EasyT1 Blog - Part 2

XO Ethernet Service

XO’s Ethernet network service gives you a complete and cost-effective solution to all your Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity needs. Ethernet is the preferred networking solution for businesses that rely on data or the Internet to deliver intensive applications because it is flexible, economical, and user-friendly.

Ethernet is the better choice

XO’s Ethernet has become the industry standard for network connectivity as a whole – whether you’re connecting to an Internet provider, to other computers on a LAN or to connect LANs to each other. The straightforward plug-and-play solution is easy to install and easy to manage. It enables businesses to add or “scale” bandwidth on demand, giving you more control for less money. Ethernet is also less expensive than older, alternative network technologies. It is a smaller, less complex network requiring fewer installations and less equipment to send data through your network.

If it’s flexibility you’re after, look no further. XO has the ability to reach hundreds of thousands of business locations through a combination of access options: fiber, copper loops or trunks, and broadband wireless connections. With so many options, XO is making Ethernet the most practical, cost-effective solution for extending your Local and Wide Area Network as well as transporting voice and data services. XO’s Ethernet allows you to facilitate and manage your own applications – across town or across the country – just like you manage the network in your office.

XO strives to provide you with the best solutions for extending your LAN and WAN in the most cost-effective manner possible. In addition to carrying your own applications, XO provides a variety of voice and data services that use Ethernet as the underlying transport mechanism.

Use XO Ethernet solutions for:

Private Line
Extended Local Area Network
Wide Area Network
Converged IP services
IP-VPN services

What XO Ethernet does for you

XO’s Ethernet service will help you create an extension of your internal office network to include offices across town or in another state into your network as part of the extended LAN feature. Customers can also access WANs – such as the Internet – via their Ethernet private line. The network provides you with converged IP services, which include a suite of IP-VPN features to help you create a virtual private network using your private line.

Features & Benefits

Save money by providing more bandwidth at a lower cost per megabit
Simplify network management with easy to installations, upgrades, and maintenance
Increase your productivity with the capability of transferring large data files on a single network
Select connectivity depending on access type, options range from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps
Achieve support for standard IEEE 802.3-compliant LAN protocol interfaces: 10BaseT, 100BaseTX, and 1000BaseSX/LX
24/7 monitoring and customer care support
Simplify with a single point of contact for customer service
Reduce costs with Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) supplied and managed by XO, with demarcation point on CPE
Obtain strong Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

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XO IP Flex

XO IP Flex is a converged Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution offering unparalleled simplicity, flexibility and value through the XO nationwide IP network.

Your business needs communications solutions that are both effective and convenient. With that in mind, XO created the IP Flex solution – a complete package of communications services including Internet access, web hosting, local and long distance voice, the XO Anywhere Package for unified communications, and business continuity features such as Automatic Call Routing. With a VoIP footprint covering nearly every state and 2,700 cities nationwide, XO offers business class VoIP services in more markets than other providers, benefiting companies with multiple locations by using a single nationwide provider to connect them with XO IP Flex.

Each XO IP Flex package contains standard features or optional à la carte services and applications, simplifying the purchase and maintenance of all your communication needs.

XO Anywhere is a powerful unified communications package that works with existing analog phone systems – meaning no new equipment purchases. This is available in business lines, digital trunks, or ISDN-PRI, and is offered at a monthly rate.

XO IP Flex is available in port speeds of 1.5 Mbps, 3.0 Mbps, 4.5 Mbps and 10 Mbps options. You can also choose between five and seventy-two Voice Grade Equivalent, depending on port speed and connectivity selected.

