Auditing, risk assessment a mandate

If you've spent more than a few years toiling in the IT environment, you probably remember the days of 'hubs' and how excited everyone was to plug them into corporate networks. You also probably remember the horrible experience related to the security risks involved in making such a move. The same is true with today's wireless networks, which is why experts are pushing IT leaders to implement and establish strong audit processes and procedures. Risks come from several different segments of the network system and wireless LANs are much more insecure than internal network environments.

The continual quest to get users access everywhere and anywhere creates a substantial security element. Tech leaders need to assess this security threat and then formulate approaches to stop intruders and protect the information being shared. One of the easiest and most common strategies is using the hidden service set identifier, but that isn't foolproof since it also relies on the user's knowledge and responsibility. That's why auditing has become such a valuable tool. As enterprise use a variety of security tools to keep intruders out, the wireless review must become part of the annual IT risk assessment effort. It's the only way potential wireless problems can be treated, like the traditional network issues of authentication, access control, availability and encryption. Article