http://blogs.carouselindustries.com Official Carousel Industries Blog Fri, 21 Mar 2014 12:41:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 Official Carousel Industries Blog Carousel Connect no Official Carousel Industries Blog http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wp-content/themes/news/images/rss-large.png http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/category/wireless/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/challenges-and-benefits-of-wifi-and-wireless-networking-in-hospitals-podcast/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/challenges-and-benefits-of-wifi-and-wireless-networking-in-hospitals-podcast/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 20:14:51 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=3939 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/challenges-and-benefits-of-wifi-and-wireless-networking-in-hospitals-podcast/feed/ 0 BYOD,Healthcare,hospitals,Mobility,Secure Mobility,WiFi,Wireless,Wireless LAN There are few business environments that present as great a wireless networking challenge as hospitals.  And perhaps fewer still in which a successful, stable and secure Wifi environment is more important.  With thousands of mobile employees, caregivers, There are few business environments that present as great a wireless networking challenge as hospitals.  And perhaps fewer still in which a successful, stable and secure Wifi environment is more important.  With thousands of mobile employees, caregivers, patients and guests, combined with an organization needing access to vital life safety and mission critical applications, hospitals are increasingly building their future on wireless infrastructure.  To learn more, we spoke with Kamal Anand, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Healthcare at Carousel partner Meru Networks.  In this information packed Podcast, we dig into the unique requirements hospitals must address, as well as the business benefits that they can capitalize upon with the right wireless infrastructure in place. Hospitals Present Many Unique Challenges for WiFi Networks “Hospitals present many unique challenges from a Wifi perspective, but on the other hand they also present an opportunity for wireless to really shine,” says Anand.  “If you are able to address those challenges it creates great benefits not only from an organizational perspective, but also for the patients and other people that interact with the wireless network.” Some of the unique challenges we review include: Hospitals present harsh RF environments:  Old buildings, varying building materials and layouts, hundreds of metal beds and electronic devices moving throughout the hallways all add up to a very harsh environment from a radio frequency perspective.  Careful planning and testing must be undertaken to ensure consistency of signal, throughput and connectivity throughout the facility. High Level of Mobility and Roaming:  Doctors, nurses, patients and other employees are constantly on the move in hospitals accessing data, images and content.  Furthermore, 80% of hospitals use VoIP calling over Wifi, so drops and inconsistency while roaming are unacceptable.  Since Wifi was not developed (in the way that cellular networks were) to seamlessly transition a user from one cell to the next, a single channel architecture like Meru’s that eliminates that concern will deliver real benefits for healthcare organizations. Stability and Security for Life Safety Critical Applications:  More and more hospitals are looking to integrate information and data from devices, like respirators, infusion pumps, etc., into the patient care process to improve patient outcomes.  Many healthcare IT teams still have reservations about the stability and reliability of wireless when it comes to life safety critical applications.  Putting a solution in place like Meru’s “Uninterrupted Care Network” wireless offering helps address these concerns. Healthcare Applications and Use Cases Increasingly Rely on WiFi “Once you see how various applications can be delivered using the underlying foundation of Wifi, and how that can positively impact various aspects of the healthcare delivery organization, it is very exciting,” says Anand.  He goes on to lay out three categories of applications and use cases that rely on Wifi and are making a difference to hospitals today. Life Critical Apps:  These include things like tying infusion pumps, medical oxygen monitoring and smart beds (beds with pressure sensors that notify nurses when patients need to be moved to avoid pressure ulcers or are at risk of falling) into the patient care process to improve the level of care and reduce risk. Mission Critical Apps:  Secure access to electronic medical records, access to imaging data like X-rays and MRI scans, nurse call applications and voice-over-IP all fall into this category.  As do things like telemedicine, allowing experts to use high-def video to go where they are needed to help out - even consulting with patients at military hospitals in Iraq. Consumer Critical:  It’s not good enough to just offer patients and their families a TV anymore. Carousel Connect no 27:30 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?powerpress_embed=3939-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/context-aware-networking-keeping-your-company-safe-in-a-wireless-world/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/context-aware-networking-keeping-your-company-safe-in-a-wireless-world/#comments Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:57:25 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=3885 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/context-aware-networking-keeping-your-company-safe-in-a-wireless-world/feed/ 0 