Why AI-enabled cyber-security is the next step toward protecting WiFi networks
In March and April of 2020, millions of us swapped our daily commute for a crash course in videoconferencing. With the Covid-19 pandemic upending daily life and shelter-at-home mandates shuttering offices across the globe, people turned to technology for work, school, entertainment, and their social lives.
This "new normal" presented myriad challenges for Communications Service Providers (CSPs), who had to adapt to a near-overnight shift in consumer usage patterns. And even as offices and schools start to open back up, a few of the connectivity trends sparked by the pandemic are likely here to stay.
This means CSPs need to exercise continued vigilance and willingness to adapt their service offerings to an evolving landscape. Our new whitepaper explores how the pandemic has affected home WiFi usage, as well as what experts expect in the coming months and years.
A dire need for network flexibility, adaptability, and improved security
An estimated 42% of US employees turned their homes into their new full-time workspaces.
Even before the pandemic, remote work was a growing trend. A Gallup poll from 2019 found that nearly half (49%) of U.S. workers had telecommuted to work at some point. During the pandemic, 42% of U.S. employees transitioned to a home office full-time. At the same time, distance learning and demand for streaming services were also seeing huge upticks. This put a serious strain on home WiFi networks, which experienced a jolt of upstream broadband traffic between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Check out the full whitepaper to read more about how CSPs can adapt and stay competitive in this changing environment.
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Connectivity during a crisis: What the pandemic did for home WiFi
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COVID-19 drove more than five years’ worth of global internet traffic in two months.
During this time period, home WiFi usage understandably skyrocketed. Around the world, internet traffic ballooned by about 38%—five years' worth of growth—in just two months. Among a sample of Plume customer households in the U.S. between March and September 2020, there was as much as a 129% increase in the amount of time home computers were connected to the internet during weekday working hours.
42%
Remote work isn't going anywhere anytime soon, even after we've all holstered our hand sanitizer. According to an Accenture survey, among employees who had never worked from home prior to the pandemic, more than half (53%) want to continue the practice at least part-time once their office reopens. A PricewaterhouseCoopers report further captures this sentiment, noting that 72% of office workers hope to continue working remotely at least two days per week moving forward.
of employees who've never worked from home before planned to do so more often in the future.
53%
of office workers hope to continue working remotely at least two days per week.
72%
For CSPs, this means home WiFi must be up to the task. During the pandemic, the biggest stressors on home networks included connectivity, coverage, and congestion issues. Cybersecurity threats were also rampant—in a sample of Plume households, 87% experienced some kind of cyberattack attempt during lockdown.
of Plume households experienced some kind of cyberattack attempt during lockdown.
87%
The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of home network flexibility to accommodate fluctuations—both expected and unexpected—in usage patterns. What's more, experts predict that internet traffic will only continue to grow, and it's expected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 30% from 2017 through 2022.
Experts predict that internet traffic will maintain a compound annual growth rate of 30%.
30%
A few features that will help them moving forward include:
Emerging technologies like AI/ML and cloud-based networking will be a critical component of the "new normal," especially as home WiFi plays an increasingly important role in consumers' lives.
CSPs must be prepared.
Machine learning (ML)-based anomaly detection to identify and thwart potential cyberattacks.
Artificial intelligence (AI) that optimizes networks to minimize interference.
Adaptive WiFi that employs intelligent, cloud-based optimization to improve home coverage on an as-needed basis.
Download the whitepaper
Download the whitepaper
Download the whitepaper