Wireless technology is booming in the IT department

Managing evolving wireless technologies and increasing user needs is a daunting task for many IT managers. From Wi-Fi to smart phones, wireless technology is widely used in enterprises of all sizes and has become the source of increasing concern for many IT officials.

Brad Wright, vice president of global communications technology at jacbs Engineering Group, said in an email that wireless technology has aroused great worries in large IT business units. In Pasadena, California, there are 400 wireless users in more than 15 thousand locations.

Wright said it was very difficult to support such large-scale Wireless Settings. However, it is more difficult to deal with evolving technical needs and increasing user needs.

Most of the 10 IT managers interviewed in this article said their organizations had kept up with the task of implementing and supporting wireless technology. However, some have expressed concern that their IT department maintains control over its wireless systems and ensures their security capabilities in front of a large number of new applications and smartphones. They predict that the situation will become more difficult with the application of next-generation technologies such as wireless video and voice over wi-fi networks.

Observers said that in implementing complex wireless systems, IT operations in some universities have exceeded their enterprise counterparts. Jimmy Graham, Network Service Manager at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, said, the school's IT Manager uses the 802.11n Wireless LAN of Aruba Networks to send 17 IP-based TV programs to the dormitory. This cost is much lower than providing TV services through coaxial cables or Ethernet.

Analysts said such a project puts Free Universities ahead in mobile games, at least for the time being.

Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates LLC, said that in fact, few companies can really understand the results of future wireless transformations. Using mobile devices to access video streams, real-time collaboration, and cloud computing-based applications will have a profound impact on enterprise networks, security, and device and user management.

ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG is responsible for service management and mobility system designer John Rinaldi to support mobile IT needs of approximately 15 thousand employees. He suggested that enterprises need to set up specialized departments or have senior officials supervise wireless work of enterprises.

Ken Dulaney, analyst at Gartner, a market research firm, said these challenges are currently shaping networking, security, and software to achieve a unified set of capabilities. Networks are becoming borderless, but their capabilities are different.