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Surely the WLANs have proved themselves in the vertical marker like
Healthcare,
Education and Retail markets they are now making incursions into general
business
computing environments. The technology no doubt has witnessed increased
acceptance in the last few years not only within the enterprise, but
also within the home, public access, and embedded device markets. This
is made possible not only by improvements in performance and manageability
but also in security and interoperability and the general decrease in
price.
Why does an organization consider wireless?
Getting an answer to this multi-million Naira question is the very first
step to putting
your WLAN on the ground of successful deployment. A proper definition
of
organization business and user requirements will not only make possible
the deployment of a wireless networks that will save networking million
of Naira, but also increase productivity and user satisfaction. Organization
deploying WLAN should as well know many users require mobility, and
their roaming coverage. Since knowing the users and their application
requirements will help define coverage areas that reduce cost or compromise
security by sending the signal beyond the intended areas. In the area
of bandwidth requirements, the question of what user applications will
run on the wireless network should be considered, this will help determine
bandwidth requirements and identify wireless LAN requirements.
Noteworthy is the fact that WLAN is a shared medium and
not a switched medium.
While most mainstream networked applications can be migrated to a shared
WLAN, it’s not necessarily appropriate for all applications.
Other Issues to Consider in Wireless Deployment
The ABGs of Wireless, Choosing the standards, ROI and Security.
Why Become a Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA)
The wireless segment of the networking industry is growing at an astounding
rate of over 40% per year and is generating tremendous revenue. Infact, during recent networking
company slumps, the wireless networking sector continued to grow at
an astonishing pace.
Prometric, of the of the worldwide leaders in online testing
claimed that, there are hundreds of different brands of wireless networking
equipment on the market today, and that no one is qualified to administer
all of them. The Certified wireless Network Professional (CWNP) program
is offered as the first vendor neutral certification exam program to
certify Wireless networking knowledge.
WIRELESS LAN BENEFITS
Wireless LANs offer the following productivity, convenience, and cost
advantages over
traditional wired networks:
Mobility
Wireless LAN system can provide LAN users with access to real-time information
anywhere in their organization. This mobility supports productivity
and service
opportunities not possible with wired networks.
Installation Speed and Simplicity
Installing a wireless LAN system can be fast and easy and can eliminate
the need to
pull cable through walls and ceilings.
Installation Flexibility
Wireless technology allows the network required for wireless LAN hardware
can be
higher than the cost of wired LAN hardware, overall installation expenses
and lifecycle
costs can be significantly lower. Long-term cost benefits are greatest
in
dynamic environments requiring frequent moves and changes.
Reduced Cost-of-Ownership
While the initial investment required for wireless LAN hardware can
be higher than
the cost of wired LAN hardware, overall installation expenses and life-cycle
costs can
be significantly lower. Long-term cost benefits are greatest in dynamic
environments
requiring frequent moves and changes.
Scalability
Wireless LAN systems can be configured in a variety of topologies to
meet the needs
of specific applications and installations and installations. Configurations
are easily
changed and range from peer-to-peer networks suitable for a small number
of users to
full infrastructure networks of thousands of users that enable roaming
over a broad
area.
Wireless LANs in Your Industry
Explore how you can benefit from wireless LANs in your specific industry.
Corporate With a wireless LAN, corporate employees can take advantage
of mobile networking for e-mail; file sharing, and web browsing regardless
of where they are in the office.
Education
Academic institutions leverage the benefits of mobile connectivity by
enabling users
with notebook computers to connect to the university network for collaborative
class
discussions and to the Internet for e-mail and web browsing.
Finance
By carrying a handheld PC with a wireless LAN adapter, financial traders
can receive
pricing information from a database in real-time and improve the speed
and quality of
trades. Accounting audit teams increase productivity with quick network
setup
Healthcare
Using wireless handheld computers to access real-time information, healthcare
providers increase productivity and quality of patient care by eliminating
patient
treatment delays, redundant paperwork, potential transcription errors,
and billing
cycle delays.
Hospitality and Retail
Hospitality services can use wireless LANs to directly enter and send
food orders
from the table. Retail stores can use wireless LANs to set up temporary
registers for
special events.
Manufacturing
Wireless networking helps link factory floor workstations and data collection
devices
to a company’s network.
Warehousing
In warehouses, handheld and forklift-mounted data terminals with barcode
readers
and wireless data links are used to enter and maintain the location
of pallets and
boxes. Wireless improves inventory tracking and reduces the costs of
physical
inventory counts.
