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Home > Mobile Computing News > PDA theft troubles wireless network managers |
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LOS ANGELES -- While going wireless may seem like an inexpensive and simple leap to take, there are plenty of hidden costs and concerns, and chief among them is managing and securing wireless devices that are small, mobile -- and vulnerable. While a PDA may only cost $300, the total cost of ownership is much higher, said Anthony Smith, IT security manager with the Tennessee Valley Authority, an electricity generator in Knoxville, Tenn. It may cost many times more than the original price of the PDA to keep it updated and secure. Smith, who attended the Gartner Wireless Access, Mobile Business Solutions conference, is in the midst of pilot-testing a number of wireless projects, some based on wireless local area networks and others out in the field using connections over wide area networks. One of his priorities is to find a way to lock down sensitive data on a PDA if it is lost or stolen. Another access concern was raised by Michael Liebi, CEO of Tetrade, a Swiss consultancy. He works with Swiss train companies on wireless strategies. He said many train conductors use PDAs in their work, but it is common for them to have trouble configuring the devices. And when there are technology problems such as these, they can be hard to solve remotely, he said. Liebi said he was at the conference to look for companies that can help him to remotely configure PDAs. Several wireless technology vendors aim to solve such problems. Companies ranging from Computer Associates International Inc. and Novell Inc. to smaller players such as XcelleNet Inc., AirPrism Inc. and Eizel Technologies Inc. have tapped into this need and are offering products that help businesses remotely update devices over wireless networks, manage devices and secure them. Police cruisers and hot spots The Oakland, Calif., police department is using a product from Atlanta-based XcelleNet on its wireless system. In an effort to improve efficiency and performance, the department has placed laptops in every police cruiser. Those laptops have constant network connections, either through low-bandwidth radio frequency wireless or wireless hot spots. When officers enter hot spots, they can use the laptops to download large files, upgrade software or update content. When the cruiser leaves the hot spot, the process will stop until it gets to another wireless LAN node, where it will begin again from where it left off. In between, it performs only functions that are compatible with the low-bandwidth connection. This feature addresses widespread concern about the inconsistency of wireless networks, said Steve Robb, vice president of marketing with XcelleNet, during a panel discussion. George Kellar, vice president of marketing at Mahwah, N.J.-based Novadigm Inc., said his company has developed a system that allows mobile users to do their own updates through a Web-based interface rather than pushing the data to them or having an IT person do the work. He said one company he worked with saved more than $1 million on its Windows XP migration with this approach. Computer Associates International Inc. of Islandia, N.Y., has extended its Unicenter application for use with wireless local area networks as well as mobile devices. The application can be used to manage both the devices and the network. As companies get more real-world experience with wireless networks, it is becoming more apparent that the freedom of mobility has its costs as well. Smith said he was glad to see so many companies at the conference trying to reduce that cost. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Wireless could unify networks, conference speakers say The Best Web Links on wireless product reviews Drop by SearchNetworking.com's Wireless Info Center
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