Wireless Moves Out to the Branch

Of course, these branch-office solutions aren't perfect. Just like those pesky remote-office data backups, remote wireless implementations may be problematic without local tech support. And remote wireless appliances and access points still aren't as cheap as a SOHO solution.Nevertheless, the new products do let a centralized IT department use one vendor's product line as a solution for all locations. By connecting the appliances to the WAN link, enterprises can distribute access, performance and security policies uniformly, creating an identical experience for both the branch-office worker and the executive at headquarters, and reducing support costs. And if the WAN link goes down, the remote-office appliance will continue to operate, though new connections that depend on a centralized identity store may fail.