http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/video-conferencing/telemedicine-and-byod-are-among-the-hot-topics-at-himms-event/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/video-conferencing/telemedicine-and-byod-are-among-the-hot-topics-at-himms-event/#comments Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:29:37 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=3729 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/video-conferencing/telemedicine-and-byod-are-among-the-hot-topics-at-himms-event/feed/ 0 http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/k-12-school-districts-grapple-with-requirements-of-11-computing/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/k-12-school-districts-grapple-with-requirements-of-11-computing/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:11:26 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=3673 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/k-12-school-districts-grapple-with-requirements-of-11-computing/feed/ 0 http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/the-optimal-byod-experience-extreme-networks-podcast/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/the-optimal-byod-experience-extreme-networks-podcast/#comments Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:35:19 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=3255 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/the-optimal-byod-experience-extreme-networks-podcast/feed/ 0 BYOD,IT security,network architecture,networking,wireless networking In this informative podcast, we speak with Bill Wester, the Director of Solutions Marketing at Extreme Networks to review what it takes to deliver an optimal BYOD network solution both from the end user's perspective as well as the company's. In this informative podcast, we speak with Bill Wester, the Director of Solutions Marketing at Extreme Networks to review what it takes to deliver an optimal BYOD network solution both from the end user's perspective as well as the company's. We cover a lot of ground discussing the challenges of providing an open, safe and secure environment that allows businesses to bring any user and any device onboard. Topics we discuss include: The Right Network Components for BYOD To provide an optimal BYOD experience for end users, the core network needs to be robust enough to handle 3 to 5 devices per users, high traffic loads and employees and guests logging on from anywhere on campus and then moving around. "You have to start by ensuring a solid foundation is in place," says Wester. Wired routers and switches must be fast and capable, as well as provide redundancy. The network must provide failsafe capabilities and be able to identify outages and respond. "If your network backbone is not up to the task, the rest of your efforts will not cut it either." Enhancing your wireless network edge is key, Wester explains.  APs can now be tightly integrated with the core network with new technology Extreme offers called Direct Forwarding. This allows for AP's to connect a device - think smartphone - directly to the wired network. This lowers the workload on the AP's and puts the heavy lifting on the wired backbone which is much more capable. BYOD On-Boarding Solutions Make Life Easier "Often times, getting a new user on-board a network involves configuration that your typical end user isn't capable of executing on. They are not expert in configuring WPA security with 802.11x", says Wester. "This non-automated approach simply doesn't scale and results in a lot of help desk tickets." We review putting in place on-boarding solutions, like that from Cloudpath, to streamline the process of getting users and guests onto the network. Leveraging dissolvable clients, these tools quickly authenticate, issue certificates and on-board users while establishing the correct parameters and policies. For guests, utilizing Facebook, Google or Twitter logins allow businesses to get a level of rudimentary identification for all individuals coming onto the network while making the process relatively pain free for the visitor. Security and BYOD We also review the evolving capability of Access Points.  APs now come with the capacity to have full Layer 3, flow based firewalls in the devices, allowing the network edge to identify potential viruses and odd packets and usage. They also interact with the network and can control policy for new users and devices coming on board. Overlay Management Systems: These software solutions from companies like AirDefense can do wireless troubleshooting, device monitoring, forensic analysis, spectrum analysis, AP and client testing and full reporting that rolls up to a single pane of glass. Other topics we discuss include reviewing the Total Cost of Ownership of an integrated wired / wireless network and how, especially with BYOD, an integrated system can save companies money. Listen to the full interview now, or download it for your drive home. You'll be glad you did. Carousel Connect no 26:59 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?powerpress_embed=3255-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/5-big-benefits-to-the-new-802-11ac-wi-fi-spec/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/5-big-benefits-to-the-new-802-11ac-wi-fi-spec/#comments Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:10:24 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=3219 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/5-big-benefits-to-the-new-802-11ac-wi-fi-spec/feed/ 0 802.11AC,802.11n,meru networks,WiFi,Wireless We’ve touched on the forthcoming 802.11ac wireless specification before, in a post that covers what it’ll mean for your network infrastructure. Now we dig deeper in this informative podcast to learn more about the technical aspects of the standard and ... We’ve touched on the forthcoming 802.11ac wireless specification before, in a post that covers what it’ll mean for your network infrastructure. Now we dig deeper in this informative podcast to learn more about the technical aspects of the standard and what sorts of applications it will support.  