By: PowerSource Online in partnership with TelecomFinders

PowerSource Online and TelecomFinders have joined forces to bring your company the ultimate parts buying and selling solution. PowerSource Online in partnership with TelecomFinders recognize there are many companies in the secondary market that are involved in both the IT and Telecom industries. For those of you who may not be as familiar with the IT or Telecom equipment secondary markets, we have put together a mini tutorial to help you on your journey of learning a new industry. This is your PowerSource Online in partnership with TelecomFinders crash course, passing opens up new avenues of networking and revenue within the market.

The IT Secondary Market

The IT & computer secondary market is very similar to the Telecom secondary market. The majority of suppliers and resellers in the secondary market are offering used, refurbished or open box IT equipment. As with any supply chain, many suppliers are category specific selling only Printers & printer parts or Laptops & parts. However, many suppliers and resellers cover all categories of the IT equipment secondary market.

The main categories within the IT Equipment Secondary Market are:

• Desktop/Tower
• Networking Equipment
• Laptops/Notebooks
• Monitors/LCD
• Printers
• Ink/Toner/Printer Supplies
• Servers/Workstations
• Storage Equipment
• Midrange/Mainframe
• Point of Sale (POS)

The most searched Manufacturers on PowerSourceOnline.com are: HP, IBM, Dell, Cisco, Sun Micro, Intel, Toshiba, Compaq, Seagate and Western Digital. The most searched parts, most searched parts with no results and most searched parts by manufacturer can be viewed by all PowerSource Online in partner with TelecomFinders on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.

The Telecom Secondary Market

The Telecom Secondary Equipment Market is very similar to the IT secondary market. Suppliers, resellers, dealers and brokers make up the Telecom equipment secondary market. Many of the same end users purchase both IT and Telecom equipment. As with the IT supply chain, many suppliers and buyers focus on a specific category of Telecom equipment.

The main categories within the Telecom Equipment Secondary Market are:

• Central Office
• VoIP
• Datacom/Networking
• Wireless
• Outside Plant

The most searched Manufacturers on PowerSourceOnline.com are: Nortel, Avaya, Cisco, Alcatel, Adtran, Kentrox, Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, Siemens, and Tellabs. As with the IT parts, the most Telecom searched parts, most searched parts with no results and most searched parts by manufacturer can be viewed by all PowerSource Online in partner with TelecomFinders on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.

Definitions & Abbreviations to Note

Secondary Market

Secondary parts are those that are not Factory Sealed New. After a new parts distributor sells a product it no longer can be considered and sold as New. The part or system is now considered to be a used or secondary product. Some terms used to describe different types of secondary products include: Open box new, pull, refurbished, non-working, used, end of life, discontinued, obsolete or hard to find.

After the manufacturer stops making parts, the reseller channel has to rely on the secondary market to find the parts they need to service their customer’s older equipment. These are the types of parts and systems that secondary market resellers, dealers and service companies can efficiently source on PowerSource Online.

CLEI code

A CLEI code is an intelligent, 10-character code that can identify telecommunications equipment with great precision. CLEI codes are accepted by telecommunications providers as a de facto industry standard. Their primary uses include inventory management and provisioning. There is a CLEI search located on PowerSourceOnline.com that buyers use when sourcing for a part based on a specific CLEI or HECI code. The same part number can have multiple CLEI attached to it.

HECI code

HECI (pronounced Heh-see) is a Human (Readable) Equipment Catalog Identifier. HECI and CLEI are interchangeable, they mean the same thing.

ILEC/CLEC/DLEC

Local exchange carriers (LECs) are divided into incumbent (ILECs) and competitive (CLECs). The ILECs are usually the original, monopoly LEC in a given area, and receive different regulatory treatment from the newer CLECs. A Data Local Exchange Carrier (DLEC) is a CLEC that specializes in DSL services by leasing lines from the ILEC and reselling them to Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Storage Equipment

Any input/output equipment may be considered data storage equipment if it writes to and reads from a data storage medium. Data storage equipment uses: portable methods (easily replaced), semi-portable methods (requiring mechanical disassembly tools and/or opening a chassis), or inseparable methods (meaning loss of memory if disconnected from the unit). Storage equipment includes Hard Drives, Tape Drives and Flash Memory Devices.

The PowerSource Online in partnership with TelecomFinders Team hope that bringing you the ultimate buying and selling solution will provide your company with many new and exciting opportunities in the secondary market. As always, if you have any questions about the network or the secondary market in general, please do not hesitate to contact your account manager or any one here with any questions.

By: Kristin Masters

The constant advancements in technology enable businesses to implement comprehensive data storage systems for virtually every function and application. The increased demand in data systems has spurred greater demand for additional memory. Despite the conventional wisdom that after-market memory products create compatibility issues or warranty problems, they actually represent an excellent opportunity for companies to maximize their IT budgets—and their current storage systems.

