Digital Life Radio
Digital Life Radio hosts Jordan Drake and Drake Brown had some nice words about The Washington Network’s Telecom Disaster Recovery product last week. Thanks guys!
Listen here.
Digital Life Radio hosts Jordan Drake and Drake Brown had some nice words about The Washington Network’s Telecom Disaster Recovery product last week. Thanks guys!
Listen here.
Alexandria, VA – June 16, 2009– In response to the numerous electrical storms that have plagued the area with power outages and telecom failures, The Washington Network, Inc. is offering a failsafe disaster recovery system known as PBX Disaster Recovery. The system will provide dependable telecom backup for businesses across the Metro DC area and beyond.
“When a company’s phone system goes down, business stops,” says Mr. Rick Endres, President. “With PBX Disaster Recovery, business owners can rest easy knowing that their system is protected.”
As a universally compatible solution, PBX Disaster Recovery acts as an automatic PBX failover. The PBX is the heart of a business phone system. Should it suddenly go RNA (Ring No Answer) or ATB (All Trunks Busy), a hosted virtual PBX from The Washington Network, Inc. will take over and route calls to preset emergency numbers. The backup system provides seamless integration so that if a PBX goes down, an organization’s customer will never know.
“Companies go to great lengths to back up data, co-locate servers, and otherwise protect the vital parts of doing business. But sometimes they forget that the PBX is a large part of what connects them with customers,” explains Endres. “PBX disaster recovery is one of the most overlooked aspects of business continuity planning – until it’s too late.”
Industry analysts believe that the PBX Disaster Recovery product is an in-demand, cost-effective alternative to high-priced backup phone systems currently being offered.
“We feel it is our duty to offer this product to every business with a phone system,” says Endres. “Our goal is to make sure that each company has a contingency plan for their telecommunications in case of disaster. We take pride in knowing that our solution can deliver that to them.”
To learn more about PBX Disaster Recovery contact a friendly representative at (703) 879-1502 or send an email to RickEndres@WashingtonNetwork.com.
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON NETWORK, INC.
Founded in 1987, The Washington Network, Inc. in Alexandria, Virginia, provides computer networks, VoIP phone systems, IT support and other technology solutions for associations and businesses in the Washington, DC Metro area.
Serving clients without a large in-house IT staff, The Washington Network lowers operating costs while increasing worker productivity. The company’s flat-rate managed services include remote network monitoring, preventive maintenance, help desk, redundant back-ups and on-site support.
A member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, The Washington Network has been honored as the Chamber’s Professional Service Business of the Year.
Through its strategic membership in the Technology Assurance Group, The Washington Network serves and supports clients with multiple locations across the U.S. and Canada.
The Washington Network is located at 30 South Quaker Lane, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. For more information on The Washington Network, call 703.212.7100 or visit www.WashingtonNetwork.com.
Rick Endres, President of The Washington Network, Explains How A Simple Concept is Changing the How Businesses Think About Growth
Alexandria, VA — May 11, 2009 — As business owners and managers, we strive daily to increase profitability and employee productivity. If we stop, there’s a chance our company won’t be around tomorrow.
We try to achieve these objectives in many ways. However, one in particular has gained tremendous popularity among managers of small to mid-sized companies across the country: using a company’s existing technology to deploy virtual offices.
That’s right – you can tap into current and fixed assets to expand your business, improve the bottom line, make employees more productive and happier, and even achieve a work/life balance. Let’s take a closer look at why virtual offices make all this possible.
What is a virtual office?
Basically, a virtual office can fulfill all or any subset of the roles of the traditional, centralized office. But the employees (also known as telecommuters, remote workers or teleworkers) work at home offices either in a part or full-time capacity. For the most part, they collaborate electronically with other employees.
Virtual offices differ from conventional offices only by a matter of degree, since many business relationships are maintained across distributed environments. For instance, customers and suppliers are located at different sites. Project co-workers are often located in different divisions. With virtual offices, an organization’s mission remains the same, but some business procedures change to accommodate collaboration at a distance.
