No matter what business you are in, wireless technology is causing disruption. According to Gartner, the top two Strategic Technology Trends For 2014 are: Mobile Device Diversity & Management and Mobile Apps & Applications. If you are in the retail business, you can be sure your customers are wirelessly comparing products and pricing while shopping your store. If you are in the hotel business, you know that Wi-Fi is the most important amenity to your guests. But did you know that a week without Wi-Fi leaves people grumpier than a week without coffee?
The upside to ubiquitous mobile access is tremendous, but it also comes with risks. Wi-Fi attacks on your data can take less than 2 seconds. Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) is being implemented at businesses and schools around the world, but 60% of businesses do not have a written BYOD policy. As a result, 52% of BYOD users connect to an open or unsecure network; and more than half of all open Wi-Fi networks are susceptible to abuse.
The statistics in this slideshare have been drawn from published sources including Deloitte, IDC, Retail Touch Points, Acronis, SAP, Extreme Networks, Wi-Fi Alliance, Wireless Broadband Alliance, Pew Research, Gartner, and, Hotel Chatter, among others.
Here is my slideshare of 50 remarkable statistics on why wireless technology matters to your business. But please read it sitting down; don't be the one in three who crosses a busy street while distracted by their cell phone.
- At the end of 2013, there were more mobile devices than people on earth. – SAP
- Wi-Fi speeds have increased significantly with each release. 11a / 54Mbps / 1999 11n / 450Mbps / 2009 11ac-wave1 / 1.3Gbps / 2012
- Wi-Fi / mobile data consumption is 44% higher on screens 4.5" and larger. – NPD
- 75% of people say 1 week without Wi-Fi would leave them grumpier than 1 week without coffee. – Iconic Displays
- Most businesses are planning to increase Wi-Fi capacity by at least 20% in 2014. – Infonetics
75% of the increase is to support mobile devices and BYOD users. – HP
2/3 of enterprises allow their employees to bring their own devices into the enterprise today. – Infonetics
38% of 2-year-olds use mobile devices. – Common Sense Media
Average age for first cell phone is now 13. – SAP
Smartphone users spend an average of 60 minutes a day. iPhone users average 90 minutes a day. – Experian
Numerous US football stadiums support over 30,000 Wi-Fi connections in a single game. – Extreme Networks
A Wi-Fi attack on an open network can take less than 2 seconds. – Extreme Networks
There were 1 billion new smartphones shipped in 2013. – IDC
There will be more than 7 billion new Wi-Fi enabled devices in the next 3 years. – Sys-Con
Wi-Fi has become the medium of choice. 2/3 of US consumers prefer Wi-Fi to Cellular. – Deloitte
The base version of 802.11 / Wi-Fi protocol was released in 1997. – Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance was founded in 1999. – Wi-Fi Alliance
11ac / Wave2 is set to deliver multi-gig wireless rates in less than 2 years. – Extreme Networks
We will need all the speed and capacity we can get! Half of all networking devices will be mobile by 2015. – Infonetics
90% of all smartphones are equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities.
50% of PCs shipped in 2014 will be tablets. – Canlys
