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Happy Holidays from Prime Telecommunications, Inc.
Greetings!
From all of the families of Prime Telecommunications, we wish you and your families a Happy and Healthy holiday season. We would like to thank you for your interest and support for the past year - and look forward to continuing to provide you with the best in class solutions for your telecommunications needs. With the economy in such an uncertain state, we will be focusing on products and services that will help you work more efficiently - without large capital expenses - and effectively.
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Disaster Recovery Planning
By Lance Winslow
Most large businesses have a risk management
department and they have a binder they purchased discussing business continuity
plan preparation in case of disaster. Perhaps they have put together a rather
extensive disaster plan and then filed it away just in case, maybe they have
even sent copies to all of their business units. Sounds good right? Well, yes
and no.
Yes, it is wise to have a disaster business
continuity plan, but no, that is not enough. You see, you cannot become complacent
or stop planning just because you have a plan in place. Why you ask? Because
disaster planning is like any other business planning, as it is a process, not
an event or task. You never complete it. It's on-going, under constant revision
and ever-lasting consideration.
When we talk with folks about business
continuity programs, they generally think about their computer system, back-up
power and IT department. Believe me, it is not just about computers. Every
business big and small must be concerned with preparing for disasters. If you
are in manufacturing, a disruption will cause loss of respect from customers,
lost revenue and even market share, which you may not be able to get back.
Small businesses may have vendors that cannot
deliver or have disasters themselves, causing a disaster on their part. Do they
have a back-up vendor? And if they hit a disaster head on, can they deliver on
their promises? If not, all bets are off and the disaster maybe the end of
their business and cause of bankruptcy. So, please review and revise your
disaster plan early and often. Turn chaos into order and be prepared to win.
Think on this.
Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative
thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance;
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Data Center - Build and Manage IT in House Vs Outsourcing
By Amy
Nutt
Too Big for a Small Business
As businesses began to increase their focus on having reliable and available
data centers, centers began to grow in size and complexity. No longer a single
room housing a comparatively simple computer system, businesses now required
very large Internet data centers. These large data centers are expensive to
run, expensive to maintain, and expensive to staff.
These huge data facilities were out of the reach
of many small businesses. These smaller organizations also needed the high
speed Internet connectivity and high availability of data, but they did not
have the resources to build such physically large and expense data centers.
Even the equipment required for such an endeavor was often out of the financial
reach of a small business.
The Advent of Data Center Outsourcing
Private centers became the go-to solution for small to medium business
information technology needs. Data center outsourcing grew in popularity,
largely because it was a practical and financially more viable solution to the
problems created by huge, on-site data centers.
Not only are outsourced centers more affordable,
they also lift much of the heavy responsibility from the business. Disaster
recovery, adhering to industry standards, ensuring a secure and hospitable
environment for information storage and management, and many other practical
concerns can make in-house data centers a logistical nightmare. When
organizations place their trust in an off-site data center, they do not need to
shoulder this burden alone.
What to Look For in Outsourcing Data Storage
When you outsource your data center responsibilities, you want to be selective
in your choice of a data storage partner. Every moment that you network is not
up and running, your business is being affected. A high availability data center
will place a great deal of emphasis on the following:
- Skilled IT Professionals: A data center is
only as good as its staff. Security and networking teams need to be
well-trained, skilled, and experienced. Network technicians need to be trained
to the highest industry standards.
- Proper Environment: The environment of a data
center is of the utmost importance. There must be an uninterruptible power
supply or backup generator, a highly sensitive HVAC system to filter air, a
fire suppression system, and proper installation of equipment.
- High Level of Security: Your data needs to be
protected, and the first level of defense is the physical security of the
building. There should be controlled access, video surveillance, and extensive
employee background checks.
- Top of the Line Equipment: Network
infrastructure is one of the most important aspects of data center planning.
When selecting a data center, make sure equipment selection and infrastructure
set-up receive the emphasis they deserve.
- Strict Adherence to Standards: Industry
standards are around for a reason. They help make sure data centers provide
high quality service, maximum availability, and top-shelf security measures.
The Advantage of Outsourcing
In house data centers simply cannot offer the same
kind of reliability and economic viability as off-site data centers. An organization must allow its
focus to remain on the health of its business operations, rather than getting
bogged down in the details of managing data. Outsourcing your data center
allows you to keep your focus where it should be: on your own organization.
The complicated and expensive nature of today's
data center needs make it impractical for a company to expend huge amounts of
resources on an in-house data center. It just doesn't make good financial
sense. Instead, outsourcing your data center allows you to put those resources
back into your company, further strengthening your organization.
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Featured Article
Norstar Tips and Tricks
Camp On- Feature 82- What it does: Allows you to place a
call on hold at a specific extension
Why you would use it: When a call
comes in for another extension and does not want to go to voicemail, when you
hear someone say "If so and so calls, I will take the call - no matter what!
If you have caller ID programmed on your system and you have
caller ID services from your provider, you can press feature 811 (Call Info) to
find the number of the party who is camped on!
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Vic Levinson
Prime Telecommunications, Inc.
847 329 8600
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BoB Delivers!
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Business Only Broadband - BoB- delivers:
100% Wireless Network- no common point of failure with landline based networks
The Largest Fixed Wireless Broadband Provider
Self Healing Mesh Architecture- data travels faster, improved reliability and security
Best in Class Services Powered by CISCO, Motorola, Dragonwave and Bridgewave.
Scalable Bandwidth On Demand - from 1 Mbps to 1 Gbps
Secure MPLS Architecture seamlessly connects all remote LANS and routed networks
Wireless extranet seamlessly connects you with remote data storage centers.
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Ideal for DISASTER RECOVERY or even primary use - a full T1 costs $289 per month
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If your phone service goes down for whatever reason, using the IfByPhone Virtual Receptionist you can route callers to a customizable automated attendant - which will transfer them directly to your cell phone or other numbers you specify!
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Try before you buy! If you have an Apple iPhone, you can download a free ifbyPhone application from iTunes that will allow you to broadcast your own message to 100 phone numbers! Use this to notify your employees of snow alerts or closings!
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