Why Ethernet Is Your Most Cost Effective Option For Business

Why Ethernet Is Your Most Cost Effective Option For Business
By Jon Arnold

There is a lot of misinformation out there about what Ethernet is, and since the term has become popular, even many of the cable companies are saying they now provide "Ethernet". While that may be true from a technical perspective, Ethernet from a cable company is still the over-subscribed and over-saturated network that you get with typical cable. As the saying goes, you can put lipstick on a pig but....

Ethernet solutions from real carriers who provide dedicated connections are not for residential use or home businesses, simply because the price for 3-4 users can rarely be justified. But if your business is at a point where you are looking at using, or perhaps are already using a T1 line or maybe even a bonded T1 line, and almost without a doubt if you are using a DS3 or OC-x circuit, Ethernet is by far a much more cost effective connectivity solution.

The bad news is that Ethernet is not available everywhere. While a T1 circuit, bonded T1 circuit, and even for the most part, a DS3 circuit can be installed just about anywhere you can get a phone line installed from your local phone company, Ethernet is not nearly as widely available. But that said, it is becoming more and more available every day across the nation, and indeed across the world. Ethernet solutions are available in just about every major city today, and if your business is located in or near a city with a population of 100k or more, chances are pretty high that Ethernet options are available to you today.

How much more cost effective is it? Much of that depends on what kind of Ethernet you want to get. At the lower end, there is EOC or Ethernet Over Copper, sometimes also known as EODS1 or Ethernet Over DS1. Those types of circuits, as the name implies, are delivered over copper lines and can start as low as 3 MB. But that 3 MB Ethernet circuit is probably going to cost as much as HALF as much as the SAME bandwidth of a two bonded T1 circuit. If you really need a fiber connection, your lowest end option is going to start at 10 MB Ethernet, but again, that 10 MB Ethernet circuit on what is known as Fast Ethernet is going to cost about half as much (or even less) as equivalent bandwidth on a bonded T1 or fractional DS3. Above 100 MB Ethernet, now you get into Gigabit Ethernet.

Let's talk for a moment about copper versus fiber, since this seems to be a point of confusion and more general misinformation. For a given level of bandwidth, say 10 MB, two circuits both delivering 10 MB of bandwidth, one on copper and the other on fiber, will finish in a dead heat. Fiber is not faster, contrary to what many believe. But fiber is able to be upgraded to higher levels of bandwidth, whereas copper starts to peter out at higher levels of bandwidth, but at about the 10-15 MB level, even as much as 20 MB in some major cities, there is NO speed difference between copper and fiber.

If you are looking for your best value for Business Ethernet services from a reliable and rock-solid carrier who will provide dedicated Internet services to your business with leading Service Level Agreements, check out what might be available in your area from amongst the 35+ carriers we represent, where we guarantee that the price we offer from those carriers is the lowest that they will offer, even if you go to the carrier directly.

Don't throw money down the drain if you don't need to. In these economic time, businesses need and want to maximize the money they spend for communications costs, and utilizing Business Ethernet for your connectivity needs is a great place to start. For a free quote or more information, please visit our web site at Business Ethernet

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Benefits Of An MPLS Network Solution

Benefits of an MPLS Network Solution
By Jon Arnold

Introduction to MPLS

Are you considering a new type of network infrastructure to help you reach higher service quality? MPLS could be the answer. MPLS networking is a new way of gaining many benefits of a traditional point-to-point network while avoiding issues that arise when you older less stable and inefficient network infrastructures. It is also much easier to configure than a point-to-point network, ensuring that you retain the flexibility you expect from frame relay" or another time-tested configuration, as well as introducing new options you didn't have available before.

Background of the MPLS Standard

MPLS stands for Multi Protocol Label Switching. It implies a type of network that is independent of content restrictions and can carry any type of data that you need on the most efficient path; this remains true whether you transmit voice, video, data or anything else. Like a frame relay network, MPLS networks are focused on efficiency and speed. However, MPLS supersedes frame relay in a number of ways thanks to the intelligent routing and more efficient transmission standard used.

Benefits of the MPLS Standard

By its nature, MPLS networks can save you a great deal of money over older approaches. MPLS standards eschew paths through public networks for paths that predominantly use private network resources. This helps you control issues like latency and data fidelity, ensuring less data dropped during transmission. MPLS is more efficient and tends to have more uptime than the traditional networks because it makes use of modern network core technology instead of the smaller cells favored in frame relay networks. Even so, it offers great control over data's path from source to destination.

Upgrading to MPLS

Effective use and implementation of your MPLS network solution will require access to a private network with careful management and optimization policies. MPLS is typically conceived of as a "cloud" service that offers multiple paths, all with near-optimal performance, for any given transmission across a wide area. MPLS is often configured as a large network with a dedicated circuit access point at each node, so mid-sized and smaller businesses will often purchase MPLS service from a major provider. After that, configuration is the main issue.

One of the major beauties of the MPLS architecture is that the same size circuit is not required at each node, as it would be with frame relay or point to point networks. For example, node A could have 50 MB MPLS Ethernet (headquarters) while nodes B through G (branch offices) might just have an MPLS T1 or bonded T1 which would be reflective of the level of traffic anticipated at each node, and sized accordingly, thereby saving you money.

Conclusion

MPLS is a major innovation compared to Frame Relay and it can save you enormous amounts on your network costs. To gain the benefits of an MPLS infrastructure, it is a good idea to seek out a trusted provider of MPLS network services who can answer your questions about adopting this great new paradigm for your business.

If you are still using old point to point networks or frame relay networks, you are more than likely spending much more than you need to in order to accomplish the same thing that an MPLS network can do for you, and then some. Find out who can deliver an efficient and cost effective MPLS network solution today and slash your telecom costs.

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Choosing The Right MPLS Network Service Provider

Choosing The Right MPLS Network Service Provider
By Jon Arnold

MPLS is an acronym which stands for Multi Protocol Label Switching. That is a fancy name for this but an MPLS circuit is one that combines the best features of the older style traditional point to point circuits and the even older frame relay circuits into a single circuit, and then add more functionality on top of all that.

What an MPLS circuit does at its base level is allow you to connect multiple offices in different locations in the same way that you would with a point to point network. But you are not limited to the PTP hub and spoke configuration, which is both inefficient as well as expensive. With MPLS technology, you are not paying a per-mile charge between locations as you would with PTP or frame relay, making MPLS much less expensive to accomplish the same thing. For example, an MPLS network between a node in New York and a node in Cleveland would be within pennies of the same price as having one MPLS node in New York and another MPLS node in Seattle. In other words, the distance between the nodes is immaterial.

MPLS circuits are also secure and private since the data does not travel over the public Internet. It is your own private and secure network.

What factors should be considered when choosing an MPLS network service provider? Let's look at some of those factors here:

1. Customer Service

This is of paramount importance with any service provider. Make sure you find a service provider who has outstanding customer service and offers it 24x7. Also make sure their tech support is top-notch and that they are always available to answer any question that might arise at any time. This is particularly important during the setup and configuration phase.

2. Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Be sure to choose a carrier which will provide a SLA (Service Level Agreement) that is acceptable to you. This agreement will answer such questions as what is the acceptable level of downtime that you can expect with the circuits. This document spells it out all so everybody is on the same page.

3. Management of the MPLS Network

It is crucial to make sure that you understand who does the management of your MPLS network and to what degree. Most reliable carriers today sell MPLS circuits which include a carrier-provided and carrier-managed router, which means they have responsibility for managing it, but make sure you understand what you can and cannot do in terms of management of it.

4. Does This Carrier Service All Your Locations

MPLS is not a standard such as having specifications defined and ratified by an organization like the IEEE. Rather, MPLS is a methodology or an approach to solving a telecommunications problem. What this means to you is that every carrier has implemented MPLS slightly differently, and your best chances for success are using the same carrier at all nodes of your MPLS network.

Notice that we did not mention price as a factor. Yes, price is always a factor but in today's world, you need to be concerned much more with "best value" than "lowest price". Particularly in telecom, you get what you pay for, and if you find a great price on MPLS from unknown carrier XYZ, there is a good chance that you are putting your network at risk for non-performance.

Choosing a MPLS service provider is not a simple task. You should use a telecom broker who can honestly and frankly tell you which carriers should be considered and which should not, based on the locations you need to interconnect. Depending on your locations, even a "brand name" may not be your best option.

