IncTechnology.com > Wireless Software

Plug in and Forget: Network Appliances

Andrea Peiro — 2008-07-25T16:33:18-05:00

In today’s innovative small businesses, the backbone of the computing infrastructure is the local area network (LAN). The true value of modern computing is, in fact, centered on the sharing of information within the business, accessing common resources, and collaborating to improve decision making, streamline processes, reduce overhead, and allow the effective participation of employees in the everyday digital life of the business.

Until recently, though, LANs were a lot less common among smaller businesses -- in most cases, their value was limited to sharing files across individual desktop computers, sharing printers locally connected, and sharing broadband Internet access. To achieve most of the advantages that come with collaboration, networks had to be outfitted with often very expensive and difficult to manage servers, imposing quite a leap in terms of IT support requirements.

Things have though changed quite a bit in the last few years and because of these three main thrusts, the popularity of LANs among small businesses has skyrocketed:

Increased availability of business grade online, multi-user software applications provided as a service and not requiring the installation of servers or local software;
Increased performance and lower cost of wireless networking hardware, allowing for the flexible deployment of wired and wireless network users at low cost and with high flexibility;
Growing availability of networked appliances, providing simple to use, task-oriented functionality to multiple network users.

The impact of networked appliances

The third of these factors is probably the least recognized, yet it has the most impact, primarily among operations with five to 25 employees. These are, in fact, the businesses most pressed to adopt servers, but often too reluctant to increase their IT overhead.

Many of the important functions that traditional servers could provide via dedicated software can today be found in individual, easy to setup, configure, and use appliances that in most cases are designed to be deployed with no or very limited use of specialized IT personnel. A simple example to illustrate the case is storage: up to a few years ago if you wanted secure, permission based access to a reliable shared data storage resource you had to deploy at the cost of a few thousand dollars a small server with multiple hard disk drives and its own operating system. Today you can buy for a few hundred dollars a network attached storage (NAS) device that plugs directly into the network, and offers the same features with very simple setup and management interface.

Most of the functionalities important to small businesses that were available only through servers are now available through appliances.

Common, secure file storage and sharing

As mentioned, NAS devices are the simplest and most effective way to centrally store your company data in a safe, reliable, quickly accessible common resource. Look for devices that contain multiple disks and support Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID). RAID allows to you to radically increase the reliability of your storage and in many cases increase the speed at which information is written and read from and to the device, improving the overall performance. It is also very important for the device to support individual user authentication to keep data private. And if your network supports gigabit Ethernet, make sure that your appliance does as well, in orderto maximize performance. NetgearReadyNAS, EMC AX150, Iomega StorCenter, and HP StorageWorks Media Vault Pro are good examples of these type of devices.

Automated backup

NAS devices also represent excellent destinations for your automated backup. If this is the primary reason you are interested in a NAS device, make sure it comes with good backup software and backup client licenses.

Desktop independent print sharing

Your printer has just become a lot smarter. Many printers today can be connected to your network -- some of them even wirelessly -- and become accessible from any networked computer. If considering a networkable multifunction device, make sure that all its functions (printing, scanning, faxing) are supported across the network. Some only allow for the printing functionality to be shared and require the device to be connected locally via USB in order to provide scanning and faxing.

Anti-virus, spam filtering, firewalling, etc.

Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliances effectively replace servers in protecting your network and computers connected to it from intrusion, malware, and spam. UTM appliances often come with software to be installed on your networked computers and provide hands-off protection. The leader in the market is SonicWALL, although there are some other interesting vendors with particularly appealing small business solutions such as TrustEli, ZyXEL, and SOHOware's BroadScan.

Virtual private networking (VPN)

VPN is a technology that allows users outside the physical premises of a network to securely connect to it via the Internet and have access to all shared resources and network privileges. VPN can also be used to connect two or more physically distinct network into one. This allows businesses with mobile workforce or telecommuters to provide the full benefits f a common digital work environment. VPN functionality is often provided as an extra feature of UTM appliances or Internet routers. Examples are the Netgear FVS318orthe Linksys RV042 or HotBrick 401 VPN. Remember to verify how many concurrent VPN connection your device will allow and how many VPN client licenses are included in the price.

Voice over IP (VoIP) services

VoIP allows for incredible flexibility and often cost saving. You can create a sophisticated phone system within your office with a VoIP appliance and network phones, or software on your computer to emulate a phone (softphone). The system will allow your call to reach you seamlessly when travelling anywhere in the world, have your voicemail forwarded to you as e-mail attachments, and much, much more. To learn about VoIP for small businesses you can read this column I wrote for IncTechnology. Good examples of appliance-based VoIP systems are: Fonality PBxtra, Microsoft ResponsePoint, and Digium Asterisk Appliance.

While it is true that modern, powerful servers can do a lot more, such as hosting e-mail services, applications sharing, database hosting, it is important to realize that the core functions mentioned above represent the bulk of what small business have been wanting to use local networks for. The concept of dedicated appliance is making incredible progress and every day new devices come to market at lower prices to fulfill more and more specialized needs: job attendance tracking, point of sales support, network search and more.

