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Sep 03, 2020
4 min

The Two Target Markets that Most Need Home Network Security

Recently we conducted research with Moor Insights and discovered almost 75 percent of respondents had either had a virus or malware, or knew someone who had. (As you’ll see below, that includes me!)

Think about the potential impact of malware and viruses on your subscriber’s home networks. The frustration, fear, time, and sometimes expense of resolving these issues are the last thing subscribers need to worry about right now.

The good news is, that you can solve this problem and prevent it from happening to your subscribers. Who needs this service? Everyone online! But let’s talk about a couple specific target markets.

1. Anyone who works from home. I am a regular “work from homer,” so our household was prepared with great bandwidth and ultimate Wi-Fi just in case we needed it. However, this didn’t happen by accident. As we were searching for a home, a fiber internet connection was a key requirement. I knew bandwidth could not be an issue for me with constant video calls (on top of our normal internet use).

When my husband began working from home virtually overnight, we were relieved that bandwidth was not an issue. However, we didn’t anticipate how much malware would be on his work computer. Here’s how we realized this was an issue.

  • He was having an awful time staying connected, trying to connect with his students, and conduct video calls. “What’s wrong with the internet?” was a common question coming from downstairs.
  • At the same time, through the CommandIQTM app, I was receiving alerts from ProtectIQTM telling me that threats had been detected and blocked. Ah—now we understood why things would stop working for him.

Back in April, BitSight stated that networks used to work from home are three-and-a-half times more likely to have malware present than the traditional corporate network. The same research shows 45 percent of home networks have malware, which is quite remarkable—for all the wrong reasons.

Without network security like ProtectIQ watching over the home network, you likely have no idea of the threats present in the network.

2. Anyone who’s fearful of the internet. My grandma was 97 and her iPad was never more than an arm’s length away because she never wanted to miss an incoming FaceTime call from a child or grandchild. She also had to check Facebook a few times each day to make sure she was up to speed with everything happening in the lives of her seven children, 31 grandchildren and all their families. But she was always afraid she was going to “break the Internet” when she was online and was incredibly fearful of clicking something she shouldn’t or opening an email that wasn’t what it appeared to be. It seems daily there is a new online scam trying to take advantage of your older subscribers. Providing peace of mind for your subscribers cannot be undervalued, nor should the services you provide be tied to feelings of anxiety for your subscribers.

How to create worry-free Wi-Fi at home.

There is an opportunity here for service providers to take ownership of the Wi-Fi experience. Don’t just offer network security through ProtectIQ, build it into your ultimate Wi-Fi service so that it’s not an option that your subscribers need to choose. That way, you provide an exceptional experience for your subscribers, keep their home network safe, and provide them peace of mind. Honestly, can you call it an ultimate experience if you can easily keep viruses, malware, and intrusions out of the home network—but choose not to?

Personalize your home network security campaigns.

Through our Market Activation content you have access to instructional guides and FAQs, in addition to our new Electronic Content Builder (My Calix login required) which you can use to quickly personalize a campaign to help subscribers understand the value of this service.

If you missed it, check out the replay of our latest webinar, “It’s Time to Reset: Using Data to Align to Your Subscribers’ Evolving Needs,” to learn more about how you can help subscribers address concerns about security in the home network. 

Area Vice President, Customer Success, Calix

Bridget Watkins is the area vice president, customer success at Calix. Bridget is responsible for helping service providers maximize opportunities through premises solutions that elevate the subscriber experience. Before Calix, Bridget was a vice president of a telecommunications company and served on the NTCA Marketing Committee. She has over 20 years in the industry, working directly for service providers and as a consultant. 

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