Benefits of Compatible Memory
Unix-based brands like IBM, HP, Sun, and Compaq have earned recognition as leaders in their industry for servers and other computer products. These Tier-1 companies also sell extension products like additional memory. But compatible memory brands deliver the same capabilities, at a much lower price. Misperceptions about these products often lead companies to overspend on Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) memory products.

Using compatible memory makes sense for any company that needs comprehensive and economical data storage. Yet many companies overlook compatible memory solutions because the benefits and applications are misunderstood. Contrary to popular opinion, compatible memory consistently meets—or exceeds—the performance of the OEM technology sold by Tier I companies:

• Third-party memory is compatible with factory-original parts and systems, at a fraction of the cost. Furthermore, compatible memory companies often offer refurbished factory products at extremely competitive prices.    
• Compatible memory companies offer a wide range of technologies from leading edge to trailing edge as well as custom built memory. These offerings are most often not available from the OEM. This availability allows clients to get the most out of existing systems, without having to upgrade entire systems that still function well.    
• Many compatible memory companies work to provide an extremely wide variety of memory products. Micro Memory Bank, Inc even offers every possible upgrade for every single machine known to man. That variety means that clients can fulfill all their memory requirements in one place.    
• Most Tier I companies actually outsource the production of their memory products, so customers aren’t necessarily getting the name-brand quality they pay for. In contrast after-market sellers offer transparency about the manufacture of their products.

In addition to exceptional value, compatible memory sellers also extend exemplary customer service and warranties. Mark Tosti, Vice President of Sales for Micro Memory Bank says, “We earned ISO 9000 certification and apply these standards to all of our products and processes. We’re not interested in selling memory that doesn’t work.” The company uses advanced burn and test systems to ensure consistent performance and reliable quality. In some cases, after-market memory products actually exceed the capabilities of OEM parts.

Companies such as Dataram offer cutting-edge technology which improves the life of certain memory storage units. Dataram’s XcelaSan effectively extends the life of companies’ EMC boxes, bringing exceptional value for users of mid-range storage infrastructure. The technology is most noted for its applications in sectors like hosting companies, application service providers, web properties and financials, where automated cache and filter capabilities directly translate into savings and greater ROI.

Outlooks for the Compatible Memory Market
As businesses undergo the paperless revolution, the demand for storage space drastically increases. Hospitals, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies all maintain massive servers to handle the data storage demands. Despite this burgeoning demand for additional storage, after-market memory sellers still face several factors that make the compatible memory market a particular challenge:

• Memory chips—and many of the raw materials used to fabricate them—qualify as commodities for trade and sale. Therefore many buyers prefer not to stock too much inventory, since the price could decrease at any time.    
• Customers expect a certain price for memory, but companies must raise their prices over time, as commodities prices rise. Market fluctuations can make competitive pricing difficult. In the last three to four months alone, some relevant commodity prices have doubled.    
• Customers still equate Tier I brands with better quality. Overcoming brand identification represents a significant obstacle for compatible memory dealers. Customers already trust the Tier I brands and often remain loyal. Yet those brands are significantly more expensive than their compatible memory counterparts and the Tier I companies actually outsource manufacture and affix their own labels to the products.

The positive side of these challenges is that compatible memory companies have existed and prospered since the 1970’s. Dataram has been in Business since 1967 with decades of satisfied customers. Currently 70 of the Fortune Top 100 companies have Dataram memory installed.

Overcoming F.U.D. Marketing
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the compatible memory market, however, involves the marketing tactics of those same Tier I titans. Tosti explains, “The Tier I brands build fear, uncertainty, and doubt among memory buyers, by creating the concern that using after-market components violates and negates any warranty agreements.” That strategy has been around so long that it earned the nickname “F.U.D marketing.”

The term actually originated with an IBM employee. Former IBM engineer Gene Amdahl left IBM to launch his own company, Amdahl Corporation. He accused IBM of spreading “fear, uncertainty, and doubt” regarding the lack of compatibility between his company’s products and IBM’s. The tactic worked on potential clients who did not fully understand the technology they purchased.

Over time, the technique evolved to include insinuations that using after-market products would void the warranty on name-brand equipment. That practice grew so prevalent that Congress finally passed the Magnuson-Moss Act in 1975. While the Act does not require products to carry a warranty, it does require that any warranties offered adhere to the Act. The Act expressly prohibits companies from stipulating that use of after-market parts voids a warranty.

Although the legislation has existed for over three decades, the myth of warranty cancellation often prevails. To counteract that mindset, compatible memory sellers focus on educating their clients and providing outstanding customer service. “At Micro Memory Bank,” says Tosti, “We offer our clients samples, trials, whatever they need to feel comfortable with the product. We strive to ensure their complete confidence.”

