upfront

A mobile systems guide on the buy vs. build decision

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 20:01:36 -0400

Deploying a mobile computing strategy for the enterprise requires a bit of work upfront as systems, applications, security and networking requirements should all be directly tied into the specific needs and business processes of your mobile workforce. Once these needs have been determined, it's time to choose a mobile device, a software platform, a wireless service provider, whether you'll host inside or out and a means for back-office integration. Finally, there's the actual implementation and system management. Here's a great map for each of those decisions and the numerous issues and questions that can arise during each of these steps. Article

Editor's Corner

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 19:01:40 -0500

During this week's news crawl on what's happening with wireless technologies in general, I came across some pretty interesting news: While there still may be some debate over how much VoIP efforts can save an enterprise, new research makes it pretty clear that it's going to take longer and require more work than most tech leaders estimate. A new study by Nemertes Research, based on interviews and discussions with nearly 200 IT leaders between 2004 and 2005 on VoIP deployments, indicates that deployment will take twice as long as most expect. On top of that, a great deal more upfront planning is required. In 2004 the average time devoted to upfront planning, installation, troubleshooting and training was 52 minutes per user, states the report. That figure jumped to 133 minutes last year. Why? According to Nemertes, VoIP is just getting more complex. Check out the Computerworld article to learn more.

Airports going wireless isn't earth shattering news at this point, but learning how the project went and the lessons learned is pretty valuable and interesting. In Atlanta, airport tech leaders have rolled out two wireless nets that cover all the concourses and gates. The system is an add-on to the airport-wide public access local area network that was switched on last fall. As the airport's CIO explains, the new networks help create a foundation that supports data, voice and video throughout the entire airport.

So given what Atlanta and many other municipal entities are doing these days, it's no surprise that metro WiFi will cover more than 120,000 miles in just four years. That's an extraordinary jump from the current 1,500 miles now blanketed with wireless networks. The Tekrati research report is a great trends piece on how fast and furious municipal wireless is happening around the country. - Judy

Editor's Corner

Sun, 04 Dec 2005 19:01:40 -0500

The best lessons in technology typically come from real-life experiences, and that's exactly what this interesting case study from NetworkWorld about Indiana University's wireless deployment effort provides. As the school's tech leader details in a great interview, embarking on a wireless project requires a lot of upfront work, site review and inspection and ensuring that your network will take into account all the various user groups who'll be needing service. While security was the big nut to tackle, Mark Bruhn also notes that making strong policy about individual wireless connectivity is also a key element to good wireless networking. If you get time this week, read the interview; it offers some unique insight into how actual deployments go and the lessons learned from them. - Judy