Allow us to be your telecom broker and help you with your selection of an MPLS service provider. We represent more than 35 first tier carriers, and based on the volume of business we provide for them every month, they allow us to guarantee that the quotes we provide you are the lowest that the carrier will offer. We also known which carriers are good and which may be a question mark for the sites that you want to connect, and are more than happy to share that inside knowledge with you. When shopping for your best value in an MPLS Network and need to find the best MPLS Service Provider who can meet your needs, please make sure you talk with us to get your MPLS quotes.

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Nearly 50% Pay $100 Or More for Monthly Wireless

A new study by Harris Interactive (via Telecompetitor) finds that nearly half of wireless consumers pay $100 or more for wireless service each month, while around 13% pay $200 or more. 21% say they pay more for wireless each month than groceries, 33% pay more for wireless than their utilities, 57% pay more for wireless than cable TV, and 71% pay more for wireless than their home Internet service. The Harris survey (which was commissioned by CouponCabin, offers three primary ways users can reduce their monthly wireless bills:

•Do a usage audit: In just a few clicks or a quick call, you can figure out your average monthly voice and data usage. If you're paying for a much higher plan than you use on average, consider cutting back.

•Cut your insurance: If you opt-in for a mobile phone insurance plan, you may be paying high monthly fees along with hefty deductible. Do the math and eliminate your plan if you aren't coming out ahead in the long run.

•Change your habits: If you have free nights and weekends for your voice service, do what you can to only talk during those periods. If you have a limited texting plan, send more emails. Adjust your usage and stay within your limits.

Depending on your household usage (especially data) you may or may not find yourself able to save a little extra money by switching to an AT&T or Verizon shared data plan. In addition to flat device connection fees, those plans wind up charging users more for data than unlimited plans (with $15 per gigabyte overages), but they offer users unlimited voice and SMS options. Heavier data users may find better value sticking with an unlimited data option from T-Mobile or Sprint.

Read more about it here....

Cost Of Monthly Wireless Service

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Telecommunication News For December 2012...High Bandwidth, 100G, Dark Fiber, Data Centers And More

Here's the current news for December from the telecommunications industry....covering high bandwidth, 100g, dark fiber, data centers, and more.

* Zayo - reached its 10,000 on-net building milestone, enabling it to offer high bandwidth services to a large mix of enterprise and wholesale service provider customers.

* CenturyLink - became the latest service provider to announce that it has upgraded its domestic and international networks with 100G capabilities.

* tw telecom - and Level 3 have entered into a long-term peering agreement that allows the two Internet service providers to exchange data on their networks.

* Integra - launched a new dark fiber service, adding another piece to its growing wholesale service puzzle.

* Time Warner Cable - Opened a $82 Million National Data Center in Charlotte. The National Data Center is a 178,000 square foot facility that includes 1,600 racks of technical equipment and four 12,000 square foot data halls.

* Alpheus - announced that it has opened a second data center in Dallas to expand its data center and network footprint for enterprises located in Dallas-Fort Worth and throughout Texas.

To take advantage of any of the services discussed above simply request more information and a free quote HERE.....

Network Solutions

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60% Of Rural Users Get 3 Mbps Or Less

More than half (55%) of rural broadband users saw maximum peak downstream speeds of less than 3 Mbps in the second quarter of 2012, according to a new study by hardware vendor Calix (via Telecompetitor). The hardware vendor, who would obviously like carriers to buy more hardware to shore up these speeds, said 60% of rural subscribers received speeds of 3 Mbps or less. 25% received peak downstream speeds between 4 and 10 Mbps, and 8% received speeds above 10 Mbps, says Calix. These speeds won't improve any time soon, with incumbents like Verizon and AT&T hanging up on residential DSL, and smaller telcos (Frontier, CenturyLink) having little to no competitive incentive to upgrade their lines.

Read more about it here....

Rural Broadband Users Still Screwed

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Apple's Really Awful iOS 6 Maps Ruin iPhone 5 Party

Though a parade of gushing, uncritical reviews have proclaimed the iPhone 5 a device created by gods that was perfectly hewn from the metal of the ancients, back on planet earth all is not well within the church of Apple. While some have noticed that the device is easily scratched, the biggest issue is that Apple's mapping software may currently be the worst in the business. With iOS6 Apple decided to ditch Google maps entirely, instead relying on TomTom for help on their own mapping software.

As this Tumblr created for the spectacular fail attests, the result has bordered on high comedy, with the software insisting gas stations exist on top of skyscrapers, in addition to distorting or otherwise misplacing numerous locations, towns and cities entirely. TomTom tells The New York Times they "stand by the quality of our maps," with Apple issuing a statement promising things will get better:

Read more about this here ...

Apple Promises Heavily Criticized Maps Will Get Better

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Verizon...Cable Deal Delayed Spectrum Apocalypse a Few Years

In order to get their landmark deal with the cable industry approved, Verizon recently trotted out the reliable old capacity crisis bogeyman, despite previously stating on the record they had plenty of spectrum for LTE deployment. Verizon claimed that if the deal wasn't approved they would run out of spectrum by 2015 (aka three years), but failed to back up this claim with, well, any actual numbers whatsoever.

Now that their $3.8 billion spectrum and marketing deal with cable has been approved, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo this week stated that the company probably has about 4-5 years before we need to start worrying about the spectrum end of days again (a net gain of just a few short years). Again, no math was provided Read more about this here....

Verizon's Spectrum Doomsday

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AT&T Highlights Plan To Hang Up On POTS, DSL

AT&T has laid bare their plan with the FCC to hang up on the carrier's landline networks so they can focus on more profitable wireless services. In a recent filing with the FCC (pdf), AT&T outlines their plans to "clear away the regulatory underbrush" governing the company's older landline and DSL networks. Companies like Verizon and AT&T are hanging up on DSL and landline customers, happily letting them leave for cable so that the incumbents can focus their resources on wireless services.

To truly be free of these resource-drains (aka million of customers they don't want) and "regulatory underbrush" (important, hard-earned consumer protections preventing consumers from being screwed) the telcos still need to kill off remaining regulation requiring that they give a damn about these customers. As Bruce Kushnick explores, AT&T's making a power play to free their older lines from any and all rules, especially in states where AT&T has had a harder time buying political support.

Read more about it here ...

Telco Prepares to Gut All Rules Governing Wireline Network

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Concerns About Outsourcing Your Infrastructure To A Cloud Environment

Would you say it's one of the following or something else?

• Control of my data and applications

• Transparency of set up through live running costs

• Security and compliance

• Unproven technology

• Data location and governance
 
Most infrastructure outsourcing disasters I've seen have come from hiring a firm that knows infrastructure/hardware but doesn't understand how it affects business applications. Even if hardware is the only aspect being outsourced and you still intend to fully administer all network software yourself, I'd made sure the hosting firm has plenty of experience with different business applications. It saves a lot of frustration and down time.
 
Everybody that is planning to outsource there hard- or software to a remote location (could be a cloud) should pay great attention to the contract that they are about to sign.

What is included in the contract and what happens if the internet connection goes 'poof', any backup?

Also, Where is your data stored. Make absolutely sure that the information is stored under the same laws as where your company is based. This is currently a very 'hot topic'.
 
Return on investment & maximizing use of my current assets.

Outsourcing your infrastructure does not leverage your existing investment & assets that an organization has today. Private Cloud offerings do.

If I had to choose outsourcing then I would be concerned with Control/Security and Service Level Agreements with the provider.
 
In general, the following are the main areas of concern you need to address before moving to a cloud service environment ....
 
1. Will my data be kept secure and confidential?

Ask the vendor about what steps have been taken to ensure data privacy and security. Ensure that security and privacy is maintained at all levels such as, network security, personnel security, site security or data security. You can visit the premises of your vendor to check their system of access control. You can ask for external drives to be disabled from systems. Make sure that your data is kept completely secure by asking your vendor if they follow a system of securing data through email, file and folder encryption.

2. Do you follow quality standards?

Visit your vendor’s premises and check if quality standards and processes are followed. Find out about the measures taken to ensure utmost quality in the delivered services/products. Check with previous customer references to see if the vendor has delivered quality services/products in the past. You can be assured of quality by checking if the vendor has ISO 9000 and CMM certifications.

3. Will there be transparency in the financial matters related to my organization?

Ask your service provider for previous customer references. Call up these references and ask them if the vendor has shown fairness and transparency in the financial dealings with them. Conducting a background check on the vendor can also help. Explain to your vendor that you expect complete transparency in invoices and contracts. Tell your vendor that you will cancel the outsourcing contract if you find their financial dealings are unfair.

