Wireless has swept the business environment off it's feet. Managers and employers love the fact they can give their employee a laptop and they'll have connectivity at any time. It used to be employees who were away on business or on the road during the work day would have to wait to submit important reports or transactions to the office.

Today this is all changed, employees can work from anywhere on the road or within their own building. Staff can now attend meetings in another department and be able to monitor their email or messaging systems for anything new coming in which may need urgent attention.

Making the transition to wireless requires some careful thought before making the plunge. Will the costs of employing wireless exceed the benefits derived? There is no one size fits all answer for if wireless is beneficial in the office, it's a decision which needs to be individually evaluated.

The most obvious benefit to implementing wireless in the office is mobility. Wireless a high degree of flexibility which allows people to multi-task because wireless nurtures accessibility. Looking at it from this perspective, wireless increases productivity because employees are always connected, and this is lucrative for the business. The efficiency derived from wireless is a definitive plus.

Convenience is another key advantage. With all the "hot spots" and free wireless offered in stores, restaurants and other buildings, it's a real plus that people can connect online while on the go. This decreases delays in work being submitted and information is almost always up to date which allows for rapid decision making. Managers no longer have to wait for their employees who are making transactions on the road to return, they can immediately see results throughout the day.

While there are many benefits to going wireless, there is always a trade-off. For convenience we relinquish a level of security; security is one of the biggest disadvantages of wireless. Many businesses are willing to invest money into installation of wireless networks, but fail to spend the money necessary on the technology and staff resources needed to maintain it. Additionally, many offices neglect to educate themselves on factors such as encryption, secured networks and encourage organizational safe practices when connecting through wireless. Unfortunately security preventatives are often not considered until something goes wrong and by then the damage is done. Businesses which fail

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