Security matters

Security policies should be given more importance as wireless networks have come to stay

However, wireless networks add an extra level of security complexity compared to wired networks.

While wired networks send electrical signals or pulses of light through cable, wireless radio signals propagate through the air and are, therefore, easier to intercept.

Signals from most wireless LANs pass through exterior walls and into nearby streets or parking lots; it is hard to contain where the signal may travel.

Anyone can intercept those airwaves so security solutions are essential to protect one's network and computers from hackers.

Says Sumit Kumar, Regional Sales Manager, US Robotics, MENA, "Security or peace of mind is one of the most important items in the networking field today. There have been a few scares about wireless security in recent years and US Robotics and the industry have worked on providing solutions to those issues and concerns."

Security features

On the whole, today's perception holds that wireless networks are now secure enough to use in the vast majority of homes, and many businesses. Security features such as 128-bit WEP and WPA can scramble or encrypt network traffic so snoopers cannot easily decipher information.

Likewise, wireless routers and access points incorporate access control features such as MAC address filtering that deny network requests from unwanted clients. Kumar agrees and says, "With the advent of WPA2 - to use the common name - for most small business and home market, security of the network has been solved.

"However, it continues for financial institutions. It will still need a lot more systems in place to provide a much higher level of security."

These concerns have been reflected in the growth of the network security appliance market.

Infonetics Research has found that revenues from security appliances and applications rose globally four per cent in the second quarter of 2005 and expects revenues to jump 23 per cent by the second quarter of 2006, reaching $1.3 billion (about Dh5 billion).

It is hard to believe that even in today's world where internet can be a dangerous place, full of viruses and hackers intent on doing harm to one's network, there are companies that do not have clear security policies in place.

Says Kumar, "In practise a lot of people are so happy when they get the basic network operational that they don't continue with the extra step of adding in the security.

"In the market today most products lead the customer through a set-up process where the network is done first and then the security is added as a second thought."

US Robotics in its latest range to be announced at Gitex have taken a different approach.

"The network and security set up are done in one process. The security set up has been simplified with the products doing far more of the work for the user, so in practise the installation and set up of a network is no more difficult with security on the new US Robotics products than existing products without security," says Kumar.