What technology do you need to set up a virtual office?
To conduct business in this fashion, all you need is unified communications – the integration of phone, computer, email and fax. This is current technology that you’re probably already using. The other technologies that you may need to deploy are a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The VPN enables employees to connect to a network remotely so they can access files on the LAN, while operating in a secure environment, or even using wi-fi.
Regarding the telecommunications component, VoIP is sweeping the globe because it leverages the Internet. Unlike regular phone service, VoIP conversations are transformed into digital information and sent over a broadband data network. VoIP calls connect to a server where voice information is truncated into packets and sent across the Internet, bypassing the long distance carrier altogether. This essentially means that VoIP callers do not use traditional phone lines and can avoid expensive long-distance charges, dramatically impacting a company’s bottom line.
What are the benefits of virtual offices?
Businesses can obtain an extraordinary number of benefits by giving the owner, managers and other employees the ability to work remotely. For example:
- Hire talented workers wherever they may live. You can now meet your staffing needs in cost-effective, nontraditional ways. You may find world-class talent that chooses to live far from metropolitan areas for personal or lifestyle reasons. Parents with valuable skills and experience may want or need the flexibility to work at home. Accountants, programmer and customer service professionals can make significant contributions while living a thousand miles away.
- You already had remote workers, now they’re more accountable. Now, when a staff member works remotely, they’re connected in every way. There’s no gap in communication, and no gap in accountability.
- Dispersed sales teams are not so disconnected anymore. They can tap into the network and communicate via email or by using a remote IP phone from any location.
- Traveling workers become more effective. A salesperson can connect through the VPN from her hotel room and she instantly becomes her own virtual office.
- Employees can take their full-function phone with them. They can take their VoIP phone wherever they go – it doesn’t matter where they are geographically. They have the same extension from the main number, as well as a direct line from the same area code.
- Serve customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With VoIP, customer service representatives can answer calls at the office or at home. This is critical because the today’s world has become significantly smaller. You don’t want a customer calling from Korea with a big order to get dumped into voice mail. You want him to speak to someone in real-time.
- One-touch dialing. With it, staffs intercommunicate more often and more effectively. We’ve seen one-touch dialing increase communication among multiple offices and remote workers by 400%.
- No one has to know you’re not at the office. The person on the other end has no idea of your location unless you want them to. And they won’t care, as long as they are receiving the services they desire.
Combining technologies gives businesses the flexibility to provide an even higher level of customer service – all while reducing costs. As a result, the consulting company Gartner estimates that employees who work offsite are as much as 40% more efficient than their colleagues in the office.
What’s in it for the owner?
In addition to the business opportunities that arise from obliterating the obstacles of distance, business owners can personally reap the benefits of working remotely.
For instance, owners of small to mid sized companies now have the option to work from home as well, simply by utilizing their existing technology. This enables them to avoid distractions to spend quality time working on their business and not in it. These valuable individuals are charged with guiding their company’s strategic direction, enhancing the vision, and ensuring its mission. What a better place to do that than in the comforts of a home office.
Plus, the virtual office allows retiring business owners a way to stay connected to their companies, continue to offer consultative advice and their years of experience and knowledge, while not being tied down to an eight-hour day.
What’s the first step to get started?
Find a telecommunications provider that understands your business needs. By tapping into existing your technology and perhaps adding a few minor features, a business-oriented provider can help you take advantage of increased profitability and employee productivity that comes along with virtual offices.
You’ll give your people the ability to conduct business where and when they choose, and can most effectively meet the demands of customers. At the same time, they’ll increase their quality of life. It’s a win-win-win for owners, employees, and your precious customers.
ABOUT The Washington Network
Founded in 1987, The Washington Network, Inc. in Alexandria, Virginia, provides computer networks, VoIP phone systems, IT support and other technology solutions for associations and businesses in the Washington, DC Metro area.
