The deal did not come without a price, however. After months of waiting for regulatory approvals, many states required both companies to make investments in broadband infrastructure before giving the okay. The FCC stated both companies were heedful of fostering competition and shielding customers and recently approved the acquisition with enforceable conditions, one of them being the introduction of a low-income consumer broadband program that concentrates on connecting millions of customers in the combined company’s territory – to which the companies agreed. In addition, the merger terms state that Qwest stockholders will receive 0.1664 shares of CenturyLink stock for each share of Qwest stock they possess at closing.

According to CenturyLink’s President and CEO, Glen F. Post, III, the acquisition of the two companies will “bring greater broadband availability to customers and serves the public interest by allowing us to offer a wider variety of services than either company could offer alone.”

Collectively, Qwest and CenturyLink Inc. produced a combined revenue of $18.6 billion on a pro forma basis in 2010. Debt ratings agency Moody’s Investor’s Services, noted that the merger “brings a strong enterprise business service offering to CenturyLink,” and added that the revenues will grow to almost 40% of total revenues, in contrast to under 25% prior to the merger.

Monroe, Louisiana based CenturyLink is an S&P 500 company that is recognized by key technology industry analyst firms as a leader in the network services market. As a provider of wireless, voice and broadband services as well as voice, data and managed services via their multiple data centers and high-quality advanced fiber optic network, CenturyLink serves businesses of all sizes – from home offices in remote areas to Fortune 500 companies.

Before the merger, Denver, Colorado based Qwest was a leader in Internet-based image, data, and voice communications. With more than 30 million customers around the world, Qwest reportedly carried 600 emails and 240 million phone calls daily in its 14 state local phone service area alone. Qwest’s broadband network boasted over 1,800 access points of presence, including TeraPOPs, and spanned an notable 173,000+ global miles.

As a result of this growing demand, a sea of web conferencing providers has entered the market looking to woo customers to their side. With so many different providers saturating the market, how can you find the best one for you and your business? Here are a few questions to ask in order to find out:

Who is this provider’s target customer?
Just like conferencing solutions, conferencing providers come in all shapes and sizes. Knowing which provider targets businesses that are similar to yours in size and needs will help you find the ideal solution for the best available price – and the experience to match.

Does this provider offer more than just technology?
Even the best technology can only take you so far. Look for a conferencing provider that can give you more than just that. Knowing how to meet remotely, avoid embarrassing moments during your conferences,  set agendas, as well as countless other ways to make your meetings as effective and productive as possible means you’re more likely to get your money’s worth out of your solution.

How reliable is this provider’s solution?
It is important to remember that the technology you use when conducting business reflects on you and your company. A lack of compatibility (such as browser limitations or required plug-ins, etc.), poor sound quality, and bulky interfaces can kill a meeting. Check with the provider to see if they offer free trials of their services to test for yourself, or ask for reviews from customers currently employing their services.

When can the provider be reached?
Even the most experienced conferencing presenters can encounter issues during a meeting. Solving any issue as quickly as possible, no matter the size, is essential to holding your meeting together. Look for a provider that offers help 24/7 and/or in multiple forms. For example, leading conferencing provider PGi offers assistance via phone, live chat, and email.

What choices does this provider offer?
While most meeting technology is similar, a few add-ons or features have the ability to make a huge difference. When searching for a provider, consider one that offers multiple brands and can make a recommendation base on your unique requirements.

CareerBuilder has compiled a list of the most “colorful” excuses, including:

1. Employee said a chicken attacked his mom.
2. Employee’s finger was stuck in a bowling ball.
3. Employee had a hair transplant gone bad.
4. Employee fell asleep as his desk while working and hit his head, causing a neck injury.
5. Employee said a cow broke into her house and she had to wait for the insurance man.
6. Employee’s girlfriend threw a Sit n Spin through his living room window.
7. Employee’s foot was caught in the garbage disposal.
8. Employee called in sick from a bar at 5:00 p.m. the night before.
9. Employee said he wasn’t feeling too clever that day.
10. Employee had to mow the lawn to avoid a lawsuit from the home owner’s association
11. Employee called in the day after Thanksgiving because she burned her mouth on a pumpkin pie.
12. Employee was in a boat on Lake Erie and ran out of gas and the coast guard towed him to the Canadian side.

VP of CareerBuilder’s human resources department, Rosemary Haefner, offers some insightful advice: “If you need to take some time away from the office, the best way not to cause yourself more stress is to be open and honest with your manager.”

Another – and arguably more productive – option is using conferencing services. Audio and web conferencing enables you to meet and work with customers and colleagues via your computer or smartphone. Audio and web conferencing has become the go-to tool for achieving the impact and results of in-person meetings with remote colleagues, clients, and partners, while increasing productivity and reducing overhead costs. Contact one of our trained professionals today to see if audio or web conferencing can work for you. You never know, it might just mean more days out of the office!

When it comes time for someone outside North America to join a conference call, there are several options:

• The global attendee can call the US toll number to join the call, however, it can be expensive for the caller- especially if he or she is on a mobile phone
• The host of the call can use a “dial out” feature to call global participants directly at any international number, ensuring that the host incurs the full cost of the call
• Instead of dialing a US Toll number, the participant dials a local access number number to join the call. Local toll free numbers are often also available.

