July 17, 2001 In a recent study of end-user organizations, market researcher Sage Research (www.sageresearch.com) found that an increasing number of organizations are using wireless LANs (WLANs). "Nearly one-third of the organizations surveyed have some wireless in their networks," said Sage's president Kathryn Korostoff, "which demonstrates the significant inroads wireless technology has made onto the premises."
"We are seeing significant growth in adoption of WLANs," Korostoff continued, "indicating that they are transitioning from a niche technology limited to early adopters to a mainstream technology with broad appeal."
For the study, network managers from 129 United States organizations were surveyed regarding their current and future use of WLANs. The professionals surveyed primarily represent businesses with more than 100 employees, according to Sage.
The study, entitled "Wireless LAN Adoption: A Quantitative Analysis," also reveals that more than half of the companies surveyed are likely to install WLANs in the next two years. In announcing the study, Sage said that while actual deployment may fall short of those aggressive plans, the results reflect customer confidence that WLANs are a viable technology that will meet users' needs.
The study also reports on the convergence of key factors relating to supply and demand, which is sparking a revitalization in the WLAN market. For example, the increased demand for WLANs is partly fueled by the need to support workers who use personal digital assistants, laptops, and handheld computers. In fact, Sage says, the vast majority of companies planning to install a WLAN in the next two years report that they are doing so in order to support workers with laptops or handheld computers.
"It's no secret that more professionals are equipped with mobile computing devices than ever before, so it�s not surprising that these organizations are deploying technologies to support them," Korostoff commented.
