Technology Needs Assessment Survey

Transcription

1 Technology Needs Assessment Survey 1

2 - Avaya - ATT partner system - Don t know (9 responses) - Frontier (4 responses) - Local and in-house service - Versaline - Vodavi - VOIP PBX (3 responses) - None 2

3 Average of 6.7 lines; Median of 4 lines Average of 5 T-1 lines; Median of 1 line Average $65.51; Median $54.00 Average $319.87; Median $364 Insufficient data 3

4 - Broadwing - Qwest (2 responses) See Appendix A See Appendix A 4

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6 - T-1 and Wireless 6+ Mbps - Two xdsl connections - VPN - Ethernet 5 Mbps - Frontier DSL - Satellite - Two xdsl connections - T-1 and Wireless 6+ Mbps 6

7 - Focal - MCI - Sprint - Implex.net wireless - Visi Vector DSL - No idea - Qwest - Global Crossings Average $231.80; Median $95.22 See Appendix A 7

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9 Appendix A Comments may have been edited for clarity and privacy Are your current voice service requirements being met? 17. If No, please explain: - The only choice here is Frontier, or VOIP. VOIP isn't always reliable, and Frontier is expensive. Frontier has a monopoly on land lines, and I'd like to see some competition to improve service and price. - If I could get the cost down, I could use a 4th line, but too expensive as it is. - Limited service options that we'd like aren't offered and/or the technology of the options they offer are outdated. - We are in the process of integrating a national contract for all 9,600 offices to have VOIP, on-hold messages, and other voice services that will greatly enhance what we utilize now. 18. Have you considered other options/providers? Please explain: - No (with no further explanation - 8 responses) - Yes (with no further explanation - 2 responses) - Personally, no. Our Global Headquarters in St. Louis, MO, shops for national providers, contracts, and pricing. - No. Haven't really needed to. - No. I was told that Frontier was our only option in Lakeville - No I haven't. I'm happy with Frontier. - No. The cost is too prohibitive to switch. - No. We are a new business. - No. But did not realize that other providers were possible with local service? - No. We have a 3 year contract. We thought they were the only provider at the time we got our service. - No. We are satisfied with current applications. - Not recently; prior to opening two years ago we did a fairly extensive analysis but nothing since. - Frontier has been able to meet all of our needs to date, for both local and long distance service. - We have not considered other providers. We are typically locked with the data provider to Frontier...makes financial sense to bundle. - Yes, but the cost to install and transfer is prohibitive plus we have checked Qwest & been told they can't provide here, only choice is Frontier - Yes. Upon our initial move into the Lakeville area our costs increased by more than 40% from our previous provider (Qwest). Since that time 1

10 Frontier has reduced their individual line cost however I would welcome a competitor to the service. - Yes, but too much hassle - Yes, am using VOIP as alternative to expensive Frontier - Yes. Considering going digital once contract is up - Yes. Charter Communication - Yes. I am currently looking at VoIP and am looking at options with Stonebridge, Broadwing and possibly Charter. - Yes. The other options are with smaller carriers and don't provide the solutions we're looking for. Really need to add Qwest in the city. - We have looked for other options, but have not been able to find other options. - We contacted Charter Communication for VOIP but they do not have service in the area that we needed coverage. We have been using Frontier. - We looked into options before opening the store. - We have contacted other providers such as Sprint, AT&T, and a re-seller besides Frontier to gain more information about what kind of services are available, their costs and benefits, and their performance experiences. Based on our acquired knowledge, we made an educated decision. - We did check out other providers, and the owner of our phone system is currently switching to VOIP - therefore our future is more than likely headed to VOIP. - Corporate is evaluating VOIP for our Division. - As soon as it is an option to have it quoted, yes, however Frontier has had a monopoly on this area for some time. - Inquired about Charter High speed internet in February, not available. Went with Frontier at a higher price but the service is o.k. - Looked at changing to Charter for internet, but decided even if they were less expensive to have to change that customers already know (and having to reprint all business cards/information) it would not be worth that cost. - We are always looking to improve quality and service while looking to manage the expense function of all our providers - We have 8 separate cell phones for convenience and redundancy. - Actually our phone service is housed in Apple Valley because the cost for the same service in Lakeville was twice as much. - Don't know of any other option. - I was unaware that there were options for providers. My understanding was that Frontier was our only choice. - Currently not aware of any other phone service companies available in Lakeville other than Frontier. 2

11 Are your current data service requirements being met? 29. If No, please explain: - Need to have a backup for the times when Charter has outages. - Our office is in the process of moving from a remote satellite connection to a T1 line. This will help immensely with speed and efficiency and also be less subject to orbital risk. - Sometimes internet works, it should be on a wireless network, but that usually doesn't work, so most days the cable is plugged into the computer directly rather than using the wireless. - We currently have DSL hook up and cannot receive s from some of our customers. - While both our existing companies provide good service they both come in the building on the same bundle of copper. If there was a cable cut (backhoe fade) miles away from us we could lose both internet connections. Proper disaster planning dictates that we have another provider that enters the building a different way than the copper lines. These could be wireless, cable or satellite. If we lose internet connectivity all processes stop (our forklift and desktop computers are run from the mainframe system in Sioux City) until connectivity is restored. Of our 9 facilities across the United States, Lakeville is the only location that we are unable to find two different connection methods (other than satellite which has unacceptable latency). - Too slow - Frontier is the only service available for DSL and frankly, they have horrible service. Our location doesn't currently have the set-up for cable. It would cost over $3500 to have the lines laid for cable - There doesn t seem to be many options for other providers in this area. Unlike our other locations. I have 3-5 different providers I could use, if needed. Here in Lakeville the only option available to me for the most part is Frontier. - Frontier is limited for the services they can provide. Would like the option to have Qwest for local analog lines and frame relay. 3

12 Appendix B Percentages shown have been rounded Approximately how many employees does your business have in Lakeville? % % >150 5% % % % What type of Internet access does your company utilize? xdsl 50% Cable Modem 7% ATM 2% T-1 16% ISDN 4% Dial-up modem 2% Other 13% Fractional T-1 2% Wireless 2% Fractional T-3 2% 1

13 Appendix B (continued) Percentages shown have been rounded Who provides your current voice service? Frontier 81% Skype 6% Vonage 4% Other 7% Charter 2% Who provides your current data service? Stonebridge Communications 2% Other 20% Charter 7% Frontier 71% 2