The memory market will undoubtedly continue to evolve with the storage technology industry. As data storage needs change and grow, the compatible memory market will adapt to include new technologies and improve value. Compatible memory products provide a cost-effective and functional solution to memory expansion needs. Many companies have used them for years. Today’s economy and long term proven results make this a technologically and financially sound alternative. Our recommendation is to test it.

By: Radu Antohi

The way certification courses have engulfed the world. Methods and techniques involved in the process. MNC’s like Microsoft and CISCO offer these courses to distinguish one person from another.

Just wind back the world where all and sundry longed to get a degree. Imagine wanting an education so badly that one would walk for miles to get it. This seems to be a never ending scenario, crave for education. An anthem is in the making, Microsoft and Cisco call it the certification!

The world is banging with the echo ‘hire only certified people’. SO, out of the 100%, only 10% of the people are equipped with certifications and rest of them is forced into it! And now it is like a battle having populace trying to get hold of most of the certification they can! No one is seen with a different eye, unless a professional degree is wrapped under the arms of the certified courses. Keeping in mind the strategies, the demands, the competition, the professionals, MICROSOFT and CISCO have framed a number of certification courses, right from system administrator to the IT professional.

The procedure involved is quite simple and lucid. The certificate is awarded to any person who completes and clears the test carried out by the organization in the stipulated time. The certification is based on different areas of scientific proficiency. The certifications offered by MICROSOFT are MCITP, MCTS, MCSA, MCP, and MCSE.

MCSA is an acronym for Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator; it is an official recognition for a person’s knowledge in system administration of Microsoft Windows operating systems. This certificate is attained by clearing two networking system exams, a client operating system and an elective paper.

A person having MCSA is more valued when he owns a MCSE certificate. It stands for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and is one of the superlative certification for Windows Server 2003. It shapes a person into a tycoon who can handle any crisis and take care of the requirements, plan and the execution involved for the same. The next one to follow is the MCTS; it is a technological specialist certification. There are more than twenty MCTS certifications based on the requirements and specifications.

This decade has proved that certifications hold a much higher value than any other degree under the sun.

Apart from Microsoft, CISCO also provides various certifications for the same. Now, it has become a trend and outstandingly necessity to have certification spaced out from standard degree. CISCO provides courses and certification for network managers and professionals. The most popular one is called the ‘CCNA’ which has taken an immense silhouette throughout the country. It stands for Cisco Certified Network Associate. A person who claims to have a CCNA certificate is very well equipped in the areas involving WAN and remote servers. To go hand in hand with it, CISCO has also introduced certification course named CCNP, CCIE.

With recession ruling the world, it is important for an individual to show his potential and uniqueness, which can be easily accomplished by getting hold of the above mentioned certificates.

The article about MCSE, CCNA, CCNP, CCIE, MCITP, MCTS, MCSA and MCP certifications was pen down by Radu Antohi who has contributed with a lot of articles on various certification techniques.

By: Kristin Masters

Mesh networks have existed on the fringe of the IT world since the early 1980’s. Recent advancements in wireless technology have promoted further exploration of applications for mesh networks; they hold extensive promise for rich applications such as sensor networks.

These networks rely on a series of nodes that transfer data wirelessly. Each node acts as an individual router, so the network can constantly reroute data to take advantage of the best pathways. It allows information to “hop” from one node to another, circumventing blocked or broken paths in the network. Unlike other wireless networks, mesh networks use nodes that are all fully connected to one another, so the nodes are not mobile, but they can be easily configured to form ad hoc networks.

The History of Mesh Networks
The military was one of the first organizations to investigate the applications of mesh networking. In the 1980’s, the military funded research on implementing multi-hop mesh networks in the battlefield, but efforts were thwarted by the high cost of hardware. As the cost of hardware came down in the 1990’s, universities began building and testing mesh networks for use on campus.

In 1998 a team at Carnegie Mellon created a series of car-mounted nodes that communicated not only with each other, but also with two nodes on either end of campus. For the first time, a reliable system that automatically adjusted to fit network topography maintained connections effectively. Within a few years networking equipment was cheap and reliable enough for more extensive mesh network exploration. Since then, several mesh networks have been adopted in academia, most notably Rooftop at MIT.

Co-led by Sanjit Biswas, the creation of Rooftop meant reliable coverage for thousands of MIT and Harvard students. But the system still relied on volunteers to host the nodes, which were ordinary PC’s with routers and antennae. Biswas and his team later tried a single central antenna, but determined it would not provide the necessary range to provide reliable coverage.

Strengths and Limitations of Mesh Networks
Despite the former limitations of mesh networks, researchers remained dedicated to making them work. That’s because they have great promise for myriad applications and offer several distinct advantages:

• Lower deployment cost
• Easier administration
• Better coverage
• Lower power consumption

Meanwhile, many researchers also tout mesh networking as a possible solution to the “last mile” problem, that is, the problem of serving extremely high numbers of end users. The technology could actually be used to provide broadband in developing countries, where consumers cannot afford service. However, it would likely work best as a complement to standard wired service, rather than a standalone option.

