Wireless Networking Adoption Stories: Page 2 of 18

It's clear that the needs of health-care and education organizations differ significantly from those of, say, hospitality and retail. But as we talked to IT managers about their experiences, common themes arose that can be applied to a broad spectrum of organizations:

» Sensitivity to business goals: We were impressed by the degree to which wireless managers were sensitive to both the needs of users for simplicity and transparency and the business goals of senior management. Most were well-prepared to argue the case for wireless ROI. It was clear in many cases that wireless was viewed as a strategic technology all the way up the management chain, with the IT side often presenting a vision of what was possible and business managers determining how best to use the new infrastructure to achieve organizational goals. And this partnership extended to users. There was a understanding that IT's role in making the technology accessible to users was as important as building out infrastructure. There was also widespread acknowledgment that building a secure, reliable, centrally managed wireless infrastructure saved them from the unappealing task of tracking down and eliminating rogue wireless networks while opening up opportunities for new applications that would be impossible with a decentralized or ad hoc deployment.

» Pragmatic philosophies: Most organizations say they cannot dictate wireless standards on client devices. People we talked to saw the client as a moving target. Everyone felt the need to support 802.11b, but alternative standards, including 11g and 11a, also have been embraced. In environments where system capacity was a long-term concern, or where traffic must be prioritized, there was a greater tendency to embrace 5-GHz 802.11a, but as a supplement rather than a replacement for 2.4-GHz products. Managers in these environments prefer an infrastructure capable of supporting as broad a radio spectrum as possible, an approach that provides benefits for scalability, security and quality of service.

» Security: Many of the wireless network managers we spoke with are frustrated with the slow emergence of standards-based Wi-Fi security, but all found ways to meet their organizations' security standards without spending a ton of money or locking themselves into a single vendor. Even in health-care facilities, where HIPAA requirements mandate enhanced security, the technologists found workable solutions. Many alternative security strategies have been embraced, including IPsec VPNs, 802.1X, security gateways from vendors like ReefEdge and Bluesocket, and proxy-server offerings like NetMotion. Most understand that their future security models may change, but the solutions they've implemented are seen as adequate to meet local needs.

» Commitment to standards: All those we talked to embraced a philosophy of adhering to standards, and all feel comfortable with their preferred vendors' commitments in that regard. However, the specific standards varied. For example, some said they prefer a security architecture based on IPsec VPNs, a well-established remote-access security technology, while others said they feel that 802.1X-based systems, which protect transmission down to Layer 2, represent a more strategic, wireless-focused solution. Although standards are embraced, some organizations aren't averse to implementing proprietary extensions or third-party products, so long as they're not permanently locked into specific vendors.