Almost 66% of technology businesses plan to expand their
wireless local-area network (WLAN) deployments during the next 12
months, but most admit they do not have adequate security,
according to analyst firms Gartner.
The fact that many technology firms are struggling to get on
top of wireless security illustrates the challenge facing other
businesses intending to adopt wireless connectivity.
In a survey of 200 networking and business technology
organisations in North America and Europe, 60% of respondents did
not believe they had adequate security for their wireless
environment.
Gartner analyst Rachna Ahlawat said, “Although wireless Lans are
not a new endeavour, interest in them is still growing. Wireless
Lans are becoming a standard part of enterprise networks, covering
entire facilities, not just meeting rooms.”
But, warned Ahlawat, “As wireless Lans expand to the whole
enterprise, concerns about security and network management are
rising.
“We’ve gone from thinking of offices as network nodes, to
considering each employee as a node on a wired network. Now, every
major physical item the company owns is becoming a node on a
wireless network.”
In the survey, 44% of respondents said the primary reason to
deploy a WLAN was improving productivity with mobility.
In addition, 21% said the main reason was to provide access to
places not possible to wire, and 13% thought that wireless networks
were a less-expensive or simpler way to deploy Lan
connectivity.