Pilot WLANs disappoint

A recent survey of 150 enterprises by network management vendor Logicalis found that over 80 percent did not have an accurate understanding of the benefits and management issues of WLANs. As a result, many firms that had tested WLAN technology had been disappointed.

Tim Wadey, Logicalis director of consulting services, said, "Deploying pilot solutions without proper thought will result in unnecessary cost, risk and poor user experience. It is imperative that businesses consider the strategic view, even when contemplating pilot deployments."

Ninety-eight percent of those surveyed had already deployed wireless technologies or expressed an interest in deploying them in the next year and 80 percent had implemented a pilot WLAN. But only 55 percent of the deployed WLANs had been kept active.

The 45 percent of organisations that had piloted a WLAN and then abandoned it cited security concerns, budgetary restraints and a perceived lack of connectivity compared with their wired infrastructure as the reasons why they had stopped using the technology.

Logicalis argued that when planning a pilot of any new technology, firms should develop a long-term plan for a full rollout.

Logicalis said that for WLAN systems, the first step is to carry out a survey of the location, and security should be implemented as if it were a long-term deployment.

It added that firms should carefully compare equipment before choosing the kit they want to deploy and should note that cheaper consumer devices may introduce weaknesses. And newer switches from vendors such as Aruba may offer more security and easier management.