This FREE Resource Is Every IT Professional's Secret Weapon For Network Sourcing And Design

 

Every IT professional responsible for their organization's network management is facing challenging times in today's economic environment. Your network requirements are only increasing (wired, wireless, cloud, security, digital, etc.), while your budget is stagnant or more likely being cut. That frustrating situation is unlikely to change anytime soon.

This FREE resource can be your secret weapon to surviving AND thriving. They can help you meet your network requirements, whatever they are, while also helping you to cut costs at the same time. That's what they do....and they're very good at it.

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Need More Bandwidth For Your Voice Or Data Network? Try This FREE Help....

For anyone frantically looking for bandwidth solutions for any reason.... a special IT project, an increase in your voice/data network requirements, adding a new business location, replacing old systems, needing more cost effective solutions than what you have.....relax.

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Bandwidth Solutions

They'll follow that up with more detailed research and get back to you. They even negotiate on your behalf, do the paper work, monitor the provisioning and installation process, and serve as your advocate throughout your contract with whatever provider you choose. End to end solution I'd say.

If you prefer, you can call them toll free instead and discuss your specific needs live:

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What Is A PRI Line, What Are The Advantages And Limitations Of PRI Circuits?

In an ISDN system, there are two types of services: Basic Rate Interface (BRI) and Primary Rate Interface (PRI). While the first one is installed at home or small business organizations, the later one is for large organizations which have their own telephone exchange systems. There are number of B-channels and D-channels in the system which carries data, video, voice with several control and signaling information. But, what is Primary Rate Interface and how does it work?

What is PRI Line?

The Primary Rate Interface comprises of a 64 Kbps D-channels and 23 Kbps B-channels. Here, it uses T-1 line. It also consists of one D-channel and 30 Kbps B-channel, which use an E1 line. If a user accesses the Primary Rate Interface on a T-1 line, he can get internet speed up to 1.544 Mbps. On the other hand, an E1 line user can get services up to Mbps. PRI utilizes Q.931 protocol over D-channel.

There are some countries where this system is carried on a T-carrier system line while E-carrier line is available worldwide. The users of the system are directly connected with the telephone company's central office.

Advantages of PRI Circuits

1. The service provider gives almost 500 numbers for each line. Therefore, it becomes easier for the outsiders to call the extension straight without going through the PBX Auto-attendant.

2. Through a PRI line, it is possible to have voice and data access. There are also some service providers which offer free data transmission for certain period of time.

3. Call hunting is also easy with a Primary Rate system. But for the analog trunks, the service provider needs to extend the facility and also include additional cost.

4. What are the other benefits of this system? It can be utilized for voice connectivity, video conferencing, data connectivity, faxing, etc. And all these can be done simultaneously.

5. This circuit is anytime better than the analog trunks as it is an end-to-end digital system.

6. Due to the fiber optic materials, the wire is far more redundant than analog trunks. Also, you will face less troubleshooting here than other systems.

7. Tapping your digital phone lines and listening to your conversation is almost impossible now.

8. You don't have to wait long to start a call here.

9. As there are several service providers who comes with flexible plans, this system also become economical for small companies.

Limitations of PRI Circuits

1. If the minimum rental is less than the average value of calls in an analog system, then installing PRI circuit is not that much economical.

2. If you have to make international calls, this system is not cost-effective. You can choose SIP or ITSP services at lesser rate to make such calls.

3. You have to pay for Inter branch communication if you install this line. If you install VOIP systems, you can make inter branch communication over internet at much lower cost.

4. You can buy Primary Rate lines only if you buy those from your EPABX vendor.

By Nick A Patel

To take advantage of FREE real time quotes and support for voice and/or data networks...comparing 200+ providers...simply ask at the following link.  It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

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6 Tips To Follow While Using VPN

VPN is obviously extremely useful if you have given all your trusted employees and also the key contractors a remote access to your network with the help of a client VPN or a virtual private network. There are so many cost benefits and productivity related benefits of using a VPN. Below are some useful tips that you can follow while using a VPN.

1. You must use a strong authentication method

This will surely depend upon the infrastructure of your network. You should also be able to check your VPN and documentation of your operating system in order to determine all your options.

2. A strong encryption method should be used

An L2TP or a layer two tunneling protocol can be very helpful when used. This is a network with certain types of Microsoft Servers. For example, a Point to point protocol can be termed to be very weak unless the password of your clients are guaranteed to be very strong.

3. Limit your VPN access to all those with a valid reason for business

Any VPN connection is a door that can be used to enter the LAN. You should only keep it open when it essentially needs to be open. The remote contractors and employees should any time be discouraged from connecting to your VPN to download the files that are required on a common basis.

4. Access to the selected files through extranet and intranet

If you have a secure HTTP site that comes with a safe password and authentication, it will expose only the selected files on one of the single servers and not your entire network.

