There is a definite change in the atmosphere at this year`s Comdex Chicago 2001. A thread of caution winds through the exhibition floor as well as in the conference rooms.
A panel discussion looking at where wireless is going was an example of this. The panellists all cautioned potential buyers of wireless technology to do a lot of homework and investigation, and not to rush into any purchases.
Neil Gelfand, head of Direct Technology Investments at Goldman Sachs Group, said he would advise companies to be extremely cautious when it comes to wireless wide area networking because of limited bandwidth. "3G is way off. There are economic problems, governmental problems and by the time it gets implemented, the quality of service to the user would be questionable. I would also be very wary if someone comes up to me now and promises wireless screen video."
He reiterated that now is the time for companies to do their homework. "Take a step back, find out what you want to do in terms of wireless and what time frame you want to do it in."
Bob Zurek, senior analyst at Forrester Research, urged companies to start prototyping immediately because of competitive pressures. He added that no one wants to be left behind when the time comes for implementation of wireless. "But, keep it simple. Have both long- and short-term strategies."
Matt Granger, president of technology at Aether Systems, a wireless data, products and services provider company, had some advice for this planning phase: "Define your business needs and refine exactly what you want to achieve. Then go and find the right tool for the job. Do not forget your user. Many wonderfully designed technologies fail because they did not take the user into account. Keep the user in the process right from the design phase."
Zurek added that standards are still an issue in the wireless arena. "We are being bombarded with wireless start-ups, each with their own approach and proprietary platforms. Many won`t be around in nine months time.
"I advise companies to look at their existing infrastructure and then layer their wireless solutions on top of that. Approach your existing infrastructure provider, be it IBM or PeopleSoft. They are all getting into wireless and you may have less problems when it comes to implementation."
Gelfand concluded that companies should implement wireless slowly and with caution.
"Decide which employees need it the most and then investigate the best way for them to get it. A salesperson, for example, may need instant access to stock availability in order to clinch a successful deal. That would definitely be an area where wireless can be useful. But an employee who only really needs to check e-mail at airports can do with a Palm for now."
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