Reinforcing WiFi Redundancy
By Pam Baker
Redundancy is routine in the constant scramble to keep a conventional enterprise network functioning. But the wireless infrastructure is often ignored, leaving enterprises vulnerable to malicious attacks and network failure.
No longer a hot-spot sideshow, wireless is on track to become the primary enterprise network sooner than you might think. "Although the all-wireless enterprise, such as Intel's, is not yet the norm, it is expected to be by mid- to late-2008 and into early 2009," says Chris Silva, an analyst with the Forrester research group based in Cambridge, Mass. Redundancy neglect now will only cause greater problems in the future.
Wired + Wireless = One Network
The impending move from wired to wireless is prodding IT professionals to shift gears and build a bulwark of safeguards. Successful transition, however, requires more than simply duplicating key parts of wireless hardware. "A redundant infrastructure means anticipating points of failure for the network and creating ways of preventing the network from failing, no matter what nightmare scenario takes place," advises Stan Schatt, VP of ABI Research in New York, N.Y.
Among the points of potential failures are the hidden recesses of the physical plant. "Redundancy efforts must ensure 100 percent coverage of the building as much as it must ensure constant reliability of the network. You have to account for new obstacles such as building materials, walls, stairwells and corner dead zones," advises Silva.
Paradoxically, despite intensified scrutiny of the wireless infrastructure, IT departments cannot afford to ignore the wired network. (article continues)
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