The use of IT to give citizens more direct access to services is revolutionising government operations in the 21st Century. WLAN, with its inherent operational flexibility, is helping enable e-Government at all levels. A Wireless LAN is cost-effective and scalable, easily extends existing infrastructure, enables a more citizen-centric approach, and eliminates inefficient processes, allowing the public sector to operate like a private enterprise.
The benefits that WLAN provides to national, state, and local governments
- Using PCs and PDAs supported by WLAN, mobile caseworkers can access and update critical backend databases
- Officials can directly interact with the public, via public space customer service centres, to provide them with services and assistance
- WLANs can be quickly put in place to provide network infrastructure during natural disasters or other emergencies
Unique Challenges Of Government
The high-profile nature of government operations means there can be some distinct challenges to implementing WLAN, including:
- Must support a wide range of applications and both new and legacy devices
- Implementation and operating costs must meet strict budgetary guidelines
- Government facilities can be RF-unfriendly (reinforced concrete) or historic (physical alterations are not permitted)
- Security must be absolute to meet strict privacy regulations