Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 27 | Page 57

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// MYTH #5: 5G will only make sense for huge organisations FACT: There’s a pathway to 5G that can benefit enterprises of all sizes and circumstances Businesses of any size will benefit from 5G. For example, organisations currently rooted in a traditional wired world should be thinking about applications such as wireless failover. And as time goes on, those organisations can expand its use for software-defined networking or routing certain types of traffic for performance, redundancy or cost reasons. And looking at Gigabit-Class LTE today, it offers a variety of use cases and capabilities, such as video surveillance, which can be enabled by 4G and provides adequate performance for video recording. The improved capabilities of Gigabit-Class LTE and 5G, however, allow more powerful applications to be implemented, such as automated image pattern recognition or facial recognition. also be flexible, secure and manageable. This flexibility is in terms of the Edge router supporting the different fixed-site or branch connectivity requirements, such as Wi-Fi, wireless SD-WAN functionality, and advanced routing. Security requirements include supporting private networks, VPN, firewall, IPS/IDS and web security features to enable direct Internet access across the 5G service. Management is essential for enabling zero-touch deployments across hundreds or even thousands of sites. It also provides centralised monitoring for security events, uptime and application performance to ensure customers are getting the service they paid for from the carrier. Like consumers, however, enterprises also demand predictable, fixed-rate 5G services to eliminate budget risk and simplify the 5G deployment planning process. Conclusion – start now Now that these common 5G myths have been dispelled, CIOs should consider FEATURE: 5G Lindsay Notwell, SVP 5G Strategy and Global Carrier Relations, Cradlepoint integrating 5G into their current and next- generation wide-area network plans. More importantly, they should consider getting started with LTE today to help them gain the experience needed for a more wireless WAN in the future and address current needs for better reliability and performance in the network. n Across a huge variety of sectors, from marketing to manufacturing, 5G will enable organisations large and small to save money, make money, gain competitive advantage and keep people safe. MYTH #6: 5G-capable solutions for consumers are the same as enterprises FACT: What enterprises need from a 5G solution differs significantly from consumers Just like any other home Internet service, consumers expect a 5G solution to provide fast, reliable and consistent performance that makes video and music streaming, gaming, interacting with voice assistants, such as Alexa and Google Assistant and other bandwidth-intensive activities an enjoyable and seamless experience. Of course, they also want the service to be priced at a flat rate. Enterprises, on the other hand, have a much broader set of requirements when it comes to implementing 5G for business solutions. In addition to fast, reliable and consistent performance, the 5G solution – which consists of the 5G service plus 5G-capable wireless Edge router acting as CPE – must www.intelligentcio.com 5G WILL ENABLE ORGANISATIONS LARGE AND SMALL TO SAVE MONEY, MAKE MONEY, GAIN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. INTELLIGENTCIO 57