May 17, 2012

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3 Approaches to Identifying Mobile Devices

February 24, 2012 By Editor Leave a Comment
fingerprinting

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When it comes to managing wireless devices on your network, you’ve got two basic options: treat the device as a known entity that is allowed to access the corporate network, or as an unknown entity that is not. But there are several ways to make that determination, says Chris Williams, a systems engineer with Carousel Industries, and they are progressively more granular and useful. Fingerprinting and Web Browser Snooping The simplest way to identify a device is through fingerprinting or web browser snooping. With fingerprinting, when the device logs on, it performs a DHCP request. In that request is a… Continue Reading ›

Filed Under: Mobility, Network, Wireless, Wireless LAN, security Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

3 Keys to Setting Up a Temporary Wireless LAN

January 27, 2012 By Editor Leave a Comment

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As more and more people roam this earth armed with smart phones, tablets and all manner of communications devices, they pretty much expect to have wireless Internet access all the time. And being outside at, say, a corporate barbecue or a sporting event is no excuse not to have connectivity. Similarly, first-responders in emergency situations often need Internet access in places where such access doesn’t normally exist – and fast. The answer is a temporary wireless LANs, which are becoming quite easy to set up, according to Chris Williams, a systems engineer with Carousel Industries. “If you want to deploy… Continue Reading ›

Filed Under: Mobility, Wireless, Wireless LAN Tagged With: , , , , ,

1G WiFi Is On the Way – Is Your Network Ready?

December 2, 2011 By Editor Leave a Comment

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A new spec for 1G wireless LANs is making its way through the standards process and companies would be wise to pay attention, as it will almost certainly factor into the way you think about both your wired and wireless network infrastructure. The IEEE is working on 802.11ac, a standard for 1G bps WiFi networks. While the official standard isn’t expected to be complete until 2013, you can expect to see working products well before that. According to a blogger at Network Computing: Popular predictions regarding 802.11ac have millions of devices in users’ hands by 2012 and billions by 2015.… Continue Reading ›

Filed Under: Industry Trends and News, Wireless, Wireless LAN Tagged With: , , , ,

PCI Compliance and Wireless Networks: What You Need to Know

September 29, 2011 By Editor 1 Comment
PCI Compliance Wireless Networks

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Any company that accepts credit cards has to worry about staying in compliance with the (PCI DSS) v1.2.  And companies that have wireless LANs have additional requirements to meet, even if no credit card data travels over the wireless network. To learn more about the requirements, we talked with Chris Williams, pre-sales systems engineer for Carousel Industries and one of the company’s wireless experts. From a PCI perspective, companies fall into one of three categories when it comes to wireless, each with varying requirements. PCI Category 1: No Wireless in Use A company that has no wireless LANs in place… Continue Reading ›

Filed Under: Network, Wireless, Wireless LAN, security Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Benefits of Identity-Aware Networks – and Tips for Getting There

September 7, 2011 By Editor Leave a Comment
Identity-Aware-Network-Fingerprint

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Gartner is predicting that by the end of this year, 30 percent of large corporate networks will become “identity-aware,” meaning they will have features and technologies that enable them to associate user identities with specific network traffic and behavior.  The idea is to provide tight access control for applications and resources, taking into account not only who users are, but where they are and what device they’re using – all without forcing users to memorize dozens of user IDs and passwords. In a previous post, we covered four reasons why your network should be identity aware.   In this post, we’ll… Continue Reading ›

Filed Under: Mobility, Network, Network Architecture Tagged With: , , , ,

4 Reasons You Need Centralized Wireless Management

August 31, 2011 By Editor Leave a Comment

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As wireless LANs get more ubiquitous, IT may well find they’re spending an inordinate amount of time managing them, especially in organizations with multiple sites. Configuration changes require logging in to the controller at each site, troubleshooting can be a bear, and reporting is all but impossible. That is, unless you have a centralizedmanagement strategy. With centralized wireless management, the wireless controllers that manage access points in each location all connect to a central management console, from where IT can monitor and control each ‘remote controller’ (as opposed to ‘remote control’, which apparently only my 11 year old daughter has… Continue Reading ›

Filed Under: Network, Network Architecture, Wireless, Wireless LAN Tagged With: , , , , ,

Wireless Networks vs. Ethernet Networks. Is there Still a Debate?

June 22, 2011 By Editor Leave a Comment
Ethernet Cable

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The move towards wireless networks seems inexorable. Mobility is rapidly starting to trump all other considerations when it comes to networking (well, not security, but those other considerations), so the question becomes are there times when an Ethernet, hard-wired LAN still makes sense for a business? The short answer is absolutely, depending on the business requirements. In a recent conversation with Chris Williams, a wireless and networking specialist at Carousel Industries, we discussed the pros and cons of each technology and the role each could play in your organization in 2011 depending on your needs. Ethernet Networks – The Need… Continue Reading ›

Filed Under: Mobility, Network, Network Architecture, Wireless, Wireless LAN Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,