Now you know that your network can become a true secure collaborative environment without piercing a hole through you finances or requiring a full time IT support person. It’s time to share.

Andrea Peiro is a recognized authority, author, analyst and speaker on high-tech marketing and use of information technology in small and mid-sized businesses. He has been frequently interviewed and featured in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. You can reach him at us.andreap@gmail.com.

Networking Needs for the 802.11n Era

Renee Oricchio — 2008-06-24T15:10:58-05:00

Try out these Wi-Fi terms -- 802.11b, 801.11g, and now 802.11n, not to mention 2.4 GHz versus 5 GHz frequencies. For the not-so-techie business owner, shopping for wireless networking gear can put a cramp in the brain quicker than you can say 10/100 megabit Ethernet hub.

Don’t let the geek speak make your eyes glaze over so fast. Once you get past the jargon, wireless networking is actually pretty simple to understand. It’s also an area of technology most companies can’t afford to assemble piece by piece without any forethought or strategy.

Five numbers to understand: 802.11

802.11 are the Wi-Fi industry standards regulated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The little letter after the 11 indicates the generation of standards, each letter as the alphabet progresses being more sophisticated, faster, and with a wider range of coverage than the previous.

802.11b was the first widely implemented protocol introduced back in 1999 (which makes it a dinosaur now). Most companies are still using 802.11g, which hit the market in 2003 and took off very quickly just as wireless gear was becoming more affordable. It was also a vast improvement over “11b” or Wireless B. Mainly, it was faster.

Then along came “11n”

802.11n hasn’t actually been approved by IEEE yet, although all the major wireless vendors are using it in their latest product lines. “The IEEE can’t guarantee the final draft of 802.11n that gets approved will be completely operable with what’s currently on the market. But you now have big companies like Cisco and Trapeze shipping “N” Once that happens, you know it’s safe,” says Mark Tauschek, a senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group.

There are a number of reasons why companies aren’t waiting around for final approval to either sell or purchase Wireless N technologies. “Bottom line: it’s six to eight times faster than '11g' and it has at least a 50 percent wider range. I will also say this -- I believe 50 percent is a conservative figure based on my own experience using 'N'," says Tauschek

Other differences that set Wireless N apart from Wireless G and B include:

Crowded frequency. Wireless B and G operate on the very crowded and unregulated 2.4 GHz frequency making it more likely for interference from everything from other nearby wireless networks to microwave ovens and portable phones. Wireless N is set on the 5 GHz band, which is also not regulated and therefore open to all. However, it hasn’t had the time to jam up yet with other technologies.
Less interference. Wireless N runs into less interference from common building architecture than previous generations. “It goes through wood floors, sheet rock, even concrete walls, as long as there’s no wire mesh built into it. Mesh fencing of any kind chops it apart,” says Tauschek.
Stronger signal. Wireless N is the first 802.11 generation to feature multiple input/multiple output technology (MIMO). This is the secret sauce that enables 11n’s signal to be so much stronger. When a wireless device beams out a signal it bounces off various surfaces in its path that can cause slight variations in signal strengths. MIMO technology sends out duplicate signals that reinforce each other into one strong signal that goes further and with greater clarity upon arrival at its destination.

Deciding when to upgrade

For companies still operating in an “11g” world, is it time to migrate to “11n”? The short answer is yes, and no. In other words, it depends on the company in question. It also depends on who you ask.

“Many applications can benefit from increased speed, especially those that involve heavy data transfer. The higher capacity of 802.11n also enables service for a higher density of users,” says Matthew Gast, author of 802.11 Wireless Networks: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly, 2002).

Then again; “If you have a 'g' network and you’re not putting a lot strain on it, you can probably wait. Unless your gear is old and decrepit, which is unlikely, there is little reason to upgrade,” counters Tauschek. He says companies, like engineering and graphic design firms, that pass around a lot of large files are most likely to benefit from investing in “11n.”

Tauschek and Gast also agree that if an organization is upgrading their wireless network anyway then “11n” is definitely the way to go. The question is where to begin.

Putting the pieces together

Switching to “11n” is not as simple as just buying a new router and calling it a day. That new Wireless N router will work with the old gear (all 802.11 gear is backwards compatible), but users won’t get the full benefit of the upgrade. Regardless of the router, the network is only as robust as its own hardware.

“The shopping list is fairly straight forward,” says Gast, who narrows it down to these three areas:

Wireless N capable access points. Okay, so the bad news is having to pony up for new access points. The good news is that work spaces will need fewer of them. That’s because Wireless N sends out a stronger signal with a wider range.
Power for the access points. This is a feature to shop for within those new access points that will save power and keep the company wireless network as unplugged as possible. “Many small-scale access points need to be plugged into the wall. Better access points can take power over the Ethernet cable connecting them to the network,” says Gast. Before buying the access point, read the fine print on technical specifications and ask the vendor about the product’s “power over Ethernet” capabilities.
Faster switch for the network backbone. Older Wireless B and G switches use 10/100 megabit Ethernet ports. In order to take advantage of those dramatic increases in speed that comes with the new “11n,” the network switch needs to be upgraded to a gigabit switch that can accommodate all that extra bandwidth.

