Security isn't the only issue. While many hotspots are free, and per-hour charges for hotspot access may be nominal for each individual user, they can add up to a huge bump in a network manager's online access budget.
Help is on the way from service providers rolling out innovative enterprise pricing plans. Communicator aggregator IPass, for example, will offer flat-rate pricing on a portfolio of hotspots including T-Mobile, which has the largest network of hotspots in the U.S. Prices for IPass's "all-you-can-eat" approach will vary based on such factors as the number of users and the duration of the enterprise's commitment.
"This 'all-you-can-eat' approach allows the IT department to reliably budget the cost of Wi-Fi hotspot access across an entire organization or for a subset within it," explained Jon Russo, the company's vice president of marketing.
Finally, technological confusion adds another layer of headaches for network managers. There are now VoIP over Wi-Fi services, such as one recently announced by Boingo and Vodaphone, that let business travelers make phone calls using a VoIP phone over public hotspots. Even more confusing, upcoming converged devices that support both cellular voice access and voice-over-WLAN may represent the future of mobile voice communications. Should enterprises go with VoIP over Wi-Fi phones, wait for new devices, or do nothing at all?
Like it or not, hotspots have become a part of enterprise networks. The sooner network professionals acknowledge that simple fact, the sooner they'll have more secure networks, be able to stay within their budgets, and prepare for the future.
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