As the multifamily housing industry booms amidst the slow recovery of the housing market, investors and developers are seeking prime real estate to seize the opportunities presented. To ensure the success of your upcoming project in a market flooded with competition, it is vital to consider even the smallest factors in tenant satisfaction. Today’s renter expects effortless, ample, and speedy wireless connectivity. For many properties, meeting this demand is an afterthought. Retrofitting a property to meet advancing technological standards proves to be infeasible in some cases and costly at best. Keeping wireless communication in mind when selecting the location and building materials for your property increases your chances of a completing a project with a competitive upper hand. Wireless Usage According to reports released by Mobithinking, there are over 1.2 billion mobile-broadband users worldwide. More than 25 percent of US subscribers are mobile-only users. PCs grow dusty in the corner of the home office as their owners perform work tasks, banking, and shopping via feature phones and smartphones. The pattern shows no signs of halting. Nearly half of mobile phones in the US are internet-enabled; that figure is expected to rise by 60 percent by 2015. It is clear that wireless is the future of communication. As users discover more tools and resources through their wireless devices, the demand for unlimited data plans will continue to rise. In addition to unlimited usage, wireless users are seeking faster access. For many devices, 3G capabilities come standard, with many enabled for 4G speeds. Resident Expectations As wireless usage grows in popularity, owners and managers risk losing business if they do not equip their properties with the best services. Multiple apartment search websites advise hunters to bring their cellphones along on the apartment search to check for coverage—and apartment hunters are listening. Cellular reception is perhaps seen as more of a necessity than on-site laundry facilities or a fitness center. Both of those services can be supplemented off-site but a strong connection to a tenant’s wireless service provider is irreplaceable. The internet has become a vital appendage for many renters, replacing, in many ways, traditional methods of human interaction. Writing a check and handing it to a staff member in the leasing office is basically unheard of. By 2015, m-payments or mobile payments are expected to be worth $1 trillion. Tenants seek online services such as bill pay, community message boards, and even their residence’s presence on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Home automation is gaining popularity as well, allowing renters to control aspects of their rentals remotely. The property must be equipped to provide those basic services to survive in today’s competitive multifamily housing market. Building Conundrums Location is key to providing tenants with a strong connection to prominent wireless providers and consistent coverage throughout the property. The importance of location does not come as a surprise to any builder yet few have taken the time to consider it from a technical standpoint. Sites that can offer tenants the best coverage by multiple carriers are better prepared for success than sites with limited coverage. This includes everything from cell phone and internet to cable, satellite, and security providers. Major urban districts furnish locations with the best multi-provider coverage. Unfortunately, these high-coverage areas may not be conducive to new constructions. In an age that favors building conversions, this may be a developer’s best option. The development team must then examine the building materials used in the construction of the preexisting structure to determine if those materials will interfere with wireless services. While converted buildings have demonstrated success in the rental market, retro-fitting a site for superb wireless performance may be inefficient and costly. New constructions are not without their own challenges. Sustainable building, for example, has its benefits but many ecologically friendly materials have adverse effects on wireless connectivity. Certain types of energy efficient insulation and green roofing can...
Next Generation Firewalls...
Augmented security
The primal contest between computer user security and the external threat environment will shift with next generation firewalls. Significantly upgraded over the previous state-of-the-art, next-gen firewalls offer improved visibility into the contemporary Web-based network landscape and a much-enhanced capacity to detect advanced threats. But is this truly a generational performance enhancement, or just the same ol’ technology with an added dash of marketing magic? Let’s take a closer look. Traditional firewall performance includes stateful port/protocol inspection, network address translation (NAT), and virtual private network (VPN) integration. Typical services also include directory support (via Active Directory or similar) that authenticates and authorizes applications based on users and user groups. Also common is reputation-based filtering blocks applications that have earned a rep for naughty behavior. This helps discourage phishing attempts, virus infiltration, and additional malware sites and applications. Regardless of the vendor, next-gen firewalls include the following features: Application ID & filtering: This area is where next-gen firewalls really make a difference. Instead of the traditional all-or-nothing port opening approach, next-gen firewalls scan and filter traffic based upon the specific applications. Malicious applications that use non-standard ports to spoof countermeasures can be stopped dead in their tracks. SSL and SSH inspection: Enhanced inspection technology means next-gen firewalls can put SSL and SSH encrypted traffic under the microscope. Decrypted traffic is inspected, filtered, and then re-encrypted. Advanced malicious apps that utilize encryption as a detection countermeasure are no longer a threat. Intrusion prevention: Enhanced versatility and robust traffic inspection abilities provide all the functionality of a stand-alone intrusion prevention system. Most next-gen firewalls include full intrusion detection and prevention capability. In short, next-gen firewalls blend a full-service suite of performances – firewall, intrusion prevention, and additional security capabilities – into a single, efficient, high-performance appliance. The move...
Let’s Get Technical...
New YASC offering
Outside of ComicCon, geeking out will typically just garner a few confused looks and questioning tones from those you have inadvertently alienated with your techy banter. But this spring at the Yardi Advanced Solutions* (YASC) you’ll be pleased to know that even the most technical talk will be met with understanding and inspire new-found possibility. Along with the numerous training sessions and social interactions at YASC this year, you’ll also find a new event: Tech Time. Instituted by Sr. VP of ASP Scott Wiener and Director of ASP Remon Amboy, Tech Time grew from a simple “Can my IT team talk to yours?” inquiry from a client a few years back into a full blown opportunity for you to sit and talk through your questions with our experienced professionals in a one-on-one environment. Thinking of rolling out virtualization and not sure where to start? Can’t decide between iPads and Kindles? Want to talk firewalls? Whether you’re a CIO who is curious about how we secure the environment or an end user who wants to know how the environment works, this is your chance for one-on-one consultation about case studies, cloud computing, or infrastructure requirements. If you are interested in a little byte-bonding or perhaps just looking for an excuse to break away, make an appointment by contacting [email protected]. *The Spring YASC 2012 — May 22-24, in Washington, D.C. is now open for registration. The conference provides information about the latest updates to your Yardi products and services, as well as opportunities to meet with CSD representatives, IT staff, senior management and sales...