Whether a business decides to pull the trigger yet on Wireless N, the company next door may have done so already. That means that there’s likely to be a risk of interference on the 5 GHz frequency bleeding through the walls or even from across the parking lot. Between that and the already clogged up 2.4 GHz frequency, it may be time to consider 6 GHz portable phones.

SIDEBAR: “Wireless N” Networking Products for Small Business

NetGear Known for its networking hardware solutions, the Santa Clara, Calif.- based company released its ProSafe 802.11 Dual Band Wireless Access Point just this Spring (April 2008). Priced for the small to mid-sized business, ProSafe sells for $475 and includes a gigabit Ethernet port, three antennas, and a console port for local configuration. NetGear also offers a Wireless N router (the RangeMax) for about $120.

Linksys offers a Wireless N gigabit router for about $120 and its Wireless N Access Point priced at $160. As the prices would indicate, these product lines are geared more towards the needs of a small company or home office. Linksys, a division of Cisco, also offers outdoor antennas that are N-compatible, as well as their Wireless-N Gigabit Security Router with VPN tunnel support ($200) and for the road warriors on staff; a Wireless N notebook adapter ($120).

Belkin is another option to consider for entry level businesses looking for modestly-priced networking products. Belkin’s line of Wireless-N routers ranges in price from $90 to $180. They also offer 802.11n adapter cards, desktop cards and a USB adapter.

D-Link now offers a line of Wireless N access points priced between $80 and $160. The high end model only networks up to four devices, however. So this is really meant for either a small business or home. D-link’s business class networking solutions are sticking with Wireless G for now.

Tech Talk: Wireless Office Better Serves Clients

Elizabeth Wasserman — 2008-03-31T10:17:15-05:00

Moore Consulting Group was founded in 1994 as a one-person marketing business located in a one-room office. During the past 14 years, the company has expanded to a 20-person staff that now occupies an 8,000 square foot office building in Tallahassee, Fla. Richard Moore, chief operating officer of the business, tells IncTechnology.com how setting up a wireless office has helped the firm service customers.

Elizabeth Wasserman: Why did you decide to go wireless in your office?

Richard Moore: We’re not totally wireless yet. We are a combination of hardwire and wireless. As we continue to move from towers to laptops, we’ve become more wireless as we go along. Part of the need to go wireless is that clients come in and want to use their laptops. We give them a source to tap into the Internet and then into their servers by way of a 3Com switch. We use it primarily to have something for our clients to be able to use when they came in. What we’re finding is that because of the strength of the wireless switch it allows us to have more freedom over where we can work – not only within the office but even outside of the office. Adjacent to the building, we built a covered back deck for when it’s nice out and people need a break. They can take their laptop out there. It’s a nice little wooded area and the wireless reaches all the way out there. We also have some of our children who come in. For instance, my son will come in after high school and will want to work out of the backroom. He has a notebook that can wirelessly tap into our server. And for our clients who come into our conference room and need that service, too. It started out meeting that need and now it’s kind of warped into meeting many needs.

Wasserman: How did you go about setting it up?

Moore: Two years ago, the way we really started is we tried to initially set up our own wireless network with retail type devices. We went to Circuit City, CompUSA, and tried three or four brands. It was not very satisfactory at all. They were not very strong. They’re not designed for commercial use and certainly not designed for an 8,000 square foot building. We needed something that was more robust than we could get from retail side. At that time, our outside tech support came in and recommended we use a 3Com switch. We used them to install it. It was pretty quick. I don’t think we realized any noticeable downtime at all. It installed very quickly, very easily. They set up the wireless side with security passwords and all late one afternoon when basically everyone was ready to go home and we were up and running the next day.

Wasserman: What are you able to do now that you couldn’t do before?

Moore: We’ve had several results. One of the things that really limited us was the graphic design we had being produced in the office. These are very big files. They used to totally jam up when ever someone wanted to e-mail those files around. The 1GB switch has allowed us to send those files very fast. We are finding we are using the wireless portion of it more and more. We’re looking to be more mobile. In the equipment we now purchase, we’re looking at laptops because we do a lot of traveling. The clients love it. Our conference room is in high demand from several of our clients. They can come in here with their boards and everyone has a laptop and everyone can connect. One of the things we have is the ability to have guests sign on from one password and staff signs on with another password. So we still maintain that security for our staff and our guests using it also through our server. It will also enable us to do voice over internet protocol. We’re not doing this now but it may be something we want to grow into.

3G Wireless is Here: What it Means for Business

Marc Saltzman — 2007-12-19T12:18:01-05:00

While Asian and European cell phone users have enjoyed the benefits of third-generation (“3G”) networks for some time -- specifically, wireless speeds that rival broadband Internet connections in the home -- this mobile technology is now ready for business throughout North America.

