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Take Time Now to Save Later
In today’s market of limitless amounts of communication technology, keeping up with the Joneses is more than status quo, it is necessary to build a competitive advantage.
From installing the latest IP telephony system to establishing a secure VPN, all communication technology requires timely and cost-effective maintenance to ensure highest possible return on investment. Investing time and research into a maintenance plan and partnering with a strategic maintenance provider will result in a long, profitable life for your telecom equipment.
Seemingly, the wise course might be to make the easy decision and have the OEM provide your maintenance service. However, much like most services these days, maintenance can be outsourced, frequently providing lower cost and higher quality of service. Oftentimes, a third party can provide better customer service and a more competitive rate.
Typically, OEMs charge companies a monthly retainer fee, similar to an insurance policy. Organizations will pay additional fees to ensure that coverage is provided in the event of an emergency. Frequently, in reality, many customers find themselves sitting on hold with a help desk, not getting the right answer the first time, or waiting weeks for a part to be delivered. Not to mention, OEMs do not have the breadth of knowledge necessary to support a maintenance plan for multiple makes and models of equipment.
Fast-paced companies cannot afford to have a system-wide shutdown when their communication system (IP or traditional) fails. Phone lines, whether digital or a landline, are the lifeline to customers, vendors, off-site employees and peripheral offices. Losing millions of dollars by sitting on hold is hardly a smart plan.
Technology investments can be protected with the SOURCE certified support team and its unlimited, 24-hour help desk. SOURCE supports the industry’s most comprehensive maintenance offerings through its "no penalties contract." Each contract is customized and detailed to ensure customers get what they pay for, when they want it.
Click here to view the new SOURCE maintenance brochure.
The next time you consider a major communication equipment upgrade or system implementation, calculate these factors:
- Design an emergency and recovery plan (click here to read more
about disaster recovery from the January issue)
- Budget time, money and resources for unforeseen glitches
- Train staff accordingly
- Develop project management staff for day-to-day oversight and crisis planning
- Consider a consulting staff for next-generation technology and supplementary value-add services
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Maintaining Your Telecom Maintenance Program
When considering or revaluating maintenance programs to better match current telecom applications, you may find yourself flipping through cookie-cutter options that provide services you need, some you don’t and others you wish you could have.
To help establish a plan that’s right for you, SOURCE has developed an innovative program that is as unique as your business. The customized maintenance plan offers a full-line of program selections to meet individual customer needs. Whether it’s 24-hour switch monitoring or traffic studies, you can decide what matters most to your organization and continuity requirements.
Piecing together a maintenance program from several providers or OEMs can result in a more expensive plan that may not be tailored to your strategy. Instead, develop a services roadmap and determine which services are must haves and which are luxuries. Identifying your need is the first step to establishing a targeted and cost-effective maintenance program.
SOURCE offers a comprehensive maintenance and a critical-care maintenance plan, as well as value-add services, to better align your communication technology with your organizational needs. Staying connected is more than having a dial tone. Maintaining your maintenance program ensures fewer downtimes, less repair and more timely communication.
Benefits of SOURCE Maintenance Customization
- Cost-effective program with flexible options
- Personalized service with a single point of contact
- Guaranteed response times
- Consolidated/detailed billing
- Activity reporting
- Support for a variety of equipment
To learn more about SOURCE’s maintenance offerings, click here for
a complimentary copy of new SOURCE maintenance brochure.
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Calm after the Storm: Disaster Recovery in a Technology Age (January 2006)
When an emergency affects a company, whether it is a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina or a local power failure, the team needs to have the necessary tools and resources ready to get the company up and running in a timely manner.
Maintaining the integrity of a corporate voice and data network is essential to enabling seamless communication between remote offices, customers and vendors. Disaster recovery and contingency plans must be developed and tested to ensure a dependable infrastructure.
Conduct a Risk Assessment
Examining the existing policy and equipment is the first step to organizing a recovery plan that is all inclusive and easily achievable. Look for weaknesses in the infrastructure, evaluate redundancy in service or vendor services, and inventory the entire company for local and remote devices.
Locating and outlining the entire corporate telecom system can be time consuming, but developing a system map can help an enterprise determine the critical applications necessary for rapid recovery.
Plan for the Unexpected
Some critics claim that disaster recovery plans and data storage are costly steps that may never be used. But, the reality is that risks can come from anywhere at anytime. A thorough disaster recovery plan that has considered risks and priorities, including both critical and non-critical functions, is the best insurance for any situation, especially when discussing communications.
For example, initiate communications from the affected area to external sources immediately, route non-emergency communications outside the affected area and then begin the process of restoring and repairing the system.
Once the initial plan has been developed, run several scenarios with employees or IT staff to smooth out unforeseen problems or revise the procedures.
Are you ready? Consider these events for an emergency plan test.
Natural Disaster
Digital Records Loss
Staff Relocation during Emergency
Terrorist Attack
Power Failure
Remote Access Crash
Data Replication and Recovery during Emergency
Security Breach
Cyber Attacks on Network
Data Recovery Isn’t Just an IT Problem
Now that many enterprises are turning to IP telephony, data and voice are running on a single network. This means that when a system experiences an error, data recovery comes into play for more than just lost documents.
A November Gartner report found that many companies are beginning to use off-site data storage, but are doing so locally. Nightly backups that are time intensive and are stored at a location across the city will not aid in an event like 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina because of the breadth of the emergency. A virtual tape library (VTL) or an electronic backup scheme removes the human element of handling sensitive corporate data. VTLs are the best solutions for data storage, as long as the data is stored at least 200 miles from the corporate site.
According to another recent report by Gartner, companies and executives are beginning to use and trust third-party companies to manage and maintain data. Before entrusting the vital information of an organization to someone else, review the provider’s security and contingency policies, encryption methods and access standards. When a crisis occurs, these procedures could determine the safety of the entire enterprise.
Voice
It doesn’t take a natural disaster to disconnect critical services that link a company internally and externally. Voice-service interruptions can occur with local loops, outbound long distance service, toll free service, data networks and wireless services.
Taking voice services for granted could be the biggest disaster for the company.
Consider this real world example after Hurricane Katrina:
- Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama lost connections to close to 2.5 million telephone lines
- 20 million telephone calls were not connected the day after the hurricane
- 38 emergency-911 response centers were destroyed
- 1,600 wireless telephone transmission sites were eliminated
- 4 television stations remain off the air
- 36 radio stations are still inactive
- The first outage call to BellSouth after the storm came from the New Orleans Mayor’s office and was on a Vonage softphone account
As private companies begin to acknowledge that the public sector cannot safeguard the national telecommunication system, both sectors are beginning to discuss alternative solutions. Some ideas have been for corporations to consider working together to develop emergency support. Whether it’s fiber-optic or solar cell energy sources, looking to the future is required for all organizations to successfully respond to various disasters.
Being a trusted company means being accessible throughout the worst scenarios. A company that can communicate is one that is in business.
February's Trivia Question Answers
Which one of these isn't a SOURCE campaign of the past?
a) Radically Rethinking
b) Save the Phones
c) Second to None
d) Dial SOURCE
How much was a gallon of gas in 1971?
a) $0.22
b) $0.38
c) $0.56
d) $0.90
Which one of these slogan debuted in 1971?
a) "Just Do It"
b) "I'd like to buy the world a coke..."
c) "What's in your wallet"
d) "Got Milk?"
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