Wireless technology is ready for business, but most businesses are not yet ready for wireless and this lack of expertise, experience and supporting management technologies can doom wireless initiatives before they even start.
This is the view of Sumit Deshpande, a technology strategist in the office of the CTO at Computer Associates (CA), who believes there are many strategic and tactical considerations that are critical to successful wireless deployment.
Speaking at CAWorld in Las Vegas, Deshpande said wireless is here to stay and it will continue changing the way we work and live, so it is crucial that organisations learn to successfully leverage this technology.
"Security and management of the wireless environments are probably the key issues that need to be solved for this technology to truly achieve all it can, although there are a number of other challenges that also need to be overcome.
"Other potential problems include the fact that there are currently multiple standards - different suppliers operating different bandwidths - issues with coverage, potential loss of data when roaming and the fact that it is an expensive environment to set up."
He said that initially, wireless was a technology that was all hype, but that we have now moved beyond that stage and a lot of experimentation is taking place, while there are even some players that are in the early stages of true adoption.
"There is a strong business case for wireless technology, as it can enhance one`s business processes, improve customer service and decrease overall maintenance. On top of that, it has a low total cost of ownership and a high return on investment.
"In real world terms, one needs to make sure that solutions can be provided according to the organisation`s requirements. For example, it is easy for a CEO to say he wants the business to deploy a wireless network, but his IT department has to question whether the company`s data can still be kept secure.
"Or a department may feel it is necessary for its employees to have wireless notebooks or PDAs, but it is also necessary to ask whether these can be correctly managed and audited."
Deshpande believes the management and security issues are the key inhibitors to the continued growth of the wireless world, but that these can be overcome and once they are, wireless will be able to reach its true potential.
"Wireless is beginning to penetrate all aspects of the world and it will reach a stage where it will impact everything we do.
"An example of this is that if you are running late for an appointment, your vehicle could be able to contact the office and rearrange the meeting. This may sound like science fiction now, but it something that is going to be part of our future soon."
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