Serving clients without a large in-house IT staff, The Washington Network lowers operating costs while increasing worker productivity. The company’s flat-rate managed services include remote network monitoring, preventive maintenance, help desk, redundant back-ups and on-site support.
A member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, The Washington Network has been honored as the Chamber’s Professional Service Business of the Year.
Through its strategic membership in the Technology Assurance Group, The Washington Network serves and supports clients with multiple locations across the U.S. and Canada.
The Washington Network is located at 30 South Quaker Lane, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. For more information on The Washington Network, call 703.212.7100 or visit www.WashingtonNetwork.com.
As we were getting ready to post the press release that we sent out today, we noticed some old press releases that give some great tips on created a more productive workplace. Since we didn’t have the blog when these were released, we decided to post them again. They’re on all sorts of things, from Managed IT services to VOIP. We hope you enjoy, and please let us know if you would like to see any more like this!
The Washington Network
Alexandria, VA — February 23, 2009 — Today's business environment has never been more competitive. Companies in virtually every industry are working overtime to increase profits, outperform the competition – or simply to survive.
To maximize their efforts, they are looking at ways to help their employees increase and improve service to customers. One method with tremendous potential: taking full advantage of the quantum leaps in technology being offered by today's telecommunications systems.
Ignoring a telecommunications system that’s rapidly becoming obsolete can mean failing to meet your customers’ expectations, losing opportunities and losing revenue. While you must make every effort to control costs and increase productivity, you should realize that a state-of-the-art telecommunications system can start paying for itself from the moment you activate it.
But remember: a telecommunications system is a major investment and a complex combination of technologies. It should be able to grow with the company. The provider should consult with you to select the right system, install it, provide training and long-term assistance with any problems, and install future system upgrades.
Take the following list of considerations to heart when selecting a telecommunications systems provider:
1. Manufacturer
Authorized or Accredited
Is the
telecommunications provider authorized or accredited by the system's
manufacturer? If not, the firm may be able to install the system, but not able
to provide the ongoing support, including upgrades to the system and correcting
any software problems. If the provider does not have access to the manufacturer
for the resolution of these problems, it places you, the customer, at a high
risk.
To determine if the provider is authorized or accredited, get more than just
his word. Ask for a comfort letter from the manufacturer, or call to the
manufacturer's regional office for a provider reference. It is also a good idea
to visit the vendor's office to take a look at the inventory, facility and
day-to-day business operations.
2. Voice
and Data Experience
In today's rapidly evolving telecommunications marketplace, you need a provider
with a significant amount of both voice and data experience. The long-awaited convergence
of voice and data is here. Work with a provider that has technical expertise in
computer telephony integration (CTI).
3. Full-Service
Telecom Provider
Your provider should be a single point of contact for consultation, design,
installation, implementation, training and maintenance of voice, data and video
communications cabling and equipment. A wide range of top-quality, reasonably
priced products and services should also be available to you. Is the provider
simply going to sell you a piece of equipment, or provide your company with a
complete solution?
4. Provider
Reputation
The provider's
reputation is as significant as the product you buy. Check with the Better
Business Bureau. Ask the provider for a least five customer references. Then
call each one. How long have they had the system? How is the providers' ongoing
support? Have they demonstrated an ability to resolve any problems?
5. Understanding
Of Your Business
Does the company have
an understanding of your business? Do they understand the technologies and
applications that most benefit your company? For example, a trade association
may need different telecommunications functionality than a manufacturing
operation. Select a provider who understands your business requirements.
6. Entrepreneurial
Approach
With many large telecom providers, you may never speak to the same person twice
after the original purchase. Giant companies simply aren’t designed to develop
relationships with small businesses. Flexibility and responsiveness suffer.
Select a provider who will be your partner in growth, who will understand your
business and anticipate not only your needs, but opportunities for using new
technologies that give you a business advantage – before your competitors get
them.
