A guide to Internet Connectivity Solutions. Ranked #1 managed Service Provider in the South West by

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1 A guide to Internet Connectivity Solutions Ranked #1 managed Service Provider in the South West by

2 Do you have the right connection for your business? Do you have the right broadband solution for your business? Is your connection slow and you would like to know why? Are you moving office and would like to know your options? Are you currently looking into connectivity solutions and just want some plain simple advice? This is where Solsoft Communications can help Solsoft have provided us with a service that is second to none. Not only has their technical expertise helped us maximise our IT return on investment but they are also a joy to deal with. I would highly recommend Solsoft s service to anyone

3 Contents Page 1 About Solsoft Page 2 Solsoft Values Page 3 Don t take our word for it... Page 4 Clear Communications Page 5 ADSL Guide Page 7 EFM Guide Page 9 Fibre Guide Page 12 Solsoft Services and Products Page Jargon Buster Page 15 Contact Us

4 About Us Solsoft is a well-established, industry recognised*, independent IT Solutions Specialist based in Clifton, Bristol. Established for over 10 years Solsoft pioneered the delivery of the IT Managed Services model to SME s not just in the South West, but across the UK. Since then Solsoft has expanded to circa 300 clients and delivers the full host of IT solutions**. Solsoft is a centre for excellence and by working only with like-minded partners across the globe has striven to provide best practice to its clients. Solsoft has always been known as the most qualified IT support company in the South West; being the first Microsoft Gold Partner and having more qualified engineers than any of its competitors. Solsoft don t just sell IT, we provide expert advice that is relevant and necessary to achieve our clients business objectives. This advice is then an integral part of the on-going relationship and is delivered consistently through dedicated account managers, quarterly business meetings, as well as financial budgeting and board level strategic IT plans. Our aim has always been clear, to help our clients lower costs, increase productivity and gain a competitive advantage through the delivery of a predictable, reliable and secure IT function. * In recognition of our hard work Solsoft has recently been ranked as the #1 IT Managed Service Provider in the South West and our MD Mike Ralston has been named as one of the industry s leading entrepreneurs by... ** For a comprehensive list of Solsoft s services please refer to page 12. I am happy to walk away from a potential sale if the client does not need nor require something and the best advice would be to do nothing Clive Madders Technical Director

5 Solsoft Values Solsoft understands the need to deliver excellence, to continually invest in R&D, to supply the best IT solution, partner with the best suppliers, employ and develop the most qualified staff, have our procedures backed by ITIL & ISO aligned methods and our services backed by SLA s and be price competitive at the same time. However we also understand that the above doesn t define Solsoft. What truly sets us apart is the customer experience, how we deliver our service and the values that every Solsoft employee shares. From the outset in 2002 Solsoft s founders recognised the need for an all-encompassing IT company tailored for the SME market that operated on 5 core values. 1. Customer Experience You are our No1. Priority, we will always go the extra mile for you and promise to be a joy to deal with. 2. Responsiveness We support your business 24/7/365 it s that simple! 3. Best Advice We help you select the best solution for you without selling you things you don t need. 4. Transparency We will tell you how it is, with honest answers that aren t scripted, if we make a mistake we ll admit it and fix it. 5. Clear Communication IT solutions providers seem to delight in communicating in a confusing manner but how does this help unless you re an IT manager? Solsoft will always deliver every communication in clear unbiased fashion so you always know what you re getting and most importantly why. Solsoft will be synonymous with delivering only the very best IT solutions bespoke to every business, the difference being to communicate in a clear fashion and to only deal in best advice. So no matter whom you are, what your level of IT understanding or what business objective you have, we will demud the confusing landscape of IT jargon and acronyms and ultimately deliver what our clients need, therefore making a once confusing subject: Simple, Predictable, Reliable and Secure. Mike Ralston - Managing Director

6 Don t take our word for it... Solsoft have been very effective about cutting through the technical jargon and delivering a reliable and friendly service. We are pleased with the service we get from Solsoft, they are a true partner to us, and have extremely dedicated field engineers, who care about the business which is what matters most to us. The relationship with Solsoft is so strong that it feels like they are part of the staff team. They are focused on providing a quality service that delivers value for money. We have followed their advice in setting our IT strategy which has proved over the years to be wise with new employees often commenting on how good our IT system is compared with their previous employers. We would not hesitate to recommend them. We have worked with Solsoft for a number of years and have found them to be helpful, quick to respond and prepared to go the extra mile. Solsoft cover all aspects of our IT infra-structure from providing competitively priced hardware, managing server and communication solutions and dealing with our everyday IT niggles. We particularly appreciate having a dedicated Account Manager who always stays in regular contact with us. The professionalism and support we receive has been outstanding, in particular the IT Help Desk. Many of our staff have reported an increase in confidence to do their day job. We have received support from Solsoft since 2009 and they have moved our IT system and capabilities forward throughout this time. They are easy to contact, quick to respond and provided us with new solutions to old problems. I am now confident that we have access to our server and the ability to work from wherever and whenever which is necessary in the modern work environment and they keep me up to date with innovations and smarter working practice. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for the way forward with IT support. Solsoft don t just do comms - check out our full host of products and services on page 14

