It’s a natural reaction to get excited about the latest technologies. Each new version promises something more: faster speeds, better connections, even greater security. Continuous improvement is what technology is all about and our appetite for it is insatiable.
Now that WIFI 7 is here, there are many companies excited about what it has to offer. Already WIFI 6E was a step up and WIFI 7 promises even more, especially in high density environments. Broader bandwidths, more efficient connection of more devices, and of course greater speeds. It’s been designed to cater for more advanced tech applications such as AR / VR, and improve the quality of cloud video and gaming.
The problem is that those applications aren’t mainstream for most organizations. Of course they see the benefits of greater speeds, better connections and better security but many haven’t even advanced to WIFI 6 yet. Should they just skip ahead to the latest technology available? If only it were that simple…
Mature companies are all too aware of the complexities of network and technology upgrades and what a mammoth undertaking it is. This is why, despite the promises of what new technology has to offer, most companies are cautious. There has to be a very good reason to disrupt the status quo and a strong commercial case for the undertaking. Even then it’s months of investigations, audits, and trials. While that is taking place, new technologies and updated versions continue to evolve.
The catch 22 of when and what to upgrade to is a challenging decision, and it’s made harder when operating on tight budgets. As much as it would be nice to have WIFI 7, the price tag is steep – as it always is with the newest releases. Even this is countered by the question: Is it worth upgrading to something that isn’t the latest technology, because it will just become obsolete that much quicker.
The other major challenge is organizational change. All to often upgrades get frustrated by employees not willing to adopt new technologies or hindering the process because of the effort needed to learn new ways of working. It may seem fickle, but with the complexity of integrations, data management, compatibility issues, and the potential for errors, employee concerns are not unfounded. Ultimately, they want to be able to get on with their work, and this is hard to do when systems are down.
WIFI 7 may be focusing on the major benefits of speed and connectivity, and no-one denies it’s wanted by most companies. But is it what they really need right now in a volatile and highly competitive marketplace? Maintaining positive growth and continuing to add value to customers requires the support of efficient systems. Can current systems operating on WiFi 5 or 6 deliver on that sufficiently or is WiFi 7 essential? Will it enough of a priority for companies to take on the arduous and expensive task of upgrading their systems right now?