Every XO IP Flex standard package includes:

Unlimited local calling
Unlimited site-to-site calling between your XO IP Flex, XO IP Flex with VPN or XO SIP locations
One Toll-Free number
A choice of calling plans
Dedicated Internet access
Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation, which increases Internet access speeds, while voice traffic always takes priority for maximum call quality.
Visual Voicemail
Web-based Online Feature Management to self-administer voice feature changes
Web Basics Hosting Package with Junk Mail & Virus Filtering
Call Forwarding
3-Way Calling
Call Hold, Pick-up, and Transfer
Caller ID Name, Number, or Line Block
Call Return
Call Waiting
Last Number Redial
Do Not Disturb
Hunt Groups (sequential, circular, uniform, simultaneous)
Inbound Call Routing
Voice Mail
Call Acceptance and Rejection options
Direct Inward Dialing extensions (DIDs)
Direct Outward Dialing (DOD) and 2-way DID trunks

Optional Features

Features and applications that can be added to XO IP Flex packages on an à la carte basis:

XO Anywhere unified communications package, which allows you to work from anywhere as if you were in the office
Auto Attendant tool to help you field and deliver calls
Business Call Center to help you establish technical assistance lines, customer support numbers, or order-taking centers
Voice Virtual Private Network (VPN) to enable multi-location businesses to configure private dial plans for on-net call routing
Automatic Call Routing, a business continuity failover option that automatically redirects an incoming call to an alternate number
Account Codes, Verified and Non-verified
Additional DIDs in blocks of 20 and 100
Additional Toll-Free numbers
Conferencing services
Directory Assistance
International Outbound calling
Larger Web Hosting plans
Managed Security

XO IP Flex: Simple, Flexible, Valuable at Flat Rate Pricing.

XO IP Flex has the best choice of calling options for your business needs, and with its flat rate pricing, simplicity, and flexibility, it is a sound, economical solution.

Dynamic Bandwidth Distribution

XO IP Flex allows for the full use of the IP circuit when voice lines are idle to accommodate data traffic. This is different from the traditional option of being assigned a fixed capacity for voice and data traffic. Businesses will get maximum value from the integrated access circuit since voice traffic will always have priority.

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XO Private Line

Today, you have to expand your business in order to survive. XO understands this, and as a result, has come up with a unique Point-to-Point Private Line service designed to deal with the taxing requirements of an office that needs a secure and reliable communications solution. Their setup will enable fast and seamless video and audio communications, as well as facilitate large-file transfers throughout your personal network – whether your destination is on the floor below you, or a remote office, miles away.

Point-to-Point Features & Benefits

High-capacity bandwidth from DS-1 (1.5 Mbps) to DS-3 (45 Mbps) to OC-n
100% network availability
SONET architecture
Self-healing fiber system
Proactive 24/7 network management and monitoring
Customized circuits between locations
Consolidated billing for voice and data
Flexible market and CO level pricing is available and customers can select from 12- up to 60-month contract terms
Web-based customer portal provides capability to pre-qualify locations, obtain price quotes and submit and track orders online
Backed by competitive service level agreements (SLAs)

Typically consisting of non-switched communications circuits and the required equipment to connect two or more locations, Carrier Private Line has long-haul and local circuits available in a variety of configurations. XO Carrier Private Line:

Lets you select from IntraLATA, InterLATA and Interstate lines available in point-to-point or multipoint configurations
Achieves 100% network availability with capacities from DS-1 to OC-n
Convenient network interconnection options including (1) customer collocation of network equipment within XO pop locations or (2) a point-to-point private line DS-3 / OC-n mux configuration
Offers state-of-the art, self-healing fiber system for network recovery within milliseconds
Uses our extensive intercity and metropolitan network that spans more than 400,000 route miles to 50 cities nationally

What you can do with an XO line

XO knows how important these intra-office transmissions are, so they make certain that you can send all your data from point-to-point without any lags in transmission. That’s because your private line is dedicated solely to your network’s traffic. It is a dedicated network serving the movement of information throughout only your access points.

That’s not all, though. Since there’s virtually no public traffic throughout your network, you won’t ever have to worry about losing integral data functions such as Voice over Internet Protocol and video conferencing.

In terms of bandwidth, the speed of your network’s lines will rely on the option you chose for your network’s framework. These vary in speed and urgency – a T1 network will be sufficient for a small operation, for example, but as your company grows in size, you will need to restructure your network in order to meet greater demands.

