Ruckus’ Bart Giordano talks Cloud-managed services and wireless convergence

Last week, The Ruckus Room was at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. During the show, we caught up with Bart Giordano, SVP, WW Sales at Ruckus Networks, to discuss changing market trends and evolving customer expectations.

According to Giordano, Ruckus customers have always wanted fast and ubiquitous connectivity at the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). However, says Giordano, Ruckus has observed a definite change in the market and customer buying patterns. More specifically, customers have expressed a strong interest in doing more with their networks than simply providing a fast and reliable connection.  

Examples, says Giordano, include brick-and-mortar retailers that are using Cloud-managed Wi-Fi to capture detailed in-store analytics, streamline logistics and eliminate checkout lines. In addition, hotels are leveraging wireless networks to support individually worn panic buttons (as part of the 5-Star Promise), as well as smart devices and utilities such as connected locks, HVAC, lighting, water, and power. Moreover, network management and visibility tools are now offering access to open APIs, which enable hotels to create customized hospitality-centric dashboards. Last, but certainly not least, wireless networks are helping nursing home and retirement staff better care for residents wearing low-energy RF
pendants that monitor health and safety.

“Traditionally, the networks that we provided got people online, connected users and provided a really great experience. Increasingly, however, our customers want to know how they can get more out of their network,” he explains. “They want to use their network to solve challenges around operational efficiency and [obtain] rich insights into customer behavior.”

Giordano also touched on the concept of wireless convergence, a trend that is being set by W-Fi access points such as the R730 which packs embedded Bluetooth^® Low Energy and Zigbee radios, along with support for IoT modules that can accommodate additional protocols such as LoRa.

“The networking technologies that Ruckus provides increasingly revolve around the concept of network convergence, rather than just getting people online,” he concludes. “We're not just [getting] people online but also [supporting the IoT]. When you start connecting things, you allow that network to do [significantly] more for the users who operate it.”