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One of my favorite blogs, Passive Aggressive Notes, provides two examples of neighborly wireless network management. Many students, roommates and neighbors think nothing of borrowing or piggybacking someone else’s wireless Internet connections, with or without consent.

Changing the SSID on your wireless router is one way of marking out some wireless territory. I have a better idea: turn on encryption and use a strong password. I’m always amazed at how many people run their wireless access points wide-open, without any security measures at all. In many cases, they’re using the default SSID and password that was set at the factory. About.com has a good list of tips and links here.

This is not a new issue

Here’s a good October 2006 interview with Corey O’Donnell. He discusses various issues with WiFi security. CNet ran this discussion in 2005 – I’ve often used a phrase from this article to describe how an unsecured WiFi network is like an unlocked front door. Mark Rasch discussed it in 2004, for example. InformationWeek had a good article on this topic in 2003, also.

Apple may not be announcing it tomorrow at their press conference, but the Gartner Group believes that an enterprise version of the iPhone is inevitable, according to ZDNet.

I discussed some of the enterprise issues that affect iPhone users on July 6. For a sole proprietor or a very small business that already uses Macs, iPhones may make sense, especially for new media and web design firms. iPhone doesn’t seem to work reliably with iTunes for Windows, from what I’ve read.

TCO: it all adds up

Another important consideration is total cost of ownership (TCO). TCO is a common benchmark for information systems managers that adds up the entire cost of a product, including associated services, maintenance, replacement costs and training. I discussed some of these issues in my June 27 and June 6 posts.

iPhone users must have their own computer with iTunes and a broadband connection. That’s the only means of activating an iPhone, establishing an account, syncing the iPhone, and updating the device.

Larger companies that deal with compliance issues may want to avoid the iPhone as a corporate device. iPhones are expensive to acquire and replace, have limited storage space, and offer limited support for Microsoft Exchange.

Tech: Fast Company | Thinking Outside The Cup: “So this girl walks into a bar. She holds a tall iced coffee in one hand, and her blond hair is piled high in a ponytail, neon bikini strings peeking out from her tank top. At this bar, however, headphones hang above the stools, and computer screens are embedded in the countertop. The girl looks at the ‘bartender’ quizzically. ‘So you can burn music here and it’s, like, legal and everything?’ she asks. The bartender smiles and nods. ‘Omigod, so you have, like, every song, ever?’ Well, not every song, but quite a few: approaching 150,000 — about 20,000 albums’ worth. The girl settles onto a stool and grabs a headset, taking a long drag on the straw in her drink as she starts tapping away on a screen. ‘That’s awwwesome.’”

Tech: To IE or Not to IE, a Security Question: Microsoft’s current security solution for Windows 95, 98 and ME: “upgrade to Windows XP”. “To its credit, Microsoft is on the verge of releasing a massive security-centric IE overhaul in Windows XP SP2 that will address IE’s most significant shortcomings. But unless the company back ports those fixes to older operating systems — especially Windows 2000 — those folks may just migrate to rival browsers to protect themselves.”