1. Info-Tech Research Group1 1 Info-Tech Research Group, Inc. Is a global leader in providing IT research and advice. Info-Tech’s products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns. © 1997-2015 Info-Tech Research Group Inc. Build or Refresh the Wireless LAN Right-size your WLAN to support your ever-evolving business needs. Info-Tech's products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns.© 1997 - 2015 Info-Tech Research Group

2. Info-Tech Research Group2 2 This Research is Designed For:This Research Will Help You: This Research Will Assist:This Research Will Help You: This Research Is Designed For:This Research Will Help You: This Research Will Also Assist:This Research Will Help Them: This research will guide you through the process of building or refreshing your WLAN Network Managers Infrastructure VPs Decide whether to refresh or build your wireless local area network (WLAN) Understand your business and technical requirements Develop a business case Develop an RFP and select a vendor Design and deploy your WLAN Continuously monitor and improve your WLAN CIOs/IT Directors Ensure their organization’s IT capabilities support the evolving business needs Understand and articulate the benefits of implementing or refreshing a WLAN to the business

3. Info-Tech Research Group3 3 Resolution Situation ! Complication ? Info-Tech Insight Executive Summary Your end users are embracing wireless and you can’t afford to live in the past. They’re demanding faster and more reliable wireless networks as they push the limits of your network’s capacity with a growing number of devices per person. Building or refreshing your WLAN can be an expensive project and getting business buy-in may be tough. Poorly defined technical requirements can result in failure to meet business needs. A poorly designed network and implementation timeline can result in re- work and costly additional headaches. Make a solid business case for your WLAN build or refresh project by understanding the value it provides to the business and be prepared to support it. Define the business context for your WLAN and make sure your technical requirements can satisfy your business requirements. Develop a comprehensive request for proposal based on your requirements and score your responses using a standard methodology. Carefully plan your network design and action plan prior to implementation. 1.Historical network usage and capacity data can support your business case for your WLAN build or refresh. 2.Define your technical WLAN requirements based on your business context and requirements. 3.If you design for capacity, density and coverage will follow.

4. Info-Tech Research Group4 4 Best-Practice Toolkit 1.Document your goals for the project 2.Assess your business context 3.Decide whether to proceed with the project 4.Determine your technical requirements 5.Map the stakeholders and their goals 6.Assess project financials 7.Develop your success metrics and complete the business case 8.Assess the vendor marketplace 9.Develop an RFP 10.Score RFP responses and perform due diligence 11.Review your contract 1.Determine whether you’ll need to conduct a site survey 2.Design the network 3.Build your WLAN implementation timeline 1.Deploy the network 2.Validate and adapt your network 3.Plan periodic network service check-ins Guided Implementations Scoping call Understand your business context Determine your technical requirements Scoping call Review your project financials Review your business case Scoping call Review the RFP Review the RFP responses and contract Scoping call Develop the implementation plan Finalize the plan Scoping call Review the initial project implementation Monitor the WLAN Onsite Workshop Module 1: Define your WLAN state and requirements Module 2: Build the business case Module 3: Select your equipment Module 4: Design the network and develop a plan Module 5: Deploy the network and measure success Phase 1 Results: Go/no go decision Defined requirements Phase 2 Results: Business case Project approval Phase 3 Results: Selected vendor and equipment Phase 4 Results: Network design Implementation plan Phase 5 Results: Continuous improvement Measured success Define your WLAN state Build or refresh the Wireless LAN – Project Overview Build the business case Select your WLAN solution Design the network & deployment plan Deploy network and monitor success

5. Info-Tech Research Group5 5 Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5 PreparationWorkshop Day Working Session Workshop Preparation Scope the state of the company’s WLAN and workshop objectives. Identify and invite project stakeholders to attend the workshop. Send workshop agenda to all participants. Morning Itinerary Discuss and document the current challenges, project drivers, and goals. Assess the business context. Afternoon Itinerary Determine the optimal timing for the WLAN build/refresh implementation. Evaluate and document your technical requirements. Morning Itinerary Recap of Day 2. Assess project financials. Develop success metrics. Begin developing the business case. Afternoon Itinerary Complete the business case. Morning Itinerary Recap of Day 3. Develop an RFP. Develop your RFP scoring methodology. Afternoon Itinerary Determine whether you’ll need to conduct a site survey. Develop a high-level network design. Build your WLAN deployment plan. Workshop Debrief Review the final deliverables: Business Case, RFP, RFP Scoring Tool, and the implementation plan. Discuss concerns and questions. Next Steps Engage with Info-Tech when evaluating RFP responses and to review your final contract. Workshop overview This workshop can be deployed as either a four or five day engagement depending on the level of preparation completed by the client prior to the facilitator arriving onsite. The light blue slides at the end of each section highlight the key activities and exercises that will be completed during the engagement with our analyst team. Contact your account representative or email Workshops@InfoTech.com for more information.Workshops@InfoTech.com

6. Info-Tech Research Group6 6 Phase 1: Define your WLAN state and requirements Build the business case Select your WLAN solution Phase 2: Phase 3: Define your WLAN state Phase 1: Design the network and deployment plan Phase 4: Deploy the network and monitor success Phase 5:

7. Info-Tech Research Group7 7 Phase 1 outline Complete these steps on your own, or call us to complete a guided implementation. A guided implementation is a series of 2- 3 advisory calls that help you execute each phase of a project. They are included in most advisory memberships. Guided Implementation: Understand your requirements and project scope Proposed Time to Completion (in weeks): 3 weeks Step 1.1: Scoping callStep 1.2: Understand your business context Step 1.3: Define your technical requirements Start with an analyst kick off call: Discuss the drivers for your WLAN build or refresh project. Discuss and document your goals. Review findings with analyst: Review your business context assessment from a performance, capacity, integration with BYOD, coverage, and security perspective. Decide whether to proceed with the project. Finalize phase deliverable: Discuss and review your technical requirements. Connect your technical requirements to your business context. Then complete these activities… Assess your business context. Then complete these activities… Determine your technical requirements. With these tools & templates: Wireless LAN Requirements Gathering Tool With these tools & templates: Wireless LAN Requirements Gathering Tool Phase 1 Results & Insights: Decision of whether to proceed with the project. Alignment between business context and technical requirements. Call 1-888-670-8889 or email GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com for more information.GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com

8. Info-Tech Research Group8 8 BYOE, device proliferation, and bandwidth intensive content are driving wireless network build and refresh projects Bring your own everything Personal devices are in almost every workplace and employees are demanding the ability to use the corporate network. Of organizations, 55% already explicitly allow the use of personal devices for work purposes. Demand for capacity There is an increased demand for capacity due to the following: 1.Growth of number of devices per user. There were approximately 16 billion active wireless connected devices in 2014, and this number is expected to reach 40.9 billion in 2020 (ABI Research, 2014). 2.Users are accessing more bandwidth intensive content. Increased user expectations Wi-Fi has become widespread in homes and users want the same kind of accessibility and speed they have at home – fast Wi-Fi when they want it, where they want it. New standards (802.11ac) Devices are made for the new standards and the old standards are getting slowly phased out. Drivers Internet of things The “internet of things” is driving increased demand for capacity and reliability.

9. Info-Tech Research Group9 9 Assess your current network challenges and project drivers 1.1 Why are you considering building or refreshing your WLAN? Sticky Note Exercise Participants: IT Director/CIO Infrastructure manager/VP Network manager Network team Steps: Pass a stack of sticky notes to each participant. Within three minutes, come up with as many current network challenges as possible. Have each participant post their sticky notes on a whiteboard and group related challenges. Which of these challenges are drivers for doing this project? o Include discussions around current number of users and devices, the growth of users and devices, user expectations, capacity constraints, etc. Record your current challenges and project drivers into your business case template. Look for this icon at the bottom right of slides where recording data into the tool is required. Transfer your current challenges and drivers to the Wireless LAN Build or Refresh Business Case Template.Wireless LAN Build or Refresh Business Case Template

10. Info-Tech Research Group10Info-Tech Research Group10 The education sector faces unique capacity challenges The Brescia Region District School Board has 80,000 students and staff between 125 buildings. All of the school board’s integrated systems are reliant on the WLAN, including the centralized heating and cooling. The Brescia Region District School Board has a goal of eliminating blue wires completely by 2020. The school board is looking to also open YouTube to students for use by February 2015, which is expected to triple usage. Situation The education sector faces density challenges that are generally unmatched by other industries. Three classrooms is equivalent to a 2700 square foot house, but hold 90 students instead of four to five people in a family. The BRDSB needs to refresh its WLANs and upgrade from 1 GB connections to 10 GB connections over the next year. Challenge The Brescia Region District School Board partnered with QNET (a public high-speed, high-capacity information network that uses fiber optic cables) and is now the largest user of all the partners. Brescia Region District School Board currently hosts the fastest network within its respective province of school boards. The school board has upgraded the WLAN for six out of ten secondary schools and is aiming to complete all ten by February 2015. Action Brescia Region District School Board Sector:Education Number of devices:80,000 Number of sites:125

11. Info-Tech Research Group11Info-Tech Research Group11 Activity: Document your goals for the WLAN build or refresh 1.2 Whiteboard Activity Participants: IT Director/CIO Infrastructure manager/VP Network manager StakeholdersGoals Transfer your goals to the Wireless LAN Build or Refresh Business Case Template.Wireless LAN Build or Refresh Business Case Template Steps: Divide the whiteboard into two columns: Stakeholders, Goals. Collectively brainstorm who the stakeholders are behind this project. Discuss the goals of each stakeholder. Based on this discussion, summarize by asking: o What is the business reason behind this project? o Is this a crucial project or an optional one? Transfer this section to the goals section in the business case. Common benefits: Increased customer satisfaction. Increase in network capacity and speed. Increased organizational flexibility. Facilitates usage for temporary and new users on the network.

12. Info-Tech Research Group12Info-Tech Research Group12 Info-Tech Research Group Helps IT Professionals To: Sign up for free trial membership to get practical solutions for your IT challenges www.infotech.com Quickly get up to speed with new technologies Make the right technology purchasing decisions – fast Deliver critical IT projects, on time and within budget Manage business expectations Justify IT spending and prove the value of IT Train IT staff and effectively manage an IT department “Info-Tech helps me to be proactive instead of reactive – a cardinal rule in a stable and leading edge IT environment. - ARCS Commercial Mortgage Co., LP Toll Free: 1-888-670-8889