4. Do you follow statutory regulations and laws?

Ensure that your service provider religiously follows all compliances, laws and regulations, as by being a customer you can be held responsible for any violations of the law. Personally check all the required documents and ask your vendor to show you proof that all laws are being followed. Explain to your vendor that you will outsource only if all regulations are stringently followed.

5. How reliable are you?

Details about the service provider’s number of years in the outsourcing business, experience across business verticals, financial status and increase in number of employees can give you a good idea about the vendor’s dependability. You can also check the vendor’s trustworthiness by asking them for previous customer references.

6. Are your work ethics and culture similar to my organization?

It is important that your service provider follows a similar standard of work ethics and culture, so that there can be seamless interaction between your companies. You can visit your service provider’s premises to understand their working culture better or even hold initial trainings to help your vendor understand and follow your way of working.

7. What will be the consequences of your employee attrition on my company?

Make sure that your service provider has adequate buffer capacity and has cross-trained employees to handle employee attrition. Ensure that your vendor’s employee attrition, if any, would have no consequences on your organization.

8. Can you deliver the project within the deadline?

You must ask this question before even starting the project. Ask the service provider if he can commit to your deadline. Get information about the number of resources who will be working on your project and the total numbers of hours that will be put into your project. While meeting deadlines are important, the quality of work is even more crucial, so ensure that the vendor does not compromise on the level of quality. You can ask for daily timesheets and weekly meetings with your vendor, so that you can keep a track of the progress of your project.

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MPLS Explained

Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a standardized protocol to enable high performance IP networks. It provides fast response time for applications running on your WAN, security without scaling problems and with a lower cost structure. To both simplify and increase the efficiency of the network, the MPLS protocol enables data to be transmitted efficiently across a network infrastructure utilizing a technology known as “label switching.” This is much more effective than running a VPN over the Internet.

Key application: MPLS enables the creation of secure, reliable VPNs which are simple to manage, easy to deploy and which provide Class of Service/Quality of Service (QoS) support. The result is a single integrated IP network which supports quality of service, which is the key advantage in an application rich environment. This means you can implement VoIP and prioritize your applications ahead of the best-effort non-critical data. You have the reliability & security of legacy technologies like Frame Relay with the routing flexibility of IP. For applications such as Siebel, Oracle, Peoplesoft and other client-server applications, the productivity gains using MPLS versus a VPN over the Internet are substantial. If you use a Frame Relay, MPLS will improve your network flexibility, simplify management and reduce your costs.

Now that you know what MPLS is, let us explain how the system works. As your corporate data enters the carrier network, a label is attached to each packet. This label uniquely identifies your Virtual Private Network (VPN) in a shared infrastructure and keeps it private. Upon reaching its destination, the label is removed, returning the data packet to its original state. The process is seamless and unnoticeable to end-users. One can think of MPLS in this context as a “special delivery courier service” for your network data.

The “label” essentially replaces traditional Internet packet forwarding, where complicated address matching is performed at each hop in the network. The label describes how the packet should be handled within the network and thus assigns the packet to a Class of Service (CoS). Thus, all packets which belong to the same CoS get treated in the same way and quickly are sped along their way.

The result is that your data traffic is delivered quickly and securely and your applications perform faster than with other technologies, such as running a VPN over the Internet.

To learn how your business can best take advantage of MPLS to meet your business network requirements, including a comparison of available providers, simply request a free quote here ...

MPLS Network Solution

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What Can Cloud Computing Do For Your Business?

Cloud computing is visualization of computing assets delivered on demand over the internet.

Cloud computing is ushering in a new way to run IT. As IT organizations investigate cloud capabilities, they are realizing that new sets of management requirements are needed to govern, manage and secure the evolving cloud-connected enterprise IT environment.

Cloud computing enables you to have on-demand access to a pool of dynamically configurable computing resources, which can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal effort or interaction, and which are allocated — or even paid for — based only on the amount used.

You are exploring different ways to set up, deliver and pay for this approach, depending upon you business needs. CA sees — and helps enable — many possibilities. These clouds of computer resources are often assumed to be external to your organization’s IT department, but they could also be set up within your company’s four walls (known as an “internal cloud”), or in a hybrid model that includes both internal and external compute resources. Cloud computing can utilize public cloud providers, or leverage only more restricted private clouds.

In whichever case, you will want different models of service, depending upon your needs for a given application or data center. These can vary from needing just basic servers or storage power delivered over the network (called “Infrastructure as a Service”), to needing application building blocks and tools (“Platform as a Service”), or even a complete application (“Software as a Service”).

Traditionally, we've always referred to the Internet as the virtual environment 'up there' somewhere above the physical ecosystem of hardware... Today, most services are offered to a global audience because the Cloud enables the distribution in a more time and cost efficient manner.

Also, because the Cloud will contain the functional parts of a 'software', you can access them from anywhere, regardless of your geographical location..

Google Apps is a great example of using the Cloud for SME organizations.

To learn more and find out if there's a cloud computing solution that fits your network requirements simply ask here (includes free help, quotes, and a comparison of available providers)...

Cloud Computing Services

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Cloud Computing Types

The deployment model for Cloud Computing can be categorized as follows:

Public cloud

Public cloud or external cloud describes cloud computing in the traditional mainstream sense, whereby resources are dynamically provisioned on a fine-grained, self-service basis over the Internet, via web applications/web services, from an off-site third-party provider who shares resources and bills on a fine-grained utility computing basis.

Community cloud

A community cloud may be established where several organizations have similar requirements and seek to share infrastructure so as to realize some of the benefits of cloud computing. With the costs spread over fewer users than a public cloud (but more than a single tenant) this option is more expensive but may offer a higher level of privacy, security and/or policy compliance. Examples of community cloud include Google's "Gov Cloud".

Hybrid cloud

A hybrid cloud environment consisting of multiple internal and/or external providers "will be typical for most enterprises". By integrating multiple cloud services users may be able to ease the transition to public cloud services while avoiding issues such as PCI compliance.

Another perspective on deploying a web application in the cloud is using Hybrid Web Hosting, where the hosting infrastructure is a mix between Cloud Hosting for the web server, and Managed dedicated server for the database server.

Private cloud

Private cloud and internal cloud are neologisms that some vendors have recently used to describe offerings that emulate cloud computing on private networks. These (typically virtualisation automation) products claim to "deliver some benefits of cloud computing without the pitfalls", capitalising on data security, corporate governance, and reliability concerns. They have been criticized on the basis that users "still have to buy, build, and manage them" and as such do not benefit from lower up-front capital costs and less hands-on management, essentially "[lacking] the economic model that makes cloud computing such an intriguing concept".

Now that you know the different types of cloud computing you can make an educated decision of which best fits your needs. For help finding a cloud computing solution for business purposes simply request a free quote here....

Cloud Computing Solutions

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MegaPath: Your Single Source for Business Communications

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Managed Solutions for Healthcare IT

Healthcare IT is undergoing a massive shift in structure and compliance standards. Hospitals and clinics that have already implemented electronic medical record or electronic health record (EMR/EHR) systems are now contending with new HIPAA logging requirements under the HITECH Act. Healthcare organizations that are still in the planning or implementation stages for EMR/EHR systems are now juggling that implementation with new compliance requirements and Meaningful Use guidelines.

A breach of Protected Health Information can result in serious financialconsequences, loss of patient trust, and burdensome remediation efforts for your organization. Yet the regulatory and compliance requirements for the healthcare industry continue to expand rapidly and it can be difficult for even the best IT teams to keep up with the latest requirements and solutions for meeting those mandates.

MegaPath Managed Security Services for Healthcare are designed to assist healthcare delivery organizations in meeting HIPAA standards, including those imposed under HITECH. If your organization also requires compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) Common Security Framework (CSF), MegaPath Managed Security Services deliver essential capabilities for meeting those standards.

Whether based in the MegaPath cloud or in your premises, our Managed Security Services provide a comprehensive, multilayered approach to network security that helps protect your systems and patient data while maintaining security compliance. Our Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings work together as a security best practice to reduce the risks associated with blended network attacks, as well as to coordinate security alerting, logging, reporting, compliance, and response activity.

Security Services to Address HIPAA Technical Safeguards

The MegaPath Security Services incorporate comprehensive Unified Threat Management (UTM) services that address many of the technical safeguards defined in the HIPAA rules. MegaPath UTM services include Advanced Firewall, Intrusion Prevention, Antivirus, Web Filtering, Anti-spam, Web Application Control, and Data Leak Prevention. All MegaPath UTM services can be fully implemented in the cloud, on your premises, or in a hybrid configuration to provide defense-in-depth security.

