7/10/2006 -- Are there enterprise-grade wireless services in your company's near-term future? A new study from Gartner Inc. suggests as much: According to Gartner analysts, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of businesses intend to ramp up their wireless WLAN deployments over the next 12 months.

Why are enterprises rushing to embrace WLANs? Mobility, not surprisingly, was the most frequently cited driver, with 44 percent of respondents linking mobility and increased productivity. There are more practical drivers, too: 21 percent said their primary WLAN driver was the ability to provide connectivity to places that could not easily be wired, while 13 percent said wireless networks provided a less-expensive or simpler way to deploy LAN connectivity.

"Although wireless LANs are not a new endeavor, interest in them is still growing. Wireless LANs are becoming a standard part of enterprise networks, covering entire facilities, not just meeting rooms," said Gartner's Rachna Ahlawat, in a statement. "However, as wireless LANs expand from conference rooms to the whole enterprise, concerns about security and network management are rising. We've gone from thinking of offices as network nodes to considering each employee as a node on a wired network. Now, every major physical item the company owns is becoming a node on a wireless network."

If mobility was the most frequently cited "pro" in favor of wireless LAN uptake, it's no surprise that WLAN security was the most frequently cited "con." Ninety-five percent of respondents, in fact, placed security among their top five WLAN concerns, while 60 percent of respondents said they don't believe they have adequate security for their wireless environments. After security, WLAN management was the biggest concern -- usually for companies that have already deployed wireless networks.

"Vendors should share best practices of securing and managing not just network components, but the devices connected to a wireless network," Ahlawat said. "Organizations will have difficulty in determining whether it is the network or the devices that are not performing well. Managing wireless security also involves managing users and devices when they are connected from remote branch offices, hot spots and home offices." -Stephen Swoyer