In the old world of networking, you paid for the brand. The logo on the box promised everything: performance, reliability, trust. But today, brands are consolidating, tariffs are shifting costs, and the margins that used to float big promises? They’re tightening. Fast.
Matt Olson, Director of Business Development at Edgecore Networks (Accton), has been around long enough to see the patterns, and smart enough to help change them. He’s spent decades trying to outdo Wi-Fi from the outside. Now he’s inside the ecosystem, helping reinvent how it works. He told us all about it in today’s edition:
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- Why open Wi-Fi is gaining traction across MDUs, hospitality, and healthcare
- The real economics behind OEM vs. open network models
- How MSPs can take control of margin, deployment, and customer experience
When Price Meets Pressure, It’s Time for a Different Model
The networks we build today are expected to do more than just connect devices. HVAC. Security cameras. Smart locks. Healthcare monitoring. Education. AI-generated data. All of it depends on fast, reliable, flexible access.
As Matt put it, “You’ll be financially irresponsible not to consider OpenWiFi for your next refresh.”
Because the needs are evolving, but most of the hardware providers haven’t.
A Network Built for the Owner
Here’s the big shift: In traditional deployments, the cable company owns the network. You just rent access. That means zero flexibility and limited innovation. According to Taylor, it’s about flipping the model to build and manage the network for the property owner. That opens up powerful use cases:
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- Smart locks, water sensors, and IoT integrations
- Access control, EV chargers, and video monitoring
- Resident Wi-Fi that works across the entire property, not just inside the unit
And it’s not just about experience. It supports NOI. Owners can monetize the service and operate smarter, without the friction.
What Open Networking Actually Offers
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about being cheaper. It’s about:
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- Decoupling hardware from software so MSPs aren’t locked into one vendor’s ecosystem
- Letting providers buy at factory-direct prices and layer on their own services
- Delivering quality and performance that match or beat traditional OEM stacks
And most importantly, it’s about partnership. Edgecore makes the hardware. Shasta Cloud delivers the software and services. Neither takes a margin on the other’s piece. The MSP wins.
Why the OEM Model Doesn’t Serve MSPs Anymore
The hardware goes from ODM to OEM to MSP. Each step adds margin. Each layer creates friction.
In the open model, the MSP gets the hardware at true cost. They decide the pricing, the services, and the support stack. That means better pricing for the client, and better margin for the MSP.
It’s not about beating the OEMs at their game. It’s about changing the game entirely.
A Flat World, A Smarter Stack
When asked about the future, Matt didn’t talk about speeds and feeds. He talked about convergence:
“One infrastructure, many technologies.”
Think Wi-Fi with Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread, and ultra-wideband baked in. Think access points that double as occupancy sensors. Think smart buildings, smarter healthcare, and AI-driven insights.
It’s not theoretical. It’s happening now. And the open ecosystem is leading the way.
Final Word
Matt brings an engineer’s eye to business development, and a realist’s perspective to an industry full of big promises. That combination is rare.
And it’s why we’re proud to work alongside Edgecore to bring this vision to market.
If you’re tired of choosing between price and performance, you don’t have to. We’re building something better. Let’s make it easier together.
