Does Wireless Network Software Meet Today's Security Standards?
With the emergence of wireless networks, the work of a network administrator has eased considerably. In the case of large corporations, functioning in large office buildings, setting up a network a couple of years ago meant the purchase and installation of several hundred feet of cable, networking equipment (routers, switches, signal amplifiers, connectors) and if anything went wrong, it meant that the whole network would be verified. In the beginning, the corporate environment was reluctant in resorting to wifi networks, as they were low speed, low coverage area and relatively unsecured. However, technologies evolved and actual wireless networks can meet the high demands of today's corporate environment. Speeds and coverage areas have increased, wireless network software has evolved, security features and the number of intrusion detections discovered lately have increased drastically. These aspects made wireless networks the favorite of today's corporate environment. Corporate managers, directors and employees can work and access the corporate network from anywhere within the building and they can even access the files on the servers from the hallways and recreational spaces. The connection speed decreases very little as you move away from the wireless router and the modern wifi equipment is secure and fast enough that accessing the network from almost anywhere is not a problem. Wireless networks are simpler compared to traditional networks. The networking equipment is very small and compact (laptops and PDAs have wireless capabilities embedded so you do not need any additional equipment) and the wireless network software is very intuitive and easy to use. Setting up a wireless network is as easy as configuring a traditional set up and all these elements make modern wireless networks compatible with the high demands of today's corporate environment. To ease the network administrator's job, all the wireless equipment can be purchased from the same manufacturer. All important networking equipment manufacturers (Atheros, Cisco, 3Com, Linksys to name just a few) offer complete wireless network setups (wireless access points, wireless routers, and wireless network adapters). They offer the equipment together with the required software support for configuring and securing the network so it can meet the high demands of today's corporate environment. Large networking equipment manufacturers verify carefully and thoroughly their equipment so they withstand very intensive use. The corporate environment requires stability above all and manufacturers like Cisco or 3Com have years of experience and are considered to be the best in this segment. All their wireless equipment is compliant with the latest standards set by International organizations. They offer their corporate clients all the resources necessary to set up and configure their wireless networks and to make sure they meet the high demands on today's corporate environment. Network administrators find it easier to configure and maintain a large wireless network that is both fast and highly secure compared to a wired network. The available wireless network software makes it easy to configure all the wireless station individually, to view at all times the network's status, to secure the data transfers and to upgrade it in the future. Firewalls and anti-virus software works perfectly with wireless networks so corporate managers can rely on these setups for their vital communication. |
