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The concept of future-proofing IT installations is somewhat of a contradiction in terms. Chances are that the cutting-edge technology, which is all the rage when a building is being designed, might well become old hat by the time it is topped out.

Yet that should not prevent developers from thinking long and hard about the IT requirements of the end-user, at the very earliest stage of the procurement process.

Today wireless technology is all the rage and its introduction is fast becoming a priority in boardrooms across the country. But it may be slightly premature to write-off the alternative of structured cabling just yet.

While wireless overlay is well suited for companies that have embraced hot-desking and employ a nomadic workforce, it is not yet effective in situations where large numbers of people are using applications that require significant bandwidth. For a design office with several dozen m&e designers using CAD packages all day, it is not an obvious first choice. But for a sales operation where staff move between offices and only need to download their e-mails and perhaps work on the odd Word file or PowerPoint presentation, it makes a great deal of sense.

Typically, fixed local area networks (lan) using unsheathed twisted pair cabling (utp or structured cabling) can run at 100 to 155 megabits per second (Mbt/s). The wireless lan alternative can usually cope with just 11 Mbt/s, although there are 55 Mbt/s wireless trials currently taking place in the health sector, so there is still a major difference in capacity at present.

International property and construction consultant MDA recently designed the IT installation for Independent Newspapers at its London Docklands head office. "It really is horses for courses," says MDA m&e services director Ray Hatfield. "Often a wireless lan can be complimentary to structured cabling in a building," he adds.

"There is certainly a drive to introduce more flexibility in the workplace and wireless technology is all about flexible working practices. Many companies have people moving around between offices all the time and this allows them to quickly access their e-mails in touchdown areas, which could be in the reception or a company restaurant, for example."

There are also cost savings to consider, with wireless overlay emerging as a much cheaper alternative to structured cabling. As well as being less expensive to install, there are other major cost savings associated with this option, including reduced management time and out-of-hours working for systems providers, together with less likelihood of cable and outlet damage and simplified system maintenance. Those cost savings are amplified in places where space is at a premium, such as the central London office market, because wireless technology takes up significantly less space than the hard-wired alternative.

The flood-wiring scenario can often be a nightmare when things go wrong or when systems need updating.

Wireless is easier to upgrade and much more accessible, so therefore cheaper. "You don't have to take up the floors and pull the cable through the ducts, you just change the access point," explains Hatfield.

"Historically, the construction industry has been guilty of viewing the computer as a piece of office furniture that you put into a building after it has been finished, rather than considering the functions it is expected to perform and how it is connected to the IT infrastructure underneath the floor."

According to Hatfield this is now beginning to change, with developers fast waking up to the fact that wireless technology can often be a unique selling point for a building, and particularly so in a market where there is a lot of stock for occupiers to choose from.

He states: "Commercial lettings are slowing down, so anything that gives developers an edge on the competition is being welcomed. It can be very suitable for smaller occupiers within multi-let buildings because it gives them the flexibility and mobility to expand from say six to twelve terminals with the minimum of fuss.

"Cost is always a consideration in the construction industry. Certainly with current trends in procurement and the arrival of Public Private Partnership (PPP) schemes, there is more of an incentive to look at the costs of installing IT infrastructure," adds Niall Kells, IT manager at MDA.

There is always a lag between the arrival of new technology and its acceptance by the consumer. In many respects, this is the area occupied by wireless overlay today. Encouragingly, it is being used increasingly within the health and education sectors and more and more PPP schools, colleges and hospitals are being built with wireless connected terminals.

"One of the key areas is the health sector, where they are looking to take this technology to the bedside with the eventual introduction of electronic patient records," says Kells. It has also been adopted by parts of the retail sector, where there are obvious applications for stock control and payment terminals. But the technology has some way to go before it can expect universal approval.

As a medium for transmitting heavy loads of data, the jury is still very much out, although this will only be an issue for certain users.

Question marks also remain over the security of wireless systems and their perceived vulnerability to hacking. Again, these worries will diminish in importance as encryption technology develops and becomes more sophisticated.

Ultimately, end-users need to ask themselves if wireless overlay can accommodate their own data requirements with the same functionality of structured cabling but at a cheaper overall cost. If the answers are yes, yes and yes, then wireless technology is the way forward for them.