Your employer, XelPharm, is a large manufacturer and distributor of generic, ove

Question

Your employer, XelPharm, is a large manufacturer and distributor of generic, over-the-counter healthcare products. Its main campus consists of three buildings within two blocks of each other. Each building houses approximately 200 employees, including those in the following departments: Administration, Accounting, Research, Legal, Quality Control, Order Fulfillment, and Production. In addition, XelPharm owns a large distribution warehouse approximately 4 miles away from the headquarters. Until now, its networks have relied entirely on wired connections. The company's CIO (chief information officer) decided long ago that he would wait until wireless technology "settled down" before investing in it. What can you tell him about the wireless standards that might convince him that now is the time to adopt wireless technology? Also, what can you tell him to convince him that wireless networking could improve the company's productivity? Which employees could make best use of wireless connections and how? In what type of situations would all employees benefit from wireless networking?

Explanation / Answer

The biggest concerns that are floated when debating wired v wireless networks are security and speed. It has to be said that in both instances wired is superior. However, having said that, although wired has a clear edge, that doesn’t mean to say that wireless is either insecure, or slow. Using wireless technology rather than having a hard wired network can be much more cost-effective. The larger the network, both in terms of area and users, the more expensive a hard wired network will be to install. It’s not just the amount of cabling, but the actual cost of the labour to install the raceways, and chase the cabling all through the premises; through walls, up and down different floors etc. Once a wireless network is in place, and even if it costs a little more initially to install, maintenance costs are lower, and there are normally no additional costs involved in scaling up, unless the signal needs to be boosted. Having a wireless network also means that a business can provide secure network access to visiting colleagues from other sites within the organisation. It enables them to access the data they need and pick up and respond to their emails. It also grants Internet access to visiting customers and suppliers. It’s now something that most business people who have reason to travel, have come to expect. It’s also how most public Wi-Fi hotspots grant Internet access to their guests. Because there are no wires involved with a wireless connection, the potential risk of tripping over any trailing cables that wired connectivity requires, can be avoided altogether. The increased mobility factor both enables and facilitates the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon, which more and more businesses are now taking advantage of. Laptops, Tablets, and Smartphones that belong to individual employees are now being brought into the workplace and are being given access rights to the wireless network. As well, as making it more convenient for employees to carry out their tasks, BYOD also represents a potential cost saving, as businesses no longer have to fund the hardware cost of the devices themselves.

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