Of late I have been enjoying playing with an app on my iPhone called WiFiTrak. It has been a handy way to scan for wireless networks and it doesn’t appear as obvious as it would were I carrying around a laptop. I have seen a great many open or WEP ‘secured’ corporate networks that should have been fixed a long long time ago.
Bad vendor delivery? Well, in one case the state of New York decided that they have had their fill and pulled the rug out from under M/A-COM who was contracted to build out a public safety wireless network statewide.
From Computer World:
New York State has canceled the multibillion-dollar contract it awarded to M/A-COM to build a statewide wireless network for public safety use, saying the vendor has failed to adequately deliver on the deal.
A document released by the state showed excessive equipment failures after testing, including radios with stuck volume controls, “black screens” that render the devices unusable and microphones that randomly turn on, unintentionally transmitting audio.
According to the state, testing done in November showed that M/A-COM failed to fix 15 of 19 deficiencies described in an earlier complaint. M/A-COM, however, is disputing the charges. “We believe that M/A-COM has fulfilled its contractual obligations and delivered a state-of-the-art system that would benefit the residents of New York. We recognize that the State’s current priorities may no longer support the construction of a statewide network and we have made several attempts to address this amicably with the State. Tyco Electronics and M/A-COM will take all necessary steps to protect the company’s rights under the contract,” it said in a statement.
The state of NY still intends to build the network but, they will now have to hunt for a new vendor.
Read on.
