Will your WLAN cope
with the mobile era?
Make sure you have the capacity and
NEW RESEARCH REVEALS MORE
USERS AND DEVICES ARE FLOODING
THE CORPORATE WLAN THAN EVER
BEFORE. ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE
SUFFICIENT CAPACITY AND SECURITY
TO RIDE THE WIRELESS WAVE?
Mobile working has gone mainstream. Goodbye desktop; hello laptop, smartphone and tablet. A new survey has revealed that enterprise IT departments are turning their back on the static PC in favour of mobile devices.
Despite predictions that worldwide tablet shipments would increase by nearly 70 per cent in 2013,1 it is the laptop that takes poll position in the enterprise IT stakes. According to
the Computacenter research, 72 per cent of employees now work on company-owned laptops while only a third of users have been issued with corporate smartphones. The survey sounds the death knell for the domination of the desktop, with only 4 in 10 employees now using what was once the doyenne of workplace IT. By 2017, portable PC shipments are predicted to be double that of their static desktop counterparts.2
More devices, more connectivity
The ascendancy of mobile devices in the workplace has been accelerated by the BYOD phenomenon. Rather than wait to be issued with a company tablet or smartphone, employees simply took their personal devices to work. And there they’ve stayed. According to the Computacenter survey, more than 60 per cent of employees now use personal tablets or smartphones in the workplace.
Initially shunned by IT departments due to security risks and support challenges, BYOD is gaining greater corporate acceptance – and being subjected to greater governance. The research reveals that 72 per cent of organisations have a policy for allowing the use of personal devices in the workplace. In 2012, only 61 per cent of companies had such a policy.3
The amalgamation of personal and corporate devices in the workplace means that employees interact with a variety of different devices during the day – both for personal and work purposes. For example, 85 per cent of employees use a laptop, 75 per cent use a smartphone and 47 per cent use a tablet or similar device.
All of these devices need connectivity – and not just during working hours. The
Computacenter survey reveals that employees are just as active outside traditional office hours, with 77 per cent using personal and corporate devices after working hours.
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The WLAN grows up
The mobile revolution means a lot of the traffic from these devices is heading straight to the corporate WLAN - whether it is ready or not. Nearly 80 per cent of employees get their connectivity from the corporate Wi-Fi network.
Most of today’s WLANs were not designed for such intense levels of activity. Originally intended to provide Internet access for guests, WLANs were the side order for the main dish of the day: the LAN. As such they lack reliability, capacity and security.
But in today’s mobile-enabled workplace, the WLAN is fast becoming the most popular ingredient in the corporate networking menu. As Gartner confirms: “The need for increased mobility within the enterprise, as well as the availability of connectivity outside the four walls through service provider Wi-Fi, means that wireless will be more than an overlay technology.”4
To ensure the WLAN can live up to its new role, organisations need to scale up and lock down their existing infrastructure. As Gartner observes: “Today, the enterprise WLAN is typically limited to conference rooms and reception areas. To meet employees’ needs, intra-site Wi-Fi must extend across the entire site, thus becoming the primary method of connectivity at the LAN edge.”4
One of the most basic requirements for enabling wall-to-wall wireless connectivity is increased wireless access point coverage. Coverage requirements will be different for every organisation based on their mobility profile.
To right-size wireless coverage based on current and future mobility requirements, organisations need to undertake a thorough assessment of their current infrastructure. This will help determine and prioritise WLAN optimisation and expansion initiatives. The need to ramp up corporate wireless capacity is leading to increased expenditure by IT departments. According to Gartner, WLAN continues to be the fastest-growing segment in the enterprise network equipment market. It predicts that end-user spending will double during the next five years, with a forecast CAGR of 15.7 per cent.5
But a wireless everywhere approach doesn’t have to result in more expense. According to Gartner, “enterprises that deploy WLAN throughout the enterprise can eliminate running a cable to every office or cubicle. In greenfield installations, this can save as much as 30 per cent over an all-wired installation.”6
WLAN optimisation checklist
• Are you aware of the ’noise’ levels from conflicting devices on the same spectrum?
