Work here, there, and everywhere with INS communications solutions

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1 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 BUSINESS CONNECTIONS Work here, there, and everywhere with INS communications solutions INS Network Alarm Monitoring 3 Business Continuity 4 Solutions Inc. Works Virtually 5 New Cloud Computing Services 6 Wireless Network Safeguards 7

2 BUSINESS CONNECTIONS Preparation paves the way for better results in all kinds of business situations. You probably spend a considerable amount of time each week preparing for what s to come doing research, developing plans, and building relationships. It s all that groundwork that makes future successes possible. This issue of Business Connections includes a variety of articles related to the topic of preparation. First you ll learn about INS Network Alarm Monitoring, a service that provides 24/7/365 monitoring of your critical equipment to keep your business responsive to system failures. Business Connections is a publication of INS Corporate Drive, West Des Moines, IA No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, electronic, photocopying, recording, mechanical, or otherwise without the prior written permission of INS. All rights are reserved. Editorial and Circulation Contact: Kristi Arp, 4201 Corporate Drive, West Des Moines, IA 50266, All brand names and product names used in this publication are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Extra issues are available to business customer employees on a limited basis while supplies last. Contact: Kristi Arp, 4201 Corporate Drive, West Des Moines, IA 50266, Copyright 2009 by INS and Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc. Postmaster send changes to: Kristi Arp - Business Connections Iowa Network Services 4201 Corporate Drive West Des Moines, IA Preparation is definitely key when it comes to business continuity and disaster recovery. These issues are addressed from several angles on pages 4, 5 and 6. Don t miss the overview of INS Business Continuity and Virtual Office communications solutions that keep your data secure and business operational in the event of an emergency. Virtual Office solutions are now being used successfully by marketing firm Solutions Inc. to allow employees to work from home; you can read their story on page 5. We continue with the virtual theme on page 6, with an introduction of the new cloud computing services offered by Alliance Technologies to simplify your IT infrastructure. As always, please let us know how we can help prepare your company to better meet changing communications challenges. Sincerely, Richard M. Vohs INS President and CEO

3 INS Network Alarm Monitoring We focus on monitoring so you can focus on business Iowa Network Services offers costeffective 24/7/365 alarm monitoring of networks through the INS Network Operations Center (NOC). All critical equipment with remote alarm capability can be monitored, including telephone switches, routers, DSLAMS, fiber terminals, video equipment, power equipment and building security. We use the Harris NetBoss network management system to provide sophisticated surveillance and trouble-clearing reporting as well as roundthe-clock consulting services by highly specialized NOC personnel. Iowa Network Services offers cost-effective 24/7/365 alarm monitoring of networks through the INS Network Operations Center (NOC). If a problem develops anywhere in your system, it s immediately detected and displayed within the NOC, where experienced and knowledgeable technicians quickly alert the proper parties. These technicians also have the ability to perform remote maintenance based on your instruction and jointly established procedures, which may allow your business to reduce staff requirements and the overtime expense of after-hour callouts. Leon Hofer, INS VP Network Operations, notes that companies of all sizes use INS Network Alarm Monitoring. He says, The range of businesses is significant, from a very small company with a single presence to regional or state-wide companies with 200 or more locations. What are the advantages of using INS Network Alarm Monitoring compared to buying and maintaining your own monitoring equipment? Hofer replies, One of the factors is ongoing maintenance and support of a local solution. The equipment may require an annual support agreement and there are configuration changes that need to be made, often by local personnel. These changes can occur whenever equipment is updated or replaced or when there is a change in the maintenance responsibilities of personnel. By contrast, a company that uses INS for monitoring merely has to contact us and we update our system to provide the response they need. We will tailor our call-out or dispatch to their personnel in whatever way serves their particular requirements. The business customer also gains the added benefit of having INS investigate a network or equipment problem to verify the severity before having to call their own technicians in the middle of the night. INS technicians are very qualified and we routinely invest in professional training to keep them current on the latest technologies. No matter what type of network element, location or application you need continuously monitored, the INS NOC is ready to provide a solution. To learn more, call INS at CALL-INS. Round-the-Clock Benefits INS Network Alarm Monitoring provides a comprehensive solution that will benefit your business in many ways: Enjoy peace of mind from 24/7/365 monitoring manned by experienced technicians who understand the alarms. INS will assist you in resolving reported issues and problems of initial service installation. A complete set of records is created and maintained by INS and may be used for service restoration. Eliminates the need for you to manage multiple, locally developed monitoring processes. Trend analysis of network fault information is available. 3

