Transforming Business today
- wireless computing has enjoyed possibly the fastest rollout ever seen in the computer industry
- wireless networks are cheaper to set up than cable networks and easier to upgrade and expand
- the use of wireless networks in the home is proving popular - particularly in Europe
- there are drawbacks, including outstanding issues concerning security and difficulty in calculating bottom-line benefits
Despite what the computer industry often says, 'breakthrough' technologies don't happen very often. However, wireless computing - or Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity, as it's sometimes called) - looks set to become one of those rare technologies, ranking alongside the fax machine, the desktop PC and mobile phone. That's because wireless computing has a central set of features that can change and shape the way that companies and individuals go about their daily business.
These include the ability to:
- send and receive information at high speed while on the move - in airports, hotels, service stations and even coffee shops and burger bars
- work in company premises to enable wireless connections for staff with handheld and laptop computers as they move around the shopfloor or office
- enable a wide spectrum of business applications to be used remotely that integrate with head office - salesforce automation, field service engineering, to financial service - any application where up-to-the-minute, sophisticated networking is needed
- effortlessly create a wireless environment in remote locations, including satellite offices and workers' homes
Maximising return on investment from Wi-fi
Transforming Business today
The IoD in association with Toshiba has recently published an in-depth guide to Wireless Computing. For more details visit www.iod.com/wirelesscomputing.
