Tag Archives: Luke Slymen

About 3126 days ago Telecom and Wireless

VoIP: Is It Ready for Primetime?

Is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) — or Internet telephony — yet another over publicized technology, or is there some real meat to it? According to market research firm The Yankee Group, over 800,000 residents of the U.S. are expected to rely on VoIP by the end of this year and predict that number will jump to 10 million people by the end of 2007. The recent news that Ford just paid $100 Million to deploy and manage a network of 50,000 VoIP phones has made many businesses sit up and pay attention. Ford said the drive towards VoIP was to take advantages of efficiencies in cost and operations related to moves, adds and changes. With so many people poised to take advantage of VoIP, it would seem that its time has finally arrived. But what is it, and how can you employ it in your business? In a nutshell, VoIP uses the Internet to replace ordinary phone service. VoIP turns the sound of your voice into data packets, which are then sent over the Internet just like an e-mail, digital video, or other data. A computer with a broadband connection that provides at least 128K of bandwidth and some additional hardware can turn your Internet connection into a phone line. The only types of connections that won’t work are dial-up and a satellite dish connection. Utilizing VoIP Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, you can employ VoIP technology in a number of ways in your organization: Your business organization can use VoIP for all calls within the company network, and then once calls go outside the company, they can be routed over standard phone lines. The second option is plugging your phone into a sort of gateway that then plugs into your broadband modem. This allows you to talk on an ordinary phone and to call people who don’t have a VoIP set up at large discounts. PC to PC software based applications allow you to speak someone anywhere in the world as long as your caller also has the same software application on his PC. Pros and Cons The most obvious benefit to employing VoIP technology is cost savings. VoIP allows you to make extremely cheap, if not free, phone calls and have unlimited calling plans at half the cost of a standard phone service. More advantages of VoIP over circuit-switched technology include the ability to: create your own private interoffice network for communication between main and branch offices; use the same lines to transport voice and data transmission; eliminate or reduce intra-office toll charges. avoid service and support contracts on existing PBX hardware; eliminate the need for on-going Centrex services — and charges; reduce expansion costs due to lower costs for moves, changes and adds; reduce the on-going costs for separate voice messaging systems; improve productivity for remote and traveling workers by offering the same integrated capabilities as their office workers; allow more flexibility in a call center architecture since it can now be virtual; and reduce customer turnover via improved call center services. Though advantages abound, VoIP does present a few challenges over circuit-switched technology, including the need: to employ labor and consulting services to install and maintain your VoIP network if you don’t have the talent in-house; for continuous support, hence the added cost of labor administer the system; to write-off or write-down your existing telecommunication equipment since you’ve purchased new VoIP telecommunication hardware and software; and to protect your connection in case of a power outage with a battery back-up system. Stay Tuned There are a few things in the works in Washington D.C. that will affect the future of VoIP. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently ruled that DigitalVoice, an Internet telephony service provided by Vonage Holdings Corp., is not subject to state tax regulations. It also declared that other IP-enabled services, including VoIP, are not governed by traditional state public utility regulations. With more providers jumping into the fray and attention being paid to the technology by the FCC, it looks like VoIP could replace traditional telephone services in the next few years. What do you think? Derek Johnson is the Director of Business Development for Embee Technologies, a systems integration firm that specializes in wireless LAN/WAN technologies. He may be reached at djohnson@embeetech.com. Luke Slymen is the Chief Technology Officer of Embee Technologies. He may be reached at lslymen@embeetech.com.

About 3126 days ago Telecom and Wireless

VoIP: Is It Ready for Primetime?

