Almost two-thirds of all businesses plan to expand wireless LAN (WLAN) deployments over the next 12 months, but many still have questions about how to secure and manage growing numbers of wireless connections, according to analysts.

A survey of 200 global networking and business technology organisations conducted by analyst company Gartner late last year found 44 percent were banking on WLANs to improve staff productivity and mobility.

A further 21 percent said wireless connections reached into locations where cabling could not reach, and 13 percent estimated that WLANs were either cheaper or simpler to deploy than wired networks.

Unsurprisingly, security was a top-five concern for 95 percent of respondents, with 60 percent believing their current wireless security was inadequate. The second-biggest concern was the management of both users and devices, particularly when staff connect from remote sites such as branch offices, homes or hotspots.

Gartner’s Rachna Ahlawat added, “WLANs are more than just a simple means of connectivity. Newer applications such as location-tracking of equipment or personnel are only possible through the wireless medium.”