 "“Security A Key Concern In Enterprise Mobilising”")
Sajan Paul, head - Technology & Consulting - Enterprise Solutions, Nortel India enlightens about the future of mobile communications in Indian enterprises and the prospects of WiMax in India, in a free wheeling chat with Dominic K.
What is the future of mobile communications and how will it impact enterprise communication?
For the enterprise, smart phones will have an impact similar to that of mobile telephony itself. Smart phones, which were initially designed primarily as mobile phones with data-communications functionality along with advanced computing capabilities, have the ability to handle and host a number of applications letting them behave exactly like handheld computers.
In India, spectrum availability is one of the key concerns in wireless broadband technology such as 3G, 4G, WiMax. While QoS and innovations are technology oriented and they are being deployed in various countries, wireless spectrum is controlled by the government agencies. I believe innovative applications and availability of spectrum would fuel the growth in this segment.
While other uses of the phone are increasing, the mobile device is still not much more than a PIM. Enterprises are increasingly challenged when it comes to selecting devices, enabling access to e-mail and securing corporate data, while carriers are facing more and more complexity to support these demands. As mobile devices become more ’business enabled,’ they will be used by an increasing number of employees as well as partners and customers to access the enterprise.
How important do you think is mobile security for Indian enterprises?
Security has been touted as a key concern when it comes to mobilising the enterprise. It is important to have multi-layered security checks, especially in case of remote access and guest log-ins.
As with any new technology or solution, it is important to match the users" requirements with the benefits and limitations of the solution.
Wifi is available with WPA-2 based payload encryption (802.11i) which is considered highest in the area of commercial encryption standards. There are also mechanisms available which make sure that end point compliance is enforced and access rights are managed from the corporate security team.
There is always another layer of security by means of VPN overlay and authentication mechanisms. Secure RTP (SRTP) is another area, which secures mobile IP telephony while transmitted over wireless infrastructure.
How far is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) from traditional enterprise telephony applications?
The proliferation of VoIP services across Asia-Pacific will rise as telecommunications markets open up. According to the latest report by Frost & Sullivan, this move coupled with the increasing differential between PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and VoIP tariffs will ignite VoIP services to revenue growth rates exceeding 320% y-o y.
What is your take on the future of WiMax in India?
Wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) hold much potential for rapid and inexpensive deployment of broadband services in both urban and rural India.
While Wi-Fi is still in its nascent stage, WiMAX, enabling the last mile wireless broadband access, is seen as an alternative to the cable and digital subscriber line (DSL). India is still in the early stage as far as usage of mobile Internet is concerned. Because of this, the demand for infrastructure availability for Wi-Fi is not strong enough. Unless computer penetration as well as investment in infrastructure increases, India will not witness Wi-Fi growth.