The whole point of this article is meant to say that industry does not need a new set of products or services specific to wireless networks. I disagree.

The complexity of securing a wireless network with non-specific vendor solutions is intense and ususally DOES need a complete review of the existing security.

The writer touched on eliminating RF emissions outside the building, or parking lot. In my experience, this is not possible in a corporate environment. It's even difficult for the military. Remember the days of Russian Trawlers? Stopping RF leakage has been a problem for a long time.

And to merely brush off the fact that all wireless traffic can be VLAN'd and sent back through the VPN is, among other problems, missing a key issue: Bandwidth.

A high-end VPN can handle about 100 Mbps throughput. How many wireless users at 6 Mbps (not to mention 54 Mbps) does it take to fill up that pipe? Also, routing all of your wireless traffic out to the the edge of the network, then back in again to a local resource, like a file server in the building, would chew up a lot of between-building fiber for no good reason. One could set up standard VPNs in every building near the resource. But current pricing models would be high and management would be nightmarish.

This is why enterprises need vendors (and products) with solutions specifically addressing security and efficiency in a wireless environment for wireless users.


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Link to this comment: http://www.securityfocus.com/comments/columns/75/11998#11998