* What you'll learn at Network World's wireless and mobility tech tour
Last week, we set the scene for Network World’s upcoming Network Management/IT Automation Technology Tour. Today, I want to discuss another free Network World educational event that is also happening this month: wireless and mobility.
Craig Mathias, principal of Farpoint Group, an advisory and systems-integration firm, will join Network World Senior Editor Keith Shaw on a roadshow entitled, “Wireless & Mobility: Commanding Broadband Everywhere.” The event will educate attendees about a variety of wireless issues, including wireless LAN and wireless WAN technologies, wireless tools and wireless applications. I recently picked Craig’s brains about the top concerns network execs have about wireless. Here is our Q&A:
Q: What has been the feedback of enterprises that were the early adopters of wireless technology? What have been their main challenges?
A: One of the key problems has been in cost justification – good metrics didn’t exist for early adopters (and some argue that they still don’t), and rapidly advancing technology means that upgrades are inevitable and probably on a schedule that’s more rapid than the accounting folks would like.
I remember a few years ago when Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), the first wireless IP network, was introduced – late I might add but with much fanfare. That was around 1995, and it’s largely gone today. Anyone investing in CDPD in the late ’90s undoubted feels shortchanged in the ROI department. The big question, as I see it, is getting an ROI now (not over many years) and managing cash flow to allow the investment in the first place. We’ve in general seen great satisfaction with mobile applications in sales, service, and the horizontal application of e-mail. The mobile Web is next, and like e-mail, most won’t be able to live without it once they try it. There have also been frustrations with coverage, availability, throughput, and cost – but these are being addressed, and the future is very bright.
Q: How much will VoIP-over-Wi-Fi change WLANs and what are the implementation and management issues?
A: Enormously. We see this as a key trend, and one that will be driven by the cellular carriers themselves. Sure, there are technical issues in terms of handling time-bounded traffic like VoIP over Wi-Fi (or what we call VoFi), but the vendors (as you’ll see on the tour) are rapidly addressing this. So it’s up to the carriers, because they’ll be providing the phones – we don’t think most people will want to carry two handsets (they already have cell phones, after all). But the benefits for carriers extend far beyond just getting to sell us another phone, and we’ll cover that on the tour as well.
As for management, this will accelerate the shift to VoIP in general, something we’re already seeing in the wireline world. Telecom departments are already planning for this, and adding VoFi to the mix shouldn’t be too much of a challenge – a WLAN is, after all, a LAN, so the operations folks should also be quite happy. VoIP is going to replace conventional telephony, although it will take 15 to 20 years for a complete transition. Similarly, VoFi and conventional telephony (both wired and cellular) will also coexist nicely during this period.
Q: How much of the security concerns about wireless has been answered and what remains unresolved?
A: I think the industry has done a great job at clearing up the early problems with Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), which really did slow adoption of WLANs in the enterprise. The Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wireless Protected Access (WPA) spec largely replaced WEP, and is much more secure indeed. 802.11i/WPA2 is now available, and this is government-class security based on a really effective encryption technology. But we encourage clients to think in terms of upper-layer protocols, not simply securing the airlink. These include 802.1x and VPNs – the same as are used on wire. Security should always be a concern in any network – and WLANs have largely addressed this issue.
Q: For what applications should organizations consider WiMAX?
A: There’s a lot of confusion about WiMAX, which, by the way, isn’t really on the market yet. The first WiMAX products will be used in traditional fixed point-to-point and point-to-multipoint applications, like bypass, access, bridging, and distribution. We expect prices for products of this type to come down; that’s a common result of standardization, and the market for fixed systems will grow a bit. But most people are waiting for mobile WiMAX, based on the still-in-process IEEE 802.16e standard, and that’s about two years away. Mobile WiMAX might compete with Wi-Fi, cellular systems, and other emerging wireless broadband technologies. It’s a very complex picture, something else we’ll discuss on the tour.
Q: With all the different wireless Web services coming out (1xEV-DO, 2G, 4G, EDGE), how should organizations decide which is right for their applications?
A: Ah, the $64 million question! It’s not easy. Picking the right tool for the job involves knowing a lot about what users want and need – where they are, how much data they need to send and receive, and when and where, and under what circumstances. It involves a plan for security, and in many cases, integration with enterprise IT services. There are considerations with respect to subscriber units (mobile phones, PDAs, computers, and the like), support, training, and cost control. And, of course, the answer is a function of what’s available in a given area – wide-area wireless broadband is still a bit spotty.
Today, we recommend EDGE phones on GSM systems, and 1XRTT on CDMA. Notebook users have access to UMTS and 1xEV-DO, both of which can provide performance in the 300K-bit/sec to 500K-bit/sec range. This class of throughput is now also appearing in handsets. But it’s back to the evolution question – to properly address real needs, one must include a plan for the phased replacement and upgrade of solutions over time, again, often faster than one might like. Knowing when to make that next investment is critical, especially when things continue to change so rapidly. But that’s the nature of wireless – quite remarkable for a field that’s now well over 100 years old!
You’ll get the opportunity to quiz Craig with your own questions by attending the event. The tour will take place March 22-31, and will hit Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Seattle and San Francisco. For more information and to apply to attend, click here: https://www.nwfusion.com/events/wirelessandmobility/
