Archive for the ‘Checklist’ Category

Top 10 Things to look for when choosing an Internet Service Provider

When it comes to choosing an Internet service provider there are a multitude of options – both for the provider you choose, as well as the type of service. Before signing up with an ISP, take a close look at what each one has to offer, in order to be sure you get the services you need at a price you can afford.

10 Steps to Follow:

  1. Determine your budget. The faster your internet speeds, the higher the cost. Those on a tight budget have the more economical options of dial up or even a light version of DSL. Also, phone companies often give discounts for bundled internet and phone services.
  2. Look for ISPs with good ratings in your specific area. A number of ISPs may have great ratings in one area of the country but fail miserably in yours. A good idea is to talk with your neighbors or local businesses to find out how they feel about their ISP.
  3. Once you’ve begun narrowing your list down to the ISPs within your budget and with positive reviews in your area, check to see which of those offer special deals on bundled services. Most cable and phone companies offer bundled deals when you purchase phone, TV, and Internet services together, and give incentives for signing up for specific times, or contract lengths. But, as always, buyer beware – typically once that year is up you’ll find yourself paying regular price, which can be almost double.
  4. Next, take a look at customer support. Is it offered 24/7; how are they rated? Remember that a computer isn’t limited to breaking down from 9am to 5pm, and even the best and most expensive connections can experience technical issues or downtime. Know whether you will receive live support and/or email, and if they charge a fee.
  5. Decide the speed you need. Most ISPs offer plans with prices based on download speeds. Slower DSL (also known as DSL light) or cable speeds are the most cost-efficient for those only wanting to browse the web and utilize email. That being said, if you’re looking to play online games, transmit data or stream movies and TV, you’ll definitely want a faster Internet.
  6. Subsequently, see if they offer a free email account. Most ISPs offer at least one free email address. Others may provide more or charge a small fee for additional email addresses.
  7. Then, see which ISPs provide anti-virus email protection. Many viruses sneak onto a computer via email, and having it scanned before reaching your inbox offers an added level of security.
  8. Don’t automatically omit dial-up. With all the new advances in Internet services, dial-up has been given a bad reputation for quite some time. The truth is, there are still many parts of the country where dial-up is the only option, particularly rural areas. Aside from dial-up, satellite is a good – but expensive – alternative.
  9. Avoid usage caps. Occasionally ISPs will limit the amount of time you can use the Internet. Although not all ISPs have this, make sure to read each policy carefully to avoid any inconveniences.
  10. Look for a company that has an online bill payment option. Most large Internet providers do, while smaller providers, especially dial-up services, do not. Paying online is quick, saves paper, and just makes life a lot simpler.

Posted in Checklist, Dedicated, DIA, Internet T1, Internet T3, ISP, Local, MPLS, Private Line, Tips, voip, VPN | No Comments »

10 Things to Consider When Choosing an Internet Service Provider

Having a small remote or home office can be a great productivity enhancer. That being said, it can quickly become an island without establishing a connection to your company’s main network. Although choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP) might sound easy, there are many important yet often overlooked topics to consider in order for you to find your ideal ISP match.

Determine your needs

With the abundance of ISPs today, it may be tempting to just go with the quickest or cheapest option. While that could save you money in the short term, doing so could wind up causing you a lot more headaches—and lost productivity—over the long term. These are the 10 main points to consider when choosing your ISP:

  1. Price: Price is important, however, it should not be the single determining factor.
  2. Connection options: A dial-up connection is no longer your only option. There are many different speeds to choose from to meet your connection requirements, such as ISDN, cable, DSL and satellite.
  3. Features: Just like other vendors, ISPs vary in the options their packages include. For example, some ISPs offer static IP addresses, while others use only DHCP-assigned ones.
  4. Customer/technical support: Even the best connections experience problems, and chances are you will have a question or problem you need to address, which is why it is vital to have a professionally trained and dedicated staff capable of solving any problem at any time. BroadbandReports.com is a good place to go to find out about an ISP’s reputation for support, as well as performance.
  5. Performance: Whether you’re paying for a high-speed connection or just using dial-up, you should check the ISP’s track record for such things as uptime and overall throughput. For example, even when using 56-Kbps dial-up modems, you can often only connect at 28.8 Kbps or 33.3 Kbps because of the modems used at the ISP. Likewise, one ISP may provide three e-mail addresses for a single account, while another may offer five.
  6. Local access numbers: In most major cities, you won’t have a problem finding local dial-up numbers for an ISP. However, if you travel or if your remote office is located in a rural location, you may face long-distance charges.
  7. Viability: When selecting your ISP, do some checking to see how long the company has been around, their track record, and whether or not they received any awards. You might find a good ISP now, only to have it go out of business, forcing you to not only restart your search but modify configurations and transfer your Website and/or domain name.
  8. PC and MAC compatibility: It goes without saying that everything is PC compatible, but not all services are compatible with the Mac OS. If you know how to configure your remote access (dialer), you can make any of these services work, but few offer the accelerated service for Macs. If you are a Mac user, look for a service that gives good instructions on how to set-up your Mac for using their service.
  9. Email or Web Browser Advertising: Does the service include advertising at the bottom of your e-mails? Does the ISP insert any advertising or solicitation material on your web browser? Services that require you to download their software (other than a dialer configuration) will often alter your browser to be able to serve ads to you as you surf.
  10. Cancellation Policy: We seldom think of how to cancel when signing up for a new service, but it is something you should consider. Do they tell you on their web site how to cancel? Is there a penalty for early cancellation? Do they offer a 30 day money back guarantee? Some services are set as 12 month contracts and there is an early cancellation penalty. Make sure you know the policy and also the procedure to cancel before you sign up.

Make a list of all of your requirements and prioritize them. Then, compare those requirements with several ISPs that can meet those needs. Keep the list simple—don’t overwhelm yourself with too many choices and you’ll be sure to find the ISP that meets all of your unique requirements.

Posted in Checklist, DIA, Internet T1, Internet T3, ISP, Tips | 1 Comment »

10 things to consider when choosing a VoIP provider

Many businesses today are either thinking about or have already begun replacing their existing phone service with a voice over IP (VoIP) solution.  Today, VoIP services and systems are well established with both small and mid-sized businesses and large enterprise customers.  For example, VoIP penetration among US businesses was 42% at the end of 2009 and is expected to reach 79% by 2013.

The following are the top 10 questions customers inquire about moving to VoIP:

1. What are the benefits of VoIP?

    In the early days of IP telephony, the initial appeal of VoIP was toll savings.  While toll savings remains a good reason to switch to VoIP, there are others, such as:

    • Reduced costs – Unlike traditional telephony, VoIP utilizes the existing network infrastructure for system installation. This saves thousands of dollars by taking advantage of the investments already made by a company.
    • Ease of management – IT staff can often manage the VoIP phone system because it runs over the company’s Internet connection or data network. This enables them to perform routine tasks such as setting up voicemail boxes, adding or deleting users, as well as activate other features at no additional cost, while outside vendors could charge upwards of $300/hr for the same tasks.
    • Mobility and portability – Special features enable employees to work remotely while still accessing advanced call handling and additional features as significantly reduced capital costs. Added benefits include flexibility, scalability and reliability.

    2. Can I implement VoIP and keep my existing PBX?

      The biggest factor influencing the answer to this is whether your existing PBX can be interconnected to a VoIP gateway. If it can, you will need a VoIP gateway installed on your site in order to IP-enable your existing PBX. When it’s time to replace that PBX, you will most likely want to replace it with an IP PBX as well as IP phones.

      3. What charges should I expect for my VoIP services?

        Expect one-time, non-recurring charges that typically include an installation and account set-up fee, as well as a charge for setting up an IP trunk or channel between your site and your provider. Monthly recurring charges are for your phone calls.

        Occasionally providers offer bundles of minuets (ranging from 500 to unlimited) for a fixed monthly fee, and then charge for calls exceeding the limits of your plan. Others require monthly fees for the trunk or channel then charge each call at a rate determined by call destination or duration. Generally, service providers offer lower rates for higher call volumes.

        4. Are there any other service charges I should plan for?

          Each service offered by a VoIP service provider (including but not limited to: hosted PBX, US and Canada toll-free numbers, local numbers (DIDs/DDIs), and conference call service) typically comes with one-time and monthly recurring charges.