Currently, companies such as PGi offers local access numbers in over 100 locations worldwide.

T1 OC3 Connection

1. What do they offer?
Just because you have the right technology doesn’t necessarily mean your meetings will be any better. Well-rounded providers offer expertise, including how to meet remotely and set agendas.

2. Is it set up for your size/type of business?
Conferencing solutions come in all shapes and sizes’, ensuring a provider serves businesses similar to yours is proof they can offer the relevant experience you’re looking for.

3. How reliable are they?
Nothing kills a remote meeting faster than a bad connection, poor sound quality, clunky interfaces, or lack of compatibility. Getting tripped up with browser limitations, required plug-ins, etc. reflects poorly on you and your business, which is why it is so important to validate potential tools with trials or researching peer reviews.

4. Do they provide options?
Typically standard meeting technology is akin to one another; however the additional features offered can vary greatly – and hold a big impact on the type of meeting you conduct. Consider a provider that can offer several brands and tailor a recommendation based on your specific needs.

5. How accessible are they?
Nothing is perfect, but your provider should always try to be. The best providers aim for 100% uptime and often reach 99.99%. For those rare 0.01% times, you need a provider that offers several ways to get help, such as email, phone, or live chat.

Lucky for you, here at FastBlue that’s one of the things we do best. Contact a EasyT1.net provider today to see how we can help your business!

That’s where the beauty of conferencing lies. Instead of dealing with stressful and expensive situations, conferencing lets connect to your employees, partners and prospective clients from the comfort and convenience of your desk. Conferencing solutions and services still allow you to cover project timelines, deliver your demo, conduct training sessions or review strategies with quality that rivals face-to-face meetings. The best part though, is you can do things your way, and know you can get up any time you want to go to the bathroom and no one is going to call you out on it.

• Speak slowly and clearly
• Stay focused; avoid distractions
• Turn off your cell phone and office ringer
• Call in from a landline whenever possible
• Mute all participants to help control background noise
• Connect 10 to 15 minutes early to make sure everything is working correctly
• Reviewing meeting objectives as well as your desired outcome of the meeting
• Don’t wait for absent or late participants. Start on time or you set a precedent for always waiting for people to join.
• Keep your pre-determined end time – conclude by thanking people for their time and participation
• Ensure that after the meeting, you send a follow up email clearly stating action items, decisions made, etc.

Direct Event is an ideal audio conferencing solution for:

• Company quarterly reviews
• Launching new products
• Meeting with board members
• Merger and Acquisition announcements
• Holding guest speaker events

Direct Event Audio Conferencing provides features such as:

• Passcodes to allow for easy entry into events without the need for an operator, reducing the hold time on the meeting, and increase conference time.
• Direct Event Registration collects information about attendees automatically as they enter the audio conference.
• Permanent leaders and dial-in numbers to ensure that each participant joins the meeting in a quick and reliable way.

Here is a step-by-step checklist that will help you know if your agent is on the level:

• Even though you can contact the agent online, a phone call should be made so he or she can make sure you’re on the same page, and really understand your present and future business T1 needs.
• Ensure your online agent is not tied to only one provider
• Check to see if your agent is committed to the industry code of practice, is experienced, and comes with any qualifications. Ask for references from previous customers, and see if they are listed on the social network LinkedIN.
• A good agent can explain the different products that are offered by providers, letting you know how they affect your communication needs in easy-to-understand terms.

Reasons to Shop Online for T1

• Convenient – avoid the hassle of sales people calling you (often at obnoxious times)
• Better prices – the advantage of ordering through an agent is the second channel of current information and customer service on price breaks and promotions. If your provider is not performing to expectations, you can always contact your agent.
• Save time – Get quotes in minuets right from your desk.

Dedicated Internet Access Service supports data and web-based applications – such as the Internet, e-mail, audio, video and other mission-critical network applications. An ideal solution to answer to the growing needs of your company, DIA is engineered to provide secure and reliable point-to-point connectivity between Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and corporate customers at minimal costs. The service is typically IP-based, so a connection can be made to any ISP.

EasyT1.net can assist you in choosing the most suitable DIA solution for your business needs.

Service Benefits of Dedicated Internet

High Quality Solution

DIA is designed to meet the vital needs of the e-commerce business. The quality of connections that businesses receive is monitored tightly, so they may host their own servers such as web, e-mail, FTP, reservation, intranet and extranet at the contracted guaranteed dedicated bandwidth.

Performance Excellence

Large files can be transferred between domestic and global locations with the support of DIA, minimizing or altogether eliminating your company’s incidents of data loss, jitter, and latency usually attributed to route congestion. Service Level Agreements may be given by DIA providers to benchmark service quality.

Quality Communications and Access Service

Access to servers are allowed even from distant locations. High speeds are available, and are scalable from 10Mbps to 10Gbps. With DIA, a foundation for Virtual Private Networking is created. If you already have VPN, DIA can be easily connected to the existing IP-VPN network.

Quality Support for Bandwidth-intensive Applications

Multimedia activities such as internet streaming, videoconferencing, distance learning, and webcasting are made possible via DIA.

Low Cost

Network costs are usually based on flat-rate tariff, making them predictable.