Security and Process Monitoring Based on Best Practices

Healthcare organizations need to rigorously monitor the security of their networks and host systems from a regulatory perspective, and from the perspective of security best practices. Your team also needs to continuously identify and assess new IT threats and vulnerabilities to stay ahead of security risks.

MegaPath offers several managed solutions to support these efforts including Managed Logging with real-time log review, File Integrity Monitoring for servers and critical endpoints, and Vulnerability Scanning Services to evaluate the effectiveness of your existing security controls.

Additionally, MegaPath offers a portal-based Security Information Management platform that allows you to track remediation activities, correlate and report on suspicious activities, and produce audit reports to demonstrate due diligence for running an effective information security program.

A Cost-Effective Solution for EMR Transition

Conversion to EMR/EHR systems means that many healthcare organizations do not have the expertise or resources to manage the new security concerns that go along with digitized records. And after making the associated large capital expenditure necessary to modernize IT systems and networks, it is important to control ongoing costs.

MegaPath Managed Security Services help to address these security and cost concerns. Security for the EMR/EHR systems and network connections is managed around-the-clock by MegaPath’s network experts. And with a comprehensive, outsourced solution, you can easily plan for ongoing network security costs.

The MegaPath Suite of Managed Security Services Includes:

- Managed Firewall

Features deep packet inspection with up to 500 firewall policies that are configurable via our secure Web portal. This service also includes periodic and on-demand reporting.

- Intrusion Prevention

Detects multi-layered and blended attacks for both known and unknown threats. Powerful anomaly detection functions identify and stop zero-day threats. The MegaPath intrusion prevention solution supports all network types, including wireless with rogue access point detection.

- Anti-Malware/Anti-Virus

Comprehensive, real time, and network-based anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-crimeware detection, with both signature-based and rules-based blocking of known and zero-day attacks.

- Web Filtering

Manage employee Internet access with White list/Black list and policy-based content filtering to reduce bandwidth consumption and enforce Internet use policies in real-time.

- Anti-Spam

Automatically detects spam email and optionally tags or deletes it based on configurable policy rules before the messages can consume valuable bandwidth or email storage.

- Application Control

Provides granular, precise control of specific applications such as, instant messaging, chat, voice, or video on social media sites such as Facebook or MySpace.

- Data Leak Prevention

In real-time, detects and prevents sensitive data from being transferred outside of the organization, including data such as credit card numbers or patient information.

- Managed Logging

Provides cloud-based log collection, as well as automated daily log review, correlation, alerting, reporting, and archiving. Real-time portal tools for log management enhance your security operations and compliance.

- Vulnerability Scanning

A self-service, on-demand vulnerability scanning portal identifies and remediates security vulnerabilities in real time. MegaPath also offers certified quarterly scans for PCI compliance.

- Security Information Management

Offers the portal-based workflow management and tracking necessary to demonstrate due diligence in meeting requirements for organizational security policies and compliance reporting.

- File Integrity Monitoring

Enables real-time monitoring of critical system or configuration files for unauthorized access or changes. (Supports only Windows-based host systems)

Healthcare Organization Benefits:

• Reduce Security and Compliance Costs
• Improve Network and Data Security
• Simplify Regulatory Compliance
• Access 24 / 7 / 365 Security and Network Expertise
• Gain Peace of Mind
• Receive One Monthly Bill

To learn more simply request a free quote here ....

Healthcare IT Solution

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Integra Telecom - Your Choice for Low Cost Fiber

Integra Telecom specializes in Ethernet, EoC, MPLS, and Hosted PBX services. When it comes to Ethernet pricing, Integra Telecom can't be beat (30Mbps for $784!).

Not only does Integra have the industry's best Ethernet pricing, but they also own and operate their own network offering local dial tone, domestic and international long distance, high-speed Internet and data services (including digital subscriber line or DSL), voice messaging, and numerous ancillary services designed to support the communication needs of businesses including business phone systems.

Integra Telecom also provides managed services and converged Internet Protocol (IP) network services that combine voice, Internet access, and private data networking for small and medium sized companies, enterprises, national and government accounts.

To learn more about what Integra can do for you....including getting free no obligation quotes....simply ask here:

Integra Telecom

Additionally, if you do have a need and Integra can meet it, you may be eligible for the following should you act before the end of the year....

* Get a first month credit

* Help to pay for phone equipment

* Funding of construction fees for Ethernet build-outs

* Paying for early termination fees with your incumbent carrier

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Telecommunication News For November 2012...Ethernet Over Copper, IP Services, Data Centers, Fiber Network, IT Solutions, And More

Here's the current news for November from the telecommunications industry.

* XO Communications - Introduced 100 Mbps Ethernet over Copper speed and expanded ethernet access coverage to nearly 2 million business locations.

* CenturyLink - is extending its full suite of voice and IP services into five additional CoreSite data centers, offering ubiquitous coverage in all 14 CoreSite data centers throughout North America.

* Integra - Boosted network bandwidth with symmetrical 60 Mbps Ethernet Over Copper access.

* EarthLink - has announced plans to extend its core fiber IP network, expand its IT Solutions footprint with four additional data centers and launch its next generation cloud hosting platform.

To take advantage of any of the services dicussed above simply request more information and a free quote HERE.....

Network Solutions

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Managed Solutions For Financial Services IT

Information is one of a financial institution’s most important assets. Protection of that information is necessary to establish and maintain trust between the financial institution and its customers, maintain compliance with the law, and protect the reputation of the institution. The regulatory and compliance requirements for financial institutions continues to rapidly expand and it can be difficult for even the best IT teams to keep up with the latest requirements and solutions for meeting those mandates.

MegaPath’s Managed Security for Financial Services are designed to help meet the financial services regulations on information security originated under the GLBA and prescribed by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC). Additional support is also provided for agency specific requirements such as those from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), as well as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Security Controls Implementation

Security Controls Implementation is one of the key requirements to be met from the FFIEC. MegaPath’s SaaS offerings incorporate comprehensive Unified Threat Management (UTM) security services to address these needs which include Advanced Firewall, Intrusion Prevention, Antivirus, Web Filtering, Anti-spam, Web Application Control and Data Leak Prevention. All UTM services can be fully implemented in the cloud, on premise, or in a hybrid configuration delivering unprecedented, defense-in-depth security.

Security and Process Monitoring

Financial institutions need to rigorously monitor the security of their networks and host systems from a regulatory perspective, but also from a security best practices perspective. Additionally, they need to continuously gather and assess new threats and vulnerabilities to stay ahead of the game. MegaPath offers several managed solutions to support these requirements which include Managed Logging with realtime review, File Integrity Monitoring to keep an eye on servers and other critical endpoints, as well as Vulnerability Scanning Services to evaluate the effectiveness of existing security controls.

Additionally, we offer a portal-based Security Information Management platform which allows organizations to track remediation activities, correlate and report on suspicious activities and produce audit reports to demonstrate due diligence in running an effective information security program.

MegaPath Managed Security for Financial Services

MegaPath’s cloud based and premises based managed security services provide a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to security that helps meet the increasing number of regulatory requirements of all sizes of financial institutions. Our SaaS offerings work together as a security best practice to eliminate/reduce the risks associated with blended attacks, and coordinate security alerting, logging, reporting, compliance and response. Our suite of SaaS offerings include....

* Advanced Firewall

Featuring deep packet inspection with up to 500 firewall policies, configurable by the customer via our secure web portal. The service includes periodic and on-demand reporting.

* Intrusion Prevention

Features multi-layered and blended attack detection for both known and unknown threats with powerful anomaly detection functions to identify and stop zero day threats. IPS supports all network types including wireless IPS and rouge wireless detection

* Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware

Comprehensive real-time network based anti-virus, anti-malware and anti-crimeware detection with both signature and rules based blocking of known and zero day attacks.

* Web Filtering

Manage employee Internet access with White list/Black list and policy based content filtering to reduce bandwidth consumption and enforce Internet use policies in real-time.

* Anti-Spam

Automatically detects spam and optionally tags or deletes it based upon configurable policy rules before it can consume valuable bandwidth or email storage.

* Web Application Control

Provides more granular, precise control of specific applications like IM, chat, voice or video on social media sites such as Facebook or MySpace.

* Data Loss Prevention

Real-time detection / prevention of sensitive data being transferred outside of the organization including items such as credit card data, healthcare or financial data.

* Vulnerability Scanning

On-demand scanning of internal & external IP addresses to identify and remediate vulnerabilities in real time. MegaPath certified quarterly scans for PCI compliance.