5. Email access should be enabled without requirement of VPN

On all the servers of Microsoft Exchange, you must set up a server for Exchange proxy in order to allow the Outlook to access this Exchange by using an RPC or remote procedure call. This is obviously protected with the help of an SSL encryption.

6. Enforcing and implementing a strong password

There should be a very strong policy for a password. You must also understand, that your network is only as secure as the weakest of password that is in use. There should not be anyone that can be allowed to keep a password on a permanent basis. Use a word, a number or any other alphanumeric combination of password. This can help you to secure your VPN on a long term basis.

By Aman Tumukur Khanna 

To take advantage of FREE real time quotes and support for voice and/or data networks...comparing 200+ providers...simply ask at the following link.  It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

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5 Things To Understand About VPN Speed

The speed of a VPN is an important thing to consider, and may also be a determining factor for many people when deciding whether they should use a VPN at all. Speed really does matter when it comes to the Internet. Even if a VPN provides improved online security and can help get around blocked content, if the service is slow, the overall experience will be far from ideal.

In this article, I will look at several factors that can influence the speed of a VPN, and how they can be mitigated.

1) The VPN Server Location

Typically, establishing a connection with a VPN server closer to your location will result in better speed. This is because the complexity of Internet traffic goes up as the distance between you and the VPN server increases. The more complex the traffic, and the greater the distance data has to travel, the slower the VPN speed.

If you don't have a good reason for connecting to a particular VPN location, picking the one closest to you is the best option. For example, if you live in Texas and want to log into a US VPN server, use one in Houston or Dallas instead of one in New York. Similarly, if you're located in China and need a US VPN server, find one that is available on the West Coast over one somewhere in the east.

2) The VPN Protocols

Different protocols can be used to establish a VPN connection. Some of the more popular ones include OpenVPN (over UDP or TCP), SSTP, PPTP and L2TP/IPSec. Everything else being equal, each protocol can result in a significantly different VPN speed. For example, using OpenVPN over UDP typically results in a faster connection than OpenVPN over TCP.

There are no hard set rules as to which protocol will give you the best speed. OpenVPN over UDP is a good default to try. If you find yourself having issues, try switching to a different protocol to see if your VPN speed improves.

3) Encryption Level

Stronger encryption is often more complex and can, as a result, slow down a VPN. A 128-bit encryption will in most cases lead to a faster connection than a 256-bit one.

On the downside, lowering encryption strength will make the VPN connection less secure and the transmitted data more vulnerable. So, you can try playing around with the encryption level, but unless you see significant speed improvements with weaker encryption, it is best to stick to the stronger versions.

4) VPN Server Load and Bandwidth

How powerful the VPN server is will have a significant impact on the speed. Overloaded servers with a bandwidth that cannot keep up with the demand will result in a much slower experience.

The client software you use to connect to a VPN service will usually tell you how many IP addresses and how much bandwidth a server has. The higher those numbers, the more powerful the server. Those same clients sometimes even show real-time usage. If the server you're connected to is overloaded, switching to a different one is usually as simple as a couple of mouse clicks.

5) Your Network Setup

Whether your device is on a wired network and physically connected to a router or using WiFi can affect VPN speed. This distinction is especially relevant if you have a fast connection to the outside world. Because a wired connection is often quicker than WiFi, the latter can be a limiting factor. You can try plugging your computer directly into the router to see if there is a speed improvement.

Ultimately, not all VPN providers are created equal. Even under ideal conditions, the speed and reliability they offer may be drastically different. If you have tried implementing several of the methods mentioned in this article but are still not seeing speed improvements, it may be time to consider switching VPN providers.

Visit http://www.fastestvpnguide.com/ for tests, reviews and comparisons of the fastest VPN services around. Let us help you pick the right one for your specific needs.

By Tim Tremblay 

To take advantage of FREE real time quotes and support for voice and/or data networks...simply ask at the following link...easy as 1, 2, 3.

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Everything You Need To Know About VPN Services

What is VPN? VPN is an abbreviation for virtual private network. It can be defined as the method that is usually applied so as to add to the privacy and the security into the public and private networks, the internet and Wi-Fi hotspots.

VPNs are usually used by different kinds of corporations so as to enable them to protect any sensitive data that they may have. There has however been an increase in the use of the personal VPN option today. This can be attributed to the different transitions that are facing the internet today.

When you use a VPN, then the privacy is improved to a very large extent. The reason why you get better privacy with a BPN is the fact that the initial IP address you may have been using is replaced with one that is provided by your VPN provider. This is a great way for subscribers to get an IP address from the gateway city that they may want, provided that it is offered by the VPN provider. You can use VPN to alter your location. You may be living in New York, but you can use VPN to make it look like you are in London and so on. Each VPN provider offers different gateway cities that you can select from.