Although mesh networking certainly holds promise, it is not without its detractors. While the cost of equipment no longer presents a significant barrier, other issues still prevent widespread adoption. Indeed, capacity limits and other factors mean that mesh networking will surpass fiber or broadband as the primary networking option:

• Lack of available spectrum: The majority of mesh networks still run on unlicensed consumer electronic devices like WiFi, which is not always sufficient. This problem may be somewhat alleviated by the recent deregulation of the 5GHz band.
•  Different packet delivery rates: Because a mesh network uses a continual range of packet delivery rates anywhere from 0 to 100%, it requires constant monitoring. This is the only way to avoid the use of routes with high rates of dropped data packets. This arrangement substantially differs from traditional wired networks.
•  Interference problems: Particularly in single-radio mesh nodes, connectivity can fluctuate enough to interfere with data transfer. To some extent, this problem can be addressed by putting two to three radios in each node.
• Reliance on proprietary protocols: The successful mesh networks still don’t use a shared protocol—each one uses its own individual system. Biswas says they’re still not “stabilized enough for interoperable standard,” which could be a development obstacle.

Rich Application Potential
A few changes could have tremendous impact on the feasibility of mesh networks. First, IEEE has assembled a task force to review a new 802.11s standard that could offer a new protocol standard. Biswas doubts this will provide a satisfactory solution for large networks, but it is a start toward making the mesh network more readily accessible.

Meanwhile access to spectrum is growing. This growth enables not only improved functionality, but also expanded opportunities for mesh networking implementation. The recent opening of 5GHz is probably the first in a series of deregulations that will give network vendors access to less crowded spectrum. And recent proposals suggest licensed use of white space spectrum of television bands for networking. However, if auctioning off licensed spectrum becomes common practice, this practice could present a barrier to entry for key users like community colleges.

Sensor networks represent the most promising—and immediate—application for mesh networks. Put together with a large number of computers that form an ad hoc network, a sensor network relays data back to a centralized database. The primary benefit: significantly reduced energy consumption. Currently Silver Springs Networks uses mesh networks for utility meter reporting. Since the data quantity is small, mesh networking is the perfect option, especially given its low deployment cost and high reliability.

Mesh Networking in the Public Sector
It is doubtful that mesh networking will ever comprise a truly compelling public networking solution. In private networks, such as academic, corporate, and government settings, users implicitly trust the network, because it is closed and internally monitored. All the nodes are essentially “owned” by the organization and are therefore secure.

However if nodes were hosted by unknown parties, as they basically would be in an open, public network, those who joined the network would have significant incentive to “cheat” by using the available connections—without reciprocating. This impulse makes sense, because an open mesh network requires entrusting data packets to total strangers.

Ultimately mesh networks offer intriguing possibilities that certainly merit further research. They have untold promise for enterprises that require low-cost, reliable wireless networking within a limited area. Mesh networking promises to expand options for enterprise networking and applications.

By: Ed Crowley, CEO – Photizo Group

By now you have probably heard about the 2010 North American MPS conference in San Antonio Texas (May 1-3rd). And you may be asking yourself, why should I attend? What’s in it for me? Well, the short answer is …. a lot!

The Managed Print Service Conference began last April in San Antonio and continued on with a second successful event in Amsterdam last October. The conference quickly established itself as ‘the place to be’ for corporate decision makers responsible for MPS programs, vendors supplying MPS services, and resellers who either are in, or want to be in the business of providing MPS services. Is this enough of a justification when budgets are tight and travel is limited?

Perhaps. It is well documented that brands that increase research, training and marketing during a recession, when most of their competition is cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment, and do so at a lower cost. The MPS Conference not only provides over 30 unique sessions, but pre-conference workshops designed to provide corporate decision makers with an introduction into managed print services and to provide dealers with a ‘how to’ workshop for building the managed print services business. In terms of education, no other venue offers the number of experts, variety of topics, or depth of education available at the conference.

Don’t consider the MPS Conference an expense, but an investment. And it might very well be the game-changing investment for your organization. Photizo Group forecasts that 50 percent of all resellers unable to make the transformation into a Hybrid Dealer within the next five years will go out of business or be acquired due to declining business. Only 10 percent of resellers have successfully made this transformation today. Still not convinced?

You may not know that the MPS Conference is the location of the annual Managed Print Services Association general meeting. Or that key issues and topics for the industry will be addressed during the meeting. This is the only conference, which hosts the MPSA meeting and where you will have an opportunity to make your voice heard.
Still trying to decide? What about the fact that there are expected to be close to 300 representatives from all sectors of the industry? That’s a broad swath of corporate decision makers, vendors, industry suppliers, resellers, industry press and analysts. This is one of the few times where you can meet with all of the key players in the industry, expand your business network, and build new industry relationships.