The best thing about XO’s private line service is that you can easily change the structure of your network when needed. XO will help you match their services with your company’s current needs, putting together a pragmatic and efficient provider-end user system rarely seen in the industry today.

And since it’s a network that’s kept within the confines of your office’s router system, the line is virtually on all day long – a wonderful solution for 24-hour offices.

The XO advantage

XO possesses a wealth of network knowledge and assets that they will put to work for your benefit. Their team will help you construct a network made of the latest digital technology, creating an infrastructure that’s first class. That’s because XO believes that helping you grow your business successfully is the best way to show they are a service provider for companies that truly mean business.

Internet T3

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NewEdge MPLS

If you’re a growing business that relies heavily on Internet and network services, then you know there’s nothing worse than the massive slowdown of your network’s traffic speed. New Edge offers a solution for all your network woes with its multi protocol label switching (MPLS) network service. With up to five Classes of Service (CoS) you can optimize your bandwidth usage and get the most out of your network. It also helps you connect with other access points and end-users by optimizing the method of how data packets are sent throughout the wide area network (WAN).

New Edge offers more than managed IP network solutions; they offer a flexible, customer-centric approach. Their protocol-based high-speed network solution will benefit your current infrastructure in a variety of ways. MPLS is hands-down the most efficient system you can adopt for your WAN. It helps boost your business productivity by improving end-to-end connection and data transfer without sacrificing the overall health of your network’s bandwidth.

How it works

New Edge’s MPLS service combines a variety of traffic over one network while ensuring your bandwidth is never compromised. How does it do that? Simple: by keeping a close watch on the flow of data and identifying the various classes of traffic. The protocol then prioritizes heavy traffic that requires more attention, and allocates more resources to that data packet.

The system also makes it easier for the user to generate new access points throughout the network if necessary, and the rerouting system of the MPLS protocol makes it easier to reroute traffic should the network be compromised.

New Edge has tailored their service to work with DSL or T-1 connection speeds and using a variety of protocols such as frame relay and ATM. And thanks to the exclusive Class of Service traffic prioritization feature provided by New Edge MPLS networks, your network can be one of the many businesses that have benefited from a purely MPLS network.

Benefits

As you consider adopting MPLS, it is important to understand the benefits of MPLS in comparison to your existing network infrastructure as well as how service and support vary across MPLS providers.

Because MPLS is highly scalable and less complex than its predecessors, businesses gain more flexibility, less overhead and improved control over network costs. MPLS makes it easy to reroute traffic priorities on the fly, or add new locations to the network whenever you need to.

Prioritize/optimize voice, video and data applications
Fit MPLS in your budget with T1 and/or DSL
Reduce transit delays and transaction times
Divert traffic around link failures and network congestion
Add new locations quickly
Enhance security and simplify disaster recovery
Streamline network implementation and management
Share a network-based Internet access port without provisioning separate access circuits

Features

Nationwide coverage
Secure, private Cisco Powered network
Five Classes of Service (CoS) over T1 and DSL
CoS honored edge-to-edge over T1 and DSL
Managed Cisco CPE option
Multiple routing protocols supported
Industry-leading SLAs based on CoS
Free online network management portal
Dedicated project management
Enable and prioritize realtime applications
Lower total cost of ownership

What to expect

Using a combination of frame relay (Layer 2) and IP-VPN (Layer 3) protocols, New Edge’s system is both a functional and secure network with a flexible bandwidth designed specifically to help you run mission-priority objectives without suffering from external and internal noise from end-to-end. The system is also masked from the rest of the public network, which means that your data is safe from any IP security threats.

You also have the choice of setting up a main network and a backup network should your main system fail. In the event of a system malfunction, you can seamlessly switch from your T-1 system (main) to your DSL network (backup) in order to retain the continuous transfer of data with minimal losses.

An Industry First:

New Edge is the first provider to bring together Class of Service traffic management with high-speed, low-cost DSL access, which puts the performance gain of MPLS networks within reach of more businesses.

