Ars Technica: Report: 802.11n good enough to chase Ethernet from the enterprise.
Are we near the point where wireless networks can replace good, old Ethernet? A new report from The Burton Group answers that question in the affirmative, saying that the increased speeds and other features of 802.11n should be enough for many companies to cut the wires on their WANs in the next two to three years.
Not knowing too much about the underlying wireless technology, I’m a bit skeptical because I’ve had some bad luck with wireless Internet before. Sure, my home network tops out at 802.11g, but even then I get disconnects, security problems, signal noise and interference – lower speeds, higher latency. For me, this means higher lag in my online games; for an enterprise, these things can sink a VoIP operation.
I’m sure there will be a time when wireless is good enough but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wireless technology – of any stripe – that has outperformed the wired equivalent.
Network World: Balancing Generation Y preferences with security
It’s a concern that we’ve covered before when the iPhone launched, but Network World takes a more in-depth look at all the different new, pocket-sized technologies that can cause problems for corporate networks.
Many Generation Y technologies may offer an improvement over today’s status quo – an instant message or text message is likely to get the recipient’s attention more quickly than an e-mail that sits waiting to be checked in an in-box – but they can introduce serious security threats to corporate networks, according to some security vendors.
For example, “the newer forms of attacks take advantage of Web sites with rich content and features: AJAX-enabled applications, embedded JavaScript, etc. These aren’t really new technologies, but they’re more pervasive now,” says Paul Ferguson, network architect at Trend Micro. “And with [components like] Google Maps, where the processing is done on the PC instead of on the Web page, criminals are exploiting that avenue of content delivery. The ability for Web 2.0 applications to deliver that content is a Catch-22, because it also can allow you to be exploited.”
Network world even has a helpful list of possibly problematic technologies.
- USB storage devices:Can be used to steal corporate data; enough capacity to take large amounts of information, but small enough to go undetected.
- iPods and other MP3 players:Can be set to steal corporate data. Also, downloading music and video can clog bandwidth.
- Instant messaging:Many public networks don’t offer security features; often chats aren’t logged so there is no audit trail or proof of the communication; the real-time nature of chat can disrupt the workplace.
- Cell phone text messaging:No ability to send file attachments; no communication log or audit trail.
- Web 2.0 sites: Popular social-networking and related sites rely on technology with weak security that hackers are targeting as agents for downloading malware.
Wired: Point, Click… Eavesdrop: How the FBI Wiretap Net Operates
Yes, we really are living under constant surveillance, as this article from Wired shows.
It’s a “comprehensive wiretap system that intercepts wire-line phones, cellular phones, SMS and push-to-talk systems,” says Steven Bellovin, a Columbia University computer science professor and longtime surveillance expert.
DCSNet is a suite of software that collects, sifts and stores phone numbers, phone calls and text messages. The system directly connects FBI wiretapping outposts around the country to a far-reaching private communications network.
Depending on your political persuasion, you’ll either be comforted knowing that the good guys are keeping an eye out for you, or terrified that the “good guys” are keeping an eye out for you.
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