The need for pervasive mobility in enterprise networks will eventually lead to 802.11 wireless technologies replacing current enterprise Ethernet deployments. That is the word from the Burton Group, which predicts that improvements in 802.11n and its successor products will begin to erode the switched Ethernet market.

According to analyst Paul DeBeasi of Burton Group, “The 802.11n draft standard, although unfinished, is the beginning of the end for wired Ethernet as the dominant LAN access technology in the enterprise. Gigabit Ethernet provides better throughput, latency and jitter performance than 802.11n. But who cares? For many enterprises, 802.11n performance is good enough.”

DeBeasi suggests enterprises should consider 802.11n as a LAN access substitute for wired Ethernet when:

the number of laptop users is growing;
the enterprise uses mobile applications;
Fast Ethernet throughput is sufficient;
the enterprise deploys voice over Internet protocol;
moves/adds/changes are made frequently;
the risk of deliberate DoS attacks is low to moderate; or
Ethernet cable installation is difficult.

"Pervasive mobility is the ability of workers to remain connected to the LAN regardless of where they are located within the enterprise,” he explains. “One can analyze the differences between 802.11 and Ethernet with respect to performance, security, manageability, cost and impact on staff. However, the definitive and unalterable competitive advantage that 802.11 has over Ethernet is the ability to provide pervasive mobility. Employees want the convenience that being untethered provides."

According to Burton Group, growing consumer use of 802.11 will drive the demand for pervasive mobility. “As the number of mobile phone users quickly approaches one half of the world’s population,” says DeBeasi, “the demand for mobile communications will increase. Teen mobile communication usage is soaring, driving the next generation of employees to expect pervasive mobility in the workplace.”

He sees a number of additional drivers of the trend. Laptop and notebook computers now outsell desktop PCs and virtually all laptops now come equipped with 802.11 embedded on the motherboard (and will be 802.11n-capable by the end of 2008).

The growing demand for voice over WLAN (VoWLAN) will also push the transition to 802.11n as the preferred LAN access technology, he says. “It is clear that the market for VoWLAN phones is growing and evolving. As the demand for VoWLAN grows, so does the need for 802.11n. VoWLAN systems have already found wide acceptance in manufacturing, medical and retail environments.”

A BlackBerry in every pocket

The use of hand-held devices is growing among organizations with 1,000 or more employees, with two-thirds of those surveyed by Sage Research reporting they currently use BlackBerry devices, PDAs, smart phones or PDA phones. The catch, however, is these deployments are not widespread within these organizations.

One-third of those polled that use BlackBerry devices, for example, only provide them to 10 percent of their employees–typically upper management, sales staff, IT staff and teleworkers. Of course, for most organizations those are the people most in need of such remote connectivity–and they have their preferences and concerns.

BlackBerry devices (no surprise) are the preferred device by far among those surveyed by Sage, with 49 percent choosing them over products from Nokia, Motorola, Symbol and Dell. Apple’s iPhone was not part of the study. BlackBerry devices also received the highest marks for innovation, reliability, design and pricing.

The most important concern of IT decision makers when providing employees with handhelds is lost or stolen devices (again, no surprise). Seventy-two percent were worried about compromising data contained on lost or stolen devices, and 41 percent cited replacement costs as a chief worry.

What features do users consider most essential in their handhelds? Calendar access (41 percent) was the top application, followed by corporate e-mail access (35 percent), corporate directory access (35 percent), text messaging (34 percent), and corporate voice mail (33 percent).

Google apps? Take your time

Earlier this year, Google announced Google Apps Premier Edition (GAPE), a collaboration and communication solution offered as software as a service (SaaS). Initially combining a portal, e-mail, instant messaging, calendars, document sharing, and concurrent document creation–all for the price of $50 per user per year–the solution rapidly caught enterprises’ imaginations.

Companies looking at GAPE need to get comfortable with three main areas before moving ahead: the SaaS delivery model, the capabilities of the solution and Google as a company.

A SaaS-based solution can be a challenge for certain companies. For example, some SaaS solutions assume that an Internet connection is always available; financial institutions prefer that corporate information be stored behind the corporate firewall; and support via a Web site can be a shock to companies used to frequent face-to-face meetings with suppliers.

GAPE initially came out of Google’s consumer product line. This accounts for the product’s clean, easy-to-use interface. Unfortunately, it also accounts for the product’s gaps in functionality, such as the lack of user roles, no departmental categories and minimal records-management capabilities.

