10/10/03
AireOS Security
90-100584-003
Airespace Product Guide
69
Overview
Overview
The industry-leading AireOS Security solution bundles potentially complicated Layer 1, Layer 2 and
Layer 3 802.11 Access Point security components into a simple policy manager that customizes
system-wide security policies on a per-WLAN basis (
). Unlike SOHO (small office, home
office) 802.11 products, the AireOS Security solution included in the Airespace Wireless Enterprise
Platform (Airespace System) provides simpler, unified, and systematic security management tools.
One of the biggest hurdles to WLAN deployment in the enterprise is the WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
encryption, which has proven to be a weak standalone encryption method. A newer problem is the
availability of low-cost APs, which can be connected to the enterprise switched network and used to
mount ‘man-in-the-middle’ and denial-of-service attacks. Also, the complexity of add-on security
solutions has prevented many IT managers from embracing the new 802.11 benefits. Finally, the
802.11 security configuration and management cost has been daunting for resource-bound IT
departments.