So, you have an opportunity to attend a high value education event, increase value in your organization, meet industry influencers, expand your network and just maybe, learn the skills necessary to keep your organization on top. If that’s not enough, there is always the fact that San Antonio is one heck of a town! I hope you see the value in the conference and that we will see you there.

You can learn more at: http://www.mpsconference.com

By: Kristin Masters

The corporate network has become an indispensable tool for virtually every enterprise. Yet businesses face several obstacles in building robust, economical networks that deliver the reliability necessary for business functions and applications. Traditional private Wide Area Networks (WAN) offer reliable connectivity but are expensive. WAN optimization offers an appealing solution, because it improves bandwidth and streamlines network traffic without requiring the purchase of additional bandwidth, and help with application performance

Wide Area Network Bandwidth Limitations
Advancements in IT mean that the prices of data storage, memory, and processing have fallen significantly. Despite this trend, the costs of Wide Area Networks still remain high. Meanwhile businesses face greater demands on these networks due to several factors:

• The interface between Local Area Networks (LAN) and WAN can create a bottleneck of data transmission. While LAN generally has bandwidth to spare, Wide Area Networks extra bandwidth is usually quite limited. Thus businesses may be constrained in how they use their applications.    
• Server centralization and the proliferation of new applications such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and video conferencing drive the need for more WAN bandwidth.    
• Globalization and telecommuting place extra demands on a Wide Area Network. Not only do employees all over the world need access to business applications, but also phone service has been added to the suite of internet-reliant functions.    
• Recreational websites like YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Hulu and others require greater bandwidth. Although many companies once banned these sites, they now comprise a significant component of multimedia services and marketing.

MPLS & Frame Relay work well but are expensive when compared with the cost of Internet connectivity. This forces businesses to make tradeoffs in how much bandwidth is deployed or even which locations justify high quality connections.

Wide Area Networks Alternatives
Business needs mean adding MPLS bandwidth is not always a feasible alternative. WAN Optimization can help on existing connections, or businesses choose to set up Internet VPN’s that use broadband connections. To get private WAN reliability over Internet connections they implement Adaptive Private Networking (APN).

Internet VPN’s use broadband connections (usually IPsecs and gateways) as a way to access more bandwidth capacity. Although this popular solution is relatively affordable, it does not always grant the quality necessary to make it viable for enterprise IT departments: single xDSL usually has insufficient upstream bandwidth and requires longer Mean Time to Repair (MTTR). Thus the Internet VPN functions not as the primary network, but rather as a backup to a private Wide Area Network.

Instead a growing number of businesses have turned to Wide Area Network optimization as an alternative. Perhaps the most popular method is Adaptive Private Networking (APN), which uses continuous measurement and packet-by-packet forwarding to take advantage of the best data transmission path available in real time.

Benefits of APN
A robust APN eliminates virtually all of the drawbacks of Internet connections, but at a fraction of the cost of MPLS and Frame Relay networks. The practice of bonding connections together to get greater bandwidth has been around for a long time, but Wide Area Network optimization through APN adds a new dimension: measuring performance to route traffic efficiently. These performance analytics allow the network to detect transmission problems and immediately reroute traffic around the trouble spot using a different pathway. While traditional Wide Area Network may use only a few of the available pathways, an APN takes advantage of all possible transmission routes.

Keith Morris, Vice President of Talari Networks, says, “Businesses are faced with a tricky problem of getting reliability without the added cost.” He notes that APN gives enterprise networks the reliability and predictability of private Wide Area Networks, with the economics of the Internet. Because businesses can combine bandwidth sources like residential DSL or cable to supplement private WAN bandwidth, they reap even greater benefits.

An APN makes perfect sense for enterprises that have multiple locations, especially international ones. “Bandwidth is even more expensive internationally,” says Morris, “and sometimes costs up to double what you’d pay for domestic bandwidth.” Regardless of the extent of a company’s APN adoption, the payback time is very rapid:

• Enterprises that shift completely from MPLS or Frame Relay networks can see complete ROI within three to six months.    
• When enterprises migrate partially to APN, they can get total ROI in six to nine months.    
• The cost of APN is 45-86% that of monthly Wide Area Network expenditure, with 2 to 12 times the bandwidth.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of an APN is its versatility. Because it can be used with virtually any network configuration, an APN grants companies the flexibility to keep their existing private Wide Area Network , completely eliminate the Wide Area Network, or even add bandwidth using more economical sources. That ability to scale the system gives businesses additional flexibility, on top of savings.

Meanwhile the end-to-end QoS functionality exceeds the performance of traditional Wide Area Network. Although many enterprises implement traditional Wide Area Network for their reliability, an APN actually enhances that reliability because it enables a sort of smart data transmission that leverages multiple active paths, maximizing the better performance and price of consumer-oriented ISP services.

