avoid technology obsolescence, opt for shorter contracts that also enable you to keep pace with the marketplace, while scaling your network.
Select a Partner Optimized for Wireless
Internet outages and disruptions can paralyze any business. Don’t get stuck paying premium prices for aging solutions that limp along for many years. Robust and innovative wireless solutions are prevalent for primary connectivity requirements like inventory management as well as ever-increasing cybersecurity requirements. Wireless connectivity is an excellent fit for office, store, and kiosk use as it extends reach for enhanced requirements like online ordering and curbside pickup. To ensure that there are no interruptions in day-to-day operations, integrated cellular failover can be used to deliver business continuity and always-on resilience. Enable frictionless retail and hospitality technology to simplify day-to-day operations and meet evolving consumer expectations.
With Rapid Change Comes Rapid Cyber Threats
Retailers produce enormous amounts of data, from online table reservation systems to automated inventory to contactless payments. Firewalls alone are insufficient to protect against advanced threats. Safeguarding data and retail transactions and quickly responding to cybersecurity threats and Point-of-Sale (POS) internet outages are a must for agile IT teams. It’s crucial to avoid risks and gaps in IT visibility so don’t go it alone. Enhance your security posture beyond a traditional firewall to find a managed provider like Netsurion that takes security seriously by delivering constant monitoring and threat hunting by cybersecurity experts 24/7.
The Path Forward
As your customer engagement rises and your business expands, make informed decisions about your connectivity options not only today but in the future. Legacy systems and out-of-date connectivity can be costly and bring additional risk. Don’t get locked in to a short-sighted decision that limits your flexibility and agility down the road. Future proof your business by looking for vendor partners that stay on top of new technology including endpoints, connectivity, cybersecurity, and resilience options. Netsurion’s Secure Edge Networking is purpose-built for restaurant and hospitality environments and their budgets. Netsurion enables high-output small-to-medium-sized locations that cannot afford to lose any order, any transaction, any customer, or any time. Reimagining restaurant operations and customer engagement is easy with the right technology partner.
About Netsurion
Flexibility and security within the IT environment are two of the most important factors driving organizational growth today. Whether you need technology with a guided hand or a complete managed solution, Netsurion has the model to help drive your multi-unit business forward. To learn more visit netsurion.com
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