Networking Terms And Concepts (INFOGRAPHIC)

To take advantage of FREE assistance to engineer and design a solution for your organization’s network requirements (Wired, Wireless, Fiber, 5G, Cloud, SDWAN, IoT/IIoT, WAN/LAN,) .... including network security .... simply click on this link and ask. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

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Fiber Internet Services From Spectrum Enterprise (VIDEO)

 Watch this video for an example of the 100s of “best in class” ethernet/fiber providers we can source for you.

Fiber Internet Access from Spectrum Enterprise provides scalable Internet solutions that can keep pace with your day-to-day operations and your changing business demands. Spectrum Enterprise delivers secure, reliable high-speed connectivity with uploads as fast as downloads over a nationwide fiber network. Fiber Internet Access provides fiber connectivity directly to your Local Area Network, so you get consistently fast Internet speeds and don’t have to worry about being slowed down by peak traffic times.

For FREE assistance with network design and sourcing (wired and wireless) .... including comparing 100s of ethernet/fiber and wireless providers to ensure you choose the right one for your needs (including Spectrum) .... simply ask us at the link below.

Network Design And Sourcing

I's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Designing And Building A Mid Sized Business IT Network (VIDEO)

 This video goes through the process of designing and building a real mid-sized network. The network in the video is a 5 story building intended to accommodate 500+ employees. The video will go over design decisions and show you what the physical network looks like post installation.

For FREE assistance with network design and sourcing (wired and wireless) .... including comparing 100s of ethernet/fiber and wireless providers to ensure you choose the right one for your needs (including Spectrum) .... simply ask us at the link below.

Network Design And Sourcing

I's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING NEEDS OF BUSINESS....WHAT SDWAN CAN DO IN TODAY'S TECH ENVIRONMENT

As businesses everywhere look to address their constantly escalating need to provide more bandwidth cost-effectively, many have found that software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) provide the right solution. 

It is an amazing time to be in technology. We are at a time where almost everything is becoming software-defined. It is no longer about connecting customer sites, which used to be so much of what networking was. Today, everything is about how well you can connect your customers to the things that matter. Traditionally there are fixed elements about connectivity and networking, but now Comcast is creating the software-defined rules of how they connect people to applications, webinars, and video conferences. Businesses are having to learn how to be massively distributed, and those able to adapt and change are the ones who will be successful during these trying times.

So, how does Comcast differentiate?

Comcast has taken into consideration over the last year that when it comes to SD-WAN, most of their customers want control and more auto-driving. One key thing Comcast is big on is making sure their work doesn’t end at activation; they know the thirty days post-activation is what requires the most hand-holding. Here are some customer benefits of managed services:

In North America alone there, are 120,000 SD-WAN sites deployed. This is will grow to just under 600,000 by 2024. As we have said before, SD-WAN is not just connectivity between sites. It is connecting customers to the things that matter. This includes anything from multi-cloud to application databases and APIs. It is the software-defined fabric that allows customers to connect. This has led Comcast to take the product and create two versions:

Comcast Business Managed Networks is the right foundation for more cloud-based applications, digital transformations, and the successful pursuit of new business opportunities. Comcast stands out through their:

• Scalability with options from low-bandwidth to gigabit speeds
• Simplified, flat-rate pricing
• Dedicated solution architects to ease the configuration process during onboarding
• Unique digital experience, providing analytics, command, and control
• Secure, encrypted traffic (AES 256) and integrated stateful firewall

To learn more about Comcast SDWAN and take advantage of a comparison of 100s of other providers ... including FREE network design and sourcing support ... simply ask at FreedomFire Communications.

Everything EVERY Business Should Know About Network Connectivity And SDWAN

The Evolution of Access

We live in an ever-increasing world; IoT devices are making the need for bandwidth and cloud computing on the edge. Today we will talk about the network itself and cloud connectivity. The network is the foundation of everything that is done. Everything that we access in the cloud has to get there through the internet. Internet access is the key, the foundation to the entire model.  SD-WAN is the “shock-absorbing” layer that sits in between the raw network and the cloud where applications live. At the very top of the pyramid is where you have your applications such as UCaaS and CCaaS; this is what allows clouds to talk to one another. Finally, the entire pyramid is your security layer, which is what protects the entire structure.

There are different principal and ancillary components when it comes to internet access, these include:

Principle Components

• Cable
• DSL
• Best-Effort Fiber
• Fixed 4G/5G
• Fixed Satellite
• Fixed Microwave
• Dedicated Fiber

Ancillary Components

• Auto-Failover
• WiFi Hotspots
• Cloud Connect

Cable and Best-Effort Fiber are the two main methods of getting to the cloud at a very cheap rate. Cable itself started a long time ago, at the beginning all the bandwidth was dedicated to the TV signal, but thanks to the innovation of turning TV signals into IP, an enormous amount of bandwidth has been freed up. Today while the price per meg keeps deteriorating, the amount of bandwidth that the cable companies can provide is skyrocketing thanks to DOCSIS 3.1, changing the way businesses use the cloud.

