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Wireless Network Companies to Watch By John Cox, Network World There are many emerging wireless technologies and companies, but few of them will actually affect corporate networks. (No, being able to watch last night's episode of "Desperate Housewives" on your smart-phone is not an enterprise application.) Here's a look at five companies whose products could make a difference for corporate networks and mobility: Azima Azima offers a hosted predictive maintenance service to Fortune 100 and 300 clients such as utilities, steel companies, paper mills and pharmaceutical companies. It's made possible and affordable by 802.11b wireless LAN (WLAN) connections. Azima installs a box, called the Azima Hub, near a machine such as a generator. The Hub connects via wires to existing or new sensors on the machine that are fitted to measure vibration, temperature and other variables. Sensors send analog data to the Hub for collection, digitization and preprocessing. Using an embedded 802.11b radio, the Hub connects to a wireless access point, typically already in place as part of the plant's network. Azima uses various encryption schemes and other techniques to keep the data separate from the rest of the network. The data is sent via an Internet connection to Azima's hosted data center, where it's sifted by a bundle of Azima analytical tools.