Network uptime critical to achieving AI and IoT success, Cradlepoint

Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of things (IoT) focused retailers have their priorities misplaced in the face of network downtime challenges.

That’s according to a study carried out by Cradlepoint at RetailEXPO 2019. The company surveyed 200 retail professionals and found that while 72% believe AI and IoT will be their organisation’s biggest IT challenges over the next five years, 75% are still experiencing unplanned network downtime and outages impacting business during peak hours.

Despite 10% facing this challenge regularly, 26% do not have a network redundancy plan in place to minimise disruption. “For retail organisations, unplanned network outages can impact both revenue and reputation significantly, so it is surprising to see many retail organisations have still not adopted the right technology solutions to mitigate this risk,” says Jason Wells, Vice President and General Manager EMEA at Cradlepoint.

“Fast, reliable network connectivity in the form of wireless internet is already widely available – both as an emergency failover and as a primary connectivity option. AI and IoT are exciting technologies, but retailers need to prioritise the foundations of these now – and that’s reliable Internet connectivity.”