From having immediate access to critical business systems such as sales and inventory data, to the ability to check e-mail or stock quotes on the move, business managers are quickly realising the value of mobility in the modern business era.
Organisations are increasingly looking to wireless technologies to give key members of staff the ability to access mission-critical information, anytime, anywhere, says Martin May, regional director of Enterasys Networks SA.
He says a recent study by the Wireless LAN Association (WLANA) revealed that wireless networks are seen to be delivering better productivity and efficiency by businessmen "on the move".
"In line with mobility, two other critical elements need to be in place in order to create the ideal mobile office," he says. "These are availability and security."
From an availability perspective, May says advanced networking services are on the way to address bandwidth-intensive and time-sensitive applications, such as video streaming, IP telephony, and video teleconferencing, allowing them to access more wireless networks.
"Soon, e-mail over wireless will be old news and video-enabled meetings over a network of flat touch-screens and hand-held PDA`s will be the norm," he says.
May notes that security will remain a key challenge and will call for continuous technical development. "Managers will need to remain focused and vigilant in this area. Wireless security is particularly obscure because the signal is so inherently available. It`s in the air that surrounds us.
"The dilemma is that there is no such thing as an impenetrable lock, or an `end-all, be-all` security technology. So, we must scale (or layer) security to meet our needs," he stresses.
"Likewise, security technologies for networks must be layered to match the potential loss, and the strength of those layers must be maintained through active management. People on the networks must be authenticated. Information must be safeguarded with encryption. Intrusions must be detected and neutralised."
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