Securing the Network:

Securing the network is particularly important given the significant vulnerability of wireless networks. However, there are a number of technologies available today that can make your wireless network as secure as your wired network.

· WPA. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a standards-based security technology which secures Wi-Fi networks. WPA comes in two versions, a personal edition and an enterprise edition. The enterprise edition provides 128-bit data encryption, including dynamic session keys, as well as strong access controls. WPA2 provides government-grade security with FIPS 140-2 compliant AES encryption. It is important to note, however, that WPA and other wireless encryption methods protect only activity between Wi-Fi enabled computers and Wi-Fi certified access points. Once the data is on public networks or on the Internet, your data will again be vulnerable unless other measures are taken, such as SSL.

· Media Access Control (MAC) Filtering. Every Wi-Fi radio has a unique MAC number. Access points can be programmed to only accept specified MAC addresses, thereby ensuring that only authorized users have access to the wireless network.

· Closing Your Network. To counter scanning tools which can find and tap into wireless networks, you should disable network name or SSID broadcasting at all access points. This will ensure that your network is not shown on a list of networks available to outside users.

· Virtual Private Networks. A VPN creates a "virtual tunnel" from the user's computer to the corporate system, encrypting data transferred to computers outside the corporate offices. VPN technology also works for wireless networks and can protect transmissions from Wi-Fi equipped computers to corporate servers.

· Remote Access Dial-Up User Service (RADIUS). RADIUS is standard authentication technology used by many corporations to protect access to their wireless networks. It uses a user name and password scheme to verify the user's access rights to the network, and various levels of access can be enabled.