The MegaPath Connectivity Blog

Mastering the Triple Play

I grew up in Maryland, and when I was a kid my baseball hero was Brooks Robinson.  Nobody could turn a ball around faster than he could, and I know I will never forget 1973, when “The Human Vacuum Cleaner” started not one, but two triple plays that season.    That gave him a trio of triple plays for his career, 3 of the 679 all time triple plays. When I look for inspiration when it comes to executing a triple play, I look to Brooks Robinson.  (I am not going to mention that he also hit into a record 4 triple plays in his career).

As it turns out, I didn’t end up being a ball player.  Instead, my chance to make ‘triple plays’ came in communications,  providing a trio of voice, data and security solutions to our customers.   And I’m proud to say that we are recognized as having mastery skills at providing these managed services.

More small businesses than ever are achieving increased efficiencies while lowering costs by using managed voice, data and security services.   Economic realities, IT staff & budget compression, and increased service expectations from users — whether you’re in a small business or a distributed enterprise — have really created the perfect storm for greater reliance on a managed services provider for voice, data, and security.   The benefits of doing so include the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your services are being monitored 24-7-365 by experienced experts, as well as knowing that well defined Service Level Assurances (SLAs) are standing behind the network services you rely on.  But most importantly, partnering with a Master Managed Service Provider will help your business prosper.

Having a single point of contact for these three services will lower your support costs, while using outsourced expertise will allow you to mitigate the costs of building out management and reporting capabilities that are not core to your business.  You can focus on implementing the best practices of your business, knowing that we are following the best practices of our industry.

MegaPath is one of only a handful of Cisco Managed Services Channel Partners to receive the Master designation.  To achieve this, Cisco made an extensive audit of our NOC  capabilities, checked out our SLAs, and verified that we have both CCIE and ITIL certified team members.  At the end of this process, Cisco said we not only qualified for the Master designation, but that both our MPLS VPN Service and Managed IP Trunking VoIP product qualified for the Cisco Powered designation.

Recently Cisco did a case study of MegaPath (pdf), and put the spotlight on how we work together as an example of the benefits that can be achieved by gaining this designation.  Of course, the real benefit of this goes to our customers, who have come to rely on us for mission critical triple play solutions.

And yes, I know that Donie Bush shares the record with Bid McPhee for turning 9 triple plays, but I never spent summer nights as a kid listening to them play games at Memorial Stadium with Boog Powell, Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson and Earl Weaver on my transistor radio.

Typical Business Ethernet Customer Premise Device (Hatteras HN400)

We  are living in what will be recognized as a Golden Age of Business Communications, and are enjoying the advantages of a widely interconnected planet in which our customers, partners and team members are able to affordably share information globally, in real time.  There are so many exciting technologies out there, from VoIP to VPNs, from Broadband to Wireless, that is hard to know what to be most excited about.  Personally, though, I am most excited about Business Ethernet in 2010.

Ethernet came into existence at the XEROX Palo Alto Research Center in 1973, when Bob Metcalfe and David Boggs started working on their ‘Alto Ethernet’ concept, which would connect computers together over short distances using coaxial cable.  Now here we are in 2010, and we’re still excited about developments in Ethernet technologies.  We’ve come a long way from the days of  ‘Thick Ethernet’ and ‘Vampire Taps’, and luckily for us, Ethernet has moved from being a LAN technology to being a widely deployed WAN technology.

Business Ethernet offers many advantages to an organization that is looking for a big pipe on a budget.  Offering truly symmetrical service with upload and download speeds of up to 20Mbps, it is the perfect solution for those looking to extend their network reach at a fraction of the cost of a DS3.  The loop is delivered via highly reliable copper bonding technology, and is perfect for businesses deploying VoIP, or who need to move large data sets around.  As a fully managed service, combined with security and pro-active monitoring, it is the perfect solution for any business that need to maximize their resources.

We have delivered Ethernet technologies to many of our customers for years and years, over both coaxial cable within carrier hotels, and over fiber via Metro Ethernet connections.  Delivering Business Ethernet (pdf) services over bonded copper loops allows us to offer more businesses than ever the advantages of a fast, reliable service, backed by a rock solid SLA and by the 24×7x365 availability of the team of engineers in our NOC.

If you find that your current bandwidth needs aren’t being met, you should make sure to speak to us and take advantage of the possibilities Business Ethernet presents.

Enterprises and SMBs today face many of the same issues, and one of the biggest issues they both face  is making sure business communications are safe and secure.  With the increase in mobile workforces, and with more customers and partners wanting to do business online, VPNs need to be scalable, flexible and manageable.  Also, the people who need access to your business network need it from wherever they are, on whatever device they have available.  Luckily, SSL VPNs are a solution that can meat all of the above requirements.  Here are several reasons you should consider SSL VPNs as a solution for keeping your business better connected.