4 Business Continuity and Virtual Office Solutions INS responds to pandemic outbreak with new ways to mobilize your business The need to prepare for a pandemic outbreak caused INS to review our own business continuity and disaster recovery plans to guarantee our capabilities to serve customers remained intact. In doing so, we realized our solutions could also address your communications needs. That s why we launched a suite of Business Continuity and Virtual Office communications solutions, designed to help small- to medium-sized companies continue to function normally in the event of a disaster or other business disruption. INS Business Continuity Solutions Housing your critical IT infrastructure in a secure, offsite location is like giving your business data life insurance. INS Business Continuity solutions allow you to: Quickly and effortlessly access company files, data and applications. Securely connect your employees to your private network from any laptop, home computer or any Internetenabled PC through a Web portal. Connect to your private network over a dedicated connection with unlimited, scalable bandwidth to accommodate your growing data loads. Gain the peace of mind that comes from a survivable, redundant network of geographically dispersed facilities (greater than 100 miles away) and Sonet ring architecture with multiple points of connection. Relocate your critical IT infrastructure to the new INS Westown Communications Center a secure, offsite storage facility. The Westown Communications Center features a fire protection system and 24/7 monitoring of security, temperature and power. By housing your network infrastructure in this state-of-the-art facility, your company s most critical systems are kept safe and you eliminate costly downtime and minute-by-minute profit loss. You can also save by reducing the overhead costs of housing your own servers and systems, including rent or mortgage payments for an office facility as well as the electricity costs required for cooling. We saved a client $10,000 per month by moving their critical IT infrastructure into our WCC. They no longer have a need to rent additional office space to house their own servers and systems, notes Tony Mumm, INS Product Development Manager. INS Virtual Office Solutions Whether as part of everyday operations or a backup plan in case of emergency, the ability to have your employees work from offsite locations can be extremely valuable to your business. INS Virtual Office solutions provide a cost-effective, turnkey approach to mobilize your workforce. These flexible solutions include the following: Connection of your multi-site offices through a private connection Dedicated connectivity over a redundant, secure network Real-time access to company information, business applications, voice services, and fax wherever there is an Internet connection Unlimited, scalable bandwidth that s cost effective Web and hosting Managed security Mobile Worker services 24/7 network management and monitoring services 4

5 Giving employees the opportunity to work from home has benefits beyond reducing office overhead costs and increasing preparedness for potential disasters. A Virtual Office also creates a more green approach by reducing the fuel required for commuting, and has been shown to improve employee satisfaction and retention. INS Virtual Office solutions provide a cost-effective, turnkey approach to mobilize your workforce. By partnering with INS, you get worry-free solutions to keep your business moving forward regardless of the challenges that may be ahead. For more details on INS Business Continuity and Virtual Office communications solutions, call INS at or visit our Web site at Working from Home Works Well for Solutions Inc. Our client base is located all over the United States, so the idea of a virtual office network is ideal, explains Keri Storjohann, president of Solutions Inc. Results Through Creative Marketing. The creative marketing firm helps organizations build customer loyalty, identify new markets, create buying preference, change behavior, enhance the customer experience and increase revenues. INS created a suite of Virtual Office products for Solutions Inc. to enable their staff to work from home. Team members have access to company files, data and applications by using any Internet-enabled laptop or home computer through a secure, IP VPN dedicated connection. Additionally, INS provides secure housing for the firm s shared computer equipment, including their VoIP telephone PBX system, in the INS Westown Communications Center (WCC). Storjohann remarks, From a user perspective, it s awesome. Our INS Virtual Office solution allows everyone to work from home yet it s as if we re all sitting in our old office. We can access the server and Internet, and buzz each other on our IP phones, just like before. From a business owner s perspective, I know everyone is connected and has access to the information they need to meet client deadlines. I can also rest easy because I know my servers and phone system reside at the INS WCC safe, secure and maintained. For Solutions Inc., the key benefits of Virtual Office are its ease of use, connectivity, high bandwidth, and the flexibility and cost-efficiency of at-home staff. We wanted to provide greater value to our clients by becoming more nimble, says Storjohann. She adds, Clients choose the Solutions Inc. creative marketing team for our breakthrough ideas, not our bricks and mortar. All we have to do is plug in our phone and computer to a high speed Internet connection and voila! We have a Solutions Inc. office anywhere. The transition to the new system went smoothly for Solutions Inc. Notes Storjohann, Installation was quick; we shut everything down at 8:00 am and made the move from our main office to seven different remote locations. We were up and running by 4:55 pm the same day. And training was just a click log on and it works just like our office setting. All we have to do is plug in our phone and computer to a high speed Internet connection and voila! We have a Solutions Inc. office anywhere. KERI STORJOHANN, PRESIDENT, SOLUTIONS INC. RESULTS THROUGH CREATIVE MARKETING 5

