Technology Resources

What Every Business Should Know When Shopping For DSL, T1, Or DS3 Bandwidth
By Michael Lemm

The most common bandwidth solutions business choose today center around DSL, T1, and DS3 bandwidth. But to make the right choice for your business there’s a few facts you must get straight.

“T1″ is a telephone company term that describes a 1.54 Mbps capacity Internet connection. It also implies that the connection is “business class,” and includes a guarantee.

The term “DS3″ is also a “business class” guaranteed Internet connection. It should not be put together with “DSL,” because in general they are not similar. However. many business customers confuse the 2 leading to some avoidable mistakes during the quote and purchase process.

Years ago, a business class T1 connection was very expensive, in excess of $1000 per month, and was designed to provide reliability to businesses whose use of the Internet was critical (they were willing to pay more for guaranteed reliability). Back in the early days, the alternative was dial-up. T1 prices have come down to the $400 per month range today.

Most other connection “speeds” (more accurately, capacity) offered by the telephone company are a “bundle” of 1.54 Mbps lines. A 3 Mbps link is also referred to as a “bundle” of 2 T1’s. Similarly, DS3 is a nickname for a 45 Mbps connection, and is simply a bundle of 30 T1’s. Since the cable TV companies began retrofitting their systems to deliver Internet access, these nicknames (T1, DS3, and others) have been borrowed, although the “speeds” originally were derived as a function of the limitations of the telephone company copper wires. Cable company equipment on the other hand can be throttled to any speed for the end user.

Around 2000 companies like TowerStream (beginning in New England, and now nationwide) began deploying business class Internet connections using equipment that, for the first time, was not retrofitted, but designed for the purpose of bidirectional data delivery. These systems also have infinitely variable throttles. TowerStream, for example, delivers a guaranteed T1 speed connection, but they also offer a 2 Mbps, 3 Mbps, 8 Mbps, and other ranges of speeds not offered by the phone companies, and their “DS3,” instead of being throttled at 45 Mbps, is rounded off to 50. These connections are also unique because they completely bypass the phone and cable “copper” infrastructure.

It is confusing to many folks why someone would pay $400 per month for a business class link. The answer is in the small print.

I’ve heard Verizon on the radio offering “up to 8 Mbps” for twenty dollars a month. At the end of the ad, the guy with the really fast voice came on and stated “speed and uptime not guaranteed.” That’s the small print, radio version.

What this means is, exactly what it says … “up to 8 Mbps.” Maybe, maybe not. Maybe it’ll crawl along at a terribly slow speed. Maybe it’ll stop working completely. Maybe it’ll go 8 Mbps. Maybe. They provide no guarantee. You certainly can not call and complain if it goes slow. They only said it might go 8 Mbps.

Less expensive connections, like DSL and cable modem, usually residential (and often small busines too), are not guaranteed. It’s important to know. Usually the more expensive connections do provide an “SLA,” or Service Level Agreement, which spells out the minimum speed, latency, uptime, and other measures of performance, which are guaranteed.

In addition, business class links (like T1’s) usually allow the customer to host a server inside his location, and he gets public IP addresses, as well as other means of support, which are generally required for Internet intensive and Internet commerce-based businesses, and businesses which have outside users working from remote locations who need to be able to access the office. Residential type services (the less expensive services) will not provide business support, and often will cut off a customer who attempts to circumvent the basics.

It’s all in the small print. Is it guaranteed? Are public IP addresses provided? Is there an SLA? Are these things important to you? They may or may not be … but the business class of service is the lifeblood of businesses of all sizes these days, and should be expected to be for many years to come.

Should you want assistance helping navigate the questions and decisions involved in choosing the right business bandwidth solution for your company….take advantage of the no cost consulting offered at …. DS3 Bandwidth

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications….including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

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The Coming of Age of Video Conferencing
By Amy Linley

The art of meetings has come a long way. It started with two people standing face-to-face to talk. It progressed to people from different place sitting down together in a boardroom to people in different places talking on a conference call at the same time. The pinnacle - so far - is taking those people in different places in a conference call, and adding video through their computers so they can both see and hear each other.

What if you are already using conference calls to save money? Why would you want to add video as well? On a conference call, you can hear the tones and inflections of your participants and gauge their demeanor, mood, and attitude. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is live video worth? You could be able to see the subtle expression changes in your participants and see what they really think. You could look them in the eye and know they will get the job done.

Another reason to do video conferences is to deal with a naughty human behavior trait almost everyone has: multi-tasking. When someone is talking on a conference call, the temptation is almost too great not to check your email, finish that memo, or look at your schedule for the day. We are probably all guilty of this at one time or another, but the tell-tale signs are there. We suddenly hear our name spoken on the conference call and are jerked away from an email and we say, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that? What was the question?”

