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Aruba Networks Swings Big At BYOD And More With ClearPass
February 21, 2012 09:00 AM
Gone are the days of simply providing good signal in the WLAN environment. Guest requirements, the new reality of the BYOD--or bring your own device--model and increasing reliance on the wireless network as a critical resource combine to make life complicated for us in the business of enterprise wireless networking. Aruba Networks is ready to answer the back-end challenges of contemporary wireless with its new ClearPass framework, and the impressive array of features is not limited to use by Aruba customers.
Centrify's New MDM Strategy Priced To Move
February 14, 2012 11:51 AM
The mobile device management space is relatively new, but is already showing signs of being a study in same-old, same-old. How much can you really do with Apple's API for iDevices, after all? Judging by the current players, you'd think that all MDM solutions require a stand-alone management server and yet another console to administer. Though many MDM vendors put different faces on the same basic functionality, Centrify promises a unique methodology, at a price you won't believe.
DocuSign Does Android
February 09, 2012 09:00 AM
One of the great promises of the mobile device explosion is increased productivity. But productivity is in the eye of the beholder, and many mobile users still haven't caught on to the notion that you can sign documents digitally, with a legally binding signature, from a mobile device. Whether the goal is paperwork reduction or expedience, DocuSign combines the power of digital ink and a slick, cloud-enabled document-handling framework to put an end to the likes of scanning and faxing. And now, those of us with Android devices can use DocuSign, too.
Dysfunction in DC--The Lightsquared Matter
February 07, 2012 09:00 AM
What happens when the federal agency that is charged with regulating communications in the US butts heads with other agencies who oversee the likes of national defense, transportation, and aviation over issues of potentially devastating radio interference? Why, you get the FCC's current very strange stance on Lightsquared, a wannabe mobile broadband wholesaler.
Prepare The Mobile Ship For Ludicrous Speed!
January 29, 2012 12:30 PM
Thinking back on the 1987 movie "Spaceballs," I picture a comical Dark Helmet standing on the bridge of his ship. In my mind, he holds a smartphone and contemplates the latest buzz on mobile network speeds, fresh from the International Telecommunications Union. As he ponders the 100-Mbps data speeds soon to be delivered by his preferred carrier, he utters the order, "Prepare for ludicrous speed," and the ship IMT-Advanced warps off to hyperspace at an impossibly crazy velocity. Speeds in the mobile data world are about to get quite exciting.
Meraki Ups The Cloud-Based Networking Ante
January 23, 2012 10:10 AM
Mainstream network players and those chasing them are out to erase the lines between wireless and wired networking. As the network edge gets redefined and the cloud makes its presence felt in LAN and WLAN spaces, announcements like Meraki's latest update are getting to be more commonplace--and exciting. With a number of interesting product updates to share, Meraki is starting 2012 with a bang.
Nearbuy Brings Shopper Analytics To Retail Wi-Fi Spaces
January 18, 2012 09:00 AM
As more consumers prowl store aisles equipped with smartphones, retailers have multiple reasons to want to harness the capabilities of these user endpoints for their own benefit. Nearbuy Systems is bringing an interesting tool set to merchants that should also benefit tech-savvy shoppers with its new Captive Portal and analytics utilities.
Shared Data Plans Will Have Significant Impact
January 10, 2012 06:01 AM
As the major U.S. carriers get closer to unleashing shared data plans for mobile devices, it’s worth noting how this change in offering will likely impact both the private and corporate sides of the mobile client world. Smartphones and tablets have already been profoundly disruptive in a number of ways, and new multidevice data plans will only magnify the effect.
Cisco Delivers Long Awaited Wireless Management Upgrade
January 04, 2012 11:00 AM
While others in the wireless market seem to float one press release after another about new products and features, Cisco tends to be more deliberate in releasing its latest wireless offerings . In my opinion, Cisco has been a bit too slow in updating the company's aging wireless management framework for its market-leading customer base. But it's here now, and worth talking about.
Hey, Broadcom: Will 2012 Bring Us Gigabit Ethernet?
December 27, 2011 07:00 AM
We've come a long way since the early days of wireless networking. On the right 802.11n network today, you can see data rates of 300 Mbps and real throughput that tops Fast Ethernet speeds. But things change quickly in the wireless space, and after a recent conversation with chipmaker Broadcom, I can smell ridiculously fast wireless off in the distance.
Roll Your Own Interference Signatures With AirMagnet
December 16, 2011 02:13 PM
As anyone who has an understanding of Wi-Fi will tell you, interference is the one threat to the WLAN that you can't really do much to prevent from a configuration standpoint. When interference does show up, accurate classification and remediation can be the key to client success or frustration. Fluke Networks has just freshened up its AirMagnet Spectrum XT analysis tool as a leading weapon in the war on interference.