* Security Information Management

Portal based workflow management and tracking required to demonstrate due diligence in meeting organizational security policies and compliance reporting.

* File Integrity Monitoring

Real-time monitoring of critical system or configuration files for unauthorized access or changes. (supports Windows based host systems only).

To find out more about what Megapath can do to support your Financial Services Institution simply request a free quote here:

Managed Solutions For Financial Services

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The Advantages of Ethernet Services

Ethernet technology has long been used to efficiently and effectively build LANs within business settings. Its widespread presence in the business world is a testimony for its simplicity and efficiency, as well as its ease of use and management. Now, Ethernet extends into the wide area as a cost-effective solution for connecting business sites to each other and to the Internet. Wide-area Ethernet services are an ideal choice if your business has intensive bandwidth demands and multiple locations in one or more major cities.

Until recently, only a select few service providers offered separate metro Ethernet services (connecting sites within the same city) and long-haul Ethernet services (creating a point-to-point connection between sites in different cities) over expensive fiber networks. Previously, the cost and availability of Ethernet technology put it beyond the reach of most businesses. Today’s Ethernet services use relatively inexpensive and omnipresent copper line to deliver the speeds that small and medium businesses and enterprises need.

In this design, the Ethernet service operates in the same way as any other access service, allowing one site to connect to another site on your network, whether across town or across the country, or connecting to the Internet. This design also means that sites can be configured into virtual private networks (VPNs), regardless of the access service used at each location.

Where available, Ethernet services offer bandwidth from 2x2 Mbps up to 45x45 Mbps per circuit, at a much lower cost than DS3 access or comparable bonded T1 service. Ethernet bandwidth is symmetrical, and delivers the same speed for uploads and downloads on the network connection, making it an ideal solution for businesses that need to upload and download data.

Ethernet services are easy to install and manage because the technology uses your existing copper-loop infrastructure, an Ethernet bridge, a router, and a standard, familiar 10/100 Ethernet interface. With some providers, it is also easy to add voice, security, and collaboration hosting services to your business Ethernet connection. This simplicity and support for multiple network services means Ethernet is easily scalable to meet the growing demands of your business.

By using loop-bonding technology, Ethernet offers greater reliability and bandwidth efficiency than a bonded T1 connection, which uses link-bonding technology. More flexibly for using existing circuits is also possible with loop bonding, which can combine circuits with any mix of bandwidth. In contrast, link bonding requires the same bandwidth on each circuit, e.g., bonding only a 1.5 Mbps T1 circuit to another 1.5 Mbps T1.

Although both methods are effective, loop-bonding is a newer technology that reduces overhead and deals with loop failure more efficiently. That means more bandwidth is available for applications in an Ethernet service and your network connection will have higher reliability than alternative access methods.

Service providers offer Ethernet as a fully managed solution, with round-the-clock, proactive network monitoring and management. The solution is also typically backed by service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee network uptime, as well as time windows for installation and problem response.

If you're interested in learning more about what business ethernet services can do for you ... including a comparison of available providers ... simply request a free quote here:

Business Ethernet Services

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Is Business Ethernet the Right Choice For Your Network?

It’s a common experience in business networks... give users more bandwidth and they’ll immediately find applications that need even more. The traffic load on access circuits in local offices is increasing at a faster pace today because more users rely on business networks for more applications and more services to do their work. And as office setting change to accommodate remote workers and multiple locations, the ability to share information becomes even more critical for business success and growth.

Yet simply increasing bandwidth on existing circuits isn’t necessarily the best choice for solving this problem. Taking a look at your business’ network needs — and all the services available to meet them — can help you identify more cost-effective solutions for higher network performance. Business Ethernet is the perfect choice for this scenario.

Businesses today seek simpler and more cost-effective network solutions to support needs, such as:

- Running application servers and/or accessing cloud services for websites, email, databases, and business applications

- Transferring large data, image, or video files

- Using bandwidth-intensive applications

- Supporting remote workers or virtual private networks (VPNs)

- Delivering Voice over IP (VoIP) and video conferencing services with end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) to local offices

- Delivering content to their end customers, suppliers, and business partners

In the past, the traditional T1 and bonded T1 access circuits have been the primary option for network connectivity, especially for local offices. Now Ethernet-over-Copper (EoC) technology allows service providers to offer their customers a new choice in most of the locations: Managed Ethernet Services.

Ethernet services can deliver particular benefits to businesses in several industries.

Retail and Restaurants. Connect stores, restaurants, distribution centers, and management offices within a city while taking advantage of additional provider services such as such as PCI compliance and managed voice and network security services.

Healthcare. Transmit digital images, electronic health records, and billing data between local clinics while meeting the increasing demands of HIPAA compliance. Real Estate. Give agents the high bandwidth they need for video home tours and integrated voice communications with advanced features like find me/follow me.

Banking/Financial. Combine voice and data services on a single, secure connection for more efficient branch-office communications.

Education. Offer distance learning programs and connect satellite campuses over a single network that also supports WiFi Internet access for students, faculty, and staff.

For no cost help finding the right business ethernet solution for your particular business requirements ... including a comparison of available providers ... simply request a free quote here:

Business Ethernet Solution

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What to Look For In A Business-Class Ethernet Service

When evaluating any access service, it’s important to look at the technologies and design in the provider’s network. A service provider with its own MPLS-based network can deliver the exceptional performance, redundancy, and flexibility necessary to support business-class Ethernet services and VPNs. Because the traffic routing decisions are made within the network, not at the access point, MPLS technology can load-balance the network and route traffic efficiently, for no single point of failure and a high-quality user experience.

To connect all of your sites into a single network, the provider should offer a choice of access types, including traditional T1 and DSL services. When the provider also offers managed solutions for voice, network security, and cloud-based collaboration over the Internet access service, you can meet nearly all of your communications needs in one place.

Equally important is the quality of the provider’s network support and monitoring services. Support should be available 24 / 7 / 365 to help users and resolve problems. And providers that offer advanced, proactive network monitoring can maximize the availability of your wide-area Ethernet connections.

Use this list as a guide for what to look for when evaluating the Business Ethernet offerings from service providers.

Ethernet Service Evaluation Factor

* Offers Ethernet service for all target locations nationwide

* Supports symmetrical speeds up to 45 Mbps

* Initial and monthly recurring costs for Ethernet service

* Automated installation processes to speed deployments

* Multiple options for access circuits where Ethernet is not available

* Other managed services available:

- Voice
- Network Security
- Hosted Collaboration

* Class of Service (CoS) support at the access circuit level for voice

* Nationwide MPLS network with Ethernet available in major cities

For no cost assistance to help you find the best fit for network connectivity ... including a comparison of providers per the recommended factors above ... simply request a free quote here:

Evaluating Business Class Ethernet

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Broadband Comparison....Which Data Service Is Right for Your Business?

To determine the best business-class connectivity option for your business network, it is important to evaluate your business’ employee needs — such as do employees perform high volumes of Web browsing, do they require video streaming services, and are Voice services and other cloud-based applications required — and proximity to the services. Understanding your business’ technological requirements will help take the guesswork out of choosing the optimal business-class connectivity service.

T1, Bonded T1, and Business Ethernet connections provide true business-class connectivity. They offer the same uptime SLAs (99.99%), provide symmetrical upload and download speeds (T1=1.5 Mbps, Bonded T1=up to 12 Mbps, Ethernet=up to 45 Mbps), and are widely available in major metropolitan areas. Business Ethernet is faster and generally more cost competitive than T1 and Bonded T1 connections. It has become a popular business-class connectivity option for companies and is out-pacing T1 sales in some markets. For businesses located in dense metropolitan areas, Ethernet over Copper offers greater flexibility and provides the best connection speeds at the best prices.

In addition to choosing a broadband type, it is also important to conduct an Internet providers comparison in order to ensure the Internet services provider you select is able to meet your business' current and future needs.

For help evaluating the most appropriate connectivity option for your business network ... including a comparison of available providers ... simply request a free quote here:

Broadband Comparison

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What Does The Cloud Mean To You?

Cloud means scalable computing resources... You can think of it as a large computer that you can scale up and down based your needs. In traditional computing, if you are not using your computer, it idles doing nothing. In cloud computing, that wasted resource is put to good use and you only pay for what you use.

There are a few other "clouds" which have nothing to do with this definition. Personal Cloud is one in which basically your data in all your personal devices is aggregated and made available from any device.

Some uses cases are personal storage in the cloud, although that's hardly the only use. Web servers can take advantage of the cloud to become highly available and geographically sensitive. Clouds can be used to rent computing for a one time intensive computing event.

