Offering Wi-Fi to your guests is not just about making sure their Instagram feeds keep updating, it’s about being professional. An office receives business visitors who come to make presentations, sell products and provide project updates. How unprofessional it would be if you couldn’t offer internet access to them.
Why may a business not offer Wi-Fi for guests?
- Nobody has had the time to set it up
- Nobody at the office knows how to configure it
- Fears about unintended access into office systems
In this article, NUMENTIS’ IT support professionals in Mississauga explain guest Wi-Fi in a professional corporate setting.
What is guest Wi-Fi?
Guest Wi-Fi is intended to provide limited network access to visitors. Typically, guests should be able to access the internet and, in some cases, access some of the company’s IT resources. Therefore, guest Wi-Fi shares company resources and must be configured to control access. Most businesses label their guest Wi-Fi networks with suffixes such as ‘-guest’ to demarcate them as being used for visitors.
How IT companies in Mississauga configure guest Wi-Fi?
There are two primary ways a business can set up guest Wi-Fi. Which is right for you depends on the separation you want between your internal company resources and guest access. Speak to our IT services professionals in Mississauga to understand which is right for you.
- In-built guest Wi-Fi support
Most Wi-Fi routers today support guest networks. This means a separate ‘virtual network’ can be created from the same router. This is a simple and convenient way of setting up Wi-Fi, however, it is also less secure. Speak to our IT support team in Mississauga to have your network setup.
- Separate access point
If your router doesn’t support guest Wi-Fi or you want to separate guest and internal access more thoroughly, deploy separate wireless access points. This means the Wi-Fi network is completely distinct from the one your employees use internally. Some businesses even install a separate ISP connection, so visitors don’t even share the internet connection.
Why you should have Wi-Fi at your office
Offering complimentary Wi-Fi to visitors is a must-have courtesy in today’s business environment. Not having it makes you look unprofessional and unprepared. Here are some other reasons why you should guest Wi-Fi.
Convenience – Make your guests comfortable. Everyone has emails to respond to, documents to download and work to do. Having Wi-Fi will make them comfortable. If someone is making a presentation, they won’t have to worry about the connectivity issues that come with using mobile data. Wi-Fi also allows easy wireless connections for making presentations.
Security – If you are sharing your internal wireless access point information with outsiders, you are opening your business to cyberattack. Even if a guest doesn’t have access to individual resources, such as shared folders, malware from their device can still infect your systems. Guest Wi-Fi helps you add a layer of protection.
IoT devices – The Internet of Things has the potential to empower your business, but a single unsecured smart device can compromise your entire network. A cybercriminal can commandeer one device and spread malware across the entire network. Connect your IoT devices to a guest network and limit their access to sensitive information and servers.
Don’t forget, even if visitors are using guest Wi-Fi, they are still using the same internet connection as you!
NUMENTIS has the IT support in Mississauga to configure your network
Get in touch with one of the best IT companies in Mississauga to set up your guest Wi-Fi. NUMENTIS’s IT services team in Mississauga helps protect your systems while making visitors’ experience seamless. We can set up internet blockers so your guests cannot access illegal websites and download malicious software over your internet connection.