Is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) — or Internet telephony — yet another over publicized technology, or is there some real meat to it? According to market research firm The Yankee Group, over 800,000 residents of the U.S. are expected to rely on VoIP by the end of this year and predict that number will jump to 10 million people by the end of 2007. The recent news that Ford just paid $100 Million to deploy and manage a network of 50,000 VoIP phones has made many businesses sit up and pay attention. Ford said the drive towards VoIP was to take advantages of efficiencies in cost and operations related to moves, adds and changes. With so many people poised to take advantage of VoIP, it would seem that its time has finally arrived. But what is it, and how can you employ it in your business? In a nutshell, VoIP uses the Internet to replace ordinary phone service. VoIP turns the sound of your voice into data packets, which are then sent over the Internet just like an e-mail, digital video, or other data. A computer with a broadband connection that provides at least 128K of bandwidth and some additional hardware can turn your Internet connection into a phone line. The only types of connections that won’t work are dial-up and a satellite dish connection. Utilizing VoIP Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, you can employ VoIP technology in a number of ways in your organization: Your business organization can use VoIP for all calls within the company network, and then once calls go outside the company, they can be routed over standard phone lines. The second option is plugging your phone into a sort of gateway that then plugs into your broadband modem. This allows you to talk on an ordinary phone and to call people who don’t have a VoIP set up at large discounts. PC to PC software based applications allow you to speak someone anywhere in the world as long as your caller also has the same software application on his PC. Pros and Cons The most obvious benefit to employing VoIP technology is cost savings. VoIP allows you to make extremely cheap, if not free, phone calls and have unlimited calling plans at half the cost of a standard phone service. More advantages of VoIP over circuit-switched technology include the ability to: create your own private interoffice network for communication between main and branch offices; use the same lines to transport voice and data transmission; eliminate or reduce intra-office toll charges. avoid service and support contracts on existing PBX hardware; eliminate the need for on-going Centrex services — and charges; reduce expansion costs due to lower costs for moves, changes and adds; reduce the on-going costs for separate voice messaging systems; improve productivity for remote and traveling workers by offering the same integrated capabilities as their office workers; allow more flexibility in a call center architecture since it can now be virtual; and reduce customer turnover via improved call center services. Though advantages abound, VoIP does present a few challenges over circuit-switched technology, including the need: to employ labor and consulting services to install and maintain your VoIP network if you don’t have the talent in-house; for continuous support, hence the added cost of labor administer the system; to write-off or write-down your existing telecommunication equipment since you’ve purchased new VoIP telecommunication hardware and software; and to protect your connection in case of a power outage with a battery back-up system. Stay Tuned There are a few things in the works in Washington D.C. that will affect the future of VoIP. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently ruled that DigitalVoice, an Internet telephony service provided by Vonage Holdings Corp., is not subject to state tax regulations. It also declared that other IP-enabled services, including VoIP, are not governed by traditional state public utility regulations. With more providers jumping into the fray and attention being paid to the technology by the FCC, it looks like VoIP could replace traditional telephone services in the next few years. What do you think? Derek Johnson is the Director of Business Development for Embee Technologies, a systems integration firm that specializes in wireless LAN/WAN technologies. He may be reached at djohnson@embeetech.com. Luke Slymen is the Chief Technology Officer of Embee Technologies. He may be reached at lslymen@embeetech.com.

About 3157 days ago Mobility Tips and Tricks

Why Go Wireless?

