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A new buzz word heard more and more in IT communities is SaaS – which stands for “Software as a Service”.   What is SaaS?  The best known application which fits a SaaS model is Salesforce.com, which provides extensive contract and account tracking for sales professionals using a web based approach, with all the data stored by Salesforce.com.   Each company using this application pays a subscription fee per user, and can access the data from anywhere and at any time, as long as an Internet connection is present.

Software-as-a-service takes the onus for upgrades, data and server maintenance, installation etc off of the end customer and makes it part of the value the company receives from the software vendor.

The data generated by the end users is said to live “in the cloud”, which refers to a data center or hosting facility managed by the SaaS vendor.  This means it is consolidated and all accessible from one place, instead of being resident in partial form in multiple PC hard drives across the network.

Given the success of Salesforce.com, many other SaaS model companies are popping up with great value propositions and solid offerings. Some of these are security-as-a service offerings which provide added protection for enterprises that don’t want to maintain these applications on site.   Still others, such as startup HealthHiway which focuses on hospital patient data and billing are adding value by managing business critical, data intensive functions that used to be managed via on premise server banks and resident applications.

What does this mean for your network?  First of all, a fast WAN connection so that data can be retrieved quickly is going to become essential in the coming years.  This means your “pipe” leading into each enterprise building must be capable of handling lots of data (cat 5e or better is recommended), and your relationship with your service provider will be mission critical.   Be sure to choose a package and provider who can handle ever growing traffic needs.

Last but not least, this means that your need for new servers and personnel to maintain those servers will be reduced by the extent you choose to embrace the new SaaS models for your business.   This will allow you to focus on the business, and less on maintenance intensive activities.

If your infrastructure is not up to the SaaS challenge, now is the time to call professional structured cabling installers to make sure you can take advantage of this exciting, new trend.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).

You may have noticed that networking problems can be elusive and frustrating – causing small business owners to lose valuable time and productivity, as well as sleep!  Luckily, many networking problems have easily addressable fixes, and some are very common.

One of the most common problems can be solved with a new cable or connector – if intermittent or dropped communications are happening, check the wiring with a cable connector to see if a short or connector problem exists.    Dust on fiber optic connectors can also cause problems by interfering with light transmission.

Another common problem manifests as slow connectivity due to a jabbering network card transferring lots of useless data.   Check to see if the transmit light is always on to see if a card internal to a PC or laptop is jabbering.  This happens when the card is stuck in the transmit mode – and the fix is to swap out cards.

When configuration changes are made or new pieces of equipment are added to the network, equipment set up mistakes, DNS configuration errors, WINS configuration errors or other configuration problems can result – causing network issues.   It also pays to look at router tables to see if duplicate IP addresses exist, which can cause slow or intermittent connectivity.

Wireless networking problems can be even more elusive than all this.  If you suddenly notice that your connection has slowed down and you are moving – stop.  Usually you have wandered too far away from your router and signal strength is low.  Another reason is that too many people are trying to connect to your network at once.  Many small companies don’t believe in setting up a WEP or WPA key to protect their networks, and usurpers find ways to steal bandwidth and connections run slow.  Don’t let this happen to you!  Protect your network and vital bandwidth as soon as possible.

Other issues to look for with wireless networks include interference from cordless phones, microwaves and other wireless networks in the vicinity.   Dead spots can also be an issue, and can be remedied by using a range extender or repeater if moving your router doesn’t work.

When all else fails and your troubleshooting efforts have not worked, calling in professionals with superior equipment is the right thing to do.  The right network cabling installers have the right people, the right troubleshooting tools, and the right prices for any job you may need help with.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).

Technology is moving forward at a blinding pace, but unless we make an effort towards change – the wiring in our buildings remains the same.  Is it time for you to overhaul your antiquated wiring?  Here’s how to figure that out.

First of all, are you experiencing any problems with dropped Internet or VoIP connections?  If so, this is a major red flag telling you that it is time to take a look at the infrastructure.   If not, but you want to upgrade by adding VoIP endpoints, more computers or more networked devices, it is also time to take a look at the network.

