Fast and loose - the benefits of wireless
High-speed wireless technology has brought huge benefits to organisations of all kinds. Linda More talks to IT leaders working in five very different sectors about their experiences
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue deploys VPN technology to ensure a secure communication channel with its headquarters
Wireless technologies have finally come of age for serious business use and mission-critical applications. While super-fast wireless connectivity is certainly part of this revolution, it is the ability to interoperate and seamlessly integrate a range of wireless technologies that is starting to deliver ground-breaking benefits. Companies are now deploying wireless systems to solve previously unfathomable problems.
For Colin Kennedy, IT manager at parcel delivery specialists DPD Ireland, wireless technology is the bedrock for customer-pleasing service innovations such as real-time proof of delivery.
“The advances in wireless technology mean there are many applications that can now be integrated into the company’s mobile computing solution,” says Kennedy. The integration of GPS information with its wireless infrastructure has enabled the firm to roll out satellite navigation, location and tracking, work scheduling and remote mobile device management services.
“Parcels are our business, and it is no longer enough to deliver the parcel, we have to prove that it arrived safely and on time,” says Kennedy. “Our wireless infrastructure supports the real-time flow of our 450,000 daily transaction reports between 38 depots and 350 vans.”
Staff at Professional Witnesses are also using the integration of location-based technologies with wireless systems to deliver additional peace of mind. The company provides protection services to money couriers, so being able to pinpoint employees’ locations helps reduce the risks. The company uses an application embedded in a BlackBerry to track staff.
“The BlackBerry gives us an accurate, real-time picture of where our staff are – this is vital to ensure lone-worker protection and also offers them instant help when they need it,” says Trevor Barton, chairman of Professional Witnesses.
If an alarm is raised, the GPS chip sends location information and the voice channel is immediately opened, so the central control room can assess the situation and summon help if needed.
Wireless technologies are also at the heart of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue service’s efforts to enhance its major incident strategy. It has equipped four of its command support units with self-seeking satellite virtual private network (VPN) technology, providing a secure communication channel back to headquarters.
These vehicles are deployed across the six counties and provide essential assistance in the event of a major incident.
“On average they are used a couple of times each week,” says Robin Bigger, assistant group commander and regional control centre technical manager.
Reports have highlighted that the emergency services could encounter communication difficulties during and following a major incident.
“Using satellite VPN and other local wireless technologies, we are safeguarding ourselves against these occurrences,” says Bigger.
The units are also equipped with cameras and thermal imaging technology to assist in tackling blazes. The cameras are mounted on hydraulic platforms that have been equipped with wireless access points – and the data is shared using a secure local network for firefighters at the scene, while a combination of encryption tools, Wi-Fi connectivity and mesh network coverage enables the information to be relayed to central command.
“Getting pictures back to the incident commander gives them improved situational awareness, allowing them to maximise firefighter activity while ensuring their safety and that of the public,” says Bigger. “If they can see what is happening on the roof, they can make better-informed decisions.”
Satellite VPN technology is performing well for the brigade across a range of operating environments, and especially in rural and remote areas. When in urban areas with tall buildings, laser direction-finding equipment is used to ensure that the command centre vehicle is parked in a location with a good line of sight.
Fast and loose - the benefits of wireless
High-speed wireless technology has brought huge benefits to organisations of all kinds. Linda More talks to IT leaders working in five very different sectors about their experiences
The ability to use wireless communications to link up colleagues is also being exploited by doctors at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust. Its secure wireless network allows consultant neurosurgeon Dorothy Lang to share her expertise even when she is off site.
“I can sit – in the hospital or at home – and look at scans of people on the Channel Islands and advise remotely on their treatment,” she says. “When you are dealing with head injuries, brain haemorrhages, strokes, acute brain attacks or spinal injuries, speed is important. The wireless system allows us to make decisions on patients much more quickly, without the delay of travelling back to the hospital when off duty.”
The fact that most staff are not desk-bound makes wireless technology particularly attractive, says Ryan Hewitt, senior network and security engineer at the trust. “We have a mobile workforce – 75 per cent of our staff are not desk based, so neither should their clinical systems be,” he says.
