intelligent

Which products and solutions does Aruba offer to SMBs and how do they benefit the end users ?

AM : Aruba delivers innovations in the simple , smart , secure umbrella that I explained in the earlier question . We have recently unveiled a new brand – Aruba Instant On – dedicated to SMEs . This brand reinforces our simple , smart and secure commitment to this sector with a pioneering set of Wi-Fi products , including access points and switches . This portfolio can be easily managed through a cloud-based smartphone app . Customers can configure , install and manage devices effortlessly through the app .

This portfolio of products – Wi-Fi products , switches and cloud management – are all together sold as a single solution for our SME customers . We deliver end-to-end solutions and deliver them in a comprehensive package for SMEs .

Can you share any examples of SMBs using Aruba technology and the benefits they ’ ve experienced ?

AM : We are well positioned to cater to SMEs across sectors such as food service , hospitality , retail and healthcare , to name a few , with our exclusive SME offerings , as they provide a true value proposition .

For example , a coffee shop or a small clinic will have limited IT personnel and therefore look for remote management capabilities and cloud flexibility . To elaborate on the coffee shop use case , the first thing most customers do when they walk into a café is try to connect to the Wi-Fi . The café / store manager needs to ensure the experience for the customer is seamless , simple , easy and secure . As the manager you would also need to understand analytics behind repeat customers , where they sit and for how long , and so on , to improve operations and enhance customer experiences . This is what we drive at Aruba – ensuring SME businesses can deliver exceptional customer experiences ( CX ).

How do you support smaller organisations which have resource and budget constraints but a strong desire and need for innovation ?

AM : We take this from two angles – product and economic . From a product procurement perspective , we have made it simple and cost-effective . There are absolutely no hidden costs . As a company , we support SMEs in many ways through different foundations and capabilities . We offer financial assistance and equip them to grow their business through training , community participation and innovative products .

What is your best practice advice to SMBs on maximising technology investments to enable them to scale ?

JC : We encourage SMBs to make the transition to cloud platforms so that they can optimise their technology investments through agility and flexibility . Digitalising their current environments is the need of the hour . Also , companies ‘ listening ’ to the data that is generated and analysing it from the Edge are the ones who are thriving in the market today .

SMBs must be mindful to deploy solutions that are easy and scalable to match their business growth . SMBs must move to a subscriptionbased model , which will also help scale their IT environments as their operations expand . Finally , identify technology partners who are focused on the SME space as they will be dedicated to bringing continuous innovation to this sector . �

INDUSTRY REPORTS INDICATE THAT AROUND 75 % OF SMES ARE EXPECTED TO SPEND MORE ON TECHNOLOGY POST-COVID-19 .