7. Purchase
Options
Does the provider offer you the option to lease, finance or buy? There are
plenty of good reasons to lease equipment – especially technology equipment
that tends to lose resale value quickly. Use the financial records related to
your current system as a reference point. Factor in the initial cost of the
system, potential enhancements and repair costs.
8. System
Warranty
What type of warranty does the company offer? Understand your warranty options
and determine whether they cover parts and labor. This will give you security,
comfort, value, dependability and peace of mind.
9. Remote
System Access
Make sure you
have the option for remote system access. Remote access enables your provider
to make adds, moves or changes to your telecom system from off-site. This can
reduce costs over the long-term.
10. Local
Support and Service
Does the telecom
system provider have a local technical assistance center staffed by highly trained,
certified technicians? Will the company come back to your business after time
has passed, assess what has changed, and make recommendations to improve your
system? Your previous telecom provider may have recommended a technology that
was great for your business five years ago, but the environment has changed. There
are better solutions today, and there will be better solutions tomorrow.
11. Customer
Employee Certification
To some providers the
less the customer knows, the better. Reality is the more you know about your
system, the better off you will be over the long-term. Will your telecom
provider send your designated employees to a certification school for training
on the system? Once they have been trained, they can have access to your system
switch for adds, moves and changes. This lets you control service costs and
enhance flexibility. In addition, a trained employee will be able to "talk
the talk" with a certified technician if a problem ever arises.
Many companies make the mistake of simply buying the equipment rather than solving their telecom problems. Remember that you are shopping for a solution, not a product.
Your provider should perform an audit of your existing system and either integrate more efficient equipment into it, or design a totally new system.
The technology must align with your specific business needs. It should improve the communications capabilities of your company and give you a competitive advantage. And the great thing about today’s technology – it can do all this while saving you money. Make sure you enjoy all these advantages by choosing a provider who is qualified and wants to create a lasting relationship.
The Washington Network Announces Business Communications System Buy Back Program
Alexandria, VA — February 21, 2008 — The Washington Network, Inc., a leader in telecommunications for Washington, DC-area businesses, announced today that the company launched the business communications Buy Back Program, a new component of the Current Technology Assurance Plan (C-TAP). The Buy Back Program embedded in C-TAP gives The Washington Network the ability to offer cash back to a customer for their existing communications system. By taking advantage of this unique opportunity, companies will enjoy all of C-TAP’s benefits, while reinvesting the money they receive from The Washington Network and their strategic partner GreatAmerica Leasing Company, back into their business.
Since its inception in June of 2005, C-TAP has emerged as the telecommunication industry’s most innovative program. C-TAP ensures that the telecom and information systems of small to mid-sized companies remain current. C-TAP encourages companies to incorporate the latest in technology by giving them the ability to refresh their phone equipment after 24 months without a change in payment. In addition, new equipment and applications are installed without labor charges. Technology can be added as needed within a fixed cost that can be absorbed by an organization’s operating budget. Essentially, C-TAP allows continuing implementation of new technology within a set guideline.
The Washington Network’s customers on the C-TAP program will receive numerous benefits. These include unlimited in house moves and changes, unlimited remote programming, routine software upgrades and patches, call accounting analysis, storage system and backup, remote database backup, records and training updates for the equipment administrator, and an annual audit of connectivity charges. C-TAP also provides businesses with special customer service provisions including: priority queuing for adds, moves, changes, dispatch of service calls, a guarantee of inventory on hand, preferred maintenance, periodic replacement of handset and station cords, and annual preventitive maintenance visits.
When companies opt for the Buy Back Program they automatically become a part of C-TAP. The age of the system will determine the the amount of cash back they will receive. When the transaction occurs, the customer makes monthly lease payments reversing the original outlay for system’s large capital investment. Thus, the client always keeps their technology current moving into the future, and now they show a fixed cost in their operating budget from lease payments. In order to qualify for the Buy Back Program, The Washington Network’s clients will need to meet specific criteria including credit approval from GreatAmerica.