We are joined by Rich Watson, the Senior Product Marketing Manager for Meru Networks. A Carousel Industries partner, Meru offers wireless infrastructure products that put a premium on superior capacity and reliability and has been at the forefront of wireless technology, including being among the first to bring out 802.11n products. Technical Details of the 802.11ac Wireless Standard From a technical perspective, Watson says 802.11ac brings five major improvements. Wider channels. We’ve seen speed improvements before in 802.11 but it was always using a 40MHz channel. “The ac spec doubles that, and potentially doubles it again as we move forward,” he says. “Every time you double channel width, you double the speed you’re capable of getting.” Higher encoding density. 802.11n basically packs more bits into a single packet - by a factor of 4, Watson says. So you’re not only speeding up the channel but also dramatically increasing the number of bits transmitted in each packet. Result: lots more throughput. More simultaneous data streams. 802.11n supports four simultaneous data streams but the ac spec doubles that number to eight. Again, that means a higher data rate and higher capacity. Beamforming. Beamforming is an intelligent way to handle wireless access point antennas, allowing them to focus more energy on the device they’re communicating with. The technology extends the range of the APs and increases reliability, Watson says. Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). The concept of MIMO, or multiple input and multiple output, came out with 802.11n, he says, but 802.11ac adds the multi-user wrinkle. Essentially it means that under certain conditions, an AP will be able to simultaneously transmit to up to four clients at full channel speed. Driving Demand for 802.11ac A couple of trends are driving demand for the various benefits that 802.11ac brings, Watson says. Chief among them is the simple fact that people are more mobile and expect wireless network access pretty much wherever they are. What’s more, many employees now carry more than one device. “Some analysts say it’s around 2.1 devices per person,” he says. “Others say by 2014 you’ll see 2.7 or almost 3 devices per user.” At the same time, they’re using applications that demand more bandwidth, notably high-definition video. In addition to the ubiquitous YouTube videos that employees access, Watson envisions companies using high-def video for physical security systems to monitor buildings. Wi-Fi networks are also increasingly being used to carry voice conversations, which have two-way high data rate requirements. “Looking forward, I envision things like machine-to-machine high data rate communications, and more devices communicating wirelessly with each other,” Watson says. Likewise, 802.11ac will enable organizations to handle increasing capacities, such as 200 or 300 people in the same area making wireless phone calls. When to Expect 802.11ac Products The 802.11ac specification is still winding its way through the standards process but is far enough along that silicon vendors are already making chips that include at least some of the new features. Expect first-generation chips to have about half of the full slate of features while second generation chips, which will come 12 to 24 months later, will have the full complement, Watson says. The first chips are likely to be targeted at consumer-grade products, to support apps like wireless video in the home. “We’ll see some of those in Q4 this year,” he says, while enterprise class products will emerge probably late Q2 or early Q3 in 2013 - still ahead of full standard ratification. To learn more about 802. Carousel Connect no 25:27 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?powerpress_embed=3219-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/keeping-up-with-the-mobility-and-wireless-challenge-in-healthcare/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/keeping-up-with-the-mobility-and-wireless-challenge-in-healthcare/#comments Fri, 24 Aug 2012 13:49:30 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=3089 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/keeping-up-with-the-mobility-and-wireless-challenge-in-healthcare/feed/ 0 http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/higher-ed-environments-present-pressing-wireless-challenges/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/higher-ed-environments-present-pressing-wireless-challenges/#comments Fri, 03 Aug 2012 17:11:02 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=3037 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/wireless/higher-ed-environments-present-pressing-wireless-challenges/feed/ 0 http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/security/byod-video-security-and-wireless-are-top-tech-discussion-points/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/security/byod-video-security-and-wireless-are-top-tech-discussion-points/#comments Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:39:31 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=3003 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/security/byod-video-security-and-wireless-are-top-tech-discussion-points/feed/ 2 http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/security/streamline-wireless-pci-compliance-with-centralized-automated-tools/ http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/security/streamline-wireless-pci-compliance-with-centralized-automated-tools/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 16:21:55 +0000 Editor http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/?p=2772 Continue Reading ›]]> http://blogs.carouselindustries.com/security/streamline-wireless-pci-compliance-with-centralized-automated-tools/feed/ 0