But the general idea is, pay only for what you use, and repurpose what you don't for other tasks.

The main problems with cloud involve bandwidth, industry and country regulations, and portability. Also most applications need to be "modernized" to fully take advantage of the cloud fabric. Just taking your SaaS solution and putting it in the cloud doesn't mean you are a cloud solution, contrary to what some may think.

An interesting resource if you want to learn more about what it takes to create a large scale cloud solution is the Netflix technical blog. They are one of the few customers that survived the Amazon outage since they undestood what they were doing while designing the solution.

Netflix Technical Blog

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Enterprise Mobility ... Mobile Lifecycle Management

Understanding the majority of today's enterprise mobility challenges requires a firm grasp on the implications of "the consumerization of IT". There are 2 tempting but ultimately incomplete solutions for this phenomenon ... BYOD and MDM/MAM. However, there is also a legitimate Telecom Lifecycle Management solution that works.

To take advantage of Telecom Lifecycle Management services from Advantix simply request a free quote here ....

Telecom Lifecycle Management

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tw telecom Launches Dynamic Bandwidth

tw telecom has revolutionized dynamic bandwidth capacity through their new dynamic bandwidth product. With the click of a button tw telecom customers can now adjust their bandwidth needs up to 300% in real-time.

Ideal Customer Needs:

* Data back-up or replication
* Seasonal traffic increases (Halloween, Christmas)
* Video conferences
* Fluctuating Cloud computing traffic
* Unforeseen events

To take advantage of this capability for YOUR business simply request more information HERE ....

Dynamic Bandwidth

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GeoQuote Produces One Millionth Quote

After nearly ten years of quoting, GeoQuote has produced its 1,000,000th quote for dedicated bandwidth and other network services. GeoQuote was originally created and patented in 2003 by Telarus to help you check broadband and telecom service pricing from over 40 suppliers nationwide. Offering real time quotes via email....with follow-up research on special unadvertised pricing....Geoquote is able to find the most cost effective solution to meet any need.

GeoQuote has now become the industry standard for carrier research. GeoQuote has become a great source of intelligence and efficiency for businesses needing solutions for their voice, data, or internet networks. Covering T1 lines, DS3 bandwidth, SONET, fiber, MPLS, business ethernet (fast ethernet, gigabit ethernet, metro ethernet, carrier ethernet Ethernet over Copper), cloud services, SIP trunking, business VoIP, hosted PBX, wireless solutions, co-location options, and more.

Try it out yourself .... simply request a free real time quote HERE

Voice, Data, Internet Network Solutions

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Telecommunication News For October 2012...Ethernet over Copper, Hosted Voice, High Speed Networks, Business Ethernet, Optical Networking, Fiber, And More

Here's the current news for October from the telecommunications industry.

* MegaPath - completes national Ethernet over Copper rollout, adding to the largest EoC footprint in the United States.

* Zayo - wrapped up its acquisition of the remaining piece of USCarrier Telecom.

* XO Communications - announced its expansion into the Toronto market where it can now offer high-speed network services to enterprise and wholesale customers.

* Integra - now offers Hosted Voice Service. This service provides a fully managed and feature-rich integrated voice, data and equipment solution for business customers of all sizes.

* CBeyond - has selected BTI's Ethernet Business Services and Metro Packet Optical Networking Solutions to rapidly provision services to small and mid-sized businesses on its high-speed dedicated network.

* tw telecom - aims to reach more than 300 new business customers by expanding its fiber network to fast-growing parts of Kansas City.

To take advantage of any of the services dicussed above simply request more information and a free quote HERE

Network Solutions

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Unified IP Communications Services...Smoothstone IP Communications

Smoothstone IP Communications is a nationwide provider of unified IP communications services to mid-sized enterprises. Smoothstone delivers Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), IP trunking, unified threat management, MPLS networking, contact center solutions, messaging and advanced collaboration tools as a unified suite of managed services and cloud based applications. Smoothstone's scalable, on-demand applications & services can be integratedwith a customer's existing network and telecommunications infrastructure, operational processes and employee activities, enabling a customer to migrate to unified IP communications as their business requirements dictate.

Smoothstone has built a nationwide private IP network for delivering voice, data, and video, and local dialtone. Smoothstone caters specifically to enterprises that need to extend IP communications to hundreds or thousands of employees, in multiple geographic locations.

Smoothstone was the first to introduce a converged voice and data service over an MPLS network. The Smoothstone platform as a whole has a distributed architecture, with different features being served from various facilities. Their MPLS services combine best-of-breed carrier networks to create a completely private, fast and flexible solution that lets you prioritize voice, video and data applications, while consolidating all traffic onto a single, easy–to–manage network infrastructure.

Smoothstone can integrate their services with an existing network, or help deploy and manage an MPLS network. Customers are spared the cost of purchasing, deploying, and maintaining the applications, and, to some degree, the infrastructure on which it runs. Second, all maintenance, management, and upgrades are handled by Smoothstone.

Smoothstone offers everything from TDM IP Trunking and SIP trunking to fully-hosted PBX and VoIP to the desktop. Their services include domestic and international calling plans with direct inward dialing (DID), unlimited local calling, four–digit on–net calling and E911. Smoothstone calls never touch the Internet—although they do offer their clients Internet access over the same circuit.

To take advantage of what Smoothstone IP Communications can do for your business simply request a free quote here ...

IP Communications

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Global Interconnectivity ...Data Center & Colocation Solutions

Telx is your strategic partner for global interconnectivity solutions. Their strategically located, network-neutral interconnection and colocation facilities provide cost-effective, reliable and secure access to 750+ telecommunications carriers, ISPs, content providers and enterprises. And, with 28,000+ direct connections providing lower costs, near zero latency and fewer points of failure.

With Telx's private cabinets and custom cages, customers can procure custom power solutions based on their deployment specifications. All Telx facilities are built to provide N+1 redundancy, full UPS power and generator backup to deliver the highest level of uptime availability for our customer's mission critical operations.

The Telx colocation advantage ....

* Get superior network performance, lower network costs, and proven redundancy for mission critical applications through Telx’s 28,000+ cross connections.

* Connect with a network-neutral, global ecosystem of 750+ telecommunications carriers, ISPs, content providers, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and cloud providers, and enterprises in a secure and reliable environment. Reduce network costs by replacing local loops with less expensive and more flexible interconnection options.

* Connect quickly and seamlessly through fast, reliable networks to support faster time-to-market for new services.

* Protect your data assets with Telx’s disaster management, early warning systems, redundancies, and diversification of communications technologies – plus the highest level of backup power and power generators.

* Reduce costs and gain the flexibility to expand business opportunities and service offerings without making additional IT investments.

All of Telx's 15-facilities are strategically located in the premier telecom buildings across the United States, including:

Atlanta, GA- 56 Marietta Street
Charlotte, NC - 113 N. Myers Street
Chicago, IL- 350 E. Cermak Road
Chicago, IL- 600 S. Federal Street
Clifton, NJ- 100 Delawanna Avenue
Dallas, TX- 2323 Bryan Street
Dallas, TX- 8435 Stemmons Freeway
Los Angeles, CA- 600 W. 7th Street
Miami, FL- 36 N.E. 2nd Avenue
New York, NY- 60 Hudson Street
New York, NY- 111 Eighth Avenue
Phoenix, AZ - 120 East Van Buren Street
San Francisco, CA - 200 Paul Avenue
Santa Clara, CA - 1100 Space Park Drive
Weehawken, NJ - 300 Boulevard East

To see what Telx can do for your business simply request a free quote here ...

Data Center and CoLocation Solutions

Telx Network Map ....

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When It Comes To Ethernet Pricing, Integra Telecom Can't Be Beat

Integra Telecom is a facilities-based CLEC offering service across 11 western states with significant fiber network assets, including a 3,000+ route-mile (160,000 fiber miles) metro area network and more than 5,000 route-mile long haul network. Integra is currently the 4th largest CLEC in the U.S.

In contrast to companies that simply resell services from the monopoly Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC), Integra Telecom owns and operates its own network offering local dial tone, domestic and international long distance, high-speed Internet and data services (including digital subscriber line or DSL), voice messaging, and numerous ancillary services designed to support the communication needs of businesses including business phone systems.

Integra Telecom also provides managed services and converged Internet Protocol (IP) network services that combine voice, Internet access, and private data networking for small and medium sized companies, enterprises, national and government accounts.

To learn what Integra Telecom services can do for your business simply request a free quote here ...