“Our goal with C-TAP and the Buy Back Program is to have a proactive relationship with our clients, rather than a reactive one,” said Rick Endres, president of The Washington Network. “The addition of the Buy Back Program provides us with the tools to help achieve our mutual goals. These include providing our clients with the highest level of service in the industry, and the latest in business communications technology at a fixed cost. C-TAP helps our clients increase their profitability, and gain an advantage over their competition.”
Founded in 1987, The Washington Network, Inc. in Alexandria, Virginia, provides computer networks, VoIP phone systems, IT support and other technology solutions for associations and businesses in the Washington, DC Metro area.
Serving clients without a large in-house IT staff, The Washington Network lowers operating costs while increasing worker productivity. The company’s flat-rate managed services include remote network monitoring, preventive maintenance, help desk, redundant back-ups and on-site support.
A member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, The Washington Network has been honored as the Chamber’s Professional Service Business of the Year. Through its strategic membership in the Technology Assurance Group, The Washington Network serves and supports clients with multiple locations across the U.S. and Canada.
The Washington Network is located at 30 South Quaker Lane, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. For more information on The Washington Network, call 703.212.7100 or visit www.WashingtonNetwork.com.
ABOUT GREATAMERICA LEASING CORPORATION
Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, GreatAmerica continues to grow and adapt in an ever-changing market. As an independent institution with over $850 million in assets, it has the flexibility to provide customized financial solutions and selected business services for its customers who are distributors in the office equipment, telecommunications, healthcare, and retail markets. With superior industry knowledge and experience, they develop solutions that help their customers be more successful. Visit GreatAmerica at www.greatamerica.com.
Rick Endres, President of The Washington Network, Discusses How the Internet Now Plays a Critical Role in Helping Companies Stay Protected
Alexandria, VA — January 8, 2007 — It’s no secret that the Internet has dramatically changed the way we conduct business on a daily basis. From email to instant messaging to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), the Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate, and the trend continues. The latest Internet-spawned innovation that’s rapidly gaining popularity is IP video. This phenomenal tool connects IP cameras to the Internet, so we can view just about anything, from any location around the world, in real-time.
As you might imagine, IP video is having a tremendous impact on the security surveillance industry. Companies want to protect their most important assets and IP-based video technology gives them that power at the click of a button.
Historically, video surveillance was based on analog technology. Closed circuit television (CCTV) was recorded on videotape. Although it served the purpose of capturing what was going on, it didn’t transmit live information beyond a single monitoring station. Therefore, it limited monitoring capabilities in facilities like warehouses, factories, offices, child daycare centers, schools, retail stores, and banks.
With the Internet revolution and the increasing presence of Local Area Networks, technology took great strides in video surveillance in the 1990’s. Analog camera tubes were replaced with Charged Coupled Devices (CCD) and digital cameras as they became more affordable. This combination meant that video surveillance could go live over the Internet and provide clearer, crisper images.
How does it all work?
A digital camera sends the video signal over a LAN line, to a server that manages all of the information. The software gives the company the ability to record, display or re-transmit the images anywhere in the world. Depending on the software, it may analyze data and highlight specific events, making it a customizable security tool.
True IP-based digital surveillance uses signal processing that sends packetized video streams over the LAN to better utilize the bandwidth. It also provides greater data mining features and information retrieval. If security is an issue, full digital surveillance offers the added ability to encrypt data, protecting against image tampering.
A complete IP-based technology is the best bang for your buck, and the best security. TCP/IP transmittal of surveillance makes sense for remote monitoring of multiple locations and for remote recording of data onto back-up servers and hard disks for long-term storage. Since most businesses already have a high-speed IP network, adding IP video simply leverages the same infrastructure to include video functionality.
The only action required is to set the IP address of the network cameras, and the system is up and ready for configuration. Traditional analog video systems require dedicated point-to-point cabling, making installation, maintenance, and changes to the systems such as expansion or relocation of cameras cumbersome and expensive.