The Future of APN
As networking demands continue to grow, APN will undoubtedly take hold as a logical solution for enterprises seeking robust, reliable networks between remote locations. These two trends mean companies that adopt APN now will be poised and prepared for the next generation of enterprise networking. Due to continually increasing demand, it is doubtful that the cost of private bandwidth will significantly decrease relative to Internet and wireless bandwidth, making APN the best option for cost-conscious businesses both now, and in the future.

Adaptive Private Networking offers the optimum solution for enterprises that need the reliability of traditional Wide Area Networks without excessive expenditure. Coupled with their extended reliability and expanded bandwidth, APN also deliver the kind of dramatic cost savings that businesses have come to expect from their IT investments.

Here’s tip #14 from David Mayberry at Go Communications Systems Ltd

Don’t outsource everything. My better half won’t like it!

I love my wife. I wouldn’t dream of letting anyone else take her out for a romantic dinner, for example. There are some things that you just do yourself. I’d imagine most people would feel the same.

OK. I admit it’s a thin analogy, but bear with me, it relates to outsourcing an IT network. I do those things for my wife, rather than having someone else do them, because she’s important to me. Beyond your home life, your business ranks pretty high on the scale of relative importance – so why would you outsource all your IT and network management? In today’s world, without your network and IT, you have no business. It really is that clear cut. You need to be absolutely sure your network is in the right hands: yours. Outsourcing an IT network completely changes the control of your IT & network management.

Outsourcing became something of a business mantra in the nineties and noughties. According to the accepted wisdom of the day, huge savings and dramatic improvements in productivity could be realized if ‘non-core activities’ were outsourced. Times have changed, though when outsourcing an IT network. Rapidly and brutally.

The cold light of day
Much of the last two decades has been characterized by ongoing economic boom, fueled by plentiful and easily accessible finance. That boom came to a sudden end with the Credit Crunch and the resulting economic downturn. What we have now is the cold light of day, and that light has exposed some uncomfortable truths about outsourcing an IT network.

The principal reasons for outsourcing an IT network are to make financial savings and to bring in expertise that the network owner does not currently have. In today’s climate, a re-think is needed on how much network management should be outsourced, if outsourcing is the favored option.

If you don’t have the necessary skills in your business for your own IT & network management, you should bring those skills on board as quickly as possible. Any organization that fails to learn new technologies and understand today’s and tomorrow’s Internet is storing up serious trouble for the near future. Web 2.0 and other emerging social networking technologies are here today and here to stay, and new security risks and other threats are arising on a daily basis.

On top of that, successful IT & Network Management demands not only technical expertise, but a deep and continually updated understanding of what your business is all about and what it needs from its network, today and tomorrow. It’s likely that the provider’ understanding of outsourcing an IT network is going to be weaker in various areas than that of your own people.

This gap in understanding, however small, makes almost any outsourcing an IT network of ‘all and sundry’ an enormous gamble. The Internet is awash with disaster stories testifying in gory detail to the results of such gambles, but what those stories don’t always clearly show is that some of them could have worked, if only they hadn’t outsourced absolutely everything in the IT department.

Agility and responsiveness
The current economic challenges, which are impacting all businesses, do seem to be prompting a return to sanity on the outsourcing an IT network within companies. This is excellent news, because if there was ever a field in which the age-old maxim “If you want a job done properly, then do it yourself” applies, it’s IT & Network Management.

Key in today’s commercial environment is the ability to make the right decisions swiftly. It’s that ability that will enable businesses to get ahead and stay ahead. Bureaucracy, indecision and labyrinthine purchasing processes all belong to the last century, along with anything else that hinders a business’ ability to act and react with speed and precision.

The need for agility and responsiveness alone rules out wholesale outsourcing an IT network.

Decision making is inevitably slowed and made less effective, which in turn increases real costs for the organization, as well as impairing its ability to respond to changing opportunities and threats. Additionally, outsourcing an IT network entirely could mean dealing with your provider’s administration team rather than a long in the tooth, hardened purchasing individual. With fixed discounts and pre-set ordering systems, little negotiation can occur and adaptability in the face of changing network management circumstances and requirements can be severely limited. Surely the days of blind agreement to long-term price structures are long gone?

Partial outsourcing
In many cases, organizations have begun outsourcing an IT network facility, only to find that, part of the way through the contract, there are such serious problems that the only solution is to bring the arrangement to an end, returning to in-house IT & Network management. The costs and disruption resulting from such a catastrophe are enormous, with the wasted time alone typically running into thousands of man-hours.

I’m not saying that outsourcing an IT network is necessarily a complete no-go, although I would certainly recommend exceedingly careful assessment of all of the costs, risks, limitations and potential pitfalls of any contract before committing to it. Completely outsourcing an IT network should be a no-go. In almost all the cases in which an outsourcing contract has gone badly wrong, the damage would have been much less comprehensive, and staved off for a longer period of time, if only part of the IT function been outsourced.