The first thing to look for is what type cable is installed.   In order to operate a best practices network today, at least cat5e cabling is recommended.  If you are planning to add endpoints or have issues and don’t have cat5e, then it is best to put an infrastructure overhaul in your budget and roadmap.   

Next, take a look at the terminations.   Does each cable end have a properly terminated connector?  Are wires frayed?  Torn? If so, it pays to have a professional come in and repair the terminations so no problems occur in the future.  Also look at the condition of the insulation surrounding each cable – if it is in bad shape, then chances are you have a less-than-well-shielded data pipe at that point in your network.

Next make sure that you have enough Ethernet drops to support your future expansion plans.  If not, perhaps a few more drops are necessary only – without a full network upgrade. 

Are any wires running close to sources of interference, such as fluorescent lights?  If so, it makes sense to reroute them, or pull them and replace them with fiber optic cabling if rerouting is impractical or impossible. 

No matter whether you choose a major overhaul or simple upgrades, hire professional structured wiring installers. The right professionals will perform the above assessment using the latest network analysis tools, and will quote you a fair price for just what needs to be done and no more.   Why not call them today and start moving your building towards the future?

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).

VoIP or Voice-over-IP has replaced telephone “land-lines” in many businesses today due to ease of use, added features, and lowered costs.  Yet many things can cause call quality to degrade that are not well understood.

First of all, VoIP requires a good quality Internet connection – an asymmetric DSL connection to a small business, which is common, is usually not enough to run multiple phone lines without having some quality issues in the slower direction.   A T1 line, symmetrical business quality DSL, or higher speed cable modem is best for overall voice quality.

Secondly, VoIP connections can suffer call quality issues if there is no QoS or “Quality of Service” priority scheme built into the networking equipment used.  If voice is not prioritized over data, someone downloading a huge file in the next room or playing YouTube videos can cause a call to become very degraded or even dropped.

When choosing an Internet service provider, be sure to tell them that you plan to operate VoIP so that they give you a service that is designed for voice – otherwise, you may have issues such as packet loss that can also create gaps in the speech that you hear.

Choosing good VoIP phones is also critical to good quality and service, as well-designed phones have many features designed to make the overall VoIP experience as close to land line quality as possible. A good phone will have a good quality echo cancellation algorithm built into the chipset used, and will have a well designed headset with additional noise reduction features.  Cisco, Avaya, Nortel, and Shoretel all have superior products used by many businesses today.  Analog telephone adapter technology has also come a long way in the past several years – which means you can have a VoIP system using your old phones by simply buying boxes from Dlink, Linksys/Cisco or any number of other vendors and simply plugging them in.

A solid infrastructure built using at least cat5 Ethernet cabling is also a prerequisite for any business-class VoIP deployment.   If your infrastructure is not solid, or cabling is not run properly, high levels of interference or packet loss can cause your calls to be spotty or even inaudible.

The right structured cabling installers will be more than happy to do a detailed analysis of your network infrastructure and make cost effective yet useful recommendations for enhancements that will help keep your new VoIP system running efficiently.  Why not call them today?

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).

In mission critical as well as secure network applications, fiber optic cabling forms the infrastructure of choice – with superior transmission line and noise cancelling performance over that of traditional copper cable.

We all know how signals travel over copper – but how does fiber optic cable work?  The main reason for its superior performance is that it converts the signals being carried into light before transmission, and converts them back again on the other end.

Fiber optic cables are very thin glass wires (some are made of plastic) that are arranged in bundles or optical cables.  Each fiber has a core or thin center where the light is carried, a cladding that reflects the light back into the core, and an outside coating called a “buffer” that protects the fiber from damage.

Each bundle is again protected by an outer coating, called a “jacket”.

The light signal can travel at longer distances than electrical signals can travel over copper, as it bounces back and forth from the cladding which is reflective and doesn’t absorb any light.   The only thing that degrades the signal as it travels is impurities in the glass (or plastic), which is why it is a good idea to use high quality cabling if using fiber optics for long runs.

The light is sent across the cable using a transmitter, which is usually a laser or LED that is placed very close to the fiber.  On the other end, a photodiode receiver detects the light signal, decodes it, and turns it back into an electrical signal that can be read by a computer or piece of networking equipment.

Fiber optic cabling is thinner than copper wire, and can be run in tighter places than copper.  It also uses less power, so is “greener”.

Because these cables are thinner, more of them can be bundled together to increase the overall carrying capacity, making fiber optics a great choice for service providers such as AT&T Uverse with an IPTV offering.

Fiber optics are also very flexible, which is why they are used in medical imaging where they must bend in order to get good pictures of internal organs.   Because glass doesn’t emit electromagnetic energy that can be “sniffed”, fiber optic cabling is also much more secure than traditional copper in network cabling.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).

Navigating all the available options for service contracts from your equipment provider, service provider or reseller can be confusing, to say the least.  All possibilities from equipment warranty only all the way to complete remote monitoring services are available, making it difficult to choose the correct package.

The first step in making this critical choice is to assess the size and strength of your internal IT department.   If your network stability is critical but your staff small or inexperienced, then choosing a “high touch” contract makes sense. However, if you have a large network and very experienced staff, then contracts that focus mostly on rapid equipment replacement and warranty may be the best option.  Warranties are becoming richer – with many equipment providers offering advanced replacement and technical support as part of the overall package.

Today, many resellers and equipment providers also offer remote monitoring service packages that can reduce downtime and provide significant ROI even when experienced IT staffing is present.  Remote monitoring tools can help pinpoint network problems before they occur, flagging the need for equipment replacement, troubleshooting, or repair before any business impact from downtime can be suffered.

Many service contracts also include access to knowledge bases or highly trained support personnel, which makes a great deal of sense no matter what the staffing levels as key equipment knowledge can save a great deal of time and trouble when problems occur.

Another step that should be taken before choosing your best option is to list out your ideal set of services.  If you have a large enterprise or network, then an automated installed base management system may be desirable as it will allow your service provider or supplier to pinpoint where equipment is located, making next day replacement service easier to implement and meet.   If you have sophisticated pieces of equipment such as telepresence systems, then on-site engineering support may be another desirable feature.

Once a list is developed – the next step is to assess your overall budget for IT support, and compare it to the pricing offered for the services you have chosen.  This may be an iterative process for some time until the optimum balance is reached.

Over time, as your internal capabilities expand, contracts can be lessened. On the other hand, it may be more cost effective to use external resources than to maintain a large IT department.   There is no substitute for performing a solid financial analysis when making these types of decisions – no matter how large or small your network is.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).

A large expense faced by any company with a direct sales force is cell phone service.  Many plans still charge by the minute overall, or if there are any overages from included plan minutes.  This motivates business owners to find solutions for containing the overall minutes used.

One new gadget that promises to do so is a dual mode cell phone/WiFi phone that switches to a WiFi network when one is available.  WiFi networks within your company walls are free, meaning cellular minutes used can dramatically decline.

Today, dual mode phones are available from companies like Linksys, Nokia, and D-Link.   T-Mobile offers service that includes both cellular coverage and wireless hot spot access to accommodate such phones.   Data access is also made more readily available on such dual enabled phones, allowing users to listen to streaming broadcasts as well.

What’s the downside?  WiFi technology is not really designed to allow true mobility.   When on the WiFi network, there will be handoffs from access point to access point as the user moves around.   There will also be handoffs from the cellular network to the WiFi network and back that can cause calls to drop.   This can create some issues with business communications, imagine a dropped call as a customer is detailing his multi-million dollar order!

The good news is that lots of work is being put into making these handoffs more seamless and transparent to the user.   This means the future of dual mode phones is quite bright.

In the meantime, this may be a great idea for sales people who spent at least some of their day in an office equipped with WiFi, as calls during this part of the day will be free.

Taking advantage of this new technology means having a robust internal WiFi network with few dead spots and strategically positioned access points so that dropped calls are few and far between.   And these access points should be based on a robust and well planning internal network with a strong wired foundation, based on at least cat 5e cabling.

If your internal networks are ready for an overhaul so you can add these phones to your internal IT structure, why not call professional network cabling experts?  The right professionals will be happy to analyze your network and make concrete recommendations for enhancements that will move you into today’s world.   They can provide a network assessment and upgrade, and then help you choose the best dual mode phones for your team now and in the future.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).