Your carrier might also refer to this third-generation network as "High-Speed Downlink Packet Access” (HSDPA) or an increasingly popular example of “3G” technology. If you recall, second generation wireless -- or “2G” -- marked the evolution from analog handsets to digital phones and data services.

The consumer benefits of “3G” are clear -- downloading songs in mere seconds, surfing the Internet at fast speeds, or streaming live television and satellite radio broadcasts. But how does this next-generation wireless protocol help your small or mid-sized business?

Business benefits of 3G

This next-generation wireless technology has a host of potential applications for business users, from delivering faster data speeds to allowing road warriors to more easily access the Internet to downloading larger files.

“3G is all about speed, speed, and more speed,” says Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director at Jupiter Research, the New York-based IT research firm. “Depending on the business applications, you’ll see a number of benefits, especially for those who spend time away from the office.”

For example, Gartenberg says, if you travel frequently with a laptop, you need not try and find a Wi-Fi hotspot, such as a café or airport lounge, in order to access the Internet at high-speeds. “Instead, you can insert a 3G modem card or tether your 3G phone to your laptop and access the Internet from virtually anywhere,” explains Gartenberg. “In other words, a small-to-mid-sized business can get things done that much faster with 3G, such as downloading large files or surfing complex web pages….. It can be an absolute godsend for the business user.”

“There’s no doubt that 3G represents the next big thing in mobility” confirms Carmi Levy, senior vice president of strategic consulting at AR Communications, a Toronto-based marketing communications firm. “Just as broadband Internet access took over from conventional dial-up and radically changed the way businesses used the Internet from conventional desktop and laptop computers, 3G holds the same promise for mobile users.”

Some key services that will benefit from wider adoption of 3G, believes Levy, include the following:

real-time content collaboration
video and audio conferencing
and mobile applications that focus on CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning).

Speaking of video conferencing, Canada’s Roger Wireless network is the first in North America to offer face-to-face video calling between compatible “3G” cell phones. Think of it as a webcam you carry in your pocket.

Levy also believes location awareness applications can benefit from “3G” bandwidth. “Retailers, for example, can deploy applications that recognize potential consumers’ presence within a given geographic area – for example, as they walk past a store – and deliver highly personalized multimedia marketing content to entice them into the store,” explains Levy.

Disadvantages of 3G

Experts caution, however, that "3G" is still in its early days, and much of the story remains to be told.

The cost to upgrade your company’s phones and pay for a data plan to take advantage of “3G” services might be a deterrent for some small and mid-sized businesses that are watching the bottom line. “While prices are coming down all the time, the cost to upgrade is an obvious shortcoming,” says Gartenberg. “That said, it’s hard to put a price on receiving a critical e-mail or document on your phone quickly.”

Limited bandwidth and high usage costs for data-centric services are also dampening adoption rates, says Levy “And it’s easy to conclude that more businesses would be implementing mobile capability more aggressively if pricing were more competitive and if offerings were more clearly explained and marketed.”

Another penalty you pay is in battery life, says Gartenberg, as using these high-speed data services can eat away at a handset’s power fairly quickly.

5 Steps to Better, Faster, Easier Wi-Fi

Renee Oricchio — 2007-11-28T11:56:01-05:00

Wi-Fi has come a long way in recent years. It’s cheaper, faster, easier to set up, easier to use and offers a number of irresistible advantages to companies, especially for small and mid-sized businesses that tend to move around more often as they expand. It’s much easier to pack up wireless gear and never have to worry about dropping Cat 5 cable every time a company signs a new lease.

“All the technology pieces are in place now and people are starting to take advantage of it. Connecting is a lot better than a few years ago," says Larry Jamison, director of the Hard Copy Industry Advisory Service at Lyra Research, an IT research firm in Newtonville, Mass.

Some of those technology pieces include the following:

The arrival of 802.11n

To understand the emergence of Wi-Fi, it requires a short history lesson in 802.11, the set of industry standards and protocols for wireless networking. 802.11a was the first set of standards. But, it was short lived and quickly replaced by 802.11b that went on the market back in 2000.

802.11b has since been supplanted by the much faster and desirable 802.11g, which most companies still use today. Though not formally adopted as an industry standard yet, what is sometimes called “pre-n” (short for 802.11n) has really made some gigantic leaps in improving the wireless experience. 802.11n wireless products are much faster and have fewer conflicts with other electronic devices, like microwave ovens and portable phones.

The deployment of virtual private networks

According to AMI Partners, a New York City-based research firm that specializes in IT and telecom analysis, 75% of all businesses with 50 to 500 employees now has a VPN in place. The secure sockets layer (SSL) VPN has made this especially attractive for adoption. It’s relatively inexpensive, encrypted, web-based and turn-key for companies to rollout through a third party vendor.

More points of access

According to JWire, a mobile advertising networking company that tracks and reports on wireless trends, there are now more than 50,000 public wireless hotspots in the United States alone, with 140,000 globally. Dialing in from the road has never been easier.

USB compatibility

More companies, like Mountain View, Calif. Synopsys that just announced its USB certification in November, are making it possible for more wireless devices to integrate together and with other kinds of hardware.

