INTERNET TELEPHONY — October 2013

Gaining Momentum in the Channel

Hosted VoIP is supposed to be easy to deliver, but the plug-and-pray method of installation doesn't always work so great for customers, or the agents that sell them such solutions. The true path to hosted VoIP success is to take the time to visit the customer location, do a site survey, handle the installation rather than just ship the customer phones, and offer ongoing support and quality monitoring throughout the life of the customer and channel partner relationship....More>>>

Departments

SPECIAL FOCUS

Akkadian Labs Provisioning Manager Express Makes Configuration Quick and Simple
Last week your organization successfully implemented a new IP based Unified Communication system. The vendor is closing out the final issues and providing your staff with a few hours of training. This is a great achievement and all the new features will have a very positive impact on the user community, but what about ongoing operations?

On Rad's Radar

Why You Need the CRM Habit
Well, one factor is ease of use. Sales people don't want to use CRM anyway. It's paperwork. Sales guys hate paperwork. CRM has to be frictionless - maybe even intuitive. A good user interface is essential. Integration with e-mail is optional. The ability to add notes and e-mails has to be simple. If you can find one that is voice integrated, bingo!

The Channel

Create Loyalty with a Cloud-based Sales Channel
First, embrace the change. It's not coming tomorrow. It's here today, so it's time to transition. In the increasingly complex world of cloud resellers, it's important to remember the sales channel basics: reward partner engagement, incent product knowledge, maximize sales tool utilization, and celebrate closed deals. Then, start with these action items to leverage your existing sales partner strategies.

Cloud & Date Center

5 Components to Consider Before Choosing a Cloud Provider
Companies are now being besieged by new vendors and service delivery models promising the delivery of a wide array of solutions and services. When investigating a migration of critical customer-facing applications to the cloud, organizations need to thoroughly investigate vendors and delivery models to ensure business operations are not disrupted and that benefits touted are real.

Network Infrastructure

Ahead of the Curve: Sansay Leads the Pack on Virtualization, WebRTC
The term network functions virtualization has been getting a lot of attention lately as a way to help telcos save money and increase their ability to quickly introduce new services. But Sansay, which opened for business more than a decade ago, has designed everything it's built to run on standard Intel servers from day one and that helps it function in the NFV world.

Network Functions Virtualization and the Real NGN
Virtual switching/routing has been around a long time, and software-defined networking depends on software control of packet forwarding. In a limited way, we're already using software to define the next-generation network, or NGN. What's missing is a generalized model to support any network feature through hosted software.

10GBase-KR Ethernet Backplane Compliance Testing: Easy or a Pain in the Backplane?
Increased demand from consumers through cloud computing has helped drive more demand from Ethernet backplane servers, routers and switches. To help increase bandwidth requirements 10GBASE-KR and 40GBASE-KR4 have helped provide the additional bandwidth in the Ethernet backplane arena.

Test, Measurement & Monitoring: Six Things To Keep Your VoIP Systems Running Smoothly
It's the call that no network manager wants to get - your CEO is trying to make a VoIP call and the connection is choppy, making it very difficult to conduct business.

Security

HBGary Director Talks Security
It typically has to do with safeguarding yourself and your assets. But, in fact, there's no foolproof way of doing so. There are, however, some steps you can take to lessen the likelihood of a security breach at your home or organization, and there are additional measures you can put in place to minimize breaches once they happen, says Matthew Standart, director of threat intelligence at HBGary, a 10-year-old security software and services company now owned by ManTech.

Security & the iPhone 5s - Separating Fact from Fiction
After just two days on the market, the new iPhone 5s fingerprint reader was spoofed, making for some spirited debate. After reading these stories, some have jumped to the conclusion that biometrics are an immature technology not ready for broad consumer use.

Video

You've Established a Successful Start-up, Now What?
As a growing start-up, expanding your business internationally is far from easy, as well as a significant investment. Regardless of how successful you are on your home turf, don't expect to jump off the plane and be welcomed with open arms by the local press, find yourself a trendy loft apartment and hire your team in the space of a few weeks. The reality is that it's hard work, and tech start-ups considering taking the plunge should always (always!) ask themselves: Is international expansion really necessary?

Unified Communications

Gaining a Competitive Edge with Hosted VoIP
True, 10 minutes a month amounts to just a couple minutes total within an average work week. But, for a property company that oversees millions of square feet of commercial property, the volume of dropped calls and/or network crashes often disrupted important business communications. When the system went down, all incoming calls automatically defaulted to the cell phone of the office manager, who doubled as the receptionist. So she'd have to literally run around the floor, relaying messages to employees.

Wireless

Thinking Big about Getting Small: HetNet Deployment Considerations
According to Pew Research, 56 percent of adults now have smartphones. More surprising, though, is that 37 percent of teens now have these devices and are using them as the primary mechanism to access the Internet and communicate - via text and increasingly video - with their peers.

The New Paradigm in Technology for Investor Communications
The communications industry is a multi-billion dollar one that is slow to move and not prone to thinking outside of the box when it comes to the use of technology, let alone the creation of new technologies. This is particularly true in the investor relations industry, in which public companies communicate with their investors. And this is not surprising considering all of the regulations and legal constraints public companies face.

Converting Backhaul Networks into a Storage and Application Cloud
The degree to which an operator can consistently provide content to the subscriber with high quality has become a primary source of brand differentiation. At the same time, operators are conscious of the cost impact of all this content traffic on their networks. New solutions are required to monetize Internet traffic passing through operator's networks.

Getting Vertical: Sports

Playing it Safe: Connected Technologies Address Safety, Performance, Efficiency and Good Calls
Reports and studies indicate that professional athletes who are exposed to repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries may develop ongoing impairment such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative condition caused by a build up of tau protein, according to a January article on the UCLA newsroom, which adds that CTE has been associated with memory loss, confusion, progressive dementia, depression, suicidal behavior, personality changes, abnormal gait and tremors.