On average, a new wireless device, complete with its own quirks and running on an increasingly sophisticated array of operating systems, reaches the market every 45 days. Once simply a means of maintaining communications, these devices are now capable of running powerful business applications, processing high definition video and consuming ever more bandwidth.
As these devices become more powerful and plentiful, more people will bring them to work. Wireless smart devices will replace cumbersome equipment once thought indispensable to business, enabling employees to choose the tools they are most comfortable with to perform their duties.
For IT departments whose networks are ready to support the surge in wireless traffic, the “bring your own device” (BYOD) revolution promises huge gains in productivity, mobility and cost savings, all on devices purchased by the employees. Meeting the needs of a truly wireless enterprise
Wireless networks are becoming more and more dominant and the following considerations are crucial to building a wireless network that can withstand the BYOD invasion
- Access and authentication control: Enterprise users have, on average, four wireless devices that need provisioning and monitoring. Any solution that fails to allow IT managers to quickly and easily add, remove and change devices on the network will end up costing much more than it’s worth.
- Security: Open by nature, wireless networks must be secure enough to protect the enterprise from malicious attacks, viruses and rogue devices.
- Scalability: Because devices and users can jump on and off at any point, any wireless network trying to compete in the market must be instantly scalable.
- Guest Management: Solution must provide for both active and passive guest management, allowing IT managers to take a direct interest in an individual guest’s level of access, or let that access level be predetermined by guest location and other factors.
- QoS Assurance: A wireless network that cannot assure Quality of Service is not worth having.
