Introduction
The past three years have seen an increase in the number of wireless communication devices. The emergence of these mobile delivery channels enables new business opportunities for a large number of companies and individuals. However, security is one of the most important obstacles to the full-scale deployment of wireless devices, since it can allow access to sensitive corporate information.
Wireless security represents the joint effort of several parties, from - but not restricted to - mobile device vendors, mobile equipment manufacturers, security vendors, wireless operators, systems integrators and consultants, the organisation and, ultimately, the end-user.
Solutions Available
There is a wide range of solutions in order to secure wireless environments. It is important to secure all elements of the wireless security spectrum, including mobile devices, wireless transmissions and networks, gateways and servers, and back-end systems. Many of the solutions available for the wired environment are also available for wireless users. Sometimes, these products need slight modifications to support wireless and at other times need to be built as a new product. However, it is important that wireless environments are properly secured.
A number of technologies available to secure wireless environments are commented on and analysed in this report, including virtual private networks (VPN), wireless transport layer security (WTLS), wireless public key infrastructure (WPKI) authentication systems and other security solutions. Other solutions include anti-malware software, intrusion and detection systems, vulnerability assessment tools, web access control (WAC), wireless firewall gateways, personal firewalls, content filtering and hard drive encryption.
Wireless Transmissions
Frost & Sullivan has differentiated between short range and wide range transmissions. Short range transmissions include wireless local area networks (WLANs) and Bluetooth. Wide range (cellular) transmissions include GSM, GPRS and UMTS. For each technology a brief background is provided, the major drivers and challenges faced by the technologies, market penetration and forecasts for Europe (and estimates on a worldwide basis where available). Finally, the security provided by these technologies, what the major concerns are and how this is being developed in the future are all considered. How complementary technologies can be used to augment the security of these technologies is also looked at.
It is clear that corporations of all sizes from all over the world are significantly concerned about security when it comes to these technologies. Sometimes these concerns are exaggerated, and some network managers know this but need to reassure their superiors that extra measures are being taken to ensure high security levels.
European Forecasts
Frost & Sullivan has measured and provided forecasts for the wireless security market in Western Europe from 2001 to 2005. Even at this early stage of the development of the wireless security market, there are several areas that can be measured. Frost & Sullivan has divided the wireless security space into three main areas, namely mobile devices security, wireless transmissions and communications security and professional services.
The total wireless security market - which includes mobile devices security, wireless transmissions security and professional services - will grow from $99.6 million in 2001 to $793.9 million in 2005 at a CAGR of 51.5 percent. This represents a much higher growth rate than the average security market and as the market develops wireless security is expected to increase enormously its relevance to the overall security market.
Conclusion
When deploying wireless security it is important to consider all elements involved in order to implement true end-to-end security across the whole network. A point solution is simply not good enough. More importantly, the solutions deployed should be interoperable and scalable as vulnerable points are likely to multiply.
Mobile devices often operate in an environment far more hostile than stationary devices that reside within a protected corporate network. Therefore, a different set of security policies apply. Transmission of data is another key area for protection. For every method of transmission there are several methods of stealing or auditing that transmission and therefore the need to secure the wireless transmissions by deploying the appropriate security technologies. However, security in a wireless environment, if correctly implemented, should not be less secure than wired environments.
An increasing number of clients will demand wireless services and Frost & Sullivan believes that only those security vendors able to provide solutions for a wireless environment will survive.
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