http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2007/12/29/technology/20071229160318&sec=technology 

December 29, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: Enterprises planning to deploy wireless networks need not 
be overly concerned about risks to system security, said networking 
equipment vendor 3Com Corp.

It said the risks are the same as those posed to wired networks the 
typical computer virus infection and odd worm-intrusion incident as long 
as the proper precautions are taken.

3Com said its finding is based on a recent survey of 2,500 companies in 
Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

The survey found that organisations which have moved to wireless 
networks encounter few, if any, significant security issues.

Results of this survey debunk the commonly held belief that wireless 
networks are less secure than wired ones, said Peter Chai, 
vice-president and general manager (Asia Pacific) at 3Com, in Kuala 
Lumpur recently.

Whats even more interesting is that some of these organisations did not 
face any security threats and have found that the security of their 
networks either improved or remained unchanged when they moved to 
wireless.

More than 40% of respondents in the study had deployed wireless networks 
within their organisations and cited security as their most pressing 
concern, followed by network reliability.

The survey also indicated that the security and reliability concerns of 
the enterprises polled are closely linked to the use of consumer-grade 
wireless networking equipment that is less secure and has limited 
connectivity, said 3Com.

In many cases, the use of centrally controlled wireless architecture may 
actually improve network security due to its ability to block rogue 
access points and enforce better network admission controls, Chai said.

[...]


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