  On one hand, Wi-Fi VoIP undoubtedly makes a lot of sense. It offers a truly flexible mobile solution from a single device; giving users the freedom to roam the corporate WLAN, across public Wi-Fi hotspots, and back again, completely seamlessly. And the dual mode scenario – where the handset switches to a cellular connection when it drops out of wireless network range – certainly works for me. Big things are duly predicted for the technology. Analyst Infonetics, for example, forecasts Wi-Fi phone revenues to total $3.7bn within 12 months and that consumers too will take the plunge as bundled packages start incorporating Wi-Fi VoIP options. Media coverage of new Wi-Fi VoIP devices like the iPhone and the BlackBerry Curve is also helping drive the idea of using wireless for more than just web access, while verticals such as healthcare and logistics are already on the charge with the technology. It all sounds so promising that I’m almost reluctant to get to the inevitable but. But... Seems to me that a good deal more in the way of education is needed before Wi-Fi voice should be welcomed universally. There look to be question marks around security and reliability for instance; particularly the technology’s potential susceptibility to issues like denial of service attacks, electronic eavesdropping, call hijacking, and data theft. And there are even fears in some quarters that Wi-FI VoIP could open network backdoors that allow hackers to take control of host machines. Infonetics and big name security players like McAfee are among those warning about the increasing dangers posed by groups like mobile-focused cybercriminals, while VoIP is also ripe for spam or SPIT (Spam over Internet Telephony) as it has been dubbed. Either way, it means more head scratching for the IT department, and quite how keen they’ll be to embrace both the technology and its associated headaches remains to be seen. In the meantime a lot more debate and discussion is surely on the cards... not least about the opportunities all this could open up for McAfee and its cohorts. Oh well, it’s an ill wind... |
|
|
||||||||||
Insight.com/uk
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
Resources 
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
 |
||||||||||
 |
 |
Insight Direct (UK) Limited , Registered in England & Wales. Registered Office: Technology Building, Insight Campus,Terry Street, Sheffield S9 2BU, UK
Company Number: 2579852, VAT Registration Number: 746 0751 29
Company Number: 2579852, VAT Registration Number: 746 0751 29