Still not perfect

Despite the almost overnight rush to all thing wireless, Wi-Fi still has some major issues to overcome.

Still not easy enough to use or implement. Anyone who has set up a wireless network, at home or on the job, can attest it’s usually not easy. Todd Carter, author of the Wireless All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies even admits his own struggles despite his established expertise. “I just couldn’t get it to work,” says Carter.
Batterylife. “Wireless technologies are great, but usually there’s a battery involved and batteries have to be charged often. The next big break for wireless will come with fuel cells or at least higher capacity batteries,” says Dan Gookin, author of PCs for Dummies.

Meantime, here are five tips for small to mid-sized businesses to make the most of Wi-Fi now, as offered by Mark Tauschek, a senior research analyst from Ontario, Canada-based InfoTech Research:

Avoid conflicts with other wireless networks. This is especially tricky in office buildings in close proximity of other businesses or even residential areas. Test the frequencies and locations of access points. If there is bleed over, be proactive and work it out with your neighbors.
Get rid of any 802.11b wireless pieces that are still in use. 802.11n and 802.11b are backwards compatible. They work with each other and earlier versions like 802.11b. However, the slower versions bring down the speed of the faster versions.
Troubleshoot the physical office space before going wireless. “For example, wireless signals will not go through concrete and rebarb floors or windows with wire mesh that are often used in office doors,” says Tauschek. That could be a problem if the business is spread throughout two floors with the wrong kind of floor in between.
“Deploy access points fairly close together,” says Tauschek. The further away employees get from the access point, the weaker the signal, the spottier the coverage and the slower the network gets. It’s worth it to be generous distributing plenty of access hubs. Another advantage of the newer 802.11n technology is it’s faster and operates at a wider range.
Consider other conflicts.802.11b and g operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency. That’s identical to many microwave ovens and portable phones. 802.11n operates on the 5 GHz frequency which also conflicts with some phones and other electronics. Be prepared to shuffle or switch out some of the other gear around the office to keep your signals safe and strong.

Can GPS Cell Phones Help Your Business?

Marc Saltzman — 2007-09-27T10:33:46-05:00

Global positioning system (GPS) technology can be a useful tool for small-to-mid-sized businesses, helping salespeople quickly navigate to appointments, or in some cases, allowing management to monitor a fleet of drivers or their deliveries.

But while some companies opt for a standalone GPS system, many are finding additional benefits by pairing the technology with telecommunications. A new genre of cell phones comes with integrated GPS receivers.

Should your business opt for an all-in-one solution? It depends upon what your business has to gain, say the industry analysts. GPS provides access to plethora of services – visible and audible directions, maps that you can pan and zoom, points of interest, and time and distance estimates. The question is whether you want these services on a mobile phone.

Here's a quick look at the pros and cons to help you decide:

The argument for GPS phones

The first advantage to a GPS phone is cost, says Chris Hazelton, senior analyst for mobile device technology and trends at IDC Research, a Framingham, Mass.-based market research firm. “A benefit to a phone with GPS is you don’t have to pay for, support, and carry two separate devices,” says Hazelton. “And updating maps is easier as you can do it wirelessly on the device.”

Depending on the mobile needs of the business, monitoring services are also becoming popular in GPS-enabled cell phones, where managers can determine the geographical position of the device and therefore an employee or a company vehicle. “So long as the employees know about it and consent to it," Hazelton says, "it could be a useful tool.” Some employees balk at using GPS tracking devices on the job, such as New York City taxi drivers, who went on strike for a few days in September to oppose the addition of tracking devices in yellow taxis.

Another advantage to your business with GPS-based mobile phone services such as the popular TeleNav, found in many BlackBerrys, is that you or your employees can conduct local searches relevant to your position. Say you want to take a client out for lunch, and she’s in the mood for Italian, with a few button presses you can find the nearest trattoria.

Finally, GPS phones with integrated Bluetooth can be handy for hearing turn-by-turn directions in your wireless headset. They can also allow you to tap on a point of interest icon -- such as a restaurant, gas station or hotel -- and the number is automatically dialed on your phone.

The case against GPS phones

While it might be less expensive to purchase one device instead of two, cell phone-based GPS solutions require an ongoing fee, roughly $10 per month per phone. “We’re talking about a service model instead of a product model,” says Hazelton. The good news with having the service on a phone is that “at least you get the regular map updates and you can use the service outside of the vehicle, too.”

As far as maps, a standalone GPS device with internal memory can store maps for the entire continent, says Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director at Jupiter Research, a New York-based technology advisory firm. “Unlike phones," he says, "standalone GPS devices ship with full maps, at least with all of the U.S. and Canada, and with room to spare, which is convenient to have downloaded already.”

Another issue, says Hazelton, is that GPS phones often require a cell signal in order to determine the location, compared to standalone GPS devices that communicate with satellites directly. “Therefore if you’re lost in the middle of a forested area and there are no cell towers around," he says, "your GPS service might not be able to help you.”