          5. What is hosted PBX and what are its advantages?

            A hosted PBX system delivers the functionality of a traditional on-site PBX but as a service. The subscriber does not buy the equipment and is able to use regular phones. In addition to cost savings, another key benefit of a hosted PBX is that it can make any office virtual by sending calls anywhere – enabling employees to receive calls through their company’s main business number whether they are working on the road, at home, or in the office. Features such as “follow me” allow calls to try several different numbers for each employee.

            Because the hosting company houses the equipment and is in charge of updating and expanding the technology required for its subscribers, a hosted PBX greatly reduces upgrade costs and complexity. As an added bonus, service providers typically have thousands of extensions spread across their client base, making them scalable to any size and capable of adding additional extensions without taxing bandwidth. Simply put, hosted PBX is a service that requires no capital investment, offers a predictable monthly operating expense, and has a lower total cost of ownership than premises-based PBXs.

            6. Is there any other special equipment required to move to VoIP?

              That depends on a few things, the first being whether you choose to carry on using your existing PBX; if you do, a VoIP gateway is needed to digitize analog voice calls from your TDM PBX.  Small or mid-sized businesses that do not have a PBX will need a VoIP device or analog telephone adapter (ATA), as well as a router or VoIP gateway.

              A critical aspect is the design of your local area network (LAN) and its equipment components. In a VoIP environment, your LAN becomes part of your telecom infrastructure. You need to be sure your firewall, router or switch and any other equipment can handle VoIP and be set to deliver the Quality of Service (QoS) required for VoIP and give priority to voice traffic.

              7. What faxing services are provided over VoIP?

                Faxing over VoIP can be both challenging and unpredictable. For this reason, heavy faxing businesses should take into account keeping a PSTN line specifically for their fax machine. Companies that from time to time fax up to a 4 page document will work just fine if their VoIP service provider supports certain codecs that allow faxing. Certain VoIP providers are capable of accepting your fax for you, and then sending it via email in a PDF format.

                8. How is the quality of VoIP service?

                  Today, VoIP providers rely primarily on highly-reliable Internet routes from Tier 1 – and some Tier 2 – carriers to move their traffic. Top-quality network equipment and solutions are developed for customers of companies delivering business-class VoIP. Ideally, your VoIP traffic should move along routes with the least number of “hops” – everything below 200ms for a VoIP packet is considered adequate.

                  That being said, there are some issues that affect voice quality in VoIP, including:

                  • Bandwidth – always topping the list of factors that affect VoIP quality, don’t expect great quality with a dial-up connection, however, a broadband connection is suitable provided it is not shared with too many other applications.
                  • Hardware – poor quality equipment is more often than not the cheapest. For that reason, it is essential to have as much knowledge and information as possible on an ATA, router or IP phone prior to investing on or beginning to use it.
                  • Location of your equipment – often VoIP equipment can interfere with each other, producing noise and other problems. For example, your IP phone frequency could hinder other VoIP equipment. This is due to electrical feedback.

                  VoIP transmits voice data packets in a compressed form so the transmitted load is lighter. The compression software used for this are called codec’s. Each codec is designed for a specific use. If a codec is used for a communication need other than that for which it is meant, quality will suffer.

                  9. What kind of support can I expect?

                    After making the choice to switch to VoIP, one of the most important things to consider is the quality of service you will get from your provider, including assistance and training with technical issues and customer support.

                    Know whether a provider offers 24/7/365 tech support or just 8-5? Do they offer on-site support? Are there specific response and resolution times for different outages? What are the associated costs of these issues? Fortunately, the majority of service problems in a VoIP environment can be detected and resolved remotely. Another important yet frequently overlooked issue is the attitude and capabilities of a provider’s technical team. Find out the size, certification and training of their support staff as well as their overall service philosophy to get a better understanding of how they will handle your technical troubles.

                    10. What other factors should be considered in selecting a VoIP service provider?

                      Customers should be careful to distinguish between residential and business focused providers. Residential VoIP providers, for example, typically do not understand the demands or expectations of business-class VoIP; likewise, they do not use the same equipment or carriers. A VoIP service provider focused only on business customers will be more likely to truly understand and address your business’ needs.

                      The VoIP service provider you select will be the key to whether and when your business realizes the cost, productivity, and other benefits of VoIP services and solutions.

                      Posted in Checklist, Tips, voip | 1 Comment »