Wi-Fi News Briefs

• We Are SECURE
• Wireless U
• Up And Running

by Gerry Blackwell [December 11, 2001]

We Are SECURE
With WLAN security seen as a major hold-back for Wi-Fi technology in the enterprise, 802.11b vendors are popping up all over with announcements of new security enhancements, products and services.

Last month, Harris Corp., a supplier and integrator of communications systems for government applications, announced the development of its SecNet-11 Secure Wireless Local Area Network (SWLAN) product for government applications. The product is scheduled to be available in the first half of 2002.

SecNet-11 is a secure LAN interface card equipped with the Harris Sierra Encryption Module and Intersil's PRISM II chip set. Using the Cisco Aironet 350 Access Point architecture, the Harris-developed Type 1 radio encryption card will plug directly into the SecNet-11 Access Point (AP) and Wireless Bridge (WB), which serve as the communications hub for wireless clients and provides connectivity to a wired LAN.

The product has been accepted as part of the National Security Agency's (NSA) Commercial COMSEC Endorsement Program. Harris says SecNet-11, combined with the Cisco Aironet 350 series of Wi-Fi-compliant wireless local area networking products, will provide users with state-of-the-art wireless technology in a secure environment.

"For the first time ever, our customers will have access to a complete wireless LAN solution that is Type 1 secure," says Bob Henry, president of the Harris Government Communications Systems Division (GCSD).

"Cisco is an innovator in networking, and we are very pleased to be working with them to provide the secure, network-centric solutions critical to the success of government communications capabilities."

This collaboration with Cisco will provide government customers with secure communications of data (COMSEC), and source and destination addresses (NETSEC) without the requirement of a hardwired network, Harris says. It will enable computers equipped with the card to freely exchange data with the assurance that the transmissions are secured with a Type 1 encryption algorithm.

"This strategic relationship with Harris is an important market enabler that will allow the government to take full advantage of the value that secure wireless communications provide, significantly reducing the management of wired infrastructure concerns, space requirements during air lift, and critical time during deployment by maintaining connectivity during mobile operations, " says Jim Massa, vice president of Cisco's new Global Defense and Space Group (GDSG).

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Wireless U
Will students soon be deciding which university to attend based on availability of high-speed wireless Internet access? It would make sense. And certainly more and more campuses are going wireless.

Enterasys Networks Inc. of Rochester NH, a supplier of wired and wireless enterprise networking solutions, announced recently that four Canadian universities have hired the company to build and install wireless networks.

A multi-campus installation of high-speed wireless technology at the University of Toronto is already underway, while both the University of Waterloo and Sudbury's Laurentian University are in the planning stages of deploying advanced wireless networks from Enterasys.

In addition, a pilot project at Vancouver's Simon Fraser University has attracted widespread attention over its inventive use of Enterasys' wireless technology in teacher education.

"In a country with one of the highest levels of student access to the Internet, it is imperative our teachers learn to use technology in ways that will enhance their course curriculum and engage their students," says Burkhard Kraas, supervisor of network operations for Simon Fraser University.

"With Enterasys' RoamAbout wireless access, we are able to showcase cutting-edge technology and deliver network access wherever the user is located, be it in the classroom, a hallway or out on the patio."

Enterasys Networks' vertical market education solution, known as "Wireless Networks for Connected Learning," balances student and faculty demand for advanced technology infrastructures with universities' and colleges' budget restraints, the company says. The solution also enables increased collaboration among students, faculty, administrators and the community at large.

By integrating technology within course curriculums, the company says, universities are able to connect to the wider world of distance learning, shared research, alumni and worldwide education resources, thereby opening their campuses to a global audience.

In order to maintain such an open, collaborative learning environment, Enterasys' technology is embedded with the company's comprehensive Secure Harbour features designed to faithfully protect the network infrastructure from unauthorized security violations.

"Today's wired and wireless networks empower students and encourage learning by enabling collaboration and constant access to educational resources," says Chrisann Merriman, senior solutions marketing manager for Enterasys.

"There is a tremendous business case to be made for sophisticated network technology in higher education. The post-secondary institutions we've approached have responded very favorably to the education solution Enterasys has put together."

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Up And Running
GRIC Communications Inc., a provider of Internet-based mobile office communications services, announced recently that it has successfully completed beta testing of its Wi-Fi-based broadband wireless network.

The broadband wireless network is now available to any service provider member of the GRIC Alliance that wishes to offer expanded wireless Internet roaming capabilities to its customers. Further strengthening GRIC's coverage in Asia, China Netcom has added its wireless hotspots to the GRIC Alliance.

The GRIC Alliance represents the world's largest remote access network, the company says. It includes more than 300 service providers and telecommunications companies in more than 150 countries.

Using an updated GRICdial client and unique username and password, business travelers and telecommuters have fast access to the Internet and their corporate intranets through more than 15,000 dialing locations, which now include wireless "hotspots" at airports, convention centers and hotels.

GRIC's exclusive naming structure, which replaces clumsy SSIDs with intuitive labels based on location, will allow users to identify and connect to wireless POPs easily. Because the GRICdial client has the ability to automatically launch a corporate VPN, communication across the wired and wireless connections are seamless and secure.

Additionally, GRIC Communications has the ability to offer flexible pricing plans including prepaid, per use, daily or weekly rates.

"Seamless international roaming, enabled by GRIC Communications, is crucial for WiFi service providers to drive usage," says Christine Loredo, a senior analyst in the mobile wireless research group at Strategis Group.

GRIC expects to have 1,000 broadband wireless access points in its network by early 2002. In addition to its previously-announced agreement with China Netcom and Skynet Global, Australia's largest wireless service provider, GRIC will soon be announcing new partnerships with wireless service providers in Asia, the United States and Europe, some of whom are already members of the GRIC Alliance Network.

"We believe that while there is strong interest in wireless access, there are still major hurdles to widespread adoption," says John Rasmus, vice president of business development and corporate strategy at GRIC.

"Through its Alliance, GRIC is facilitating the participation of large service providers and telcos who can drive significant amounts of traffic to the wireless networks and provide the scale necessary to stimulate growth."

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Related articles:
	[Nov. 15, 2001]	Cisco Boosts Wireless Presence
	[Oct. 31, 2001]	Cisco's Mobile IP Roaming Software
	[Apr. 14, 2001]	GRIC, Lucent Secure to Roam the Globe