There are other inherent issues with a converged mobile device:

battery life usually suffers (especially with wireless radios turned on),
if one feature on the phone requires repair, the user is without the entire device,
and a product that attempts to perform multiple functions doesn’t always do as good as a job as standalone devices.

Lastly, the small screen size on a cell phone might be a turn-off. “So instead of a 4- or 5-inch screen as with a standalone GPS device, it’s a more like a 1- or 2-inch screen on a phone, therefore it’s more of an audible tool,” Gartenberg says.

What Can Your Business Do with Wibree?

Marc Saltzman — 2007-08-15T14:34:59-05:00

It’s been more than a decade since Bluetooth was developed and deployed, serving as a wireless link between two compatible devices. But has the short-range radio technology lived up to its potential or is it more-or-less limited to hands-free headsets for cell phones?

Enter “Wibree.”

Wibree was developed by Nokia as an alternative -- and later, complimentary -- solution to Bluetooth. Wibree is also a low-power, short-range wireless technology, but it promises to fill a gap left by Bluetooth.

“Wibree can be built into products such as watches, toys, wireless keyboards, gaming, healthcare and entertainment devices, and sports sensors,” says Nokia spokesman Charles Chopp. “These devices can then connect to host devices such as mobile phones and personal computers -- it is essentially the missing link between small devices and mobile phones and personal computers.”

For small and mid-size businesses, the advent of Wibree poses great potential, from changing how employees communicate with each other inside the office to enabling more applications for low-cost voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) to potentially allowing a business to communicate to the wrist watches, gaming devices, or pedometers of potential customers.

Key advantages

Wibree is said to be up to 10 times more energy-efficient than Bluetooth, but can easily be integrated with the existing technology. In fact, in June 2007 the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced that Nokia’s Wibree specification will be merged with the Bluetooth SIG and become part of the Bluetooth specification as an ultra lower power Bluetooth technology.

“Because Wibree addresses devices with very low battery capacity and can be easily integrated with Bluetooth technology, it will round out Bluetooth technology’s wireless Personal Area Networking (PAN) offering and strengthen the technology’s ability to provide wireless connectivity for smaller devices,” explains Chopp.

“You can think of Wibree as basically low-power Bluetooth,” confirms Gary Chen, senior analyst for Small and Medium Enterprise IT Infrastructure and Applications at the Yankee Group, the Boston-based IT research house. “Because it’s more power efficient, you'll get longer battery life and it can be put into smaller devices, like a pen or watch.”

Chopp says in many cases Wibree makes it possible to operate these devices for more than a year without recharging.

“It also looks promising for healthcare,” adds Chen, “as it is able to send body sensor information wirelessly to a monitoring device.”

Inherent challenges

There are likely going to be adoption challenges for Wibree, as with many new technologies. Chen says it may be “very difficult.” “There are a lot of wireless standards and not-quite-standards already, however, acceptance by the Bluetooth SIG and inclusion in a future Bluetooth spec will help a lot,” says Chen.

Others are optimistic that businesses and consumers will embrace Wibree-enabled devices because of their ease of use. “There is always an adoption curve for new industry standards," Chopp says. He adds that this is why Nokia and the Bluetooth SIG both agreed that the Wibree standard would be best served under the auspices of the Bluetooth SIG, which already has participation and support from more than 8,000 companies that are advancing Bluetooth wireless technology.

To date, a handful of companies have contributed to the interoperability specification of Wibree, says Chopp, including Broadcom, Casio, CSR, Epson, ItoM, Logitech, Nordic Semiconductor, ST Microelectronics, Suunto, Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd. and Texas Instruments. “Several new companies -- including device, watch and access systems manufacturers -- will join the finalization of the specification, and once the specification is finalized, the technology will be made broadly available to the industry via the Bluetooth SIG,” Chopp says.

Coming to a business near you

Nokia expects the first commercial version of the Wibree/Bluetooth interoperability specification to be available during the first half of 2008. According to internal estimates, Nokia believes they will begin to see the first stand-alone products from a few vendors in the second half of 2008. These are likely to be “small button cell battery powered devices,” says Chopp. Host devices and other dual-mode devices should emerge in first half of 2009.

On its initial adoption, Chopp cites an ABI Research report published in March 2007. In it, director Stuart Carlaw predicts Wibree to be a $432 million, 809 million device industry by 2012.

More Intelligent than Your Smart Phone

Andrea Peiro — 2007-07-31T20:07:22-05:00

Smart phones have been around for quite a while -- since circa 1999. California-based Qualcomm, just before selling its mobile phones division to Kyocera, created the category with its “pdQ,” a palm pilot blended with a cell phone radio that enjoyed limited success due to its bulkiness, but kicked off the idea of having mobile phones be one and the same with your digital organizer. The concept today has entered the mainstream. The latest generation of integrated mobile phones, embodied by the iPhone, is a lot more than just a PDA with a phone; these models are ubiquitous kaleidoscopes displaying a whole new dimension of our communications, entertainment and information worlds.

How relevant are smart phones for your small business?