Had more time and thought been spent identifying what was really needed when outsourcing an IT network and what wasn’t, the resulting arrangement could have been far more beneficial to the end user, and significantly longer-lasting. That would have pleased the provider, too, since IT & Network management outsourcing companies calculate risk and costs on the basis of contracts running their full term. And of course the chances of a valuable renewed outsourcing contract would have been increased.

Ten long years
One of our customers is half way through a ten year outsourcing contract, which covers everything from a state-of-the-art 10 gig switch router all the way through to desktop support. Ridiculously (but inevitably) the customer knows far more about the desktops than the outsourced provider does. With the recession biting hard, the customer’s income has dropped, but of course the full standing charge must still be paid to the outsourced provider. With internal IT & Network management, the customer could have cut back or restructured their network, reducing costs and reconfiguring for a leaner operation, but with the outsourced contract, they can’t even do that.

That’s an extreme case of outsourcing an IT network, but it illustrates the issues. The message is clear: don’t outsource an IT network unless you must, and then only outsource what you must. Never outsource your entire IT & Network management. To enjoy real savings and maintain flexibility and agility, bring the skills you need into your business and manage your own network.

Think of your network and network management as you think of anything else (or anyone else!) highly precious to you. Keep it close and take care of it yourself. Your business depends on it.

By: Steve Norris

SIP, otherwise known as Session Initiation Protocol, offers the burgeoning voice over IP telephony market some tremendous voice features and enhancements, but the service is not yet widely available at commercially acceptable levels.

As of this date, very few nationwide carriers have rolled out SIP trunking supported at the enterprise or SMB levels. A few of the larger CLEC’s have rolled out services in select test markets, but only with manufacturers that they have deemed compatible. The process of approving cross compatibility with hardware vendors has proven to be costly and time consuming, so it has substantially slowed the market’s move to SIP. Embracing new technology that fundamentally changes the way an entire market looks at voice will always take time.

VOIP hardware vendors have led the charge toward SIP technology and its cost effective deployment of voice over data, but they have been left with few options to choose from while implementing their solutions. Furthermore, many of the providers they have had to choose from are hosted providers, and that has caused a plethora of service quality issues for them to deal with. We will look at the major issue with hosted SIP trunking and how it may impact your business.

As with any VOIP provider, your voice quality will always be limited to the quality of your internet or data connection. Most commercial telephony providers do not recommend running VOIP services on anything less than a T1 line, as they have found out from experience that they get TONS of calls about quality, and the client is left to assume it must be THEIR phone system. Very few end users understand the necessity of having a quality data connection, voice prioritization, or how data traffic can affect call quality without true implementation of QoS.

SIP trunking is widely available by carriers today offering hosted solutions. They use your existing data connection and give you, in some cases, an unlimited number of SIP voice trunks and calling volume. This would seem to be a boon for large volume callers that have never experienced a true all you can eat environment for calling and for calling capacity! The problem is that the carriers offering these hosted SIP connections very rarely ever are the ones who offer the data circuit that the voice traffic must travel over. Without them controlling the voice AND the data flow on the circuit with their own monitoring equipment, the end user is left with an iffy voice connection at best. There is no QoS (Quality of service) that can be guaranteed when a voice provider has zero control over the circuit. The voice calls travel across the data line, through the public internet, and THEN to the hosted voice facility. With innumerable hops, dependable voice quality is a shot in the dark. Too many variables exist to adequately guarantee a reliable and commercial quality solution.

What are the symptoms of the lack of voice quality control? Typically, users will experience several common issues that include:

Echoing
One way audio (Either you can only hear them, or they can only hear you)
Poor audio volume
Cutting in and out (Think of a choppy cell phone call fading in and out)
Dropped calls
Lack of dial tone
Inconsistent uptime

If you have run a VoIP telephone line at home or at a small office, you will have found that a Vonage type of service has its limitations. As a matter of fact, there are very few commercial users with any type of call volume that would trust their business to that type of service to run their companies on due to the lack of dependability or reliability. The amount saved on cheap VoIP telephone service can quickly be lost when a single conversation goes wrong with a qualified client on the phone that is ready to buy. Commercial customers are looking to deal with other reliable companies, and if you are relying on tin cans and string to run your operation, where else are you cutting corners? Having poor quality phone service can cost you customers!

Risking the quality of your company’s voice conversations by using a hosted SIP trunking product is a perilous journey that will most likely end in abrupt failure. Before ever considering this option, there will be a few things you must insist on finding out:

Where are they located at?
How many hops to their facility?
Do they guarantee QoS?
If so, how?
Do they interface with your VOIP PBX or Hybrid System?

Before EVER even considering a hosted provider option one should research the availability of SIP trunking that is compatible with their commercial phone system from local reliable telecom providers that actually provide the data circuits that the SIP trunking is run on. By providing the end to end solution, if there are ever any voice quality issues, your phone company will be able to quickly isolate the issue and solve the problem. A hosted SIP company will be unable to offer that support, as they will have no ability to monitor or to test points of failure not on their own network.