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Verizon Internet

One thing average direct Internet access solutions have always lacked is full control over what goes into the connection and how it works. Verizon’s Internet service lets you chose the kind of service that is right for your business. In today’s fast-paced online marketing and e-commerce arena, having an economical solution custom-fitted to meet your needs is the edge you can use to gain leverage over your competitors.

Verizon allows you to configure your entire network, from protocol to circuitry. They offer a large variety of things you can customize on your line and guarantee the best service available– all with just a simple tweak of a few settings in your line. It’s that simple; and the rewards that you reap are the fruits of a system that works seamlessly with you to bring in maximum results.

A world of various choices

When you ask Verizon to help you set up a dedicated Internet connection, Verizon’s representatives will sit down with you and go over everything you’ll need. This means, for example, they will ask you what kind of dedicated access service you will need. If you’re looking for a low-end solution for your network, they will demonstrate how a T1 or a multilink frame relay service will do the job for you. On the other hand, if you’d rather go with a non-traditional connection method, they will help you set up an Ethernet connection for your system.

Should problems occur with the line at any time during the day, Verizon makes sure you are fully aware of how you can keep your connection alive – circuit redundancy is one way of ensuring your connection stays intact after a system fluctuation.

Connection rescue options

Verizon recommends you choose from three unique circuitry setup options for your connection. As before, the choices would depend greatly on what your business needs – if you can survive system downtimes once in a while, you can opt for a double circuit solution for your bandwidth. This is the simplest and most cost-effective way of transferring data.

A diverse circuit configuration supplies a redundant connection that reroutes traffic through another channel if your main line breaks up.

The best solution, however, is the shadow circuit, wherein a second line with speed equal to your main line is assigned to function as a backup solution when your network crashes. If this is what your business is looking for, then Verizon’s Internet solutions is what you need. Sit down with one of their customer support agents and find out just how much they can do for you.

Posted in DIA, General, Internet T1, Internet T3, Verizon | No Comments »

Time Warner Internet Overview

If your company is in the market for a reliable and versatile dedicated Internet connection, look no further than Time Warner. Time Warner’s dedicated Internet service has been tailor-made to suit any connection your office needs, and will make sure you are connected 24/7, with little downtime. They also offer a high-quality customer and technical support team that oversee your network while you’re connected with Time Warner.

Time Warner focuses on the best methods of execution and delivery. This means that your business is their concern. With a wide cross-country network that spans across seventy five markets throughout thirty states, Time Warner’s Telecom Internet network has been tried and tested time and again.

The Secret to their service

Picture this: you’re running a medium-sized e-commerce company with crews on round-the-clock shifting schedules, and you rely on keeping at least ten units connected to the net at all times throughout the day. That’s a large amount of industrial bandwidth. To keep your business flowing without problems, you need a powerful network.

Time Warner Telecom gives you that opportunity. Their OC-192 IP network is a solid backbone built on a solid design that spans across a diverse network of redundant mini-networks both locally and overseas, and is designed to complement each other in order to give you quality service that – regardless of what you put it through – will not fail.

The OC-192 IP network, and the subsequent networks beneath its umbrella of operations, is owned by Time Warner. This ensures the service they provide you isn’t outsourced, and can be adjusted easily to fit your specific needs. Time Warner’s telecom supports anywhere from a basic T1 to an OC48 SONET setup – no matter what infrastructure you choose, standard DIA or Ethernet.

Value-Added service

All TW Telecoms connections come with a series of additional services that have been designed to make the task of handling your Internet connection as easy and as hassle-free as possible. Your personal management portal includes a collection of quality products and services that will help you consolidate information and assess just how satisfying Time Warner service is.

A built-in online bandwidth utilization report system comes packaged along with managed security and router services to help you gauge your system’s performance. They are designed to help you monitor any irregularities in your Internet connection, billing, and to see just how secure your network is from the rest of the Internet.

