2011 June Archive - ATEL Communications Blog

Archive for June, 2011

Wondering Where Comcast Fits Into Your Voice & Data Mix? Ask a Professional Telecom Agent

Posted on: June 21st, 2011 by admin

If your business is in an area served by Comcast you’ve probably at least tried them at home for your local phone service or TV service. Now you’re likely wondering, “How can their business voice and data services help my business solutions?”

Well wonder no more because Comcast has recently become “telecom industry friendly” by allowing their business services to be distributed by professional telecom agents and other independent IT voice and data consultants.

Why is it important that Comcast distribute their business services through professional telecom agents and IT consultants?

So telecom agents and IT consultants can give business customers an honest and independent evaluation as to how Comcast’s suite of business services solutions should be integrated in the customer’s mix of voice and data solutions.

(Now I’m sure that the direct W-2 salespersons working for Comcast Business have their customer’s best interests in mind but they are not likely to recommend or even know about a non-Comcast solution even if it’s in a customer’s best interest.)

Professional telecom agents and IT consultants represent (and get paid by) all the major voice and data service providers. This preserves their independence and adds diversity to their recommendations which ultimately saves the customer money as well as provides for a more robust solution.

So if you’re thinking about Comcast, you can now call your independent telecom agent or IT professional to get a quote. Chances are you’re going to get the Comcast availability confirmation and price quote quicker from an authorized Comcast Business agent than you would get the same information from Comcast direct.

Following is some additional background information about Comcast provided by Telarus, a national Comcast Business partner that provides “real-time” availability and price quotes.

“Comcast is the largest cable operator and third-largest telephone company in America, providing broadband internet, telephone service, and cable television to businesses in 19 markets nationwide, covering 39 states.

“Comcast Business, launched in 2009, originally targeted businesses with less than 20 employees. Today Comcast Business is targeting POTS and PRI together, with plans to move even higher upstream into metro Ethernet and SIP. You can sell Comcast Business with confidence because there are no leased lines between your customer and Comcast, who manages their own network end-to-end.

For more information about how Comcast Business fits into your voice and data solution mix, contact an authorized Comcast Business Class solutions provider.

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Do You Need an Ethernet Over Fixed Wireless Quote to Guarantee Redundancy? (Yes!)

Posted on: June 21st, 2011 by admin

By Dan Baldwin, Editor

Mobile phones give all of us a sense of security. I check to make sure my cell phone is charged and in my pocket before going anywhere in my car. In my home and office my cell phone sits right next to my office phone. Why? I can count on it to work if there’s a problem with my landline.

The way wireless technology backs up our personal communications is also available to backup our voice and data network communications. How will your multiple offices stay connected if your primary broadband Internet connection experiences a service interruption – for minutes or days? What “bad things” will happen to your business during that outage?

If you’re using a fixed wireless connection as your primary or backup data connection for your business you don’t worry about “bad things” happening to your business during an outage because “fixed wireless” offers the ultimate in voice and data redundancy to your “landline” connections.

What’s “fixed wireless”?

Fixed wireless is a broadband Internet connection that uses a completely redundant and survivable “second path” to connect your business to the outside world.

It connects via a direct “line of sight” microwave path from a dish on the top of your building, through the air to another dish several miles away that connects you to a really big Ethernet Internet pipe. When the landline that enters your building through the basement is interrupted for any reason you always have the second “fixed wireless” connection to use that goes through the air.

Is Fixed Wireless Expensive?

In most cases, bit for bit, fixed wireless connectivity is cheaper than a similar landline connection. In addition to being cheaper the connection is generally more reliable because it doesn’t go through the local phone company’s “local loop”. As well, fixed wireless can be installed in just a couple days and the bandwidth can be “dialed up and down” with a phone call.

If you do business in any metro area and you need to be connected all the time over a broadband Internet connection to “be in business” then you HAVE TO consider a fixed wireless connection as a complement your landline connection. ALWAYS get a fixed wireless quote when getting a landline quote.

Isn’t A Seperate Landline Connection “Redundant”

Many ask, “Isn’t a cable broadband Internet connection” the right backup for my phone company connection? Not really since both connections are coming to you through the same building connection in the basement. Any event that interrupts one will likely interrupt the other.

Which Fixed Wireless Vendors to Use?

In the greater Los Angeles area there are two vendors that I use, Covad Wireless now owned by TelePacific and ColorBroadband. We’ve had success using both vendors. As fixed wireless infrastructure is fairly expensive to install, you’ll generally find that providers don’t overlap each other’s area all that much. If you can get a quote from each that works out well but usually you’ll find that one has a clear shot to the location and the other not so much. Pricing and terms are fairly similar between vendors as their cost structures are similar.

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Can Competitors Get Your Customer List From Your Salesperson’s Smartphone? 4 quick tips to stop this…

Posted on: June 21st, 2011 by admin

By Dan Baldwin, Editor

So you’ve firewalled your businesses most valuable content like your customer lists, sales figures and the like from attacks over the Internet, but can your competitors still access the information the same way your salespeople do – using their smartphone?

If you said, “No way – I’ve put mobile security policies in place to protect my data from mobile theft!” you may want to take a look at a new study by the online security provider McAfee and Carnegie Mellon University CyLab that suggests that two-thirds of employees aren’t aware of their employers’ mobile security policies.

The report also suggests:

Approximately 1,500 companies surveyed report that their employees don’t understand how the permissions and other access settings on their mobile devices work,
About 63% of work-related mobile devices are also used by employees for personal activities, and
Where companies do not provide mobile devices, many employees tend to use their personal smartphones and other mobile devices to handle work-related tasks.