While multi-tasking is an excellent skill to have, there is a time and a place for it. On a video conference, you can’t be looking away for long periods of time, or under your desk fixing those pesky wires. You - and your participants - are held accountable by video to stay in the moment and at the meeting. Studies have shown that video conferences extend participants attention span and allow much less distractions. This means that your meetings will be much more productive.

And let’s not deny it, having people from all around the world looking and talking to one another is just plain cool!

Once you’ve decided to take the next step to video conferencing, what equipment will you need? Of course there isn’t just one solution for every company. You’ll have to look at what kind of video conferences best serve your company’s needs.

The top of the line, full body or life-size from the chest up video conference experience fits nicely into the old saying, “You get what you pay for.” You will have the most realistic picture, no choppy pictures, no hang-ups and it will cost many thousands of dollars. Setups like these require dedicated T-1 lines, special equipment and monitors on ALL sides of the conference, and they cannot be moved.

Let’s look at other, more feasible options. If the quality and clearness of the view is your primary concern, you may want to consider a digital video camera. This would also be a good choice if you want to have an entire board room in your shots. These cameras are the more expensive choice, but electronics prices get more and more reasonable each day. Look for one that has USB or firewire outputs — faster than USB - and of course, can connect with online applications.

The final option for video conferencing is the webcam. Webcams are inexpensive - up to $200, but average is $30 - and easy to use. In fact, many laptops are being made with a webcam built-in. Your ideal webcam has 640×480 resolution, 30 Frames Per Second, and uses CCD technology. All of these specs will be listed on the side of the box. Webcams may be your ideal solution as their picture quality is good, they are inexpensive, and are easily transportable.

Video conferencing is not new, but the level of quality, expense, and ease of use are now such that it makes good sense to add it to your business arsenal.

Amy Linley gives practical and usable advice regarding video conferencing at AccuConference.

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VoIP Solution Advantages for Business
By Roy King

VoIP is a great solution for any business. VoIP phone systems are a vital solution offering a cost effective means for long distance call expenses that everyone is searching for.

One of the major advantages of switching to a VoIP solution is that it costs significantly less than most traditional telephone services. If you select the VoIP hardware solution instead, you’ll be installing a converter box called an ATA (Analog telephone Adapter) that will be attached to your high-speed internet connection. When using a hardware VoIP solution, you computer will not have to be on in order for you to make and receive telephone calls, although your Internet connection will have to be active.

If you want to reduce your phone bill, and enjoy the convenience of talking on a normal phone, broadband telephone is going to be the cheapest VoIP solution. The beauty of VoIP technology is it has seamlessly incorporated a Internet Protocol that enables your phone to be anywhere - this is a perfect solution for businesses with remote/satellite offices who wish to have one uniform phone system for all employees regardless of their location. So, if you’re a small business-person looking for an affordable and easy solution to your communications problem, this really is a great option. If you are just starting your small business, VoIP phone cards will provide some sort of temporary solution until you can afford a better system.

There is only one telecommunications solution that has the flexibility and capability to ensure business continuity and to keep business communications running in a major disaster — VoIP hosted PBX service. A competent IT department, together with support from the VoIP service provider or VoIP reseller will be able to implement Authentication, control access (passwords and firewalls), encryption, an audit logging of calls and, if necessary, recording those calls.

VoIP hosted PBX service is a much better solution for those with active lifestyles compared to the expense of cell phones as well as being the perfect solution for mobile employees and those whose jobs require much travel. Besides offering an inexpensive solution for companies to save a ton of money on their long distance bills (the standard phone bill for one office in an international company can be tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, in just one year), VOIP offers features that are not accessible with standard land line telephone service (sometimes referred to as “POTS” or plain ol’ telephone service) without the addition of expensive, proprietary software/hardware combinations such as PBX units.

These reduced call costs are of course available to companies that implement a fully converged VoIP solution using IP phones or “soft phones” on their PCs or PDAs. (Cable broadband access is a viable solution here and the increased cost in cable access should be offset by the reduction on your monthly phone bill). In line with industry wisdom and predictions, the next range of PBX product is a VoIP solution with the essential PSTN gateway that beg the customers to make the big leap to VoIP.

You’re sure to find a suitable solution with the ideal combination of cost, features, and quality that you’re looking for. The selection of a VoIP business solution is a major decision. VoIP gateway’s will provide the solution for a business that wants to make a partial, or gradual commitment to new converged technology and have the ability to mix and match as needed traditional and IP telephone systems to their benefit.

If you business is searching for the most high tech solution available for modern telephony that is also the most cost effective over a time span as little as one year, you should consider a VOIP solution when preparing you company’s IT agenda and communication systems.

Roy King, is the editor for VoIP Solution Journal. Selecting VoIP Solution for Home or Business. VoIP Business Solutions, providers, resources, articles, tips, and help for selecting a VoIP Solution, Today!

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