The hospital’s first wireless deployment, using technology from Aruba, provided operating theatres with access to digitised X-rays viewed on high-resolution screens. “When you have a sterile environment, it’s crazy to drill holes to put in cabling,” says Hewitt.
The investment in wireless technology has been accompanied by a focus on changing the way the hospital’s staff work. Instead of using pagers, key staff wear Wi-Fi-enabled, push-button badges around their necks. At the touch of a button the voice channel is activated, allowing staff to request a contact’s name or title and then stay with their patient until the call comes back.
For oil and gas consultancy Petrotechnics, the ability to communicate effectively with field staff is crucial. For example, when Russian troops invaded Georgia last year, Petrotechnics had a team of staff working on the oil pipeline that runs between the two countries.
“The local mobile networks went into a bit of a meltdown,” says Holmes. “But we retained the ability to connect through our global T-Mobile network with a range of BlackBerrys, personal instant messaging and other data devices and co-ordinate a safe evacuation of our people to Azerbaijan,” says Ken Holmes, systems and infrastructure team lead.
Petrotechnics operates in remote and hostile places, from the North Sea to the Amazon forest. Communication between employees and its major oil and gas customers is essential.
“Mobile communications used to rely on a phone and a remote connection on a customer’s site,” says Holmes. “Now we use BlackBerry devices with T-Mobile and we have users worldwide on the system with consistently excellent global coverage, without the costs escalating.”
When landline communications between offices were lost for a day, business carried on
as usual as staff continued to receive email and voice calls on their mobile devices.
“That day alone proved the worth of the system – the mobile technology has introduced an additional level of contingency into our fixed infrastructure,” says Holmes.
With fourth-generation (4G) wireless technologies such as WiMax and LTE (Long Term Evolution) on the way, the potential for new applications looks immense. Higher network capacity in metropolitan areas, faster speeds and improved spectrum efficiencies suggest emerging 4G technologies will help to ensure that wireless continues to be a seamless, integrated and secure part of the daily technology mix.
Fast and loose - the benefits of wireless
High-speed wireless technology has brought huge benefits to organisations of all kinds. Linda More talks to IT leaders working in five very different sectors about their experiences
Five key wireless technologies
Long Term Evolution (LTE)
LTE is one of the next major steps in wireless broadband delivery, offering increased capacity, higher speeds and lower latency. Based on pure IP protocols, LTE promises richer communication including enhanced voice, video and messaging services and advanced multimedia solutions. One problem facing LTE introduction is that the frequencies planned for the new wireless service are different from existing GSM and 3G networks, so new antenna will be required at most cell sites.
WiMax
A companion to LTE in the faster 4G sector is WiMax, a broadband wireless standard that has been around for a little while. Using licensed and unlicensed spectra, WiMax delivers a point-to-point connection to the internet from service provider to user and has been developed mainly to support wireless metropolitan networks with a transmission range of a few kilometres. LTE and WiMax offer different functions and each will find their niche within the wireless market.
Satellite communications
Useful for very remote users or as an alternative to terrestrial communications systems, satellite communications overcome some of the issues of geography and terrorist activity. Very small aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite communication systems are an attractive option when the coverage area is large, quick installation is required and when terrestrial alternatives are difficult to organise. Implement a VPN (virtual private network) on top for secure end-to-end communication.
GPS
The global positioning system (GPS), originally a US military project, is often used by civilians for navigation purposes. While GPS has been available for some time, its integration into mobile phones and other handheld devices is leading to the development of new applications that can make use of its absolute location, relative movement or accurate time-data feeds.
Mesh networks
A mesh network is made up of a number of nodes either workstations or other devices directly connected to each other and can offer increased reliability and redundancy. Due to the increased availability of Wi-Fi-enabled devices, a new breed of mobile mesh network is emerging. Known as Manets (mobile ad hoc networks) these can be used for communication between moving users and/or a fixed central location. Add fixed internet nodes into the equation and iManets (internet-based mobile ad hoc networks) appear.
As nodes are mobile, the network topology may change rapidly and unpredictably over time.