The Greater Seattle Area IT Experts

Technological Hang-ups and Impracticalities
The technology that is currently being proposed and developed to power 5G connectivity is rife with shortcomings and conflicts, many of which make its practical use unrealistic and complicated, if not effectively impossible. For example:

Range
One of the biggest issues is the range that the anticipated 5G signals are projected to have - more specifically, the range that Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) through millimeter wave (mmWave) is capable of reaching. This eMBB is what smartphones would utilize.

A 4G signal, the current standard, has a range of anywhere from three to thirty miles. In comparison, mmWave reaches about a third of a mile. Just imagine how many new cell towers would have to be added to the existing infrastructure for 5G to be implemented. Of course, it’s also likely that looming cell towers will be replaced by then through the adoption of microwave oven-sized femtocells that can be affixed to other pieces of infrastructure, like traffic signs, light poles, and even buses.

Connectivity
Unfortunately, it would seem that there would need to be quite a few of these femtocells, just to ensure a clear signal to a device at any given time. This is because, in addition to being relatively short-ranged, mmWave is a notoriously easy signal to block.

Furthermore, there is also the question of providing each femtocell with enough bandwidth to support the high volume of use. This will require expensive high-speed fiber wiring to connect them, as the femtocells won’t be able to share their data with each other efficiently enough to make up for the difference.

Cloud Complications
Cloud computing has made it easier to manage networks by far, so it is only to be expected that these femtocells will leverage the cloud as a management tool. Virtual networks can be created in the cloud to help manage 5G through the utilization of software-defined networks (SDNs) and network function virtualization (NFV).

The problem here is that there are multiple SDNs and NFVs, which means there is no unified standard. While there is an effort being made by the Linux Foundation to resolve this, it will take some time before this can be ironed out.

Don’t get us wrong, 5G is definitely on its way. There are too many potential benefits for femtocells to be abandoned as a solution (did we mention how cheap they are to use?) and demand for better mobile bandwidth is too high to ignore. It is just going to take some time to overcome some of the technical hurdles.

In the meantime, Digital Seattle can help you optimize your current business connectivity. Give us a call at (206) 709-9556 to learn more.

A problem some organizations have is that they don’t know where to start. Since IT security policies change from industry to industry, those of a BYOD strategy will too. It all depends on the type of data that is changing hands and the rules and regulations that data may have in the particular industry a business operates in.

Firstly, you’ll need to set up a device tracking system. A big part of BYOD is knowing who uses what device, and controlling the access certain people have to certain information. A spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets is a great place to set up a device tracking platform to be able to tell which devices belong to whom and what kind of access they need from those devices. You’ll want to document and arrange the following information for each user:

• Employee Name
• Device Make/Model/Serial Number
• Is there access to File Sharing?
• Is there access to Email?
• Is there access to the VPN?
• Is there access from the VPN?
• Is there Remote Desktop access?
• What network devices/drives can be accessed?
• What apps and licenses are required?

Another big part of a Bring Your Own Device Security Policy is the mobile management software you choose to implement. Without access to that software, any mobile policy your business implements has no teeth. MDM integration may be difficult to get everyone to agree to (as far as BYOD goes) since your typical MDM will provide administrators access to controls that most people would not be comfortable with. Conversely, without them, an organization wouldn’t’ be able to properly manage risk.

Nowadays, there are less comprehensive options that can work for everyone where the mobile device management software is replaced by a system that only gives admins visibility into the devices that access their network while implementing security frameworks for every application used by them, with controls to increase and decrease security as needed. By managing access at the application level, users won’t have to opt in to an overreaching mobile security platform run by people they don’t completely trust with the very personal information organizations have no business having access to.

You can’t sit back and expect that your organization is going to be safe if you don’t have some sort of strategy in place to manage access to your network. Whether that be a enterprise-level mobile device management platform or a BYOD strategy using simple tools, it’s on you to secure your network against all threats.

If you are looking for help securing your organization’s network against any type of outside devices, contact the IT professionals at Digital Seattle today. Our technicians have the expertise you can depend on to properly manage your data and infrastructure, keeping nefarious and unwanted information off of your network. For more information call us today at (206) 709-9556.

Defining Unified Communications
What kinds of tools do you use on a daily basis to make sure that everyone stays connected and informed? Be sure to include technology solutions like email, telephone calls, mobile apps, and instant messaging. Now imagine all of it together in one singular platform. When you consolidate so many solutions into one, you make the experience easier for everyone involved, including your employees, supervisors, and administration.

Another aspect of unified communications that makes things much easier for your business is the fact that it’s hosted in a flexible cloud-based environment. Since you’re accessing these platforms through the cloud, you don’t have to worry about hosting and maintaining the infrastructure that these solutions are hosted on (as long as you’re outsourcing this, anyway). This also saves you a considerable amount of time and resources during implementation, as well as lowers the barrier for entry due to its ease of use.

How They Are Good for Business
By building a unified communications system you gain multiple benefits. You enhance security by being able to manage all communications--both inside and outside your organization--from one easy-to-manage dashboard. It is great for organizations that depend on department-to-department collaboration. Just think about how much easier it is to collaborate when there are reliable communication solutions at your fingertips. The end result is a much more efficient and valuable situation that you would see with a more traditional system where you utilize multiple solutions to handle your company communications.

If you want to learn more about how unified communications can work for your company, Digital Seattle’s consultants can take you through what it entails to build one, and just how much more efficient your operations can be with enhanced communications solutions. Reach out to us at (206) 709-9556 for more.