It’s almost time for the Great Return to the Office. Perhaps. This hybrid work will not go away. Probably. Education becomes more equal with remote learning. Hopefully. Despite the changes, one thing is certain: the way we work and learn will continue to change and technology will have to adapt to support collaborative experiences.
In a study conducted by 188 major New York employers in November 2018, it was discovered that 8% of Manhattan office workers are back in the office full time, 54% are fully remote, and everyone else – nearly 40%– is a hybrid. How can we achieve inclusiveness with collaborative applications when this mix of work styles is taking place? According to the article, one virtual real estate company created a policy that all team members had to use a teleconferencing service if even one member was remote.
With the ubiquitous presence of a computing device in their hands, students are technologically savvy and have high expectations for application performance. Students are hypercritical of network performance issues while participating in distance learning and testing.
According to the Cisco Hybrid Work Index, the number of devices connecting to office-based Wi-Fi networks has already increased 61% compared with six months ago, led by higher education, professional services, and hospitality. Wi-Fi 6 will provide most of the necessary high-quality connectivity for a truly mobile workforce, along with Wi-Fi 6E in the near future, with open roaming capabilities to integrate with cellular networks. Today, more than ever before, the distribution of student and staff workforces is in flux. The IT teams who build and maintain the networks that make everything work together seamlessly are typically responsible for implementing the changes that are required to create a video-first digital campus.
This blog post aims to provide insights into how Cisco supports IT teams in supporting collaborative workplaces.
Creating a Collaborative Work Environment with Wireless Technology
Employees and students experience wireless environments differently depending on where they are in relation to access points (APs), what device types they are using, and how much bandwidth and latency are required. Take the example of a student walking through campus with an iPhone on his or her person. She uses the wireless network to check the schedule and location, a simple application. The lecture has already begun when she realizes it. The lecture is being simulcast on WebEx, so while walking to the lecture hall, she can easily join the video stream. Through Cisco Fastlane+, built into Cisco Catalyst 9100 APs, iPhone and iPad devices automatically set up connections that support latency-sensitive applications such as WebEx, FaceTime, and other collaborative software. In order to provide clear and consistent audio and video, Apple’s iPhone uses Fastlane+ to prioritize WebEx traffic streaming as students cross campus from AP to AP, maintaining a constant and reliable connection for bandwidth and latency.
Fastlane+ helps the network anticipate the demand for airtime on APs based on a client’s predictable bit rates, traffic patterns, bandwidth, and latency requirements. Therefore, both the device and the network are optimized to produce the best user experience.
Collaborative Video Applications are Kept Running Smoothly with AI Network Assurance
Another device that is as prevalent on campus as smartphones are the laptop – the universal tool for getting things done. However, the variety of brands and components makes IT’s job even more challenging. What is the root cause of the poor performance of applications on a laptop due to connectivity issues? Does the problem lie with the laptop Wi-Fi, the authentication service, interference, or the campus access points?
Automating discovery and detection services allows IT to focus more time on troubleshooting the most relevant areas — from individual devices with outdated drivers to applications experiencing connectivity issues with their various microservices. Student laptops, for instance, are commonly brought to campus, but those are not managed by IT via mobile device management software as is typical in enterprise environments. As a result, network administrators cannot access vendor-specific information, such as Wi-Fi driver versions, which can have an impact on application performance. By detecting and detecting driver compatibility issues for Intel-based Wi-Fi 6/6E chipset clients with Cisco Intel Connectivity Analytics, NetOps can eliminate much of the guesswork when narrowing down connectivity issues.
It is possible to use Cisco DNA Center Assurance’s discovery and detection services with Cisco DNA Center Assurance in three different views to monitor and adjust video connections over wireless campus:
Detecting and notifying wireless campus issues can be a challenge, with many minor issues, some that need immediate attention, and others that can be used for future planning. To minimize the Mean Time to Detect (aka Mean Time to Blame) the root causes, it is necessary to ignore the noise. Dynamic baselining uses AI and machine learning to analyze massive amounts of telemetry produced by controllers and access points to reduce noise and false positives so IT can concentrate on finding the most urgent issues affecting application performance.
By leveraging as much data as possible, analytics improve the likelihood of resolving issues in the shortest amount of time. As a result of analyzing anonymized customer telemetry and decades of internally developed knowledgebases, Cisco has built one of the largest network data lakes. The IT teams receive alerts based on priority, followed by the root causes and the actions taken to resolve the issue. Cisco DNA Center AI’s proactive solutions can prevent applications from experiencing issues and allow IT to focus on fine-tuning the network for maximum performance.
Taking on the Application Experience Challenge Today
Cisco is committed to enabling IT organizations to connect, secure, and automate their workplaces, workforces, and workloads to build an inclusive future. Through Cisco’s unified access infrastructure, which includes Catalyst Wireless Controllers and Access Points, as well as AI analytics within Cisco DNA Center, IT can design, operate, and maintain wireless campus networks that provide the best application experience for employees and students.
The best partner of Cisco – BITS Secure IT Infrastructure – is here to help you with your needs. Contact us today to learn more.
