AirDefense, AirMagnet, and AireSpace bolster wireless LAN management With WLANs becoming a major component within an enterprise network, a new class of products for distributed wireless monitoring and management is coming to the fore.This week AirMagnet will introduce its Mobile 4.0 suite, featuring new security and monitoring enhancements including diagnostic tools for VoIP over wireless, security alarms for the Queensland DoS attack, and a rogue blocking feature.Competitor AirDefense will launch by year’s end the next version of AirDefense Enterprise 4.0, which will incorporate more WLAN protocols and more predictive capabilities. Last month, AirDefense introduced one of the early Bluetooth monitoring tools for security. Shipping in August from AireSpace is its Wireless Location Services, which includes RF Fingerprinting, location software that the company claims can locate rogue devices within a few meters.Stephen Elliot, a senior analyst at IDC, said that the bounty of new management solutions represents a response to a cultural change taking place in IT.“Up until now wireless management has been an afterthought,” Elliot said. “IT needs to put management at the forefront of a wireless decision.” Technology Industry