Thanks For Nothing, Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.)
December 08, 2011 11:13 AM
There are bad ideas, and then there are terrible ideas. The American citizenry is about to be dealt a doozy, courtesy of Lee Terry, the honorable Republican representative from Nebraska, and the rationale provided thus far on a bill that opens the door for abuse of our cell phone accounts is simply nonsensical. It's no secret that when politicians meddle in issues of technology, we common folk frequently end up paying for it. Unfortunately, we’re all on the fast track to being on the losing end of yet another Washington-enabled technology mistake, and there may be no way to stop it.
The Mighty Pen Will Change How We Do Mobile
December 06, 2011 08:49 AM
I remember getting my first stylus-equipped handheld computing devices. Back in the salad days of my multitouch input youth, a plastic-tipped pencil-looking thing that made chunky letters was slick stuff. Fast forward to today, and the tea leaves tell us that we may be on the edge of a new pen and multitouch input technology explosion, enabled by slick "active pens" that are a far cry from stylus devices of old.
Ruckus Shakes Up Auto RF Management With New Paradigm
November 30, 2011 08:10 AM
For those who worry about things like which channel large groups of wireless access points are on, there hasn't been a lot to get excited about during the last couple of years. For most "smart WLAN systems," you put your faith in a murky channel selection algorithm, respect that the 2.4-GHz band has only three non-overlapping channels, and hope that the vendor built the right intelligence into the product set. That changes with ChannelFly, the new channel selection method from Ruckus that challenges tradition and promises big payoff for those willing to try the new magic.
Smartphone Bloatware Is Bad For Everyone
November 23, 2011 09:29 AM
It was time to switch out my beloved Motorola Droid for something new. I did my research, placed my order, and was delighted after getting home from work one day to find that FedEx had done its thing. As I dug into learning and configuring my new device, I found myself experiencing another sentiment shared by fellow smartphoners--the angst of discovering that your device is loaded with garbage programs that you can’t remove. Ah, yes, bloatware.
Aerohive's $99 Branch Office Offering Is Not A Black Friday Sale
November 21, 2011 08:22 AM
For the price of an external hard drive or a printer, you can get a complete branch office network from Aerohive Networks. We're talking wired and wireless networking here. Granted, the branch that can be serviced for under a hundred bucks is a small one, but the story is still quite interesting as part of a larger trend. Cloud-managed networking continues to get less expensive and more feature-rich, and the used-to-be-wireless-only guys are laying claim to more of the wired network in cool new ways.
ISACA Survey Looks At Online Shopping At Work, Shows Worrisome Side Of Mobility And BYOD
November 16, 2011 09:08 AM
I'm generally not big on survey results when it comes to drawing hard conclusions about IT matters, but occasionally the right data set hooks you. Given that we're fast approaching the thick of the online holiday shopping season, ISACA's recent "Shopping on The Job" survey tickled my curiosity. Even though I don't see many smoking guns in the results, I do find it interesting to be privy to how more than 1,200 U.S. consumers in an increasingly mobile world see their own use of company time and resources when the shopping bug hits.
AirMagnet Sees One Man's Feature As Another's Security Issue
November 10, 2011 08:25 AM
Apple’s Lion OS touts AirDrop as one of its competitive differentiators, allowing multiple users to share files over the WLAN. The problem is that the files may be corporate-sensitive, and the users taking part in the sharing may be on wireless machines not authorized for access. So AirMagnet dares to visit the murky junction where what you can do with your Mac crosses paths with what you shouldn’t do at work, and exposes it for those charged with network security. I have to wonder how Apple feels about AirDrop being deemed a security risk.
It's Time To End The Wireless Client Insanity
November 02, 2011 08:44 AM
What would our wireless networks be without clients? Things can be quirky enough with power-save settings, local RF conditions, and general machine health and resources when it comes to wireless performance, but add to the mix the general confusion that the wireless client adapter industry has created, and you can hardly fault your users for not understanding the nuances of different wireless adapters in a given network.
Meru Network Embraces BYOD, Offers Beefy New Hardware
October 27, 2011 07:00 AM
Lately, the solutions I've analyzed through the lens of BYOD have usually had something to do with smartphone and application management. But Wi-Fi vendors are also well aware of the procedural and technical complexities spawned by clients that show up with all sorts of gadgets that need to simply work on the WLAN. Meru Networks has recently introduced a new feature set for its WLAN product line that helps with BYOD and other aspects of today's changing wireless landscape.
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