Reaping the Benefits
As with most IT projects, successful implementation of wireless connectivity depends on some basic factors. There are two approaches to getting started. One is to do a strategic plan and rollout for the entire enterprise. The other is to begin with a limited pilot in which a single business area is mobilized. Which path is chosen depends largely on the corporate culture. However, in either case, focus first on the functional reasons for implementing wireless technology (i.e., what is the real value of "mobilizing" a particular area or areas of the business, how will the new technology be used, and how will it impact business processes?)

Focusing on the technology first can result in an infrastructure driven by price and ease of acquisition. Such an infrastructure may not address the real business need and may be ill- equipped to support desired functions without costly upgrades and/or retrofitting.

Select technology that integrates with existing company systems and processes. Committing to a mobile and wireless solution that uses proprietary software or hardware can be costly ­ financially and otherwise. Such a solution often limits integration with other systems, and it can hinder the ability to adopt new devices, networks, applications, and technologies as they become available. When assessing wireless systems, it helps to consider the following:

Evaluate Third-Party Vendors
Choosing the right solutions vendor is as important as selecting the appropriate hardware and software. Determining whether a candidate can deliver on time, within the specified budget, and furnish application support over the life of the product should be key considerations.

Mobile and wireless solutions usually require vendors who have broad experience and expertise, as well as relationships and partnerships. They can help plan, design, deploy, and support the products, services, and tools to enable a total solution ­ from network connectivity, security implementation, and management to the necessary reliable and scalable middleware for enterprise systems, device selection, provisioning, and rollout. Selecting a vendor that can provide hosting services for wireless solutions may also prove to be a good alternative for some businesses.

Infrastructure Considerations
Mobile users need to access enterprise applications, synchronize local data with servers, and receive timely updates. When disconnected from the network, they also need to browse Web pages, read and respond to e-mail, and access relevant groupware or business applications. For these types of activities to occur, several unique characteristics of the mobile environment must be addressed:

To meet these needs, certain infrastructure considerations are important:

Security
Like wired communications, security is one of the most important issues to consider for mobile deployment. Mobile devices are subject to being lost or stolen, and wireless communications can be more readily intercepted. Policies, processes, and technologies for mobile and wireless communication need to be integrated into current security and privacy controls. Areas requiring technology controls include content/e-mail filtering, antivirus protection, user identification and authentication, policy management, intrusion detection, hardening of platforms, and security-rich device management. Areas requiring process changes include risk and incident management, incident response, security validation, and monitoring.

Wireless networks can be as secure as traditional wired networks. Many of the vulnerabilities in today's public wireless LANs or Wi-Fi networks stem from users not changing the standard default setting. Simple changes to the encryption during the setup of these networks will increase security. For corporate users, traditional steps taken to secure wired networks can also apply to the wireless world.

Interoperability
Because of the diversity of mobile devices and solutions, open standards are more important than ever. Select open-platform and open-standards solutions that can support an application's portability. Even if a very specific project for a device and network is being considered, it is important to plan for the future and choose a comprehensive platform. Look for a solution that encompasses both wired and wireless data and multiple device types ­ a solution that can optimize mobile computing communications and provide the required support tools and scalability.

Networking Services
Choose wireless connectivity for the right reasons: because it supports a business process and provides business advantages. Select connectivity providers that can support project goals in a cost-effective manner. In many cases, multiple connectivity options may be needed for different user communities ­ including a mix of wireless and wireline.

Disconnected Services
Mobile users still need to work when they are not connected to the network. Disconnected ser-vices require both server- and client-side infrastructure. These services help users transmit and receive information reliably when they establish a network connection. They also provide higher effective bandwidth by optimizing retransmission of data on unreliable wireless networks. Services that support this disconnected mode of operation include: caching of data and applications on devices, replication and synchronization of data maintained on the device and the network server, and message queuing.

Mobile and Wireless Device Support
Mobile and wireless devices include embedded machine devices without a user interface as well as devices with multimodal interfaces such as traditional keyboard and mouse interfaces, small text screens, pens, touchscreens, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and other emerging technologies.

Standardizing on a small portfolio of devices can help contain the costs of procuring and supporting devices. For the devices themselves, consider factors such as readability of the display area, mechanisms for data input, processing and storage capacity, available connectivity options, security factors, application and application development tool availability, and cost of procurement and support.

Systems Management Services
It is advantageous to have an integrated management system that includes wired and wireless support, thereby reducing costs associated with both. This is crucial because of the need to monitor and manage the synchronization of data between different wireless devices, desktops, and servers, and this synchronization increases the volume of asset, failure, performance, and backup management transactions needing to be performed.

Getting Started
If your enterprise has not already begun using mobile and wireless technologies, here's how to gain an unwired advantage:

Whatever the application, it is important for IT organizations to take the leadership role, working with business units to identify opportunities and create an enterprise strategy that can achieve sound business results. Initiatives led by individual business units can result in incompatible solutions that may prove costly to support and integrate.

The wireless world is changing rapidly; there is increased availability of high-performance handheld devices and low-cost, high-speed broadband Internet access. Communications and security standards are being further defined and implemented in products. The wireless user experience is moving to match that of the wired user. By starting now, your organization can effectively compete as wireless technologies continue to allow differentiation through new types of transactions and services, localized information, and personalization.