Additionally, you are guaranteed a customer service and support center that responds to your queries and service issues in a timely, efficient manner, and serve as an early warning prevention system that monitors your connection in order to arrest any problems with the line before it starts to damage your service.

TW Telecoms is a high-value service that will change the way your business competes in a corporate environment by giving you an edge over your competitors and leveraging your position on the Internet. All you need to do is connect.

Posted in General, Internet T1, Internet T3, Time Warner | No Comments »

TelePacific Local Service

TelePacific is a competitive local exchange carrier that has been in business since 1998. Using their own switches and network infrastructure, they provide telecommunications services such as voice calls (local and long distance), private networking, Internet access and data transport services.

TelePacific commits itself to being accountable for the quality of their services. Metrics are in place to help cater to each account and customer experience. TelePacific works hard to review these metrics each week to deal with issues as they arise, making sure customers are given the best of what they can offer, while still focusing on opportunities for improvement.

The numbers don’t lie; customer care resolves 93% of all issues on the first call, and boasts a 95% answer and response time within 30 seconds or less. In addition, invoicing is never an issue with a dedicated team working hard to achieve a 99% invoice accuracy.

With such successful results, it is no wonder a monthly customer survey done by Receivable Management Services with over 2,000 participants places TelePacific in a 97^th percentile satisfaction score on a regular basis. Despite all of this, TelePacific never rests on its laurels, and continuously pushes for improvement.

TelePacific provides a well-rounded range of services to customers with a “one-stop shop” for all their telecommunication needs, eliminating the need to deal with one company for long distance services, another for Internet access, and yet another for conferencing and VoIP services. TelePacific caters to all of these, with the highest level of commitment and service for each customer.

No matter what size business, TelePacific has cost-efficient packages to match their quality services to as many customers as possible.

Data and Internet services presented by TelePacific use the most advanced, cutting-edge technologies, giving customers the most dependable service available. Internet connectivity ranges from high bandwidth T1 lines at 1.544 Mbps, to Bonded T1 services reaching blazing speeds of up to 12 Mbps. TelePacific data networking services include a Private Line, a Virtual Private Network product, and Collocation space for building private networks.

All of these options are augmented by TelePacific’s value added services that help protect the security and safety of customers’ valuable assets and secure constant connectivity with important stakeholders. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, TelePacific provides customers the ability to maintain operations under emergency situations and backup facilities to lock up off-site data to ensure constant connectivity with important business partners.

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Telecom Expense Management

Although it is usually within the top five of every CFO and CIO’s corporate expenses, many companies do not effectively manage their telecommunications expenditures. It doesn’t help that very few telecom service providers offer accurate and consolidated billing, which exacerbates the situation, causing confusion and over-payment due to a misunderstanding in the billing process.

One way to reduce costs is to fully grasp the voice and data communications services and billing of telecom companies. Only by knowing the processes and systems can users identify the most optimal solutions at the lowest cost without compromising results and making sure that the infrastructure and capacity is provided and available.

Telecom Expense Management Formula

Properly analyze and examine the billing of the service provider to weed out incorrect services and rates, such as billing for disconnected services, or prior period billing credits.

Find alternatives to excessive contracted rates for the following services: Long Distance, Local, and Audio Conferencing.

Ensure that your business has the right-sized network to enhance bandwidth, SLAs, and scalability, all at a lower cost.

Benefits of Telecom Expense Management include:

Reduction of expenses and ensuring the efficiency of all costs
Validation and verification of all invoices
Contract compliance verification
Underused services are eliminated to delete unnecessary and costly spending
Historical overcharges are recovered for analysis and recording
Recommending how to expertly reduce costs from an unbiased point of view

Don’t bother yourself with the task of finding the right solution for your business. The team of experts at EasyT1.net will do the job for you, providing recommendations for everything from complex data and Internet applications to simple voice services. With EastT1.net’s decades of experience, your team can get the assistance needed to achieve results and give your business the power to grow and thrive.

With access to the most competitive pricing in the industry through an extensive network of industry relationships, you will be given the right solution and save money by lowering the total cost of ownership. Contact us now, and give your business the individual help it needs.