Implementation of an IP-based video system is easy if you partner with the right provider that understands your business needs. Through it’s premier membership in Technology Assurance Group (TAG), a national organization of independently owned telecommunications companies, The Washington Network, Inc. has partnered with MG Security Systems, a leader in the industry, to offer IP-based surveillance solutions to its clients.
Who can benefit from IP video surveillance systems? The real question is what company can’t use this cutting edge technology.
- Banks and other financial institutions with multiple locations use IP video surveillance for trouble spots such as ATMs and drive up windows.
- Manufacturing and industrial companies use it to manage quality, safety and control, focusing on critical points of the production line to increase productivity and avoid problems.
- Small family-owned stores, large retailers and other companies of all sizes rely on IP video surveillance to reduce the potential for damage, shoplifting, theft, workplace injury, employee harassment and dishonest employees. They compile recorded evidence against bogus accident claims, and monitor merchandising displays in stores that may be hundreds of miles away.
- Daycare centers use the technology to ensure the safety of all children. These are just some examples of how IP-based surveillance systems can increase an organization’s profitability, reduce costs, and increase productivity.
- Manufacturers, governments, hospitals and universities use IP video surveillance to identify visitors and employees, monitor hazardous work areas, thwart theft and ensure the security of their premises and parking facilities – all done in real-time.
These are just a few examples of how businesses and public institutions are using IP video surveillance to increase profitability, reduce costs and improve safety. Advances in IP-based technology have turned video surveillance into one of today’s most valuable management tools for loss prevention, safety, security and process efficiency. Organizations that incorporate it into their daily activities will have a greater chance of meeting their business objectives.
ABOUT The Washington Network, Inc.
Founded in 1987, The Washington Network, Inc. in Alexandria, Virginia, provides computer networks, VoIP phone systems, IT support and other technology solutions for associations and businesses in the Washington, DC Metro area.
Serving clients without a large in-house IT staff, The Washington Network lowers operating costs while increasing worker productivity. The company’s flat-rate managed services include remote network monitoring, preventive maintenance, help desk, redundant back-ups and on-site support.
A member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, The Washington Network has been honored as the Chamber’s Professional Service Business of the Year.
Through its strategic membership in the Technology Assurance Group, The Washington Network serves and supports clients with multiple locations across the U.S. and Canada.
The Washington Network is located at 30 South Quaker Lane, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. For more information on The Washington Network, call 703.212.7100 or visit www.WashingtonNetwork.com.
Brian Suerth Rick Endres, President
Technology
Assurance Group The Washington
Network, Inc.
(858)
673-5800 ext.112 (703) 879-1502
brian@tagnational.com RickEndres@WashingtonNetwork.com
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Eight Reasons Why Small and Mid-Sized Businesses Need Managed IT Services
Alexandria, VA – March 5, 2007 – Managed IT services are rapidly becoming one of the hottest solutions in business today. They dramatically improve an organization’s profitability, frees up internal resources, and offers a unique competitive advantage. Simply put, managed IT services help companies to maintain and support their network and IT infrastructure with the assistance of an outsourced managed services provider (MSP). Services may include remote network monitoring, programming and reporting (24/7), firewall monitoring, intrusion detection, preventative tasks, disaster recovery, data backup and help desk support. Small to midsized businesses (SMBs) are turning to managed IT services for eight critical reasons.
1.
Dependence On IT
Almost all
businesses are becoming more dependent on computer technologies to perform at a
high level. But it’s a rapidly changing environment. As a result, companies
find it more difficult to maintain the expertise to properly deploy, manage,
and monitor this new technology, especially as a business evolves.
2.
Complexity
Most employees
find it difficult to understand and effectively use proliferating iterations of
the technology. Business needs drive increasing complexity. Distinct
disciplines or specialties have emerged in a variety of technology-related
areas, including telephony, desktop, network, application and database support.
The breadth and depth of technology required by small to mid-sized businesses
(SMBs) places them at a distinct disadvantage.
3.