SIP holds the promise of more cost effective voice communications for the future, as it effectively eliminates the need for PBX PRI cards, it utilizes voice compression ratios that allow you to more fully utilize your carrier circuits, and it allows for tighter integration with cell carriers and various applications. Make sure that any cost savings you may enjoy by utilizing SIP are not thrown away by choosing the wrong SIP solution.

Steve Norris is a Texas based telecommunications professional that provides Dallas Business Telephone Systems and telecom services from over 80 carriers nationwide. He specializes in hardware solution for multi-location business with advanced infrastructure needs. Over 90% of his clients are able to implement a new Fort Worth Business Phone System without increasing their budget with TeleTAP

GreatAmerica to Launch MPS Navigator: A Managed Print Services Business Planning Session for Office Equipment Dealers

26 February 2010

GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation announced today that it will launch its Managed Print Services (MPS) Navigator program this spring. The program takes place at GreatAmerica corporate headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on April 26-27, 2010. The hands-on business planning session will be facilitated by Steven Power of Sales and Marketing Solutions International.

The Navigator program includes the process to plan, implement and grow a dealer’s business with MPS. This one and a half day session shepherds dealer executive teams through a step by step development of a business model and operational structure, selection of MPS infrastructure resources, marketing strategies, sales force engagement, compensation, and a go-to-market strategy.

“GreatAmerica is committed to helping our dealers plan, develop, sell, manage and grow their MPS initiatives,” said Jennie Fisher, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Office Equipment Group. “We have created the Navigator program as a comprehensive business planning and decision-making tool to help dealers deploy their MPS strategy.”

Dealer executive teams will work both collaboratively and in break-out sessions to reach key decisions and document them in a take-home Navigator Training Manual and Resource Glossary.

Session fees are bundled to include three MPS decision makers from each dealer. The President / Owner, Chief Financial Officer and Sales Manager are recommended to attend. Additional staff members such as the Service Manager, office executive, sales or operational managers can also be included. For additional information contact GreatAmerica at 800.234.8787 or visit www.greatamerica.com/MPSNavigator.

About GreatAmerica
The core focus of GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation is helping office equipment dealers and resellers sell equipment and solutions, and operate their businesses to make them more successful. GreatAmerica specializes in administrating managed print services and is the home of FleetView®, Info-Zone.com and InTune®. Founded in 1990, GreatAmerica is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and is known for our independence and culture of hard work, integrity and excellence.

About Steven Power
Steven Power is the President of Sales & Marketing Solutions International. He specializes in go-to-market strategy development, solution centric sales training, sales leadership development and web enabled training curriculum writing. Since 1989 S&MSI has delivered innovative marketing and sales programs and implementation tools to clients in the document technology sector including manufacturers, wholesale distributors, dealer and VAR channel partners and leasing companies.

By: Kelly McGuire, TMCnet Editor

While attending the ITEXPO East in Miami from Jan. 20-22, as a TMC Web Editor, I had the lucky job of sitting down with leading executives from top companies in the telecom industry to discuss various trends in their business, as well as how the show was going for them, and what to expect in the upcoming year.

Of the interviewees and companies I was privy to meet, I had the pleasure of sitting down with two top executives from Sagem-Interstar, Regional Sales Manager, Tom Coombs, and Strategic Partner Manager, Sabrina Stratford, who each gave me their personal take on the economy, specific products the company is focusing on based on their areas of coverage and how the show was going for them.

First, Tom Coombs and I sat down who discussed the company’s fax products in the enterprise. Then, I interviewed Sabrina who discussed the hardware side of the fax products Sagem-Interstar offers.

“We have a hardware solution called ‘open line,’ and what we’ve provided the parts and pieces that someone would have to go by to provide a solution, so in one server, we have cost effective faxing, secure document routing and the eco-friendly document management all in one server appliance, which makes it just a very, very easy purchase” Stratford said. “You don’t have to go out and figure out if something’s going to work together; it’s all in one box, preconfigured and tested.”

So, compared to other companies that may not have a unified system all in one server, how does Sagem-Interstar match up in terms of interoperability?

“Very well. One of the differentiators of this server appliance is that regardless of what the customer has – whether they have analog phone lines, digital phone lines, or if they’re trying to go to fax over IP with a VoIP system – they only need to purchase the open line server,” Stratford said. “Then if they make a transition, we handle that without having to reconfigure the system.”

“So, we can handle them if they are just in planning stages. They don’t have to worry about what the future holds; we can handle it,” she added.

Kelly McGuire is a TMCnet Web editor, covering CRM and workforce technologies, and anchor of its daily TMC Newsroom video broadcast. Kelly also writes about eco-friendly “green” technologies and smart grids, compiling TMCnet’s weekly e-Newsletters on those topics, as well as the cable industry. To read more of Kelly’s articles, please visit her columnist page.