Four Quick Ways to Protect Your Business Data from Unauthorized Mobile Access…

Test for the Threat – During your next all company meeting, when your best sales person (the one most likely to get hired by your competitors) gets up to refill his or her coffee, grab their cell phone and see how long it takes you to download a customer list to the phone’s removable SD card or email the list to another as an attachment.
Test for Security Policy Knowledge – On a quarterly basis test your smart phone using employees on their knowledge of your mobile security policy. Give a written test and have them show your security officer that they actually know how to implement the security policy on their phone.
Read Recent Mobile Security Reports – If you’re the person at your firm who’s supposed to know the most about mobile security then you’ll likely keep your job longer if you’ve read up on recent mobile security reports that have been quoted in the media (the ones your boss is most likely to ask you about). The best way to do this is set a Google news alert for mobile security news stories which generally quote recent report.Here’s a few recent ones: CyLab/McAfee Report, Trusteer Mobile Phishing & TopTen’s Mobile Security Software Review.
Get a Mobile Security Review – Professional telecom agents make it their business to help you understand your risks of loss to mobile security threats and then apply cost-effective preventative measures. Please contact us for a complimentary evaluation of the mobile security risks your business faces today.

Other Useful Links

Trellia – Their Mobile Data Security Policy Module is recommended by Moe Arnaiz the founder of eMobus which is distributed through Wholesale Carrier Services or WCS
Contentious.com – The blog for Amy Gahran, the communication technology writer who wrote a recent CNN piece on mobile security

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Wondering About “the Cloud” for Your Critical Business Applications? Check out this San Diego conference…

Posted on: June 21st, 2011 by admin

By Dan Baldwin, Editor

Interested in rubbing shoulders with your C-levels and senior IT manager end-user businesses peers who are also interested in migrating their critical business applications to the cloud?

If so, you should consider attending and sponsoring this cloud conference in September that’s being produced by the San Diego chapter of the AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals) with Microsoft as a platinum sponsor.

One of the key organizers is a fellow named Marc Clark who used to be one of Qwest’s top sales managers in San Diego. Today he’s working with a cloud solution provider named ScaleMatrix.

Following is the event flyer:

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Why Buy From Telecom Agents? Multi-vendor technology solutions require multi-vendor technology experts

Posted on: June 21st, 2011 by admin

By Dan Baldwin, Editor

Does it make sense to fire the people who know how your business critical technology solutions work in a multi-vendor environment?

You’re right, it doesn’t, so file this this news story under “How-does-that-help-your-customers?”

In getting ready to attend the Managed and Hosted Video Summit, I’ve been researching the electronic security industry to find other telecom agents, IT consultants, business phone systems vendors or equipment VARs who provide video surveillance or other sorts of loss prevention, security or asset protection solutions to their business customers.

That’s when I ran across this news story published in Security Systems News that discusses how AT&T purchased a security monitoring technology company named Xanboo and then decided to discontinue Xanboo’s reseller program.

Security Systems News quotes a March 31 letter from AT&T general attorney Meredith Mays as follows. (I added the bold red emphasis for dramatic flair).

“AT&T is currently in the process of integrating Xanboo into AT&T’s portfolio of services and affiliated companies. At this time, AT&T anticipates modifying or eliminating current Xanboo products and services and winding down its existing processes. The purpose of this letter is to notify you that your agreement shall be terminated effective as of midnight, July 4, 2011.” The letter tells dealers “you should not market or sell Xanboo service after July 5, 2011.”

Happy Independence Day!

I don’t know what percentage of Xanboo’s sales success can be attributed to Xanboo’s value added resellers (VARs), telecom agents and integrator dealers, but but I can’t imagine that the Xanboo’s dealers are all that excited about AT&T’s decision to cut them off from an important component to their packaged security solutions.

As well, I can’t imagine future Xanboo/AT&T customers are going to be inspired with confidence when the integrators with all the experience installing the Xanboo solutions are no longer available to consult with.

Why Should Business Customers Care About AT&T Firing Systems Integrators?

It’s my humble opinion that this action shows that AT&T continues to embrace the old ”Ma Bell” philosophy that states, “If we don’t make it – our customers don’t need it”. That attitude certainly works for AT&T shareholders – but most AT&T customers I know use their AT&T services and systems in a way that interconnects with non-AT&T telecom and technology vendor’s systems.

Is AT&T helping their current and future customers by firing the experts that know how to integrate AT&T’s newly purchased systems to other vendor’s systems? I don’t think so.

Maybe AT&T is developing a new “Ma Bell” philosophy that states, “If we don’t understand what we’re selling our customers – that’s our customer’s problem, not ours!”

Call a Telecom Agent Before Contracting for an AT&T Service or System

If the AT&T service or system you’re thinking about contracting for is your best choice, a professional telecom agent will be the first person to agree with you and support your vision.

Before signing on the dotted line with AT&T though you need to have an objective telecom industry systems integrator share with you the pros and cons of how that AT&T solution integrates with the other non-AT&T vendor services and equipment systems your envisioned solution requires.

A professional telecom agent will help you envision and work through the challenges before your solution stops working half way through your implementation.

Some of the bigger “Ma Bell” type phone companies are happy to suggest, “You don’t need no stinkin’ consultant – we’re the phone company – we know what’s best for you!”

And then after the solution fails to work - that same phone company will say, “Pay us now – you signed a contract – the contract doesn’t say our service works with other vendors – it just says you have to pay us or we’ll sue you!”

It’s best to work with phone companies and technology vendors who like to work with independent telecom agents and integrators because multi-vendor technology solutions like managed services, physical security, monitoring, fire, intrusion, CCTV, closed circuit television or access control require multi-vendor technology experts like telecom agents and telecom systems integrators.

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