Insufficient Solutions
Traditional support
options such as the one-man IT consultant, or the one-or-two person in-house IT
department cannot effectively handle the occasional network breakdowns that are
bound to occur. One way or another, they’re going to need to bring in external
resources, often at the highest per-hour rates.
4.
Lack of Process
An IDC study reinforces the notion of lack of process, showing that 78%
of all IT downtime is caused by change.
If you could simply eliminate change from the computing environment, you
would substantially decrease the risk.
Unfortunately, most SMBs lack the procedures, documentation standards,
and scope of work, which often results in major disruption and downtime.
5. Increased Use of Technology
The increased use of computers, new software and procedures often leads
to increased complaints, frustration and loss of productivity. Typically, when network or desktop
problems arise and escalate inside a company, the response time of the one-man
shop or internal staff is quite slow. In many situations employees have to wait
in line to receive help. The downtime
and morale can impact the organization’s ability to meet its customers’ needs,
as well as its bottom line. By implementing a managed IT services program,
companies reduce the demand on internal IT resources. They can then be utilized
for high-level purposes such as supporting strategic business objectives rather
than low-level break/fix issues.
6. Controlling Costs
During challenging times, companies frequently reduce IT budgets. In a recent survey of nearly 950 IT managers
at companies in North America and Europe, nearly half of U.S. respondents said
they have already cut IT budgets.
Unfortunately, lower budgets do not mean lower demand for services. This
adds tremendous pressure on internal departments to support the same amount of
work with fewer resources.
7. Technology Erosion
Computer systems, like any other systems, must be maintained. Vehicle
fleets, manufacturing equipment, and the physical plant, have all moved to a
preventative approach. Companies that do not implement a preventative
maintenance strategy for their technology assets invite unpleasant results,
usually at precisely the worst time.
8. Compliance
Finally, the technology utilized within an organization in most cases
must meet specific compliance standards.
For example, a company’s business processes supported by technology may
need to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
(GLBA). And just as urgent, large customers increasingly issue compliance
standards you must meet before they will even consider doing business with you.
Most companies don’t have the resources to fully understand and comply with
these highly detailed requirements.
Companies today must continually weigh the costs and benefits of going it alone with internal resources and/or hiring traditional hourly break-fix services, versus outsourcing management of their IT infrastructure. More and more companies are deciding that not only do they benefit from lower costs and greater uptime by using managed IT services, they’re also deriving a business advantage over their competitors who don’t. As far as the trend towards managed IT services, that’s the biggest driver of all.
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON NETWORK, INC.
Founded in 1987, The Washington Network, Inc. in Alexandria, Virginia, provides computer networks, VoIP phone systems, IT support and other technology solutions for associations and businesses in the Washington, DC Metro area.
Serving clients without a large in-house IT staff, The Washington Network lowers operating costs while increasing worker productivity. The company’s flat-rate managed services include remote network monitoring, preventive maintenance, help desk, redundant back-ups and on-site support.
A member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, The Washington Network has been honored as the Chamber’s Professional Service Business of the Year.
Through its strategic membership in the Technology Assurance Group, The Washington Network serves and supports clients with multiple locations across the U.S. and Canada.
The Washington Network is located at 30 South Quaker Lane, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. For more information on The Washington Network, call 703.212.7100 or visit www.WashingtonNetwork.com.
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
So Your Company Wants to Adopt VoIP…
How Do You Know If Your Network Is Ready to Make the Transition?
Rick Endres of The Washington Network Discusses the Importance
of Conducting a Network Assessment
Alexandria, VA — June 11, 2006 — Lured by cost savings and powerful new applications, many small- to mid-sized companies have switched to Voice over Internet Protocol for their telecommunications needs. And for good reason: VoIP provides significant advantages, including cost savings and improving your ability to serve your customers.
But VoIP also puts significant demands on your network. First, your network must carry significantly more traffic. Second, VoIP traffic is sensitive to normal network problems like delays and choppy communication. Even modest levels of impairment, unnoticed by users of most data applications, will cause significant caller frustration and will not sit well with your customers, business partners or even your own employees.
