Addressing Wireless LAN Security Issues and Interoperability Challenges

Securing a wireless Lan remains complex and costly because of immature standards and a lack of interoperability, according to a report by Meta Group. Several approaches have emerged over the past two years that adequately address some of the security . . . Securing a wireless Lan remains complex and costly because of immature standards and a lack of interoperability, according to a report by Meta Group. Several approaches have emerged over the past two years that adequately address some of the security concerns related to the original Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption protocol used in 802.11b WLans, said Chris Kozup, an analyst at Meta and author of the report.

But the different standards and approaches adopted by suppliers make WLan rollouts a major hassle, Kozup said.

"Suppliers in general have not been aggressive enough at trying to simplify their solutions," Kozup said. Most are pushing their own agendas with proprietary standards and are "being apathetic in terms of their willingness to push broader adoption of specific standards", he added.

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