• Do you have an accurate graphical representation of wireless coverage across your estate?
• How much effort does it take to manage your wireless environment? • Do you have a centralised visibility of both your wired and wireless
environment from a single management pane?
• Can your infrastructure and management approach adapt as standards emerge and evolve?
Closing the security gap
As well as investing in more capacity, organisations need to strengthen wireless security – and not just at the infrastructure layer. Devices, data, applications and access points all need to be protected against the heightened security risks that come with greater mobility.
A survey by security analyst Ponemon revealed that 80 per cent of organisations believe laptops and other mobile data bearing devices pose a significant enterprise security risk.7
With wireless connectivity blurring where the corporate network starts and ends, organisations need to develop a security strategy that encompasses wired and wireless connectivity as well as mobile and fixed workplace devices. Establishing context-based security policies across the entire infrastructure will help strengthen access management for mobile users and devices.
A more robust and intelligent approach to security is particularly key given the growing use of public Wi-Fi networks: Computacenter’s research reveals that 35 per cent of corporate users connect via this method on a regular basis.
To limit exposure to the worms and viruses that feed on public Wi-Fi, IT departments need to ensure all mobile devices – employee and employer owned – feature up-to-date firewall and anti-virus software. Providing VPN access will also ensure the encryption of corporate data while it traverses public networks.
Encryption is increasingly being seen as an important weapon in the mobility security battle. A TechTarget survey revealed that 48 per cent of organisations planned to deploy laptop encryption in 2013 while 41 per cent planned to do the same for mobile devices.8
Context-based security measures are also important, as they help to identify if a user and their device are genuine based on how, when and where they normally access the WLAN and the activities they engage in.
Failure to take such additional security measures could not only expose the enterprise to damaging information breaches but also financial penalties. It’s estimated that over the course of 12 months, a large enterprise can expect to rack up an average bill of $429,000 from mobility-related security issues.9
Computacenter: the wired and wireless experts
• Computacenter has a 30-year track record in networking, working with customers such as Morrisons and O2
• We have a dedicated networking and security practice that helps customers understand the impact of new technologies and trends
• Computacenter offers an end-to-end service – from sourcing and design to implementation and ongoing support
More Information
For more information please visit: www.computacenter.com/securitygap
Unlock the mobility advantage
By getting wireless security and capacity right, organisations will be able to realise the full business benefits of greater mobility in the workplace - whether it’s increased productivity or profitability.
With results like these, mobility is no longer an option; it’s an obligation. And so too is a robust and secure WLAN. Without an effective enterprise WLAN, there will be no mobile connectivity. Without an effective enterprise WLAN, there will be no mobile workforce. The WLAN is not just a network; it’s a business enabler. And a game-changer.
More Information
For more information please visit our Networking pages at: www.computacenter.com/network
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Those organisations leading the mobility charge, ‘the innovators’, have already
seen their revenues grow by
44%
For the traditionalists, this growth has been limited toComputacenter (UK) Ltd Hatfield Avenue
Hatfield
Computacenter is a leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services and solutions. From desktop to data centre, we help our customers minimise the cost and maximise the value of IT to their businesses. We can advise organisations on IT strategy, implement the most appropriate technology, optimise its performance, and manage elements of our customers’ infrastructures on their behalf.
Sources
1 Gartner Press Release, http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2408515 2 www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24129913
3 www.computacenter.com/news/GenerationZ/
4 Service Provider Wi-Fi Will Drive Changes in Enterprise Wireless LANs, Gartner, February 2013 5 Forecast Analysis: Enterprise Network Equipment, Worldwide, 1Q13 Update, Gartner, May 2013 6 2013 State of the Endpoint, Ponemon Institute, December 2012
7 http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/feature/IT-Security-Trends-2013-Mobile-security-concerns-tops-the-list 8 Symantec State of Mobility 2012
