Managing data centres via wireless link

Data centre management is about to go mobile. Network and systems administrators are tired of working in a cramped environment that is alternately too cold or too hot, and so the idea of managing software and servers via a wireless hookup is about to come into its own, some observers believe.

Admittedly, this setup has its problems, including concerns about interference slowing the performance of a mission-critical application, such as server maintenance, and security. In most wireless setups, security is often geared for executives checking e-mail, not an admin configuring access for a new accounting department ERP rollout.

Indeed, for most large companies, Wi-Fi is the purview of business travellers, those PDA- and laptop-toting power users who need anytime, anywhere access in corporate buildings, at airports and hotels, and at Starbucks. But this kind of access back to the data centre is just a matter of time, some believe.

"Remote management over wireless is a big request we get almost daily," says Craig Mathias, principal and founder of Farpoint Group, an expert in wireless networking technology. "No one wants to sit there all day in the data centre looking at a console; they have other things they want to do."