CERTIFIED WIRELESS NETWORK PROFESSIONAL CWNP PROGRAM
Wireless technologies have been exploding in the IT arena for some years, and more WLANs solutions
are emerging frequently. The need for wireless expertise grows rapidly
on a daily basis. To fill the vacuum, the CWNP program offers various
programs to enable interested individuals earn certifications as they
acquire network
wireless
technology skills and knowledge.
Partly due to the proliferation of wireless LAN equipment at home and
work place,
CWNP program addresses the IT industry’s demand for skilled network
expert
administrators who are capable of implementing and administering many
different types of wireless LAN equipment. The intent is to create standard measurement
of knowledge in this critical and expanding field. CWNP is the
recognized standard for enterprise Wi-Fi training and certification.
According to CWNP, "CWNA is
an administrator level career certification for networkers who are in
the field and need to thoroughly understand RF behavior, site surveying,
installation, and basic enterprise Wi-Fi security. CWNA is where you
learn how RF and IP come together as a Wi-Fi network. The CWNA
certification is valid for 3 years".
Earning CWNA/CWNP will measure your knowledge of
the following
wireless networking topics: WLAN security;
WLAN concept;
Vendor-specific information;
Networking Technologies
In addition, once you’ve earned your CWNA PW0-104, you’ll be qualified
to administer various
brands of wireless networking equipment from companies like Agere, Intersil,
Intel, Bell South, Harris etc.
The CWNA certification covering the current objectives will certify
that successful
candidates with knowledge in fundamentals of RF behavior, can describe
the features and functions of components, and know the functions
of components, and have the skills needed to install, can configure
and troubleshoot hardware peripheral and protocols.
CWNA is the foundation of the CWNP program covering a broad range of
wireless
networking topics, CWNA bring IT professionals who are new to wireless
networking up to speed quickly. For those individuals already familiar
with wireless LANs, earning the CWNA certification fills in the gaps
in their knowledge, students learn how to
administer, install, configure and troubleshoot wireless network systems.
The following chart provides the breakdown of the CWNA PW0-104 subject areas
and % focus
| Subject Area |
% |
| Radio Frequency (RF) Technologies |
21 |
| IEEE 802.11
Regulations and Standards |
17 |
| IEEE 802.11
Protocols and Devices |
17 |
| IEEE 802.11
Network Implementation |
17 |
| IEEE 802.11
Network Security |
10 |
| IEEE 802.11
RF Site Surveying |
18 |
Total |
100 |
The CWNP Enterprise Wi-Fi Career Certifications program has grown over
the years into several training and certification tracks:
Each
certification offers you the opportunity to enhance and measure your
wireless networking knowledge.
CWNA – Certified Wireless Technology Specialist
CWNA –
Certified Wireless Network Administrator
CWSP – Certified Wireless Security Professional
CWDP –
Certified Wireless Design Professional
CWAP –
Certified Wireless Analysis Professional
CWNE –
Certified Wireless Network Expert
CWNT –
Instructor Certification
As organizations adopt wireless LAN technology to gain
competitive advantages of an
increasingly mobile and productive workforce, they need qualified professionals
who can design, install, support, troubleshoot and operate a wireless
solution.
The CWNA certification indicates significant knowledge of relevant factors
involved in
deploying over 100 brands of WLAN products in the market. CWNA understands
radio
technologies associated with the IEEE 802.11 standards, understand and
WLAN and
bridge topologies and applications, can configure WLAN products including
access
points, bridges, clients device and accessories, can explain software
and network
management issues, understand basic antenna theory, understand how to
perform a site survey covering WLAN topology and challenges including
equipment utility and cable awareness plus the main issues bordering
on security and it emerging standards.
Becoming the Wireless Networking Professional
Wireless is here to stay. It needs people who can design, setup and
support wireless networks - Wireless Network professionals. But is
wireless simply an all comers game? Interested? In a world where your
ability to contribute is paramount, forget about status quo and other
chains of the past. Interested? The doors are always open -
measure up with recognized and acknowledged credentials. CWNA brings
relevance and competence into the arena with global standard for
validating wireless network expertise.
The World is going wireless. Where are you going?
By
Lekan Akinremi, CCNA, CWNA
Lekan Akinremi is a seasoned network administrator with experience in
both wired and wireless networking. One of the first CWNAs in Nigeria,
he is a Btech graduate of
Physics and Electronics.
For more coverage and information related to this topic,
Certified Wireless Network
Administrator CWNA Training
Certified Wireless Network
Administrator CWNA Test Essentials
Certified Wireless Network Administrator CWNA
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