Security fears hamper Wap adoption

A survey conducted by Excellence in Computing Solutions has revealed that misconceptions about the security aspects of Wap are hindering its widespread adoption.

A survey conducted by Excellence in Computing Solutions (ECS) has revealed that misconceptions about the security aspects of Wap are hindering its widespread adoption.

Conducted last summer, the survey showed that only 31 per cent of a sample of 138 IT and ebusiness integration specialists thought Wap connectivity would have a significant effect on their operations. According to Jane Harrad-Roberts, managing director at Marketing Projects, a similar survey conducted two weeks ago saw this figure drop to 24 per cent.

John Bennett, strategic communications consultant at ECS, said that the lack of belief in Wap does not surprise him, explaining that most people are not excited about accessing the web on a tiny screen, and still have security fears about the technology.

"If you asked internet users if they thought Wap was secure, about 80 per cent would say no. But this is a misunderstanding because the technology used by Wap is very secure," he said.

Nad Nadeson, marketing director at Peramon, agreed that the understanding of the technology is poor. "There has been a lot of misinformation about the security of Wap applications," he said, adding that it is a far more secure medium than people generally realise.

Other findings from the survey included reservations about the benefits that the convergence of voice and data would bring to businesses.

Bennett believes that the issue of convergence must be addressed by resellers. "More and more of these services are becoming bandwidth-hungry. Very soon, people will have to upgrade their transmission vehicles. It will be more cost effective to send voice and data together," he said.

First published in Computer Reseller News