WiFi and the enterprise network
I would like to start this article off by mentioning a key point that many people are not aware of. Wireless networks are actually which differs from what we all know to be Ethernet aka IEEE 802.3. The main differences between the two are at the physical and MAC layers. Beyond that, the two are comparable in terms of standards. That said, wireless technology is considered a mature technology, albeit, a rapidly evolving one. To whit, IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and so on. These various subsets of 802.11 have led to changes in both speed and throughput on the internal wireless network. This rapid maturation of wireless technology has caught the eye of enterprise networks worldwide, and is now widely thought of as a business enabler. Many companies now think of wireless technology as a “must have”. With this wide scale adoption of wireless technology by big businesses has come the need to secure it.
http://www.cooking-tips.mayursinh.jet9g.com
Same technology, different problems
Wireless networks, be they home user or corporate, run off of the same technology ie: 802.11 specification. Where the two differ is in the implementation of it. Having a small home wireless router in the corporate enterprise simply isn’t realistic. For one, the range of the router is nowhere near powerful enough to reach the sometimes disparate corners of a large enterprise class environment. A company can occupy an entire building or more at times. With this in mind, we already have an extra layer of complexity as the home user only has one wireless router to configure and maintain. In the aforementioned enterprise environment you can have quite a few to afford the enterprise wireless access throughout their office space.
How to manage both wired and wireless?
I have heard some talk about companies going completely wireless but as of yet have not heard of any one company doing so. The reality of it is that most enterprise class network have both wireless and wired networks to contend with. Having to manage the both of them is where the first cracks can appear in a networks defense. Deploying a wireless network into an existing wired one can be a daunting task. It has been said before that complexity and security just don’t go together, and it still rings true today. This is why it is very important to have some type of central management by which you can monitor and configure your mixed network. Though I prefer to recommend a variety of vendors for an all in one mixed network solution, the fact remains that Cisco does a very good job of it. That, plus the likelihood that most people already use their gear for their infrastructure needs.The basics
The fundamentals of wireless security for the SoHo user are what I covered earlier in my two articles. This detailed how to properly configure your wireless router, however it also applies to the enterprise environment as well. As a system administrator for an enterprise class network you need to ensure those basic steps are implemented. There are other methods of hardening your wireless network though. Almost everyone has now heard of WEP and what it can do for you. The problem is that WEP is no longer really a viable means of encrypting traffic. One of the better known methods that has since taken over from WEP in the enterprise environment is known as 802.1x. This is a far more secure and robust means of authenticating access to corporate wireless network. More often then not RADIUS is used in conjunction with 802.1x.
http://www.cooking-tips.mayursinh.jet9g.com
