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| Buyer's
Guide |
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Carrier
Services
Field Day for Buyers
Companies are
offering similar set of services... its a pick-n-choose
for enterprise now |
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Enterprise
Networking Equipment
Good News on Price Front
Increased
vendor competition has made prices attractive for the
buyer, even as the quality keeps looking up |
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Carrier
Equipment Time for Some Strategic Buys
Investment in IP switch are going to pay in the
not-too-long term; T&M buys will also pay back |
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Click here for Industry
Database
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Carrier Services Fields
Day for Buyers
Companies are offering similar
set of services... its a pick-n-choose for enterprise now |
 | BASIC SERVICES: A Pick-n-choose Parade
Four big service providers provide a plethora of similarly priced services—let QoS be the decisive parameter |
| INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY SERVICES: Good News Gets Better
IPLC is great, and the dominant service too, but there will be a cheaper, more flexible option called IP-VPN |
| VSATs: As You Like It
DAMA is analogous to the terrestrial leased line and is ideal for voice; TDMA suits data applications well |
| RADIO TRUNKING SERVICES: Bulky and Beautiful
There can’t be a better two-way communication system for a group of users across a small geography |
| MOBILE SERVICES: M-enabled, and Everywhere to Grow
Infopower anytime, anywhere—that’s the promise of mobile. And the early takers are going to have the edge |
| INTERNET SERVICES: Promises Dont Deliver
Superior technology is no guarantee of throughput—it must be backed by sound service level agreements |
| CALL CENTER SERVICE: Before the Negotiations…
...Doublecheck that the service provider maintains secrecy of crucial data, and employ agents of high quality |
| CALL CENTER SERVICES: Moving to the Next Level |
| TELECOM TRAINING: Telecom Training: Tie up, Train…Retrain
Training has become too ongoing a need—partnering with a good training service provider is the best way out
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Enterprise
Networking Equipment Good News on Price Front
Increased vendor competition has made prices attractive for the buyer,
even as the quality keeps looking up |
| MODEMS: It’s Black-and-white…
Leased-line products will be cost-effective for larger enterprises, and dial-ups will suit smaller companies |
| LAN Switches: A Trend Worth Following…
Switches are fast replacing hubs as they enable higher-speed simultaneous transmission of multiple packets |
| ROUTERS: Five 9 Is Cool Today
For a device that’s central to the enterprise WAN, a 99.999 availability isn’t too tall an order |
| NICs: Look for Mr Dependable
For a product that’s fast becoming integrated with the motherboard, only trusted brands will be a safe bet |
| STRUCTURED CABLING: Superior Technology, Lower Prices
Even big vendors have announced 10–15 percent price cuts... and Category 6 cables are doing the round |
| HUBs: Get a Safeguard First
Ensure that the vendor offers either support services, or an equivalent switch in case the hub is phased out |
| EPABX: Reincarnated!
The good old private exchange now comes with an IP core and runs a barrage of new apps like UMS |
| NETWORK STORAGE: Vanilla Terabyte Ain't Enough
Value lies in seamless, secured, and 24x7 access to data—and its retrieval—regardless of the storage location |
| NETWORK SERVERS: More the Merrier
For greater reliability and performance, it’s better to have a number of hot-swappable components |
| NETWORK MANAGEMENT: Who Wants a Compromise?
Solutions need to ensure performance—and uptime—as they help manage increasingly complex networks |
| NETWORK INTEGRATORS: Will He Deliver These?
Multiple-skills pool and proximity to user sites are must-have attributes… and don’t forget the SLAs |
| NETWORK SECURITY: Policy Makes a Solution Perfect
Threats are all-pervasive, anonymous and unpredictable. Products alone won’t do, best practices are a must |
| CALL CENTER SOLUTIONS: The IP High Tide
It makes ample business sense for call centers to ride on IP, for seamless addition of new, multi-location sites |
| ENTERPRISE IP: Be Ready with a Roadmap
For, once reliability and quality issues get ironed out, it will be time to reap benefits of IP |
| WIRELESS LAN: Mobility’s Growing Wings
802.11b will do for average throughput needs; for higher data rates, there’s the backward compatible 802.11g |
Carrier
Equipment Time for Some Strategic Buys
Investments in IP Switches are going to pay in the not-too-long term;
T&M buys will also pay back... |
| TELECOM SWITCH: It's Overhaul Time Folks
Softswitches are robust enough to be put at the core, and they have a clear edge over their TDM counterparts |
| TRANSMISSION EQUIPMENT: Rule of Four
DWDM for backbone, SDH for access; CWDM for metros and ASON for future—buying is almost a formula! |
| WAN SWITCH: A Diamond at the Core
The ability to load users and services on the fly has to be there—call it modularity, flexibility, et al |
| TELECOM CABLES: Go by Staying Power
Prefer manufacturers that will keep a presence even after the deployments are over… not many will |
| ROUTERS: This Viewfinder Is Good!
Given the lack of industry standards, buying decisions should be based on independent lab tests |
| BROADBAND EQUIPMENT: Go for Open Platforms
That alone will ensure seamless operation and maintenance—and protect investment in the event of a merger |
| REMOTE ACCESS SERVER: Access Ain’t Enough
Product support, availability, and the capability to launch new services quickly are equally important |
| MULTIPLEXER: Programmable Enough?
Operators must look for standards support—and the capability to provision different service speeds on the fly |
| OSS/BSS: Choice Is Yours...
Just a reliable name and the promise for a smooth migration, or a flexible and future-proof system too? |
| T&M: Prevention Is Better than Cure
Tools that detect faults after they’ve occurred aren’t enough—pre-emptive features are a must |
| UPS: It Has to Be a Tall Order
Given the always-on nature of telecom services, nothing less than zero-tolerance power protection will do |
| EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES: Chicken Soup for the Business
Early adoption of new technologies quite often gives players the winning spark... and that cutting edge |
| Glossary |