7 Clear Communications Due to the advancement of technology, evolving business processes, increasing demands of customers and the need for a remote workforce, internet connectivity has never been so crucial to our everyday business lives. But unfortunately due to the minefield of technology and technical jargon, most communications providers make it very difficult for their audience to determine with confidence exactly what they need. This is where Solsoft Communications can help. We specialise in providing leading Business Grade Connectivity Solutions, the difference being we will cut through the jargon so our audience, whoever that may be, will understand the different types of connectivity but most importantly which solution is right for their business. If you are ahead of the curve and have already identified what you need why not take a moment to look at what we can offer, you may be pleasantly surprised. For example our Leased lines start from 240 and our ADSL is 4 times faster than standard business grade broadband and comes with free line rental saving you over 150 per year. Please bear in mind that the following options are all business grade, which means that, as opposed to residential grade (Virgin, BT, SKY or whoever your supplier may be), your business grade line receives priority access, so your traffic gets right of way.

8 ADSL This is your standard internet connection; it stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Lines. ADSL provides good download speeds but poor upload speeds. This means you can browse the internet at fast speeds (download) but if you have a remote workforce or another office that needs to access information from your head-office system (upload) this will be very slow. ADSL does not provide consistent internet speeds due to the fact that it suffers from contention. This simply means that your internet service is shared i.e. this service is delivering internet connectivity to multiple customers, therefore the more people using the internet at one point means the slower your service will be. The majority of business ADSL lines have a contention ratio of 20:1; meaning the line is shared between 20 different customers. Therefore at peak times you may only be able to harness one twentieth of the lines full potential. Business Grade ADSL from 25 per month This is your standard internet connection; it stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Lines. ADSL provides good download speeds but poor upload speeds. This means you can browse the internet at fast speeds (download) but if you have a remote workforce or another office that needs to access information from your head-office system (upload) this will be very slow.

9 This is where Solsoft differentiates from the competition; we only provide ADSL lines that have a contention of 5:1, meaning our ADSL broadband is 4 times faster. This means that our lines in comparison to our competitors provide a faster more reliable service. In addition we don t charge monthly line rental fees meaning you save over 150 per year. Please note that ADSL connectivity does not include an SLA, so if the line goes down we can only endeavor to get it up and running ASAP. This is standard across the industry. 4 times faster than standard business broadband Who is this solution right for? Smaller businesses that do not rely heavily on the internet Business with less than 10 employees Businesses that do not have a remote workforce or other offices due to poor upload speeds A word of warning: We strongly recommend you avoid using VoIP and any Cloud based service using ADSL due to contention issues and no SLA. Any communications provider suggesting you do is not giving you best advice Line rental free broadband. Our ADSL package will save you over 150 per year

10 EFM Stands for Ethernet First Mile and is a significant step up from ADSL. Traditionally businesses had the choice between an ADSL or Fibre connection. Unfortunately some businesses find that ADSL is not fast enough, whereas Fibre is too expensive, consequently EFM is an inbetween solution. First and foremost it is a symmetrical service meaning that you receive the same download and upload speeds, making remote work or opening your next office possible. EFM is delivered on 2 pairs of copper lines meaning internet speeds are greatly increased as the additional lines deliver greater bandwidth. It also increases service reliability because if one of the wires fails the other lines will supply the service meaning no downtime. Highly reliable symetrical internet from 240 per month An EFM solution is delivered through a dedicated private line meaning no contention; therefore internet speeds remain constant no matter what time it is. Solsoft s EFM service comes with a 6 hour SLA so if for some reason it fails, it will be up and running within this time frame.

11 Benefits of an EFM Line: Faster symmetrical upload and download speeds, allowing more efficient data transfer. Provides an uncontended, secure and reliable connection between two offices, or the office and the internet. EFM makes buffering and streaming much quicker, ideal for video conferencing. EFM supports a VPN making working from home easier and more secure An EFM or Fibre package means you can now take advantage of VoIP and the Cloud Take advantage of VoIP and lower your call costs by up to 40% Who is this solution right for? Smaller business that rely heavily on the internet Larger businesses with a bigger headcount i.e. more than 10 (an ADSL connection will be extremely slow if you have 10 users +) Larger businesses with more than one office Any business that wants a flexible remote workforce part or full. VoIP allows savings of up to 40% on your phone bill Any business that wants to save money with VoIP.

