Businesses are finally recognizing the value mobility brings, not only in terms of augmenting employee productivity, but also in decreasing the time needed to respond to shifts in market dynamics or competitive threats. With each generation of employee, the growing appetite for mobility is fed by the growth in devices capable of connectivity across diverse networks. Yet, while the business value of mobility is compelling, true technophiles will revel more in the technical advancements that serve as the foundation for the new mobile business.

Perhaps the most misconstrued notion surrounding the concept of business mobility is that it is only about wireless. Certainly, excitement around new technologies like 802.11n is warranted. Still, solving the security concerns of 802.11 technologies was a precursor to the more critical need of delivering wireless networks capable of approaching the reliability and performance of wired networks. Much like 802.11i did for wireless security concerns, 802.11n augments wireless performance and reliability to the point where, for most businesses, it is now viable for pervasive deployments.

Across the board, more users are relying on the wireless network as their primary medium for connectivity. Before a business can make the leap to what many are hailing as the arrival of the all-wireless office, however, a few points should be considered. First, the role of IT is to provide a communications infrastructure that is flexible to meet business requirements for agility. Second, remember that you cannot have wireless without wired.

By all accounts, the pace of business has increased, thanks to the Internet and the increased velocity of information. More than ever, IT is besieged with requests for new tools and applications to enhance business processes. While some of these applications may be counter to the end goal of delivering business utility, most of them are beneficial. Yet, few people can predict what new applications will emerge or how those applications will perform across different networks.

IT must provide a communications infrastructure that is flexible enough to meet the requirements of any application that may emerge.

As a result, IT must provide a communications infrastructure that is flexible enough to meet the requirements of any application that may emerge. Simply put, a unified wired and wireless network covers all bases. An all-wired or, conversely, all-wireless network will be suitable for some, but not all applications.

Network-intensive applications like backup, digital imaging and computer-aided design perform better over a wired network. Collaborative applications like instant messaging and presence, along with business applications like e-mail and Web browsing, are enhanced with wireless.

Furthermore, any well-designed wireless network has, at its core, a robust wired network. Next-generation wireless technologies like 802.11n are as much about optimization and performance of the wired network as they are about enhancements to the wireless. New 802.11n access points require Gigabit Ethernet connectivity to meet the throughput demands of an army of new 802.11n devices. Delivering network-based power from a single switch port to fully support the requirements of 802.11n is key to deployment and operational simplicity.

Thus, counter to many of the statements that have circulated in the media recently, 802.11n does not signal the death of Ethernet. Rather, it introduces the possibility of an integrated wired and wireless network capable of consistent performance and service delivery.

The performance improvements ushered in by 802.11n create new opportunities for enhanced business mobility–an office where users have consistent application experiences Chris Kozup regardless of their method of connectivity, where IT can decrease operational complexities through common policies and services across any network access medium.

Chris Kozup is a senior manager within the mobility solutions team with Cisco Systems, San Jose, Calif. He is responsible for market development and strategy for Cisco's portfolio of enterprise wireless networking products and solutions.

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