With a little bit of self-discipline and clear boundaries between professional and personal life, they can be outstanding tools: I have used exclusively smart phones since 1999 and they have afforded me incredible advantages. They can be very powerful to keep you on top of your business anywhere you are, increase your responsiveness and reliability, allow for higher flexibility in your balance of work/life. Although -- beware -- they can also induce you to be “always on” and kill your precious down time.

The key features beneficial to businesses that smart phone provide are:

Synchronization of calendars, contacts, tasks, and notes with most personal information management (PIM) software such as Outlook, ACT or Goldmine. This feature has been the biggest advantage of smart phones since they were introduced. Whatever contacts, appointments, tasks, or notes you have on your computer are replicated and synchronized with your phone. If you need to replace the phone it takes just a few minutes to re-synchronize your entire data set and have again all of your information available.
Detailed knowledge of who is calling you. Thanks to caller ID, when you receive a call if the caller’s number is in your contact base the full details of the caller will appear on the screen.
View and edit documents. Most smart phones come with software that allows for last minute edits to documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. With the right cable, or via Bluetooth, most can even connect directly to a digital projector and display a presentation with no need for a PC.

With subscription to data plans allowing you for mobile Internet connectivity smart phones can do a lot more. If you subscribe to a data plan you can send and receive e-mail directly to your smart phone. A number of different technologies today keep your smart phone e-mail and desktop e-mail fully synchronized, so that what you send or receive while on the road is fully reflected when you get back to your computer.

In addition, data plans allow you to access the Internet. Web browsers available in smart phones are becoming fully compliant with all the various technologies used for Web content delivery -- the iPhone already allows for native browsing of standard websites -- but most sites have special version formatted for mobile phone browsing (e.g. Google, Yahoo, eTrade).

You can also utilize Web-connected applications on your smart phone with a data plan. A simple example is Google maps, a software application that runs on your smart phone and pulls the map data live from the Internet, allowing you to get driving directions, find businesses and more.

If these features can make a difference in your professional life, a smart phone is for you. Beware though that not all smart phones are created equal. Here are a few key elements that can make the difference between a valuable business tool and just another digital toy:

Bluetooth is paramount. Keep you hands free with a wireless headset, sync with your PC without cables, link to digital projectors.
Great battery life. Once you get hooked on your smart phone you’ll rely on it quite heavily. No battery, no phone. Get one that lasts -- and get a second one anyway.
Good speakerphone. It’s likely that your smart phone will become your primary, if not your only phone. There will be times when you’ll need to put calls on speakerphone, and if the quality of the sound is not good, it will be very frustrating.
3G support. AT&T, Verizon and Sprint now have 3G capability in their networks providing really fast data connections. T-Mobile is in deployment phase and should be up and running by year end.

Become more flexible and productive with a Web-connected smart phone, but please remember to keep your downtime for yourself and your family. E-mail can wait sometimes on evenings or weekends, but your kids won’t.

Andrea Peiro is president and CEO of the Small Business Technology Institute, a non-profit organization created to foster the adoption of information technologies among small businesses.

Telecom Services for Business by the Bundle

Tiare Rath — 2007-07-19T18:30:56-05:00

Bundled telecommunications services that pair not only local and long-distance voice service, but Internet access and wireless services, have become wildly popular among small and mid-size businesses.

A survey by Forrester Research, of Cambridge, Mass., found that three-quarters of North American small and mid-size businesses use some type of bundled services -- usually local voice, long-distance voice, and broadband access.

A bundle is often easier to manage through one service provider and can be cheaper for businesses. But the bundled-communications market "lacks maturity right now because it's very basic," says Michael Voellinger, vice-president of business intelligence for Destin, Fla.-based Telwares, which helps businesses manage and negotiate their telecommunications services and contracts.

More than just phone lines

Small and mid-size enterprises need more than just phone lines and Internet connections as they digitize and put their businesses online. VoIP, Web and e-mail hosting and managed security services such as data backup and firewalls are all becoming integral to businesses.

Telecom companies have the opportunity to act as the virtual CIO for small and mid-size businesses, which would increase commitments and revenue from smaller enterprises. But the telecoms "don't seem to be jumping on this train very quickly," says Sanjeev Aggarwal, vice-president of small business IT infrastructure solutions for AMI-Partners in New York.

While many of the larger telecom companies offer additional services, most are not bundled or heavily marketed to the small and mid-size business market.

Aggarwal expects telecommunications firms to see decreased revenue from local and long-distance services as businesses move to VoIP services. Telecom providers have been reluctant to push VoIP because it digs into their traditional telephony market. But they are likely to push the service more aggressively over the next several years, says AMI-Partners. The research firm predicts the VoIP market will increase from $416 million this year to $1.57 billion in 2010.

AT&T, which has 3 million small business customers, says that wireless voice and data are increasingly important for small businesses and that services such as enterprise application management, ecommerce development and hosting, and enterprise messaging and collaboration are also growing.

"These used to be only for the big guys, but AT&T has customized the applications to make them more manageable – from both technology and cost standpoints – for small business owners," John Regan, AT&T's vice president of small and mid-size business marketing wrote in an e-mail.

