Wireless networks growing in popularity

Companies want network technology to help increase productivity, says Gartner.

Growing numbers of corporations are planning to install wireless network technology, according to a Gartner survey.

Some 64 per cent of businesses are planning to increase wireless local-area network (WLAN) deployment during the next 12 months, analysts say.

For most of those planning to take on wireless, the primary motivation is improving the productivity of workers by allowing them constant access to business system.

Wireless LANs are becoming a standard part of enterprise networks, covering entire facilities, not just meeting rooms, says Gartner analyst Rachna Ahlawat.

"However, as wireless LANs expand from conference rooms to the whole enterprise, concerns about security and network management are rising," she said.

"We’ve gone from thinking of offices as network nodes to considering each employee as a node on a wired network. Now, every major physical item the company owns is becoming a node on a wireless network."

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