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I hear almost daily how Internet access is now considered by many to be a utility - equating directly to phone, TV, power, water, etc. Hey, they're preaching to the choir. It used to be convenient, now it's mission critical - even in homes. My home would be a wreck without it. I think I'd rather start using an out-house than to give up high-speed Internet access. :(
Then there's Wi-Fi. It's convenient, like fast food. What's worse, fast food places now have free Wi-Fi, so perhaps it's more related to fast food than I thought! So, if fast food just disappeared, and we all had to go back to cooking all meals at home or paying big money to eat out (like it was in the 50's) we'd survive, but we wouldn't like it much. We'd whine like big babies about having to "go back to our cube/office (pick 1) to check our email or look something up on the Internet." In fact, we'd likely whine louder than when the power goes out...hey, if the power's out, at least you get to go home, right?
I say that Wi-Fi (and other forms of wireless data mobility) is as much utility as the Internet itself now. Those organizations and homes that don't have it, will soon enough. Those that do will NEVER go back to not having it. I hear the term "carpeted enterprise" all the time (the reason for the title of this blog), and it's usually equated with convenience, whereas other parts of the wireless enterprise (bridging, warehouses, manufacturing, etc.) are considered mission-critical. Ha! Try to take that "convenience" away from those cube farm users and see what happens...mutiny.
I see vendors like Motorola, Meru, and others carrying the banner of "the all wireless enterprise" (give or take a word or two). Certainly some vendors oppose this because they are trying to sell wired products as well, but my humble (ha!) opinion is that the network edge will be 95+% wireless within the next few years. So what do we need for the edge to actually be what we think it already is (mission critical)? Relia-freaking-bility (yes, I just coined that word). It's has to work like turning on a light switch. Security, capacity, and all the rest have to be afterthoughts. The vendor that can give us extraordinary reliability will win marketshare through reputation. Pushing the envelope of creative new solutions is fine, but if reliability, and even usability suffers, who cares? First, we need "ground cover" that we can count on. Then give me features, services, and all the rest.
OK, I'll get off my soap box - sometimes I can't help it. :) Comments are welcome.
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WEP crack again, 
