Worry Number One

Gaining a better understanding of WLAN security elements and employing best

practices can go a long way in enabling enterprises to reap the benefits of

wireless networking

Many of us

while thinking of a network visualize a closet of routers and switches with

flickering lights and fed by bundles of wires. In the last decade the wired

network has become the norm for businesses large and small; indeed, it's a

primary tool to achieve increased business productivity. These wires are akin to

a company's nervous system, carrying vital information to those who need it.

But even as companies

have grown more dependent on networks, modern business imperatives-such as

staying close to customers, providing flexible work environments, outsourcing,

and working with leaner staffs-have forced employees to look for alternatives

to wired network. Fortunately, wireless local-area networks (LANs) provide the

link between wired networks and mobile workers. This means a big boost to

employee productivity. As people move around throughout the course of a workday,

they can continue to send and receive e-mail and other communications and access

company information instead of waiting until they return to their workstations.

According to

AMI-Partners, by 2004, 45% of US businesses with 100 to 999 employees and 16% of

businesses with fewer than 100 employees had implemented WLANs. This trend is

echoed by Synergy Research Group too, which states that the wireless LAN market

is expected to reach nearly $3.4 bn by the end of 2005 and growing to 78% by

2009.

With wireless fast

becoming ubiquitous, having the power to transform the way a company operates,

companies big and small are reaping benefits of this revolution. As per a Yankee

Group survey, more than 20 mn SMB employees in the US are mobile workers,

representing more than half of all mobile workers in the US!

The Real World Threat



For many of us seeing is believing, but this emerging business tool can't

be seen with the human eye. Therefore when it comes to securing a wireless

network, out of sight should definitely not mean out of mind!

Indeed, security is

the biggest concerns to the adoption of wireless LANs. And it's not just a

big-company worry. When it comes to wireless networking, security is still the

number one concern for companies across all sizes.

Gaining a better

understanding of wireless LAN security elements and employing some best

practices can go a long way toward enabling enterprises to reap the benefits of

wireless networking.

Many wireless networks

are not properly secured or-even worse-are completely unsecured.

Fortunately, both user knowledge about security and the solutions offered by

technology vendors are improving. Today's wireless networks feature

comprehensive security capabilities and when these networks are properly

protected, companies can confidently take advantage of the benefits they offer.

Security Elements

Since most wireless access points come from the factory in 'open

access', so that all security features are turned off, enterprises need to

ensure that they turn these features on.

Three actions can help

to secure a wireless network: protecting data, while it's being transmitted

through encryption; discouraging unauthorized users through authentication; and

preventing unofficial connections through the elimination of rogue access

points.

Authentication:



Enterprises need to ensure that individuals who use the wireless network are

authorized to do so. Unique logins and passwords are the basis of

authentication, but additional tools can make authentication more secure and

reliable. The best authentication is per-user, per session mutual authentication

between the user and the authentication source.

Rogue Access Points: A

well-meaning employee who enjoys a wireless network at home might want to enjoy

the same freedom at work. He or she might purchase a cheap access point and plug

it into a network jack without asking permission. These are known as rogue

access points, and the majority of these are installed by employees-not

malicious intruders. Even company-sanctioned access points, when configured

improperly, can be security risks.

Encryption:

To make

sure that data can't be read, and to protect data from being altered as it's

transmitted between an access point and a wireless device, enterprises need to

use encryption. In a basic sense, encryption is like secret code: It translates

the data into gibberish that only the intended recipient understands. Encryption

requires that both the sender and receiver have a key to decode the transmitted

data. The most secure encryption uses very complicated keys, or algorithms, that

change regularly to protect data.

Wireless Security Policy

and Network Management



Having set the security processes in place, an enterprise needs to ensure

that its employees comply with the security policies set by the administrator.

Different security settings can be set for different users or groups of users

based on their needs and functions. This allows enterprises to cost effectively

use a single access point to support multiple user groups with different

security settings and security requirements- all while keeping the network

secure and protected.

It is also important

to consider wireless network security in the context of overall network security

and network management. A common management system increases efficiency for

network administrators. Wireless LAN security even when integrated with overall

network management works only if it's turned on and used consistently across the

entire wireless LAN. That's why user policies are also an important part of good

security practices.

The challenge is to

devise a wireless LAN user policy that's simple enough for people to abide by,

yet secure enough to protect the network. Today, that's an easier balance to

strike because WPA and WPA2 are built into Wi-Fi certified access points and

client devices.

An enterprises

wireless LAN security policy should also cover when and how employees can use

public hot spots, the use of personal devices on the company's wireless

network, the forbidding of rogue devices, and a strong password policy.

In an era in where

instant access to information is a common expectation, network connectivity must

be available wherever it's needed-indoors, outdoors, or in vehicles.

Organizations of all sizes and in a wide range of industries are implementing

wireless LANs to provide this access. The ultimate goal of all enterprises is to

create a secure wireless 'cloud' over the entire community changing the way

people work, live, learn and play.

Parag Arora, business

development manager, Cisco Systems, India & SAARC 



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