• Reduced Costs - Web based access that doesn’t require a preloaded software client on the desktop will reduce desktop support costs. The ease of use factor will also cut down on calls to your Help Desk.
• Increased Flexibility – SSL VPNs allow anyone to connect to any network resource at any time, using any device.  All you need is a web browser and an Internet connection.
• Granular Control – SSL VPNs secure the person, not the device.  Customers,  Business Partners, Road Warriors, Flexecutives and Telecommuters can all be granted access to the specific network resources they need, and this access can also be finely tuned to allow certain levels of access control based upon how they are communicating with the network.
• Eased Administration – When you work with the right partner, your SSL VPN platform will be managed by security professionals who are available 24/7/365, and who are ready to offer assistance as needed anywhere around the globe.
• Increased Protection – SSL VPNs can be delivered as part of a security platform that can also protect against viruses, worms, spyware and malware.  Just make sure your SSL VPN partner is ready to deliver this level of security.
• Remote Connectivity – SSL VPNs are ready built to handle remote access by definition.  This remote connectivity can be occurring at an airport on a Blackberry,  using a public WiFi hot spot via a laptop, or at a client’s office on a borrowed PC. 
• Business Continuity- Natural disasters, bad weather, and technologies outages do sometimes occur.  Giving the people you need to communicate with access to an SSL VPN can help you mitigate the effects of such occurrences on your business, and help you avoid business disruptions.

SSL VPNs offer your business the opportunity to lower costs, increase security and be ready for anything.  Maybe most importantly, your users will love it.  I’ve been using VPNs for years, and I know that I’m glad to not have to deal with the IPSec clients anymore (one on each PC, Mac or Linux box I use), and to know that now I can check in wherever I happen to be.  I bet your users will appreciate this flexibility, too.

With the end of the year coming up fast, it seems like it is a good time to take a look at what 2010 has in store for us.  Several trends in business connectivity have developed over the last year, and will continue to further evolve in 2010.  Here is a list of 10 topics you should take into consideration as you do your planning for next year.

SIP Trunking - VoIP really exploded this year, due both to the increased functionality and the cost savings it offered to so many companies.   In 2010, combining SIP trunking with MPLS and security is going to really take off.

Managed Security - Everyone knows that security is vital in today’s business climate.  In fact, in many instances it is mandated.  More SMBs and small enterprises, who don’t necessarily have dedicated IT staff, will be outsourcing this function to a partner whose 24/7/365 NOCs will monitor and ensure that communications integrity is maintained.

Extended Workforce - Several events over the last year, including the H1N1 flu pandemic and various disasters, highlighted the need for the workforce to be able to access corporate communications from their home offices.  Telecommuting will see large scale adoption in 2010. Make sure you work with a partner who can reach your team wherever they are, and with DSL, Cable, Satellite and Wireless options.

Enterprise Social Networking - Facebook and Twitter exploded in 2009, and the communication capabilities they offer will invade the workplace in 2010.  Look for various offerings in both internal and cross-company social networking in 2010, and make sure your network has the security and connectivity necessary to meed the demands of these applications.

Cloud Computing – We’ve been hearing about this one for a while, but I expect 2010 will be the year many companies move to adopt this technology.  With Google and Microsoft both prepared with web applications, and with many companies having broadband connectivity in place, it seems like this is the year this might all come together.

Business Ethernet - Ethernet has always been a simple, high speed bandwidth option used for the LAN. In 2010, we will see large scale adoption of Business Ethernet for the WAN by SMBs and Enterprises due to the new economics that allow you to leverage these large pipes for a low cost.

Enterprise Video - Telepresence, Video Conferencing, Video Surveillance  and Video Training will all see a major push in the next year, as businesses leverage these technologies to save costs, increase revenues and keep their workforces up to speed.  It is vital that your network partner be ready with QoS enabled across many bandwidth options so you that you can be sure the video gets through loud and clear.

Extended Enterprise - People now work wherever they happen to be.  In 2010, we will see more adoption by Enterprises of systems and policies that allow people to access anyone, from any location, on any device, at any time.  Managed SSL VPNs will enable businesses to realize such a goal, while lowering costs and ensuring the security of sensitive data at all times.

Wireless Data - The application of wireless technologies to business communications will continue to grow.  For years now, businesses have leveraged wireless voice applications to great success. In 2010, we will continue to see more deployment of data applications across wireless networks, both 3G and 4G.  Wireless data technologies can enable rapid provisioning of communications to a store, offer an excellent option for backing up wireline communications, and can be used by your mobile workforce to access corporate data on devices such as Netbooks.

Payment Card Security - Securing credit card transactions will be the focus of a great deal of activity in 2010.  The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) will continue to evolve (PDF), and changes in areas like wireless networking will need to be implemented in 2010.  All levels of merchants should be working with a PCI DSS Validate Service Provider (PDF) payment card extranet partner to make sure they are ready for the changes in the coming year.

Tomorrow, Americans  all across the planet will celebrate Thanksgiving.  We will sit down with those closest to us, break bread and celebrate and give thanks for all that we have.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for providing us the opportunity to serve them, to thank our partners for working with us throughout the year on delivering managed solutions that keep everyone better connected, and to thank the members on the team here at MegaPath for making this a great place to work.

I would especially like to thank everyone who will be at work tomorrow. Many of our customers will be open for business, providing needed and valued services to both businesses and families, whether they are a restaurant hosting the family gathering, or a convenience store staying open so you can get that gallon of milk. Folks will be working here at MegaPath, too, as engineers will be monitoring communications and security from the Network Operations Center.

I am glad and thankful that I get to take this moment to reflect on all the we at MegaPath have, and to think ahead to all the we can and will do tomorrow, to the solutions we will create, the value we will deliver and the future we will build together.

Happy Thanksgiving!