AirMagnet gears up for WLAN security boom

Vendor takes message to UK VARs and claims 11n adoption will boost market

Wireless safety: SMEs must make encryption a priority as Wi-Fi systems can be open to abuse

As adoption of 802.11n technology gathers pace, vendor AirMagnet wants to make a splash in the UK market and has urged VARs to embrace wireless security opportunities.

A recent study from network access control vendor Napera Networks claimed SMEs need to pay particular attention to the security of their wireless network.

More than half of the 200 firms quizzed use little or no encryption on Wi-Fi access points and a similar amount revealed guests access their network every day.

Wade Williamson, director of product management for AirMagnet, claimed there is a lack of awareness among businesses of the importance of managing and securing wireless LAN (WLAN).

“WLANs are increasingly mainstream and we are putting more important traffic on them,” he said.

“The 11n technology is complex and it is not something you can simply plug in and reap the benefits of straight away. There is a significant lack of expertise around it, which is where our partners come in.”

The company works with about 50 UK VARs and has formalised relationships with three: Global Secure Systems, Axial Systems and Phoenix Datacom.

AirMagnet’s new 802.11n WLAN suite was recently deployed for the first time in Europe by integrator Dimension Data at a UK telecoms firm. Williamson is touring the region with Cisco representatives to brief VARs on WLAN opportunities.

The vendor’s EMEA sales director David Cummins claimed he was in no great rush to sign up more formalised partners and placed greater emphasis on the calibre of resellers. “We are looking for quality and want people who are able to espouse the features and the benefits,” he said.

Cummins singled out retail and manufacturing as key sectors.

And Williamson claimed the public sector could help drive 11n adoption. “The industry that has helped wireless grow in the US is healthcare. It has enabled the market.”

James Calderbank, EMEA director of enterprise sales for WLAN vendor Ruckus Wireless, claimed security should not be a big issue if a WLAN is implemented sensibly and proficiently.

“Companies do not need to implement separate security policies for their wireless network. It really should be a part of their larger security policy,” he said.