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Switched Long Distance Service

Switched long distance calls connect to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) through the prescribed inter-exchange carrier (PIC) selected to the out-going phone line. These calls do not require any additional equipment, and are charged per-minute of use.

Types of Calls

Local Call – Local calls are telephone calls that generally require dialling a seven-digit local telephone number. Local telephone service providers have plans that cover these calls.
Intra-LATA or Regional Toll Call – These are telephone calls made to a destination outside the local calling area, but are within the same LATA (Local Access and Transport Area). These calls require the user to dial “1” and the area code before dialling the telephone number. Typically, the local telephone service provider gives bills for regional toll calls; however, it is possible to choose another carrier for this service. Customers will then have an “Intra-LATA presubscription.” When this happens, they will be billed separately for these services, and could also be charged a fee for switching to another regional toll provider. To find out your regional toll provider, you can dial 1-(area code)-700-4141.
Intrastate Call – Calls made between different LATAs but are inside the same state are called intrastate calls. Only long distance phone companies can provide this service. Users are required to dial “1” along with an area code before dialling the phone number. To find out who your region’s current Intrastate Long Distance Provider is, dial 1-700-555-4141.
Interstate Call – Calls placed to another state are called interstate long distance calls. Like the intrastate call, users are required to dial “1” along with an area code before dialling the phone number. To find your current Interstate Long Distance Provider, dial 1-700-555-4141.
International – Toll calls to any destination outside of the United States of America are called international calls. These calls are typically the most expensive service offered by long distance service providers. To find your current International Long Distance Provider, dial 1-700-555-4141.

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Sprint MPLS

The Sprint multi protocol label switching (MPLS) service is a collective business tool that is geared towards helping you increase your network visibility on the web. Sprint’s VPN lets you set up a virtual private network designed to help you send a combination of voice, data, and video packets through a dedicated infrastructure that is guaranteed to maintain the quality of information you send out throughout your network.

This network is tailor-made for wide area commercial demands because Sprint ensures that you can channel a variety of traffic from end-to-end, with limited loss in the data’s structural integrity. What this means is that if you need to transmit bandwidth-critical data, you will have a network backbone that will help you do so efficiently.

What can Sprint do for You?

Sprint’s VPN eliminates your need for large-scale system administration, even if you have to work with a complicated network. This is due to several factors; first – and foremost – the technology’s overhead is relatively cheap. It takes very little capital to develop and maintain a MPLS network, both for you and for Sprint. Secondly, the maintenance of the system is handled by Sprint’s very own team of outsourced professionals who take care of the day-to-day tweaking and systems analysis of the equipment required to keep the network running smoothly.

Sprint’s MPLS is also one of the most flexible networks in the industry today. It provides you with the opportunity to allow multiple local access support and systems routing if necessary. And the best part is, the rate of transfer throughout all of these access points is real-time and carried out through an isolated protocol. This means that your data is protected from – and invisible to – the rest of the public Internet, except where you need it to be visible.

The service is cost-effective as well; you can choose from a bare-bones package or select from a series of services designed to increase the integrity and efficiency of your network. Such examples of these are Sprint’s very own network-based firewall, a user-defined remote access service, and the creation of wireless access points. The consistent performance of the Sprint system is backed up by service level agreements, at no extra charge.

The Sprint quality of service

All data transferred throughout Sprint’s network set-up is segmented and passes through a series of routers using the MPLS protocol. The data is private and masked; guaranteeing all of the data you send through these lines is safe from unauthorized entities.

You are also warranted flexible speeds from traditional dial-up 64kbps to 1000Mbps, with a quality of service assurance that your network detects and prioritizes without interfering with functions of a lesser priority such as e-mail services and standard web browsing.

Working with an international WAN? No problem: Sprint’s service supports up to four multiple routing protocols and utilizes a simplified migration path that can reach off-net locales. And should anything go wrong in any of your off-shore access points, Sprint provides internal technical support in more than thirty countries.

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