Integra Telecom

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Best Source For International Voice, Data, & Internet Networks...Level 3

Level 3 Communications is an international communications company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company operates one of the world's largest communications and Internet backbones over an IP-optimized network.

Level 3 operates one of the largest backbone networks of any Internet service provider. Interconnections between major cities are done via 10 Gbit/s Ethernet links. Its network covers the continental US, and most of Western Europe. Level 3's primary focus is network stability and security. Level 3 also provides specialized services for businesses, such as VPN, metro ethernet, voice services, and Video Transport services. Level 3 provides the backhaul video services from stadiums and arenas throughout the US to network head-end service points for NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL events.

Level 3 currently has connectivity to every long-distance tandem office in the United States, as well as to a large and growing number of end offices. Their customers have the ability to terminate calls anywhere in the world over the Level 3 Network.

The Level 3 network was recently overbuilt with new DWDM, IP and private-line switching layers. Level 3 technology deployments have enabled new, market-leading services like 10 GigE LAN PHY and 40 Gbps Wavelength services.

Level 3 Products include ....

* Data T1
* Bonded T1
* Frac/Full DS3
* Frac/Full OC3/12/48
* Ethernet over Copper
* Ethernet over DS1/DS3
* Metro Fiber Ethernet
* Gigabit Ethernet
* Integrated (SIP Handoff)
* Integrated (PRI Handoff)
* Integrated (Analog Handoff)
* Local Voice
* Dedicated LD (In/Out)
* SIP (Local/LD Trunks)
* Voice over MPLS
* Point to Point
* MPLS
* Ethernet WAN
* VPLS
* Colocation
* Wireless Backup (Spring 3G)

To get a free quote for any of the services listed above simply ask here ...

Level 3 Communications Services

Level 3 Communications Videos

Level 3 Communications Network Map

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How To Get Free Real Time Quotes For Business Voice, Data, & Internet Services

See just how easy it is to get FREE real-time quotes on T1 lines, DS3 Bandwidth, Business Ethernet, MPLS, cloud services, business VoIP, PRI, business phone service, and MUCH more using the patented quote system at FreedomFire Communications.

To get your free quote for business voice, data, or internet services simply ask here ...

Business Voice, Data, & Internet Services

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Key Indicators For Whether Your Company Is A Prospect For An IT Infrastructure Project

How do you know for sure whether your company is a prime candidate for any changes/improvements to your IT infrastructure?  First understand that you shouldn't expect a sudden epithany ... it won't be obvious.  You'll have work to do to figure it out for sure.  If you wait for a sudden flash of enlightment .... it's already too late.

 As for every business it will be different. What are you looking to do to the infrastructure? Does your  company want new computers/need new computers? Are the end users complaining? Does your company want to move to the cloud? There are many different questions you can ask your company to get a feel for what the biggest pain in the market is. Once you find out this pain, you can begin to look for the solution to the pain . If the pain is end user computers are slow and there is lost productivity, you can talk to the company about an upgrade to Windows 7 (provided the computers are on XP still). I guess the answer is, there are MANY indicators that could be used to classify whether your business is a prospective candidate for an infrastructure project.

Use the following golden rules as a template and survey your company as to whether they have defined their needs in accordance with them.

You may need to assist key decision makers in the definitions. When you can say they are ready to select their tools (Step 3) then your company will be a candidate for IT infrastructure projects.

1. An electronic computer software package is not a system. One cannot acquire a system by acquiring computer capability.

2. One acquires a system by conducting systems analysis, achieving a design and processes by working with the people who will run the system. This is hard work and time consuming. Processes are improved and made more efficient by modifying user behavior not by automating it.

3. Once system and analysis and system design are complete one chooses tools to assist in running the system. The adequacy of a computer tool is driven by the requirements of the most efficient system design.

4. The biggest mistake implementation teams make is to believe they are buying a system when they buy a software tool or let the software drive the systems analysis process. That is like asking a mechanic to drive a wrench from New York to St. Louis. It has resulted in millions of dollars wasted and plummeting efficiency in many organizations, large and small.

5. It is necessary to design a system and processes unique to the company to meet user requirements before going shopping for computer tools. If you do not you will be pigeon-holing your company into a COTS mentality and become a slave to the company that owns the source code. If you want anything changed it costs a big buck.
 
Here is a possible checklist you can use to guide you through the process ......

1. Is your company looking at expansion into new line of business / geography and need IT to support it   e.g. new App servers, datacentres, network equipment, db servers can be pitched.

2. Is your company looking at improving business or technology process efficiency and looking at IT to do it e.g. EAI / Web services / virtualization can be pitched

3. Is your company looking at reducing IT spend/Revenue ratio %   e.g. cloud services, datacentre can be pitched

4. Has your company gone through a top management change / merger / regulatory compulsion (e.g. cable MSO in india)    e.g. BSS / OSS servers, digital swithes can be pitched

5. Is your company sending their top team CTO / CXO only to tech. exhibitions / roadshows / conferences ....  can be taken as an early sign.
 
Now here's another suggestion ... and it won't cost you a thing for their services.   Contact the professionals here for free assistance to help you find the right IT infrastructure solution .....
 
 Network Solutions
 
Communications needs may require modifications from time to time for a variety of reasons, including: cost pressures, expansion, downsizing, amalgamation, telecommuting, new technology, relocation, system replacement, and data network integration.   FreedomFire Communications can help with transitions in telecom needs by identifying the optimum package of services to meet specific requirements.

Every business realizes that they derive the most benefit by concentrating their efforts on their core service or product. Most business people simply do not have the time to analyze technology, suppliers and pricing alternatives in today's constantly changing telecom world.  They will do this for you FREE .... with the goal of identifying the most beneficial alternatives to include areas of cost saving that won't entail sacrificing service.

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Telecommunications News For September....Level 3, Windstream, Earthlink, Megapath, tw telecom

Here's the latest news for the telecommunications industry for September.

* Level 3 - will be working with Hughes Cloud Services to extend service level agreements for the last mile to its clients' desktops.

* Windstream - now offers LifeSize Communications' video conferencing equipment alongside its IP networking services.

* West IP Communications - unveils MediaCloud, a hybrid environment for deploying Microsoft Lync throughout enterprises.

* EarthLink - Following the launch of its National Master Program July 19, EarthLink Business channel executive Sherri Turpin is sharing the goals for the program that she helped create and will oversee as vice president of channel strategy.

* MegaPath - announced the opening of a new field sales office in Phoenix to support its Ethernet over Copper (EoC) network expansion.

* tw telecom - tw telecom just released their new dynamic network product! Now a customer can turn up their bandwidth on-demand and only pay a metered fee for usage, and turn it back down when they are done. Here's a few tidbits you should know about tw telecom.....

- telecom offers MPLS, IP-VPN WAN, and Integrated PRI services
- tw telecom has more lit buildings than everyone but AT&T and Verizon
- tw telecom's customer retention is second to none
- tw telecom is financially strong - one of just a few profitable companies in the telecom space

To see where tw telecom services are offered check out their site-map....

Take take advantage of any of the services offered by the providers listed above....simply request a free quote here - -

Telecom Services From Level 3, Windstream, West IP Communications, Earthlink, Megapath, tw telecom

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How Much Of A Burden Are Federal And State Regulations On Your WAN?

There aren’t any state or federal regulations that directly affect the operation of a private WAN. There are regulations that affect the choices that are available to us from vendors, but nothing that affects which choice we make from what is available. I would say vendor marketing has as much to do with that as any government regulations.

For the most part, the government has been deftly pushing on the carriers/LECs to allow a level of competition, force incumbents to modernize their networks, but not allow the collapse of the LECs. The success of their actions can be seen in steadily falling prices over the last 20 years (over 90% reduction in cost of broadband), increased reliability in primary carriers, and vastly improved capacities.

When a network is connected to the Internet a certain level of responsibility and liability may kick in –
 
Regulatory compliance tends to be industry specific, and in many cases country specifc.  
 
I think that the burden for a national network is dwarfed by the issues that come up for international.....

It is getting more open and easier, but some countries have complicated rules limiting how voice can go across international boundaries, or constraining Internet access.

The issues are mostly a burden on carriers - they get the per country complications such as "limit access to Priate Bay" legal constraints (to mention just 1 recent issue in the uk), or access to some types of adult material and so on.

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History Of The Early Days Of The Internet And World Wide Web

The Internet is over 40 years old. It started out as a Pentagon project for a self-healing communications network that could survive a nuclear war, and was originally ARPANet. Extended to bridge between incompatible computer networks (a DecNet over here, a BitNet over there, some homebrew system in yet another campus), it eventually became known as the INTER NETworking system, or Internet.

