September 22, 2004

Wireless networks are still not catching on

Businesses have enough headaches to worry about using wired networks and thinking about viruses, phishing and etc. Adding a wireless network, where someone could reach your network from hundreds of feet away is another headache many do not want.

However, a secure wireless network with even a few simple things done to better secure it than it comes out of the box can make your wireless network reasonably secure.

A wireless network gives your businesses added flexibility that a wired network can never bring.

InternetNews.com writes Despite the best efforts of the Wi-Fi industry to assure companies wireless networking is safe in the workplace, a new survey of executives finds security remains the leading barrier to WLAN adoption.

Although 84 percent of companies have not had their WLAN breached, "security is the top barrier, cited by nearly half of all companies" as the reason they are not deploying or expanding Wi-Fi networks, according to the report Understanding Corporate WLAN Architecture Choices, conducted by Jupiter Research (a division of Jupitermedia, owner of Wi-Fi Planet).

Companies which spent a lot of time in 2003 producing white papers and talking about WLAN security problems, says research director Julie Ask, are fueling an image of Wi-Fi being insecure.

"That was good in that it probably helped their sales, but bad in that it scared people away from more widespread adoption," says Ask. "I think the industry has to continue to educate fairlyónot over-hype the issue."

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