Now more than ever before, businesses and their overall efficiency are dependent on the quality of Internet, voice, and video service their chosen provider can supply.  This makes the choice of service provider one that can make or break a small or medium business in today’s economic climate.

Making this situation even more complex is the wide variety and number of providers available that claim to be able to support anything, anywhere!  Where is the truth to these claims?  How can they be validated?

Regional, national, and international service providers can be found that offer anything from WiMax (great for remote areas with no infrastructure), DSL (good for very small businesses with 2-5 employees), to full T1s that can service a larger facility.

If you plan to deploy an IP phone infrastructure, it is best to choose at least a cable modem 6MB minimum service or a T1. DSL is not usually able to support VoIP (voice-over-IP) telephony, which has a huge cost and service benefit for all levels and sizes for business.

It also makes sense to ask any company vying for your business for at least three references from companies that are as close as possible to your size and number of employees.

Sometimes, the constraints of your building may dictate the service provider you must choose.  In some areas of the world, building owners have made “deals” with service providers that preclude other choices.  If you are caught into one of these situations, WiMax (wireless broadband) becomes a possibility as it is usually not covered by other contracts.   If your area isn’t covered by WiMax either, then you have the unfortunate choice between moving or using the only service provider offered.

Thankfully, the issue most businesses face is too many, rather than too few choices.   Many service providers, faced with user churn because there are so many choices for their customers, offer attractive promo deals to potential customers. Be sure to look beyond the immediate benefits of the “deal” to find the best overall package for you and your company.

The best choice for your company will be the provider that offers the bandwidth PLUS SLA (service level agreement) that fits your needs.  Remember, bandwidth alone is not enough to ensure clear Internet connections, you also must be wary of oversubscription. If there are too many users of the same “pipe”, delays can result.  This may not be serious if you don’t plan to deploy VoIP (voice-over-IP), but can still cause delays in video or file downloads that can be irritating to your employees.

If you want expert advice on whom to choose, why not call network cabling installers?  Professionals will assess your unique situation and draw from a wide knowledge bank to recommend the service provider that will meet your needs most cost effectively.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).

As Dick Tracy comic books and episodes of George Jetson foreshadowed, video IP phones are now a reality and are available in bulk from a reseller near you. But do you really need this exciting new gadget?

For the average rank and file worker, at this time, the answer is no.   These phones run upwards of $300 per handset, so at this time are mostly used by upper management.

But, if you are a manager who does a great deal of video conferencing but don’t yet have the Capex to put into a nice telepresence setup, a video phone might be just the ticket.   You will be able to get “face-time” with customers, employees and suppliers without leaving your office (or home, depending on where the equipment is installed), and you will be able to “look ‘em in the eye” and assess what is really going on if the business or sales situation requires it.

This can cut required travel costs and enhance how business is conducted dramatically.  It can even help position your business as a “green” business as it will cut carbon footprints.  Plus, many video phones have built in web browsers so they can act as multifunction devices.  They can be used to playback videos, view photos of system’s that need troubleshooting (which means they may be a great investment for field service or applications engineering teams), quickly check social networks for updates, and a wide variety of new applications that just require some simple API development.

While not suitable for every employee, a video phone may be perfect for the receptionist’s desk as he or she can then send a picture of the visitor to the employee whose time is being requested – a face may ring a bell and help make a quick decision to meet or not to meet with the guest.

Marketing communications or PR employees may also benefit from such a phone, as face time is critical when interfacing with magazine editors, analysts, and high profile industry experts as well.

But for most SMBs (small, medium businesses), this gadget is simply a high priced toy – whose value is yet to be proven.    Once the market matures, pricing is sure to fall to reasonable levels and video IP phones will become as affordable as simple IP phones are today.

Video IP phones require 100KB or more of bandwidth per second – so a solid IP infrastructure is a must even if you plan to deploy only one or two such devices.  Professional structured cabling installers can help make sure that the pipeline you have going to your video phones is strong, solid, and built on an infrastructure that will provide smooth, non-choppy video signals.  Call professional installers today, and they should be able to perform a comprehensive network assessment to make sure your existing cabling, routers, switches, and other equipment can handle the addition of video phones.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our Network Cabling website as the original source).