Will 2003 Be The Year Of Wireless LANs?Will 2003 Be The Year Of Wireless LANs?

The promise of high-speed wireless networks piques the interest of business-technology executives -- for a minute. Then they remember all the roadblocks: weak security, costly installations, complex management, and spotty coverage.

Vendors are trying to remove some of those problems with new technologies and partnerships that could pave the way for anytime, anywhere wireless communications. The wireless LAN market, expected by Cahners In-Stat to reach $2.8 billion by 2005, is ripe for innovation, and analysts expect about a dozen wireless LAN startups to launch this quarter alone.

This week, Aruba Wireless Networks opens its doors with 802.11 Wireless Fidelity products that address security, installation, and management. The vendor says its product eliminates the need for VPNs: A centralized switch manages Aruba's and other wireless-access devices, detecting unauthorized equipment and blocking communications to the corporate network. Aruba also automates the installation process.

The approach is different from that taken by vendors such as Cisco Systems, which distributes intelligence to remote-access devices. But as wireless LANs grow, it will be harder to manage them without centralized intelligence, says Chris Kozup, a Meta Group senior research analyst.

Meanwhile, Avaya, Motorola, and Proxim last week revealed plans to jointly develop technology that combines Wi-Fi, cellular, and IP telephony networks. Trials are expected in the second half of the year. "It's a lot of nice fluff, but it remains to be seen how they're actually going to achieve it," Kozup says.

For Larry Walls, CIO of Huntsville Hospital, any new developments are welcome. "We're cautiously deploying wireless LANs as fast as we can," Walls says with a laugh. Physicians at the health-care provider, which has 50 locations, are clamoring for wireless access to clinical records and other data. But, Walls says, "the encryption and the security are just not up to a standard we need."