Just because there is a lot of throughput on a coax line, it doesn’t mean all the packets arrive quickly, nor does it mean that all the packets will arrive at all. It’s still an over-subscribed, best-effort, non-SLA service. Applications like voice and video are incredibly sensitive to latency and packet loss and always will be.

SD-WAN provides the opportunity to clean up packet loss and latency. SD-WAN uses redundancy and error-correction to restore packets that could be lost, and it finds quicker paths to the cloud (like WAZE) when it needs to. There is no static routing cable “telling” the router what to do – it’s making decisions on its own to protect the outcome, which is near 100% data transmission with minimal latency.

Providers FREEDOMFIRE COMMUNICATIONS Works With

So, what cable providers does FreedomFire Communications work with?

When you are talking about cable, make sure you don’t sleep on the add-ons. You must make sure that you aren’t just talking about bandwidth. A lot of providers have some extremely innovative products.

The FreedomFire Communications best-effort providers include:

FreedomFire Communications has also excelled in the dedicated fiber provider area. If you want to find out if there’s a dedicated fiber provider in your area, you can always just ask FreedomFire Communications.  We have patented tools which shows us what is where and offered by whom.

We also work with international dedicated fiber providers:

Wireless Internet Access providers include:

SD-WAN Providers

When it comes to SD-WAN, FreedomFire Communications works with multiple providers.

So, what are the key drivers of an SD-WAN design?

1. Cost – How does the customer get the speed and reliability without overpaying?
2. Management Complexity – Customer’s ability to self-manage a network
3. Functionality – What abilities does the overlay (AKA, aggregate) network need to have?
4. Quality – Are there any applications that are sensitive to delay, packet loss, and jitter?
5. Security – If the customer is securing the WAN at the edge, do they want to do it with a standard edge firewall appliance, or do they want to simplify down into one SD-WAN box?

To learn more about all your options for network connectivity and SDWAN, including free assistance with network design and security, simply ask us at FreedomFire Communications. 

Who Is The Best Business Broadband Provider?

This question is often asked by IT staff at any given business …. but what they really mean is “who is the best business broadband provider …. for ME?” Even more specifically … “who can give me exactly what I need ….. where I need it …. to do what I have to do with my data/voice network?”

If you ask this ….. read on so you’ll be better positioned to ask the question in a more meaningful way; and get a response that makes the most business sense for your specific situation.

Most importantly ….. to get a complete and worthwhile answer ... there really needs to be more information provided which better describes exactly what your requirements are.

What is the exact location or locations? What is your budget? What applications must your network support (voice, data, multi-media, conferencing, number of users, 1 or more locations - single building or campus, etc.). What's your current usage? What’s your projected future usage? What do you have now (T1, DS3, etherent, etc.)? What’s your current uptime, latency, SLA, and QoS? Who's your current provider? Are you currently under a contract and when does it run out?

Don’t focus solely on speed … or price either. You also need to consider uptime, latency, packet forwarding, and other issues. Both in analyzing your current “state” …. and estimating your future “grow to”.

First start by asking yourself which applications you need to run over the link. People don't buy networks, they buy access to applications.

Then you need to look at the expected usage over the link. The profile of the applications is also important -- are they latency constrained? Are they bandwidth hogs? Is it sporadic access or sustained? Are you bringing Internet over the link?

How far apart are your sites (if this is a multi-site install)? Will that introduce latency? Is that latency going to be a problem?

You also have to look at what you can get. Maybe all you can get is a T1.

Depending on the answers above, you might also need to look at WAN acceleration, Citrix, or other such technologies to get around application limitations. Some applications just don't work well when they're separated by their users by more than a few milliseconds.

That said .... initially I'd lean toward a T1; probably integrated (voice and data). But that will depend on number of users and load (video conferencing, large multi-media file sharing, etc.) and so forth. You might need to go bonded T1 or DS3 (T3) bandwidth if your load/usage is large. If available, ethernet should be an option at least from a cost effectiveness standpoint.

As for a provider .... shop around. Remember that location is key when buying broadband. Use a consultant who can talk the language and negotiate for you. If you do this yourself you'll get frustrated, spend a lot of time and effort, and likely be talked into something you really don't need ... at a cost more than you should pay. If you’d like free help with this …. I strongly recommend the no cost services at:

Compare Business Broadband Providers