Qwest serves the small and mid-size market well with hosted VoIP services, Aggarwal says, but does not offer many services outside of the traditional telephony market such as security.

You may need to ask for bundled services

Because telecom providers don't bundle or promote more advanced services to businesses, customers sometimes don't know they are available. It has also been difficult for telecom companies to offer services in a uniform package because of the large number of mergers in the industry, which has distracted the telecoms from providing top-notch services, Voellinger says.

In some cases, just having bundles offered isn't going to help small businesses understand how the services can help them, says Forrester Research analyst Michele Pelino.

Telecom companies "have to educate on the value and the capabilities of these services," she says.

Businesses may be locked into multi-year contracts with bundles, so if they are looking to try out a new service through their telecommunications providers, it may be better to order it separately, Pelino adds.

It can also be difficult for telecom providers to bundle services because requirements for small and mid-size business vary so widely, Pelino maintains.

"It's not just about size at this point," she says. "It's about the needs of the company."

How to Surf Safely on Public Wi-Fi

Renee Oricchio — 2007-06-22T11:14:45-05:00

Evil twins! Man-in-the-middle attacks! Sniffers, monkey-jacks, and airsnarf!

There’s a lot more lurking in that café hotspot than extra calories from a decaf macchiato with a double pump of hazelnut.

More businesses than ever before are un-tethering their staff to work from the road, the problem is “the road” is typically a very public, very vulnerable place to access into the company’s very private, very proprietary network.

According to JiWire, a mobile ad networking company that tracks Wi-Fi trends and information, there are more than 50,000 so-called public hotspots in the United States and more than 140,000 worldwide. Hotspots are typically located at places like cafes, airport waiting areas and hotels, and offer paid or free Internet access to people on the go.

If your employees are counted among the many that drop in to log in, then taking precautions to safeguard company data needs to be a priority. “It’s potentially a big hole in your network,” says Todd Carter, author of The Wireless All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies. Carter advises mobile workers to be protected from the moment they log in using either the company virtual private network (VPN) or some sort of encryption software. “Bottom line: encrypt everything,” says Carter.

“A secure sockets layer (SSL) VPN is ideal because it’s encrypted,” agrees Mark Tauschek, a senior research analyst from InfoTech based in London, Ontario. “You must mandate VPN usage for all employees. Just tell them if they’re going to log on from a public hotspot, they must log onto the company VPN first. There are literally hundreds of kinds of attacks launched against hotspot users.”

Here’s a roundup of the most popular methods of attack and the best way to protect your business.

Evil twin (similar to airsnarf)

“It’s become one of the most frequent kinds of attacks in this area. It’s typically launched from someone on a laptop as close as the table next to you or as far away as the apartment across the street,” says Tauschek.

What happens: a user tries to log in and finds two access points. One is legitimate, while the other is an identical fake (evil twin). The unsuspecting user picks one. If it’s the fake, the hacker gets login information and access to the computer. In the meantime, the user goes nowhere. He or she probably thinks it was just a login attempt that randomly failed.
Best prevention: Check with the hotspot manager and make sure they use what is called a wireless intrusion protection system (WIPS). WIPS are more strongly associated with use at the enterprise level, but many hotspots have now adopted them.

Man-in-the-middle attack

This is why you need to log on using the company VPN or use encryption software.

The hacker eavesdrops on traffic coming and going while cherry picking any information that may seem valuable.

What happens: The “man-in-the-middle” that launches the attack is called a sniffer. A sniffer is a type of hacker that quietly intercepts information en route for the purpose of identity theft or to spoof the user’s Mac address or IP address, in the case of a PC user. Sniffing software is easy to come by with some brands even offering it as a free download. “Packet capturing products are legitimately used by IT departments all the time. But in the hands of a hacker, it’s a handy little tool to wreck havoc with,” says Tauschek.
Best Prevention: Any solution that encrypts should do the trick, whether it’s the company VPN, a WIPS protected hotspot or encryption software on the laptop. If you are attacked, there’s no way to track down the “sniffer” because it’s a passive act and therefore doesn’t leave a trail.

Denial of service

With this kind of attack, it’s not the company data that’s at risk. Typically, it’s the user’s patience.

What happens: A hacker stakes out the area from a nearby location with a high gain amplifier drowning out the legitimate access point. Users simply can’t get through to log in or they are knocked off their connections by the overpowering nearby signal. A monkey jack, for example, is one kind of DoS attack designed specifically to boot everyone off the network or access point to gain sole temporary control.
Best prevention: Leave. This is one of those times that neither a VPN nor WIPS can help. “It’s what I call a layer one attack. Nothing is really compromised, except your convenience,” says Tauschek.

Of course, the greatest security risk for road warriors doesn’t come from online hackers. It’s usually comes from a lapse in vigilance resulting in a lost or stolen laptop or other mobile device. Employees also need to be reminded to beware of curious onlookers as they work with sensitive files in public. An open notebook left unattended while waiting for that macchiato could prove to be the most devastating security breach of all for the home office.