When choosing a wireless network, consider total cost of ownership, interoperability, and usability. About 30 years ago, competing communication protocols included Token Ring, powered by IBM, and TokenBus, an industrial network powered by GM. Banyan Vines and Novell Netware were also among them. Now, the dominant protocols include IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA-CD). Implementing and maintaining proprietary protocols is costly ; Ethernet utilizes a simplified approach, allowing connections to be established at a lower cost.
When wireless networks first appeared about 20 years ago, they were expensive, cumbersome, and slow. They were not competitive with wired networks at all. Even installing and configuring small, home-based networks was a chore, and they were unreliable. The equipment was also very expensive, so at the time only enthusiasts or cutting-edge technicians could afford to enter this field.
The use of a range of non-standard products, promising better, faster connectivity and lower total cost of ownership (TCO), exacerbates the problem. However, lower TCO doesn't always materialize. As standardization evolves, the pool of skilled professionals needed to service proprietary networks remains extremely limited and costly. In the long run, proprietary, non-standard equipment or networks will ultimately fail and slow down technology deployment.
Differences between open and private networks
Standardization allows for the free and open exchange of ideas, fostering continuous improvement without the burden of overall profit. Open standards are inclusive; anyone committed to them can participate and contribute. Proprietary standards, developed in closed environments, ultimately aim to maintain a competitive advantage and generate profits by capturing a certain market share. Open standards limit the scope of technology by setting boundaries for development and performance, thereby encouraging developers to design lower-cost solutions.
Open standards also allow collaboration between different design teams across disciplines, resulting in innovative solutions, improving existing technologies, and driving their deployment in applications or industries. Open standards foster competition and promote innovation. All of this reduces the cost of open standard technologies and expands the range of participants. It applies to all technologies, not just wireless technologies.
Proprietary technologies can also be a driver of innovation. Early networks used various intermediate arbitration methods to address multi-user, multiple-access communication problems. Many of the technologies used in those early days have been standardized, and many will continue to exist. However, proprietary systems are inherently closed systems, unlike open standards which are open to everyone. Proprietary, non-standard networks rely on custom code and equipment, non-standard frequencies and devices, and proprietary interfaces with specially configured features. These systems are costly to develop, but system investors expect a return.
If a system operates as advertised and there is no competitive pressure, owners may not be as motivated to develop and innovate, nor may developers within the open standards ecosystem. Unfortunately, the costs of any research and development, and the resulting system upgrades, are borne by the end user and are often very expensive.
For example, deploying open-standard Wi-Fi might cost $5,000, and a robust and easily upgradable system can be provided at low cost through commercial equipment. On the other hand, a proprietary system might cost six figures over the same period, but with only a slight improvement in performance. Take, for instance, a large municipal wastewater treatment facility where the client wanted to innovate and stay up-to-date with the latest technologies, so they installed a proprietary wireless system. While the system worked well, upgrading and installing it would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Cost of deploying a proprietary system
To protect proprietary systems, if the CTO wants to use a specific vendor, the only way to achieve the best results in the final design is to use the same vendor. Do not attempt to mix and match equipment from different manufacturers, as this can lead to problems because the underlying systems support different standards. If the company initially uses ABC's products, then every component used in that system must come from ABC.
This may result in an increase in the initial budget, but the company will have a complete and efficient system. Other benefits include having common equipment, all systems optimized, and communicating and operating according to proprietary standards designed and run by the management system.
The difference between open and proprietary standards goes beyond initial cost. It's no exaggeration to say that the cost ratio between proprietary and open systems can be as high as 30 to 1 over the system's lifecycle. Unless there are overwhelming technological advantages or legal reasons, most proprietary systems will be phased out early in the design process. Every non-standard item adds extra cost to the final design.
Once the system is up and running, other costs begin to emerge. One major cost is system upgrades; upgrade costs can easily rival, or even surpass, the initial capital investment. Another unforeseen issue is that proprietary systems may require specialized technical personnel. Finding qualified personnel to maintain, service, and upgrade standard systems is extremely difficult; finding and retaining technicians and engineers specializing in a particular vendor is not easy either. A lack of talent, especially specialized talent, can also significantly increase costs.
Open Standards Principles
In 2012, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Internet Society (ISOC), the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and the Internet Architecture Committee jointly identified a set of principles that fostered the exponential growth of the Internet and related technologies. The "OpenStand" principle defines accessible standards and provides a framework for collaborative innovation through an open and participatory process.
The principles of these five open standards are:
1. Cooperation;
2. Adhere to principles;
3. Collective empowerment;
4. Availability;
5. Adoption is voluntary.
Any technology that meets a need or solves a problem will be widely adopted and eventually standardized. Throughout technological history, there are countless similar examples. Ethernet is a prime example of a proprietary system; it first became the de facto standard, then was adopted by the military and industry, before being officially released as IEEE 802.3. Another example is Bluetooth, which was developed privately and then standardized as IEEE 802.15.4. This is primarily due to their widespread adoption by industry and the public.
Open standard wireless networks are inexpensive, powerful, and have a broad and deep market penetration. Open standards are "vendor-neutral," meaning anyone who wants to participate can contribute, with the only requirement being adherence to management standards. Open standards drive innovation and application while reducing costs.
Proprietary systems may reduce the adoption of technology due to technical or institutional deficiencies. Enterprises should fully consider total cost of ownership, interoperability, and usability when deploying network systems. Thorough research in the initial stages will ensure the long-term robustness, usability, and reliability of the system.
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