Eric Carr

Setting up wireless access is easy, so easy that many employees don't wait for official sanction and chaos can result. Wi-Fi is great for surfing the Web at Starbucks and sharing Internet connections on home computers, but when Web-savvy employees set up rogue wireless access points (APs) on corporate networks, they pose serious risks to the enterprise. The momentum of wireless is growing, but IT departments are still underequipped, with few wireless policies and no uniform standards to address the risks. Cheap to buy and ready to go out-of-the-box, makeshift Wi-Fi access points are giving employees the ability to access data in the conference room and share files between multiple mobile devices. Of course, these rogue employees enjoy playing with the latest, coolest technology, but they're also taking the lead on increasing their own productivity. Enterprises have ... (more)