In this issue of Cutter Benchmark Review, we focus on the corporate applications of wireless networking. We chose this topic because we seem to be on the threshold of wireless networking moving from being an interesting new development with some potential, to it becoming a staple technology of modern organizations. More importantly, while much of the current focus is on wireless as the backbone of communication introduced to create efficiencies, it may be time to think about how to use the wireless and mobile infrastructure to build innovative applications. As we noted in last month's issue, IT innovation is back in IT shops, and, as we concluded then, "The time is now to raise the stakes of IT innovations." Wireless applications could prove fertile ground for meeting this challenge, and benchmarking current applications and the state-of-the-art in organizations may provide the launch pad for innovative thinking.

That corporate applications of wireless networking are taking center stage in the mind of IT executives should come as no surprise. For example, in its 2006 forecast issue, Computerworld indicated mobile and wireless rollouts as the second IT project priority for 2006 (behind only security projects).¹ While most of the focus seems to be devoted to the efficiency and customer service improvements promised by wireless connectivity, I think that there is as much potential for the development of innovative applications that significantly change how we do work.

This is our second issue concentrating on a specific trend or technology rather than on a more general topic, such as IT innovation, privacy, or security. As you may recall, the April issue on content management systems was the first of this kind for Cutter Benchmark Review. We liked that experiment and thought that a repeat was in order. From time to time, we will intersperse general issues of CBR with more focused ones along these lines. If you have any suggestions for topics you'd like to see us cover in the future, feel free to contact me directly at gpiccoli@cutter.com.

Cutter recently administered a survey designed to benchmark current corporate uses and applications of wireless networking. We then invited our contributors to comment on the results based on their extensive research and practical experience in this space. Our expert academic contributors for this issue are Munir Mandviwalla, Associate Professor, Founding Chair of Management Information Systems, and Executive Director of the Irwin L. Gross eBusiness Institute at Temple University; and Abhijit Jain, a doctoral student at Temple University. Providing our view from the field is Michael Enright, a Senior Consultant with Cutter Consortium's Business IT Strategies practice and the President of Hamilton Technology Advisors.

Both articles begin by drawing to our attention the current state-of the-art in wireless networking and highlighting some of the opportunities -- and threats --that the rapid evolution in this area is affording to organizations. After commenting on the key findings of the survey and introducing the principal wireless networking options currently (and in the near future) available, Munir and Abhijit perform an industry analysis to identify and map the current and potential players in the space, as well as their opportunity for relationships. This analysis identifies some interesting, and unexpected, potential partnerships. With their attention toward larger, out-of-the office, metropolitan, national, or international networks and applications, Munir and Abhijit distill a wireless adoption framework that I think you will find very useful when planning for and executing large-scale wireless initiatives.

Michael also begins with an overview of the state-of-the-art of wireless networking and current adoption of related technologies by our respondents. Keeping with the best tradition of CBR, his contribution complements Munir and Abhijit's in both focus and scope. Michael centers his attention on Wi-Fi and the challenges associated with it. He devotes particular attention to security and provides a detailed list of items that need to be evaluated and checked to mitigate the security threat created by the pervasive use of wireless networking. He concludes by offering some interesting ideas on how to cope with these challenges and the costs that different potential solutions entail in both time and money.

Even though wireless networking is no longer an emerging technology, we seem to have barely scratched the surface of possibilities. Thus, much opportunity for high-impact innovation remains. In this issue of CBR, we hope to achieve the two main goals we set every month: to spur your thinking and offer fodder for discussion within your organization about an emerging issue of technical and managerial interest, and to provide a guiding framework and a set of practical guidelines to help you address the specifics manifestations of this issue in your organization.

NOTES

¹ See Mitch Betts, "Forecast 2006: Security, Wireless and BI Projects Will Be Hot, " Computerworld Blogs Web site (www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/1509).