6 Alliance Technologies Cloud Computing Services Simplify your IT infrastructure Alliance Technologies, owned by Iowa Network Services, has launched cloud computing services to enable remote delivery and management of IT infrastructurerelated services through the new INS Westown Communications Center. By combining their expertise in network management and virtualization with this new state-of-the-art hosting facility, Alliance Technologies is equipped to change the way businesses receive IT services. With our success in the virtualization arena, developing cloud computing services was the logical next step for us, states Mike Lang, president and CEO of Alliance Technologies. What are cloud computing services? One example is remote server hosting through the use of virtualized machines. Virtual server hosting can save companies a lot of time and money because they outsource the management of the servers and simply rent the resources, which can easily be scaled up or down as their business needs change. Because the infrastructure is housed within an offsite location, it can provide enhanced backup and disaster recovery options as well. One of the biggest business needs we ve identified is centered around business continuity and disaster recovery, notes Lang. Iowa has seen its share of natural disasters in recent years. Businesses have seen first-hand the impact that an unforeseen disaster can have on their operations. Our cloud can be used to create solutions for backup and disaster recovery so businesses don t have to worry about compromising their information or experiencing long periods of downtime. Businesses can remain up and running or we can get them back up quickly with almost no time or effort on their end. It can also keep workers connected remotely as they can access files and applications anywhere via the Internet. According to Sean Clark, Alliance Technologies Solutions Architect, our staff will first assess your company s needs. We ll then plan and design a cloud computing solution that takes advantage of virtualization and provide installation, management and training. We can take a business with numerous onsite servers to a more capable virtualized system with far fewer servers. Among other things, this will help streamline disaster recovery. With Alliance Technologies cloud computing services, your business can enjoy these key benefits: Simplicity You don t have to build or manage your own servers/hardware, data center or any of the associated infrastructure. Cost Savings It s less expensive to outsource a complex service, and the subscription-based pricing of Alliance Technologies cloud computing services provides less upfront cash outlay compared with buying your own equipment. It s a fixed expense, which is great for budgeting, and it leverages the economies of scale associated with a cloud environment that pools resources. Expertise Alliance Technologies cloud computing services can provide your business with a professionally managed IT infrastructure. You gain access to certified virtualization experts since Alliance Technologies is a VMware authorized cloud provider with certified VMware professionals. For more details on Alliance Technologies cloud computing services, contact Jason Lamping, Marketing Manager, at x7682 or lampingj@alliancetechnologies.net. 6

7 Safeguarding Your Wireless Network A secure network means a more secure business Wireless networks definitely add convenience to the workplace. Employees can work from anywhere in the office using a laptop, and your visitors can access the Internet as well. As the technology continues to develop, wireless networks are becoming easier for even not-so-techsavvy individuals to set up. However it s important to pay attention to security. An unsecured wireless network allows people outside your building to leech off the services you ve paid for and get free access to the Internet. These individuals could also use your connection for illegal activity such as identity theft. When this happens, your business runs the risk of being prosecuted. Whether you re able to add an extra layer of security to your wireless network on your own, or you re getting the help of a professional, here are a few guidelines: Change the default password. Routers typically come with a very weak default password like the manufacturer s name. So once you set up your network, be sure to create a stronger password such as one that combines both letters and numbers. Enable security on your router. This is the most basic step. Most wireless routers come with this option but many are not pre-programmed by default. Instructions should be included with your router or you can usually find this information online. Place your wireless base unit in the center of your workspace, if possible. Doing so will spread your coverage evenly throughout your space while limiting the range of potential signal leakage outside your building. Disable SSID broadcasting and lower your transmission power. Many times, wireless routers automatically broadcast your network s name or SSID (Service Set Identifier) to make it easier to locate the network. By disabling this feature, you ll make your network invisible to neighboring businesses and people driving by (although people with just the right tools may still be able to find it). Likewise, if your router allows you to lower your transmission power, you ll reduce your network s radius of availability. Think of WEP encryption as only a partial solution. Wired Equivalency Privacy, or WEP, offers a basic level of security with an encrypted key made of numbers and letters. In order to use your network, people will need to have access to that key. While WEP is better than nothing, be aware that it s still not entirely secure. That s because hackers can easily use systems to decipher what your assigned WEP key is based on simple number/ letter patterns. Choose WPA encryption for more security. This type of encryption, called Wi-Fi Protected Access, adds greater security because you assign a personal password that s harder for hackers to crack. 7

8 Creating cost-effective communication solutions for your company is what we do. We understand the complexities of building a secure network. From dedicated connections to mobilizing your staff, we can design and manage a customized business-smart solution for you. Redundant Bandwidth Cost-effective Long Distance Virtual Office and Mobile Worker Services Unified Communications Contact us today! IowaNetworkServices.com