Security

The security features that are offered by VPNs are what attract most people. There are lots of methods that one can apply so as to intercept any data traveling to a given network. Firesheep and Wi-Fi spoofing are easy ways applied to hacking any information that is needed. The analogy is the fact that the firewall will protect the data in the computer while the VPN will protect data even on the web.

Usually, the VPNs use highly advanced encryption protocols and the techniques that guarantee tunneling techniques that are secure so as to encapsulate different data transfers. Anyone who considers themselves as a savvy computer user may never use the internet without having a firewall as well as an antivirus that is updated.

Security is becoming very important to most people because the security threats seem to be increasing. More and more people are also relying on the internet which makes VPN even more attractive because they are well rounded for purposes of security. There are different integrity checks that can be applied so as to make sure that data isn't lost and that the connection isn't hijacked in any way. All traffic is well protected and the method is greatly preferred to the proxies.

The VPN setup

Setting up a VPN is a process that is quite straightforward. Usually, you only need a user name and the server address. There are smartphones that are quite dominant and they can actually configure the VPN using PPTP as well as L2TP/IPsec protocols. All the major OS can also configure the PPTP VPN kind of connections. Getting a VPN may be the best idea that you may have for your business. Usually, the protocol numbers and the features that are offered grow as time passes. You may select the kind of VPN you need depending on what you require it for.

There are lots of VPN providers out there. Some may offer free services while others may offer their services at a cost. There are different advantages and disadvantages of using either of the two. https://switchvpn.net will give you an insight on this topic and also offer Fast VPN Service.

By http:// Shalini Madhav

To take advantage of FREE real time quotes and support for voice and/or data networks...simply ask at the following link...easy as 1, 2, 3.

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How Every Global Business Can Find The Right Voice/Data/Cloud Network Solution For Them...Anywhere In The World

If you're an international business, doing business around the globe, then International Carriers are something that has become more important to your business in this age of a global economy. Below we'll talk about some key differentiator and questions you need to be thinking about when deciding just how to design the right international voice/data/cloud network for YOU. 

Your best options for these carriers have been split up into two different groups for this discussion, United States based carriers and international carriers.

UNITED STATES BASED CARRIERS

When we say “United States based”, we are referring to companies with the nexus of the ownership structure in the United States. These carriers are important because these companies will bill you directly, so if you want your bill in the United States and in US dollars, these will be your best option. Typically one portion of the solution you’re going to buy through them is going to be tied to the United States...so whether it’s a network, or a few locations for broadband access, you are going to have some type of nexus in the US when dealing with these US carriers.

• AT&T - Serves thousands of customers on six continents, including all of the Fortune 1000.
• Verizon - Provides businesses and governments around the world with leading IT, security, communications, network, and mobility services.
• CenturyLink - Provides data, voice and managed services to business, government and wholesale customers in local, national and select international markets through its high-quality advanced fiber optic network and multiple data centers.
• Level 3 -  Strong international player especially in Canada, Europe, and Asia as a result of their acquisition of Global Crossing a few years back. Global Crossing was almost entirely focused on the international market space.
• Masergy -  Owns and operates the largest independent Software Defined Platform in the world, delivering hybrid networking, managed security and cloud communication solutions to global enterprises.
• Cogent - A multinational, Tier 1 facilities-based ISP, consistently ranked as one of the top five Internet backbone networks in the world.
• Zayo -   Provides lit and dark fiber bandwidth infrastructure solutions and carrier-neutral colocation. Currently providing their services in seven countries.
• Global Capacity - Multi-site, multi-state, multi-country network solutions – Global Capacity’s One Marketplace network takes the headache out of sourcing and managing multiple suppliers across divergent geographies - delivering services with one MSA, SLA, and invoice no matter the location or access solution.

INTERNATIONAL CARRIERS

The second group is made up of carriers who are truly international, meaning they are not US based. These companies have headquarters in foreign countries with maybe a field office in the United states. They can bill in foreign currency and directly,  they can also set up a network in those countries. These carriers usually don’t buy wholesale from other places. They operate around the world and also have domestic presence in their respected countries.

