Viewpoint: Wireless ComputingWirelessKnowledge
Microsoft and Qualcomm recently made a major announcement that will have a profound effect on wireless data communications. WirelessKnowledge, the joint venture funded by Qualcomm and Microsoft, is a radically new concept that is difficult to explain in a way that non-technical folks can truly understand and appreciate. Some within the industry saw this announcement as being an endorsement of a wireless technology developed by Qualcomm (CDMA) that is used by PCS wireless providers. But the real reason WirelessKnowledge is important is because it bridges the gap between the wireless networks and a corporation's information resources. The best way to understand WirelessKnowledge is to step back and look at why wireless data users today number only in the hundreds of thousands and not in the millions. Wireless voice is easyBuying and using a wireless voice phone (cell phone) is easy. All you have to decide is which phone and network you want to use. Once a wireless phone has been activated, you simply dial a number and talk to the person who answers on the other end. It doesn't matter whether that person is using a wired phone or a phone on a wireless network. Every phone wired or wireless has a phone number, and every phone in the world can be dialed from any other phone. Wireless data is far more complex. Not only do you have to choose the type of device (wireless modem, voice-and-data phone, two-way pager, etc.) and the network you want to use, you must also figure out how to connect to the information resources that you need. Most of us want to be able to access the e-mail, calendar, address book, and data files that are stored on our corporate network, as easily as we access voice mail stored on our wired phone system. Unfortunately, connecting to our information resources is far more complex than merely dialing a number. The corporate IT manager is charged with making sure that all of the corporate data is available, but in a secure manner so that unauthorized people cannot gain access. So, unlike phone systems, which are open to anyone with a phone, corporate computing resources are closed to the outside world. If the corporate network is connected to the Internet, there is a "firewall" between the network and the Net to keep out unauthorized access. Users may be permitted to dial into the network via a wired phone but, even here, security is as high. For years, the only way to connect the corporate information resources to a wireless network has been through a direct hard-wired connection between the corporate LAN and the wireless network. WirelessKnowledgeWirelessKnowledge offers a way to connect a private LAN to a remote network operations center outside the firewall. Services will be made available first to IT mangers and then to SOHO and individual users. The connection can be by a direct wired link by tying a corporate intranet to the operations center, or even by making use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) with a secure Internet link between WirelessKnowledge and the corporate LAN. Why is this different from connecting directly to a wireless network?
WirelessKnowledge -- a big dealWirelessKnowledge bridges the gap between the wireless networks and a corporation's information resources. It is the missing link between mobile workers and their own information. And it provides a secure connection between the corporation and the outside world (see screen 1). It is a big deal because it enables mobile workers to wirelessly access their own corporate assets. At first, the service will provide access to Microsoft Exchange Server-based networks, but this will be expanded to include access to Lotus Notes, cc:Mail, and other back-end information services. This is an important point to understand: WirelessKnowledge will be network agnostic, operating system agnostic, and device agnostic. The system will provide access to a user's own data in a format optimized for the type of device and the type of network he or she is using. This is a big plus for corporations with a mobile workforce employing a variety of devices such as wireless phones, handheld PCs, Windows CE devices, one-way and two-way pagers, notebook computers, etc. Consider some examples
Access to a user's calendar, phone book, e-mail, and other data can be provided no matter what device is in use and, in most cases, regardless of the type of wireless data network employed. Users do not need to become communications experts, and IT managers can outsource their wireless data services knowing that their connection is secure. Network operators already on boardWirelessKnowledge has already signed up a number of network operators, including AT&T Wireless, Bell Atlantic Nynex, Sprint PCS, Leap Wireless International, GTE Wireless, BellSouth (BellSouth Wireless Data Network, PCS and Cellular services), Bell Mobility, AirTouch Cellular, and US West Wireless. We expect to see many more carriers onboard in the near future, including GSM carriers as well as one- and two-way paging companies. WirelessKnowledge is the first company to step up and address the problem of connecting the corporate back-end to a multiplicity of wireless networks and providing information to a wide variety of devices. The service will be in beta test starting in early January and is scheduled to go into full service in the mid-year time frame. Features and functions will be added and enhanced as time goes by. For now, WirelessKnowledge is one of the most important developments in the world of wireless data. * Screen 1: WirelessKnowledge Network "Operations Center" provides a central link between the corporate network and a variety of mobile devices.
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Andrew Seybold