The provider of security services has unveiled a new service that will allow organizations to address wireless security holes, preventing the loss of competitive corporate information and, subsequently, billions in revenue. The Boston-based company’s 802.11 Wireless Security Assessment Service promises to provide early warning of security risks in 802.11 networks, thus taking some of the pressure off IT managers.

According to the Gartner Group, an estimated 30 percent of corporate wireless networks will suffer security breaches in the coming year. To address the problem, research scientists at Guardent labs have developed the 802.11 Wireless Security Assessment that duplicates the process by which a real-life attacker would attempt to penetrate and compromise a wireless network. The assessment promises to do the following:

• Uncover unprotected access points

• Detect network design and implementation flaws

• Spot hardware vulnerabilities

• Provide redemption roadmap to better protect critical business systems

"The 802.11 network is a growing and constantly changing environment," said Jerry Bradley, chief technology officer for Guardent. "To help mitigate risks, we recommend organizations take a comprehensive approach, deploy multiple layers of security to strengthen their infrastructure and conduct regular audits. In doing so, not only will they protect the critical business information, but also they will be able to take full advantage of the efficiencies that a wireless environment provides, driving value through trusted computing. "

Bradley advises enterprises to engage in the same rudimentary security measures when deploying a wireless-based network as they would to protect their wired business systems. By not doing so, they are leaving themselves wide open to malicious attackers.