So before investing in a large-scale VoIP deployment or even a small trial, you need to know how well your network infrastructure will handle the additional, quality-sensitive voice traffic. In fact, Gartner reports that 85% of networks are not ready for VoIP. And 75% of companies that do not perform a pre-implementation analysis of their network infrastructure will not realize a successful implementation.
Yet, many seemingly well-planned trials encounter delay after delay, exceed cost estimates, and are eventually cancelled when the network proves unable to meet VoIP’s unique requirements.
Your telecommunications provider can easily avoid these issues and ensure a successful transition to VoIP by properly assessing your network ahead of time. An evaluation of the network should include the following four steps.
1. Pre-Deployment Assessment
The pre-deployment assessment analyzes the network’s current capabilities, evaluates its ability to support VoIP, identifies potential problems, and determines the requirements needed to handle expected call traffic. Conduct this assessment before you purchase or install of any VoIP equipment. The analysis should include bandwidth, utilization, jitter, throughput and latency.
2. Post-Deployment Assessment
Whenever you introduce new equipment to a network unexpected issues can arise; so a post-deployment assessment should never be overlooked. This step provides an understanding of VoIP quality and network efficiencies just prior to system activation. It identifies and prevents issues with call quality or dropped calls, and assures that any changes can be made in a timely manner.
3. Regular Maintenance Assessment
Your network constantly evolves. New IP phones, laptops, switches, routers and other devices are added or removed. Minor changes and major ones both impact your network. You can avoid surprises down the road by identifying faults in a timely manner and correcting them immediately. Ongoing assessments help you raise quality, optimize your resources and reduce costs.
4. Break/Fix Strategy
Unfortunately, not all problems can be avoided. Your staff or business partners may bring these problems to your attention – but so can customers. What’s more, The Yankee Group has reported that some companies’ labor costs grew 30 to 40 percent because of dealing with VoIP-related network problems. Having a network assessment tool in place lets you quickly identify a problem, diagnose and resolve it, while minimizing its impact to the system as a whole.
These four key steps illustrate the primary objective and the many benefits of network assessments. Whether your company is about to switch to VoIP or has already gone down that path, it is crucial to accurately analyze your network. Surprisingly, most companies overlook this integral component of VoIP implementation. The research clearly shows the cost.
As you tap into the many benefits of VoIP, your telecommunications provider must create a network environment that allows your company to take full advantage of the technology. If network assessment is included, your provider is taking a short cut that will only lead to expensive problems – for your network, your phones, your staff, your customers and your ability to conduct business.
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON NETWORK, INC.
Founded in 1987, The Washington Network, Inc. in Alexandria, Virginia, provides computer networks, VoIP phone systems, IT support and other technology solutions for associations and businesses in the Washington, DC Metro area.
Serving clients without a large in-house IT staff, The Washington Network lowers operating costs while increasing worker productivity. The company’s flat-rate managed services include remote network monitoring, preventive maintenance, help desk, redundant back-ups and on-site support.
A member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, The Washington Network has been honored as the Chamber’s Professional Service Business of the Year.
Through its strategic membership in the Technology Assurance Group, The Washington Network serves and supports clients with multiple locations across the U.S. and Canada.
The Washington Network is located at 30 South Quaker Lane, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. For more information on The Washington Network, call 703.212.7100 or visit www.WashingtonNetwork.com.
You hear a lot about the next generation of wireless -- the 4G networks that go far beyond what mobile phones can do today. (According to Wikipedia, the first rollout is expected to be in Japan in 2010.)
But you don't hear too much about what we like to call 4th-generation phone systems for your business -- VoIP systems that are a leap forward in reliability, sound quality and business-enhancing feature sets.
We're happy to announce that even in a challenging economy, the engineers have been hard at work giving VoIP more of what you need. The new systems we're implementing today have:
