Wireless Networking as the Best Networking Solution for an office

Wireless Networking as the Best Networking Solution for an Office

It's cheaper to deploy; there aren't any expensive cables to purchase, labour for cable pulling through tight conduits, purchasing matching socket faceplates, purchasing tools and devices for cable repair / troubleshooting.

There isn't any excessive wire clutter, no cables running too-an-fro on the desk for computer, printer, fax, phone or PDA. What's left? A clean desktop with only the mere unnoticeable power cables. It's very secure, in fact it is so secure it rivals it rival wire medium; with un-imaginable 1024 bit encryption, if the encryption key is lost, the data is no good for atleast a human generation. 802.11x Wireless networking simply put, is the most adequate solution for implementing a network within typical business office.

As a designer, planner and implementer of 802.11x Wireless networks, I am to argue that this awesome technology can simply replace any typical business wired network today. In fact as advances continued to be made with this technology all traditionally wired networks will eventually be replaced.

COST VS. BENEFIT

Ethernet cables must be run from each computer to another computer or to the central device. It can be time-consuming and difficult to run cables under the floor or through walls, especially when computers sit in different rooms. For most businesses, time is money, so the less time spent on installing the more money saved. A practical example: an office floor with twelve computers, a printer, fax and a file server; to connect all these devices together there would need to be twelve cable runs and depending on location within the office floor, there will be unsightly conduit. With a wireless network all the components can use 802.11x technology, whether "A" or "G" standards, to connect effortlessly together. The computers can use inexpensive internal wireless cards, while the printer and fax, if not standard with wireless, can use add-on components.

On a simple case study, a white paper looked at the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) based on a large manufacturer in North America. This large Fortune 100 Company has one headquarters office with multiple plants spread throughout the United States. Headquarters includes approximately 5000 employees with office space and manufacturing. Other plants range from 1500 to 2500 employees. (Cisco, 2005) It was found that "in total, the overall benefit of integration leads to an almost 50-percent reduction in TCO as amortized over five years. This model is conservative-it does not take into account the corporate revenue gained from the increased network availability. Additional refinement of the model taking into account the number of revenue-generating employees that are affected by network downtime would further demonstrate the dramatic benefits of an integrated solution". If Cisco; the networking company for the world, provider of the routing equipment used by ICNA for internet traffic and the most comprehensive provider of networking hardware, software and technical expertise, can demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of implementing wireless solution, then why should one continue argue?

Argue, the proponents of wired networks will, it is their right, but isn't the manufacturer of the equipment used for wired networks saying go wireless for business and enterprises? Clearly they are, in fact they are even providing evidence for it.

SECURITY

Usually a wireless network is generally considered to be a security threat because people outside your building can, if the implementation is not done correctly, listen in on your network traffic. If the traffic going over your wireless LAN is not encrypted then people outside your building may be able to read it. However the same applies to wire based network, that's why application level security and encryption is so important. If the conversations between everybody's email client and the email server are encrypted then it doesn't matter too much whether somebody is capturing the traffic (either inside or outside the building). They would be put to considerable inconvenience to decode the encrypted email traffic.

I once knew a