Wireless LANs are now accepted in Enterprise IT, but deployment still means navigating a myriad of standards and pre-standards. In this 2005 Catalyst Conference session, Burton Senior Analyst William Terrill gives an overview of the products and protocols available and the benefits of wireless. He discusses features demanded by Enterprise-class applications, including Quality of Service (QOS, required by video and voice over wireless applications), security, management, and location-based authorization.

Bill tells of one company that ran Ethernet only to its wireless access points (APs), not to individual workstations. Another covered an entire seventeen-story building with just seven multiple-radio APs. Bill describes centrally-managed "thin" APs and others that deny access to virus-infected laptops.

Bill asks, "How many of you do not have wireless networks in your facilities? Wanna make a bet?" Bill notes current products that can detect and shut down "rogue" APs, which represent a severe security risk.

He clarifies all those 802.11 suffixes you may not know about. 802.11B and G are familiar, and 802.11A provides more channels and coverage. Then there's the high-level encryption of 802.11I, which can integrate with authentication servers. 802.11E isn't ratified yet, but a subset provides good QOS features. 802.11N, when ratified, will provide higher speed and relax line-of-sight requirements. Fast roaming, vendor-specific for now, will be standardized by 802.11R. 802.11S will standardize mesh networking. 802.11V and 802.11K provide network and client management.

Bill wraps up with recommendations for choosing among protocols and products.

The Q&A covers the use of wireless protocols outside the U.S. and tools that help you plan for good coverage and survey your coverage after deployment.

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William Y. Terrill is senior analyst with Burton Group, a research and consulting firm, where he specializes in wireless networking, including fixed and mobile communications. With more than 20 years of experience in LAN/WAN technology as a product developer, development manager, systems integrator, and product manager, he has expertise in network operating systems definition and development, wireless networking, network management, network protocols, fault-tolerant computing, and enterprise and regional WLAN deployments. Terrill has focused on fault-tolerant LAN and WLAN technologies and management for the last fourteen years with Tandem Computers, Network TeleSystems, Intermec Technologies, and F5 Networks. He is a frequent speaker and contributor to related IT publications.

Resources:

• Burton Group
• Burton Group Catalyst Conference

This program is from the Burton Group Catalyst 2005 series.

For Team ITC:

• Description editor: Steve Williams
• Post-production audio engineer: George Hawthorne