• China Telecom - They have a huge presence in South America, and China along with the best rates.  
• NTT Communications -  Known as the “gateway to Asia” with total ownership of submarine cable infrastructures and the lowest latency from APAC to the US. 80% of the Global Fortune 100 use NTT for their mission critical global infrastructure and IT needs.
• TATA - If you have Data Centers or Contact Centers in India, Tata is the one you’ll want to talk to. They also have a huge presence in the Philippines.
• Telia -   Also called Telia Company, Telia Carrier is a company that  provides network infrastructure and services to more than 1,200 customers in 80 different countries worldwide. Their IP network, AS1299, has grown from being the largest IP network in Europe to being the second largest IP network in North America and the second largest in the world.
• GTT -  A global network integrator providing a broad portfolio of Wide-Area Network (WAN), Dedicated internet access and mobility services. GTT combines multiple networks and technologies such as traditional OC-x, MPLS and ethernet, to deliver cost-effective solutions. Their focus is on voice and cloud-based services
• Expereo - Expereo manages over 2500+ providers across 200+ countries to provide fully managed internet services with standard Ethernet handoff, static IPs, feet on the street, SD-WAN, in a single partner to help support you in the US or globally. They are headquartered in the Netherlands.
• Telstra -  A leading telecommunications and technology company offering a wide range of services globally, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. They have around 3,000 employees based in 22 countries outside of Australia providing services to hundreds of business and government customers. Telstra provides technology solutions for business and government customers, including data and IP networks, network application services such as managed networks, unified communications, cloud, industry solutions and integrated services.

These are the companies that can get you access, which means internet access, MPLS, SD-WAN, and field techs. The second group of carriers we discussed are the ones who will have the most field techs, while the first group of carriers are going to be the ones that rely on their foreign partnerships to get some of this work done. It’s important for you to know that because a lot of the times when work orders are handed off from one provider to another provider it creates some issues, but when you go right to the provider who is providing the service, everything happens a lot faster. 

MAIN CONSIDERATIONS 

Below we have listed some of things you should take into consideration when you’re deciding the design for your international network.

• Point to Point - Is one of those locations in the United States or not? For example if you’re going from Dubai to Japan then you have to look at the second group of carriers who are the true international carriers. If at least one of those points is inside the United States then the first group of carriers who are United States based will be your best bet.
• MPLS- If most of the locations are in the United States and just a few outside you will want to go with one of the United States based carriers. If majority of the locations are foreign and you only have one or two connections in the United States, the second group made up of truly international carriers will be your best choice. Of course than after the choice is made you will have to look into which carriers are available in the specific area you are in. The best way to start it out is just to narrow it down by country.
• Stand-alone Internet Access - If you’re looking for stand-alone internet access anywhere outside the United States you almost always have to go directly to the second group of international carriers. It is very rare to get stand-alone DIA because that's regulated under the local government regulations according to the particular country. Stand-alone internet access has to be done by a carrier who is native to that country or a carrier that has Nexus in that country.
• Last Mile - There are two different ways that carries can get last mile overseas... 1)  A type two connection, which means they have network to network interface agreements with that company. This is very expensive and technical. Companies like Level3 and Global Capacity have a lot of NNI’s.  2)  If you want to go from dozens to hundreds of options you actually have to just buy the last mile, in some cases retail which means the customer will have to go out and buy the last mile and route that back to their network. This opens them up to a lot more options.
• In-Country DID Numbers - There are many countries that will allow DID Numbers so your client can have an in-country number, but there are also many countries that do not. There are carriers in the portfolio above that don’t offer voice at all or local DID number. A good way to figure out which carriers offer DID numbers and which don’t....just ask us.  {see link below}
• Billing - If you’re a company that does not want to pay their bill in U.S. dollars you will have to find a carrier that has a nexus in your country. Nexus meaning an operating unit that has been registered with the local government that can actually bill in native currency.  Again, for help just ask us at the link below.
• SD-WAN - Some of the carriers don’t have their own native SD-WAN or even resell it yet. It’s important for you to understand what companies can do it and which can’t, specifically which carriers have equipment on standby so if something breaks you don’t have to FedEx a new unit out to the country.  Again, just ask us at the link below.
• Cloud and Colo Access - We talk a lot about Comcast, Level 3, CenturyLink and their ability to provide cloud connectivity directly into Azure or directly into AWS. What that is code for, is the ability to deliver connectivity directly into the data center in the United States where Amazon and Microsoft are co-locating their equipment. This applies overseas.

PUBLIC CLOUD ZONES 

All previous cloud connectivity discussions have been focused just on the North America, but as you can see from the image below Amazon has cloud zones in Brazil, Europe, and now they’ve also brought in Indonesia, Australia, China, and Japan. It’s important to know what you are intending to do in the public cloud, be we can also help build private clouds {just ask at the link below}.

In the image below you can see the zoning for the public clouds in the Microsoft environment. You’ll see that they’ve got a pretty comparable footprint with Amazon.  Microsoft has locations in Silicon Valley, Central US, North Central US, South Central US, and East US. They also have Brazil, Ireland, Amsterdam, and a good footprint across Asia, China, Japan, Australia, Singapore.

It is very important for you to be aware that today there is more need for connectivity internationally than there ever was before because internet and cloud access is worldwide technology upon which everyone is standardizing. Knowing the different types of international carriers, and what they can and can’t offer, is a great way to differentiate your network and help your business grow.

To take advantage of FREE quotes and support for design of international voice/data/cloud networks anywhere in the world...simply ask at the following link...it's easy as 1, 2, 3.

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