Going wireless is about the bottom line. A 2003 study Conducted by NOP World Technology on Behalf of Cisco Systems showed that adopting a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) could increase a company’s productivity by up to 27%. Another study done by Intel found that it takes just 11 minutes of increased productivity per employee per week to pay for the cost of an average WLAN deployment. The study continued that a WLAN deployment of 32 people over three years could turn a $20,000 investment into a $300,000 benefit. In a nutshell, a WLAN provides computing flexibility. It can help employees take advantage of mobile networking for e-mail, Internet access, and sharing files regardless of where they are in the office. This, in turn, can enhance the creative process by letting laptop users meet in the conference room to collaborate on a project, or enable work in non-traditional environments such as the cafeteria, a cube down the hall, the office gym, etc. Additionally, a WLAN environment can be moved around at will, without the need for new cable runs or changes in the wiring closet–leaving your IT staff free to work on more bottom-line oriented projects. But the benefits don’t stop at the office door. Your customers will appreciate the real-time inventory statistics your warehouse can serve up easily when connected to WLAN, allowing them immediate access to product ship status or item availability. So what’s stopping you from going wireless? Here, we pose a few questions about the design of a WLAN to help make your decision about going wireless a bit simpler. Designing a WLAN Designing a wireless network involves many considerations. A good starting point lies in the answers to several questions: What will be the purpose of the WLAN? Will it support mission-critical applications, or be used for convenience and guest access? The answers will help determine the placement of the WLAN within your network, and the type/quality of equipment you select. Who will utilize the wireless network? Will the WLAN be used by one or two mobile workers, or will it replace a traditional wired LAN for an entire department? Knowing how many simultaneous users helps determine which wireless standard to use, how many access points you need for a given area, and where to put them. What specific locations in or around your building/campus need service, and at what speed? Spot or “island” coverage is much easier to plan for than complete building/campus coverage, because there are fewer problems with channel interference. Knowing specifically where you want coverage greatly simplifies the time and cost of the design process. What type of devices will be used? Laptops? PDAs? Voice over IP/ Internet Phones? All of the above? Different devices and applications may require different features on the wireless access points, such as multiple network support or network Quality of Service (QOS). What applications will run over the WLAN? Different applications will require differing levels of bandwidth. Requirements for file transfer and Internet browsing are much different than voice over IP traffic. How many simultaneous users of a specific application will use wireless in a given area? Many users of many different applications over the WLAN may require the deployment of multiple WLAN technologies for a given area–for example 802.11b/g may be deployed for IP phones and 802.11a might be deployed in the same area for higher-bandwidth applications, such as file transfer or some Web-based or database applications. If you are planning a WLAN for a small area, like a conference room, simply checking for signal interference and finding an available spot to place and wire one or two access points evenly spaced should be sufficient for reliable WLAN coverage. If your plans call for coverage throughout a building or campus with many access points, especially if multiple access points are involved, you should enlist the services of a qualified WLAN design firm. Every design should include a physical site survey of the intended coverage area. Is there a plan in place to properly secure the wireless network? When any organization makes the decision to deploy a wireless network, a plan for securing the infrastructure needs to be in place before deployment. It is possible to secure a wireless network to a point that would make unauthorized access extremely unlikely, as well as meet the legislated requirements of most industries. Do not rely on basic encryption, as this standard has many well-known flaws. To ensure the best protection, multiple levels of security should be used, and continuous monitoring of the WLAN should be present. (We’ll discuss security in depth in an upcoming column.) Going wireless can be simple as setting up a conference room with a WLAN to enabling your entire warehouse. Regardless of the application, any business employing wireless networking will reap the benefits of increased productivity and flow of communication with employees and customers alike. Derek Johnson is the Director of Business Development for Embee Technologies, a systems integration firm that specializes in wireless LAN/WAN technologies. He may be reached at djohnson@embeetech.com. Luke Slymen is the Chief Technology Officer of Embee Technologies. He may be reached at lslymen@embeetech.com. SIDEBAR: Recommended Solutions and Resources WLAN Benefits CalculatorFor a company that is considering enabling some portion of their employees with wireless LAN, the WLAN Benefits Calculator is a tool that addresses the question: What will be my return on investment if I make an investment in WLAN technology? Want to learn more? Wi-Fi Planet Wireless.com The Unofficial 802.11 Security Web Page SIDEBAR: Wireless Basics There are a few key words and definitions that you will encounter as you embark on your wireless endeavor: WLAN (Wireless Local Access Network): a LAN that can be connected to via a wireless connection. 802.11 is a family of wireless networking standards developed by the IEEE, including the following standards: 802.11b is the most widely supported standard, with three non-overlapping radio channels in the 2.4Ghz unlicensed frequency space to choose from and a maximum data throughput of 11 megabits per second. Indoor range approx. 300 feet but varies considerably depending on the environment. 802.11g is an improvement over the 802.11b standard in that it has a maximum throughput of 54Mbps and is backwards compatible with 802.11b client devices. However, 802.11g uses the same frequency range as 802.11b, and this range is getting very crowded in many commercial areas. 802.11a has eight non-overlapping channels in the unlicensed 5.8Ghz frequency space and has a maximum throughput of 54Mbps. These advantages allow for higher user densities in a given area. However, 802.11a equipment is not as widely available as 802.11b/g, and is usually more expensive. Range is usually a bit less than 802.11b/g in a given environment. Access Point (AP): Also frequently referred to as “wireless routers,” “wireless gateways,” and “base stations.” The hub of a wireless network. Wireless clients connect to the access point, and traffic between two clients must travel through the access point. Hot Spot: A place where you can connect to a public wireless network.

About 3157 days ago Mobility Tips and Tricks

Why Go Wireless?