12 Fibre This is a significant step up from EFM and offers unparalleled symmetric (upload and download) internet speeds. Unlike ADSL & EFM, Fibre connectivity uses glass threads to transmit data instead of copper wiring. This technology delivers greater bandwidth and reliability as the line is less susceptible to interference. In the case of ADSL & EFM the further your premises are from your closest exchange point the less speed you get as internet speeds degrade over distances. Fibre is not affected in this way because the technology in the line allows data to travel at near enough the speed of light. This means that no matter where your premises are or how far the Fibre line has to travel you will always be guaranteed a dedicated superfast connection. Data transfer at the speed of light Fibre is also except from contention as it is delivered on its own private line meaning internet speeds will remain constant no matter what time it is. Fibre comes with a 4 hour SLA so if anything were to go wrong which is extremely rare, service will be back up and running within 4 hours.

13 Benefits of a fibre line: Unparalleled symmetric upload and download speeds File download and upload in seconds Faster Internet browsing including streaming of high-definition video Additional bandwidth will improve the performance of VPN making uploading and downloading of files more efficient, and making working from home easier and more secure Take advantage of VoIP and lower your call costs by up to 40% Improved business services such as video-conferencing Offers flexible upgrades - as your business grows you can increase internet speeds to account for higher usage Choose the speed you want to receive - from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps

14 Who is this solution right for? Any company that requires a constant and reliable internet connection for mission critical services. Any company that requires constant and reliable communication between multiple offices Companies that have a reliance on the internet but are too far away from their nearest exchange to benefit from ADSL or EFM connectivity solutions due to line degradation. Any company looking to take advantage of VoIP and the Cloud From 575 per month

15 Solsoft Services and Products IT Support IT Outsourcing / Managed Services 24/7/365 Helpdesk Vendor Management IT Consultancy Virtualisation Infrastructure Solutions Architecture Cloud Computing Office 365 Virtual Data Centre Hosting Disaster Recovery Off-site backup Business Continuity Virtual IT Director & Strategic Planning Software Asset Management - SAM Business Grade Communications ADSL - inc. Line rental free broadband EFM Fibre VoIP LES MPLS VLAN / WAN Firewalls Website Development Enterprise marketing solutions Content Management Systems E-commerce Marketing Social Media 3D Modelling SEO Sharepoint Intranets, Extranets & Collaboration tools Strategic Marketing Support Purchasing (Software and Hardware at reduced RRP) PC / Laptop / Tablet / Thin Client Servers Storage (SAN, DAS, JBOD) Networking (FW, RTR, SWITCHING) Cabling, Cabinets Software License Specialists for Microsoft Printers, MFD, Managed Print

16 Jargon Buster Upload and Download Speeds The difference between these two is the direction of the data transfer. Download speeds refers to how quickly you can browse the internet, or in effect how quickly you can download information from the net to your device (pc, laptop, smart phone etc ). Upload speeds refers to how quickly you can send data i.e. if you are a remote worker that needs to access documents from the office server you will be uploading data from that server to your device (laptop, pc, smart phone etc ) Thus the upload speed at HQ is more important thatn download. Symmetric = the same upload and download speed Asymmetrical = faster download speeds compared to upload Bandwidth Line Degradation SLA This refers to how much data can be transferred through your internet line at any one point; it is therefore a reflection of internet speed. I.e. The higher your bandwidth the more information can be sent at any one time, therefore the greater your internet speed. This only applies to copper wiring i.e. ADSL and EFM solutions. Internet services are delivered from exchange points around the country, in the case of copper wiring the further your premises are from your closest exchange point, the less speed you get as internet speeds degrade over distances. Fibre is not affected by this as it does not use copper lines. Service-Level Agreement - is part of a service contract where the level of service is formally defined. The term SLA is used to refer to the contracted delivery time (of the service) or performance.

17 Jargon Buster Contention Contention refers to how many customers in your area are using the same internet service. If your connection is contended this means that the connection your internet service is running through is shared. The more premises sharing the line means the slower your line will be. E.g. a contention ratio of 20:1 means your line is being shared by 20 customers, so during peak times your business will only be able to harness one twentieth of the lines potential. ADSL is contended. Most communications providers supply ADSL lines that have a 20:1 contention (not very good) whereas Solsoft Communications only supply ADSL lines with a 5:1 contention meaning greater reliability and consistency of service. An Uncontended line equalling a 1:1 contention ratio means the internet line is not being shared, it is your private line, therefore internet speeds will never fluctuate no matter what time of day it is. EFM and Fibre lines are uncontended. Exchange Point VoIP Internet services are delivered from exchange points around the country VoIP is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol, or in more common terms: phone service over the Internet. If you have a reasonable quality Internet connection (EFM or Fibre) you can get phone service delivered through your Internet connection instead of from your local phone company. This results in huge cost savings on your telephone bill. Visit our VoIP page for more details.

18 Connect with us Take a moment to connect with us and receive the latest IT news, offers and independent advice. Contact us For more information about connectivity solutions or any other aspect of our service either visit:, call us on or drop in for a chat... we ll provide the biscuits.

19 Solsoft, Jacobs Building Berkeley Place Clifton, Bristol BS8 1EH