The Internet eventually developed a flourishing set of applications running on top of it by circa 1990. These included email and ftp, still widely used, and other apps which are in decline, such as gopher and usenet.

Tim Berners-Lee, working at CERN, decided that it was crazy to have to request a whole document just to see a page or two (even worse if the document owner didn't have a server setup to automatically deliver the document). Plus, documents came in all sorts of formats. He came up with the HyperText Transfer Protocol (but didn't invent the idea of hypertext) and the first HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and browser. This was an application that could run on CERN's local network, and eventually over the Internet as the World Wide Web. It became the Killer App of the Internet.

Al Gore did "play a role" in shepherding through Congressional support and funding for early Internet development, but to say that he "invented" it is a WILD exaggeration.
 
Feel free to add any comments you may have on urban legends of the early internet ... set the record straight.

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Typical U.S. Government

This is hilarious....

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in Montana when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni® suit, Gucci® shoes, RayBan® sunglasses and YSL® tie, leaned out the window and asked the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"

Bud looks at the man, who obviously is a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, why not?"

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell® notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3® cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page onthe Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop® and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany ...

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot® that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL® database through an ODBC connected Excel® spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry® and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet® printer, turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."

"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"

"You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government", says Bud.

"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about how working people make a living - or about cows, for that matter. This is a herd of sheep."

"Now give me back my dog."

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Reprise....What Comes After The $99 Laptop Revolution?

What comes after the $99 laptop revolution?


We live in a fast moving world. Consumer sentiment has shifted from laptops as the “can’t-live-without device” to mobile phones and tablet computers. What will be the next “gadget” revolution in order to make Internet access and mobile communication affordable to everyone? Is it the $99 smart phone (non-subsidized retail price), the $49 tablet computer (or tablet-phone) or a $9 feature phone?

What Comes After The $99 Laptop Revolution

All the fascination we see presently about terminal hardware applications will be over in the near future. The "Cloud" and SAS will rock the hardware and software world and make access to technology easier for vast populations. Devices to do so will cost pennies on the current dollar or the will be free.
Like the PC makers, the sun is already setting on cell phone devices, associated applications, OTS packaged software and related products. Even though these products are enjoying current popularity They are expensive and will be rapidly overtaken by tight economics and services competition.

Smart,strategic planners are pointing to the future and it is not a hardware and licensed software market - it is service oriented with low cost access and rates. Volume, free products, advertising and shareware will drive it all.

Possible exceptions for a bit longer period of time are the high-end hardware and software technologies in government contracting, which for security reasons must be cloistered, protected and safeguarded. Your friendly government agency will be the last to boot its PC out the window.

I suspect we will not have a 99$ revolution, nor a Cloud take over, nor unmetered connectivity services.


In contrast to optimists about the Cloud and services there, ...this will be just another metering point, and some firms are optimistic that they can pull more out of customers this way than with COTS or custom.

There is still a lot of room, in the 300 to 1500 lap tops, and the 1000 to 5000 for product enhancement and price maintenance. This includes entertainment specialized, gaming systems and multiscreen work environments.

Software alone will continue to be more of the average cost for many users...nickle and dime by apps or in large chunks for tool sets from Microsoft, Adobe....

It is possible after decades of experimentation that wearable systems may make more progress, including heads up or wearable displays and alternate input systems. One aspect of the "bigger business" may (still) more accent on fashions, not just shells and covers but ownership of more devices.

Inexpensive devices (smart phones, netbooks, or even tin cans on a string) matter not when the connectivity to the world is metered and expensive.

The next revolution has to be centered on inexpensive connectivity. Otherwise, trading a high capital cost for an expensive gadget vs a high monthly access cost for a cheap gadget does not help society.

The Revolution is already here. Smartphones sales have already exceeded PC Sales (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2379665,00.asp) . Think about what a smart phone can do


*often have faster processors than PCs

*they know where their users with GPS

*know direction that user is going with built in compass

*take pictures, video, and record audio

*Can do real time video conferencing

*Can email and do SMS

*Provides connection to the Internet

*Countless new uses are being introduced via apps

*Fits in the palm of your hand

*Oh yeah can be used as a phone.

And the device can be free with a data plan.

My friends, the revolution is here. You can either be in front of the tsunami or play catch up.  

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How To Design Virtual Teamwork In A Big Organization

Loneliness is a frequent feature of employees in big companies (sometimes, they don't know their colleagues outstide their own floor); it seems to be a problem of efficient communication and management in spite of advanced technology of information transmission.   F2F is not always possible at least at a sufficient periodicity especially when the workplaces are geographically scattered. Thus how is it possible to create links among employees around a clear purpose and induce collaboration work and information sharing?

We have many frontiers to conquer yet in the nuances of a truly integrated, company-wide teamwork. I do not mean technology frontiers, I am referring to human frontiers.

The ability to communicate and network company wide has been around since the advent of email. The more sophisticated aspects of it, such as pooling thoughts and ideas, social networking to innovate and similar advances encounter the organization chart, politics, paranoia regarding career progression and policy and control freaks with outmoded human foibles.

It is an advanced enterprise indeed that springs into the next great leap in teamwork and conquers the above frontiers. I have some clients who have, or are doing so. It is a pleasure to observe their successes.
 
Communication or community don't start with tools or technologies. They start with questions or ideas that are exciting to share, with visible opportunities for mutual aid, with models of light hearted, lively, but mostly mission relevant sharing.

I'd start with the simplest networking tool (which could even be an old fashioned e-mail list), but with the requirement that each message have one of four possible tags. These are the four I might use. You may chose others.

SUCCESS - We made it work, and want to tell you about it

IDEA - We're thinking of, imagining. But is this the best idea since sliced bread, or are we up our rocker?

HELP - We've hit a wall -- perhaps a tiny one, but need help with this question.

WATER COOLER - Personal sharing, but NOT inappropriate (e.g. Jamie completed his first marathon and came in 12th of 183, Mary Jone's house is now completely off the grid)  
 
Matrix-like are the type of organization human groups will coalesce into unless forced to adopt a more efficient model. Tribes are matrices, their armies are not. Matrices imply interdependencies among the people in the group are not far from homogeneity, and the different roles and responsibilities are equally valued.  A matrix won’t emerge by itself in a business organization because of
 
(1) the huge differences in rewards and responsibilities amongst its employees;
 
(2) because there’s a structured decision making process and finally
 
(3) because there’s a need-to-know communication paradigm.


To build matrix subsets within one hierarchical company, there must be operating rules to restore interdependency homogeneity and level the relative value of roles & responsibilities, awards and rewards, and such rules should be defined and enforced using an Operating Contract.

The Operating Contract establishes collective objectives, individual roles and responsibilities, performance goals and metrics, and often information flow and decision making processes, clearly violating the hierarchical nature of business organizations (as in 1, 2 and 3 above). It also creates the matrix boundaries by identifying external customers, stakeholders, approvers, influencers, and general audience. This is fundamental to determine there’s “us” - nodes of the matrix, as opposed to “them” - outside of it.

Create a good Operating Contract, and keep it running effectively:

i) Talk to most of the team every day. Use a daily 15min “good morning project X” as an opportunity to gauge how effective the Operating Contract is, as well as to spot potential issues and conflicts. Challenge the team to declare what was yesterday’s most important accomplishment, how it moves you toward your objective, and what is the one challenge you're going to close today.

ii) Run the one-over-ones at the same rhythm as the team reports out progress. If the team is reporting progress every week, make sure 1x1s are also weekly. Remember the R&Rs are equally valuable, so individuals must voice their issues and concerns, their realizations, at the same pace as the overall team.

iii) Face-to-face (F2F):  if there are no limitations on using webcams or video conferences, use them often. If there are, organize off-hours virtual parties. Invite people to play games online, or just chat, share their hobbies, bridge cultural gaps by discussing food and recipes, clothing, social conventions, and general interests. Keep them mobilized, you want everybody working probably 40 hours per week, but you can have them thinking creatively for another 40.

iv) Dynamically make changes to resolve conflicts and address issues and concerns. If you go trekking with friends, you can’t expect to move faster than your slower mate. Reassign experts tasked with producing quick responses, and reassign adrenaline addicts from tasks requiring complex analysis. Get answers from the fast movers, and questions from the slow movers.

v) Get people from other fields and areas to talk to your team.  For example, invite product development to talk about how people use your products, people from marketing to talk about your brand. HR, Quality, Finance… this helps creating a sense of belonging to a larger group and building the bigger picture.

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