Finally, Google itself can take some getting used to. The company has a history of releasing incomplete products, calling them beta software, and issuing updates on a “known only to Google” schedule. Furthermore, some companies are leery of entrusting their corporate documents to a company that makes its living from analyzing content and displaying it to the world.

Google and its collaboration competitors (e.g., Cisco Systems, Microsoft and Oracle) will continue to improve the available options, and smart companies will find value in waiting for the market to mature before making a decision.

–Guy Creese, analyst, Burton Group, from “Google Apps in the Enterprise: A Promotion-Enhancing or Career-Limiting Move for Enterprise Architects?”

Mobile security a concern

There is a disconnect here somewhere. While more than half the CIOs at the 500 largest enterprises surveyed recently say technical product data, sales data and customer details are accessible on company mobile devices, and nearly one third indicate that company financial data is also accessible, only 12 percent reported that they have a total record of the data users store on their devices. Many of these devices also provide access to corporate networks.

The survey was conducted by independent research firm Coleman Parkes, and sponsored by Mformation Technologies. Two hundred CIOs and telecommunications directors in the United States and Europe were polled.

In the United States, 66 percent of CIOs reported they are very concerned about data loss from mobile devices. If a device falls into the wrong hands, the impact on a company’s competitive positioning, brand and reputation could be severe. Following are findings from the study:

63 percent of CIOs do not actively monitor the types of data that users are storing on their devices.
68 percent of companies say there is a considerable risk these devices will provide unauthorized access to corporate networks.
55 percent of CIOs fear that, over the next five years, mobile devices will increasingly be responsible for lost corporate data.

SHORT TAKES

You’ve got mail

Verizon Business will provide a new custom satellite network to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), enabling it to deliver voice and high-speed data to areas where wireline or wireless access is unavailable or too costly. The network, formally known as a VSAT satellite system, will provide point-to-point communications for about 5,000 USPS sites in the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico, and backup connectivity for a number of larger USPS sites. The service, with a contract value of $25 million, is being provided in conjunction with Spacenet, a satellite network services company. The network will provide high-performance converged communications capabilities, including simultaneous support for high-quality voice, video and broadband data.

Law management

The international law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP has deployed a managed Ethernet service from Yipes Enterprise Services to interconnect the firm’s six international offices, as well as its data center. The service, which provides bandwidth of up to 1 Gbps, enables Fried Frank to consolidate and centralize its data into a single data center accessible by all offices. “Fried Frank chose Yipes Ethernet service due to the bandwidth available at a lower total cost of ownership. This has allowed the firm to pursue our global goals,” says Steve Lewis, director of information systems of Fried Frank.

School supplies

The St. Paul School District in Minnesota has installed hundreds of Mini Max wall cabinets from APWMayville to improve IT capabilities in the classroom. Each cabinet houses a Cisco IT switch and a fiber panel that connects to various data drops in the classroom for computer connections. The fiber panel can handle up to 70 computer connections and an Ethernet backbone runs from each cabinet to the main school server, while various CAT 6 cables connect to main and intermediate distribution frames for server connections and electrical power. A UPS system backs up all power on the server rack in the main distribution frame.

Tools for IPT

Black & Decker has selected Avaya to build an IP telephony-based network for nearly 200 locations with highly diverse needs around the globe. The implementation will help the company improve productivity and customer service, control costs, and support new ways of doing business. The company’s facilities include large commercial offices, 11 call centers, manufacturing operations in 10 countries and more than 100 smaller retail or repair locations. “We needed a vendor who could support a staged migration to IP telephony in a global business with very basic to highly advanced telecom and telephony needs,” says Karen Dean, director, global telecommunications, Black & Decker.

EVENTS

Mobile Internet World, Nov. 13-15, Boston, brings together mobile technologies, products, systems and services in a three-day conference. www.mobilenetx.com

Gartner Identity & Access Management Summit 2007, Nov. 14-16, Los Angeles, features case studies and insights into security regulations and audits, as well as a focus on developing sound processes. www.gartner.com

Gartner Data Center Conference 2007, Nov. 27-30, Las Vegas, offers six tracks that explore the cost, growth and process of running a data center. www.gartner.com

2008 BICSI Winter Conference, Jan. 14-17, Orlando, offers forward-looking seminars in information transportation systems, as well as the latest products, methods, practices and solutions. www.bicsi.org