Security Is Biggest Drawback To Wireless Networks: Survey

Enterprise wireless LAN deployment continues to grow steadily, but 95 percent of companies have concerns about the security of their wireless networks, according to a new survey by Gartner.

Sixty-four percent of the 200 companies surveyed said they will increase their wireless LAN deployments in the next year. Of those, 44 percent said the primary reason for deployment was to improve productivity; 21 percent said it was to provide access to places not possible to wire; and 13 percent said wireless networks were less expensive or simpler to deploy than traditional LANs, or they can be used to improve efficiency in specific business processes or operations.

But although enterprises are turning to wireless networks, they do so uneasily because of security concerns, says the study. Security was rated in the top five concerns about wireless LANs by 95 percent of respondents.

More alarming, 60 percent of enterprises said they do not believe they have adequate security for their wireless networks.