While much of the technology underpinning wired enterprise networks has stabilized and matured, the same cannot be said about wireless networks, which continue to change and evolve.
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While much of the technology underpinning wired enterprise networks has stabilized and matured, the same cannot be said about wireless networks, which continue to change and evolve.
WLAN in the Age of AI
While much of the technology underpinning wired enterprise networks has stabilized and matured, the same cannot be said about wireless networks, which continue to change and evolve. Nowhere else is this more evident than within Wi-Fi standards, which endured three major updates in the past 10 years alone, moving from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, and now on to Wi-Fi 7. Each iteration brings not only new capabilities and features, but also new challenges that can prevent network teams from obtaining the full value of the upgrade. Important new initiatives such as AI and IoT are adding urgency to upgrades, driving efforts to ensure new applications can achieve full potential where wireless LAN technologies are involved.
To gain further insight into these trends, Enterprise Strategy Group surveyed 370 networking professionals at organizations with 500 or more employees in North America (U.S. and Canada) involved with or responsible for building and managing wireless network technology and processes at their organization.
Research Findings
- Focus Shifts to Wi-Fi 6E and 7 Amid Continued Mainstream Wi-Fi 5 and 6 Deployments
- AI and IoT Projects Add Urgency to Wi-Fi Upgrades
- Security and Performance Dominate Wi-Fi Upgrade Priorities Amid Cost and Complexity Concerns
- WAN and LAN Expansion Is Underway as Wi-Fi Preparation Continues
- Wi-Fi Is Still Considered Complementary to Private 5G Outside of Key Use Cases
Read the Research Report: Wi-Fi Evolution: WLAN in the Age of AI
Appendix
Further reading
Author
Jim Frey, Principal Analyst, Networking