Going wireless is about the bottom line. A 2003 study Conducted by NOP World Technology on Behalf of Cisco Systems showed that adopting a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) could increase a company’s productivity by up to 27%. Another study done by Intel found that it takes just 11 minutes of increased productivity per employee per week to pay for the cost of an average WLAN deployment. The study continued that a WLAN deployment of 32 people over three years could turn a $20,000 investment into a $300,000 benefit. In a nutshell, a WLAN provides computing flexibility. It can help employees take advantage of mobile networking for e-mail, Internet access, and sharing files regardless of where they are in the office. This, in turn, can enhance the creative process by letting laptop users meet in the conference room to collaborate on a project, or enable work in non-traditional environments such as the cafeteria, a cube down the hall, the office gym, etc. Additionally, a WLAN environment can be moved around at will, without the need for new cable runs or changes in the wiring closet–leaving your IT staff free to work on more bottom-line oriented projects. But the benefits don’t stop at the office door. Your customers will appreciate the real-time inventory statistics your warehouse can serve up easily when connected to WLAN, allowing them immediate access to product ship status or item availability. So what’s stopping you from going wireless? Here, we pose a few questions about the design of a WLAN to help make your decision about going wireless a bit simpler. Designing a WLAN Designing a wireless network involves many considerations. A good starting point lies in the answers to several questions: What will be the purpose of the WLAN? Will it support mission-critical applications, or be used for convenience and guest access? The answers will help determine the placement of the WLAN within your network, and the type/quality of equipment you select. Who will utilize the wireless network? Will the WLAN be used by one or two mobile workers, or will it replace a traditional wired LAN for an entire department? Knowing how many simultaneous users helps determine which wireless standard to use, how many access points you need for a given area, and where to put them. What specific locations in or around your building/campus need service, and at what speed? Spot or “island” coverage is much easier to plan for than complete building/campus coverage, because there are fewer problems with channel interference. Knowing specifically where you want coverage greatly simplifies the time and cost of the design process. What type of devices will be used? Laptops? PDAs? Voice over IP/ Internet Phones? All of the above? Different devices and applications may require different features on the wireless access points, such as multiple network support or network Quality of Service (QOS). What applications will run over the WLAN? Different applications will require differing levels of bandwidth. Requirements for file transfer and Internet browsing are much different than voice over IP traffic. How many simultaneous users of a specific application will use wireless in a given area? Many users of many different applications over the WLAN may require the deployment of multiple WLAN technologies for a given area–for example 802.11b/g may be deployed for IP phones and 802.11a might be deployed in the same area for higher-bandwidth applications, such as file transfer or some Web-based or database applications. If you are planning a WLAN for a small area, like a conference room, simply checking for signal interference and finding an available spot to place and wire one or two access points evenly spaced should be sufficient for reliable WLAN coverage. If your plans call for coverage throughout a building or campus with many access points, especially if multiple access points are involved, you should enlist the services of a qualified WLAN design firm. Every design should include a physical site survey of the intended coverage area. Is there a plan in place to properly secure the wireless network? When any organization makes the decision to deploy a wireless network, a plan for securing the infrastructure needs to be in place before deployment. It is possible to secure a wireless network to a point that would make unauthorized access extremely unlikely, as well as meet the legislated requirements of most industries. Do not rely on basic encryption, as this standard has many well-known flaws. To ensure the best protection, multiple levels of security should be used, and continuous monitoring of the WLAN should be present. (We’ll discuss security in depth in an upcoming column.) Going wireless can be simple as setting up a conference room with a WLAN to enabling your entire warehouse. Regardless of the application, any business employing wireless networking will reap the benefits of increased productivity and flow of communication with employees and customers alike. Derek Johnson is the Director of Business Development for Embee Technologies, a systems integration firm that specializes in wireless LAN/WAN technologies. He may be reached at djohnson@embeetech.com. Luke Slymen is the Chief Technology Officer of Embee Technologies. He may be reached at lslymen@embeetech.com. SIDEBAR: Recommended Solutions and Resources WLAN Benefits CalculatorFor a company that is considering enabling some portion of their employees with wireless LAN, the WLAN Benefits Calculator is a tool that addresses the question: What will be my return on investment if I make an investment in WLAN technology? Want to learn more? Wi-Fi Planet Wireless.com The Unofficial 802.11 Security Web Page SIDEBAR: Wireless Basics There are a few key words and definitions that you will encounter as you embark on your wireless endeavor: WLAN (Wireless Local Access Network): a LAN that can be connected to via a wireless connection. 802.11 is a family of wireless networking standards developed by the IEEE, including the following standards: 802.11b is the most widely supported standard, with three non-overlapping radio channels in the 2.4Ghz unlicensed frequency space to choose from and a maximum data throughput of 11 megabits per second. Indoor range approx. 300 feet but varies considerably depending on the environment. 802.11g is an improvement over the 802.11b standard in that it has a maximum throughput of 54Mbps and is backwards compatible with 802.11b client devices. However, 802.11g uses the same frequency range as 802.11b, and this range is getting very crowded in many commercial areas. 802.11a has eight non-overlapping channels in the unlicensed 5.8Ghz frequency space and has a maximum throughput of 54Mbps. These advantages allow for higher user densities in a given area. However, 802.11a equipment is not as widely available as 802.11b/g, and is usually more expensive. Range is usually a bit less than 802.11b/g in a given environment. Access Point (AP): Also frequently referred to as “wireless routers,” “wireless gateways,” and “base stations.” The hub of a wireless network. Wireless clients connect to the access point, and traffic between two clients must travel through the access point. Hot Spot: A place where you can connect to a public wireless network.