Blog of a Telecom CEO

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/05/BUK81GL5A7.DTL

In a recent article in the SF Chronicle, Cisco Systems is suggesting Internet traffic will triple by 2014. This suggests, more than 90% of the traffic will be video. It seems very easy to believe, as new media companies are focusing on delivery content, whether it is movies, gaming, or applications which are on the cloud. Bandwidth is still getting cheaper and easier to get than ever before, however, the experience of installation intervals of 60 to 120 days for some of these high speed services can be tough to swallow. Once the service is installed, customers are seeing higher bandwidth speeds for equal or even less than what they were paying before for 1.5 megs (T1) or 3.0 megs (2xT1 bonded). Remember, there will be growing pains, as the Carriers work on upgrading their infrastructure to meet market demands and integrate the new technology. There will also be support issues, as the Support Centers are not fully experienced with support the new technology and how to resolve the issues. I beleive it will be about 2 or 3 years away before they resovle the support issues. A topic for another blog.

Businesses continue to continue to put their business applications on the cloud, such as using Amazon, Salesforce, or other outsourced applications, instead of bringing them in house. This places more demand on bandwidth needs. Also, businesses who have multiple offices are moving to VoIP (Voice of the Internet), to bring down their costs for inter-office calling and give them more flexibility. This is another bandwidth hog, that is growing at a rapid pace.

At home, my kids are playing games, watching YouTube, and watching Television via On-Demand from Comcast. All which are bandwidth hogs. My once fast cable connection, is now moving at a snail’s pace. I only see the residential problem getting worse, as the Service Providers concentrate more on businesses. “Kids go outside and play”….

Here is the link to the SFgate.com article. I hope you enjoy it…

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Nov 29

Ethernet or Not Ethernet

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Ethernet is becoming ever more popular than ever. What is even more enticing, the Carriers are getting more competitive with their Ethernet offerings than traditional services. Today Intelletrace is selling a 10meg Internet Ethernet for less than 4.5megs of Internet bonded T1′s. It is a great product when it is working. Low equipment costs, plug and play, and a lot of bandwidth which can be very cost efficient. However, like most products which are technology related, they break. Companies need to realize, that Ethernet services are simply harder to troubleshoot and often can be down for twice as long as your traditional services. Companies must consider a back-up service, whether it is wireless, dsl, or an inexpensive hard line. The companies who do not prepare for this, will find their company will be shut down and lose hours of productivity.

The Carriers will need to get better in troubleshooting these services. To most of the Carriers, it has only been around a few years, where as the traditional T1 has been around for 20 years. I see Ethernet services becoming even more popular in 2011.

Tags: Ethernet, Ethernet Internet, low cost

Oct 26

Telecom Expense Management

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2011 is just around the corner. As we gear up for another great year, Intelletrace is offering a new service, which many customers have asked from us. We are now providing Free Telcommunication Audits. Our team will review all telecom expenses at no charge, from invoices and contracts to design efficiences. Already we are saving clients money without changing anything at all. Most companies regularly perform audits or have an outsource company pay their invoice. However, most of these companies of the in-house expertise, to re-negotiate on their behalf with current Carriers, source other Carriers, and have the IT expertise to propose more cost efficient networks. Intelletrace has now found a way to give money back to our clients. The environmental groups are talking “green”, we are talking “green” too, right back in the pockets.

Tags: free, telecom audits

Oct 11

Verizon Telecom Merging Networks on the East Coast

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We knew it was going to happen sooner or later. It only makes business sense to do so. Since Verizon Telecom is the dominant Local Exchange Carrier on the East Coast, Verizon is finally merging the processes of Verizon Business with Verizon Telecom. As a large network service provider for Verizon Business, we are starting to feel the pains of the merger without any warning. Yes, we have felt pains of the layoffs they have had over the years, new people, new products, and new systems. This time around is different. The legacy MFS network, now Verizon Business, is starting to be merged and provisioned with Verizon Telecom. What does this mean??? In the long run, I am sure it means a higher level of customer service and reliability will come of it. In the short term, it will be painful and frustrating to get the correct people on the phone, making sure the ordering for old Verizon Business services get installed correctly, and most importantly billing is correct. Already, we are seeing orders being put on hold because facilities are not ready for Verizon Telecom, yet Verzion Business has a footprint to the locations with plenty of capacity. This is where our experience comes in handy. Our service delivery department is able to recognize the issues quickly, get the correct people involved, and get the installation back on track immediately.

I am sure we will start seeing these same issues as the Qwest and Century Link merger takes place. I already know customers feeling the effects of AT&T for the past few years, with the merging of networks from SBC to the AT&T Long Distance network. Intelletrace can be a valuable asset to your telecom team and resources, if you are starting to feel frustrated by the Carrier you are working with today.

Tags: Local Exhange Carrier, Verizon, Verizon Business, Verizon Telecom

Sep 22

We Want Your Business Running!

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Often times I hear a network service provider “is just a middleman. They have no control over the Carriers” and “Network service providers just get in the way and add another layer to the problem.” This is one of the biggest myths of of a Network Service Provider. Often times it is the exact opposite. At Intelletrace, we are installing anywhere from 15 to 25 different services each month. We are constantly speaking with our vendors, developing great relationships, and working with the actual people in the buildings to get services installed or back up and running. A typical response from a Carrier is, “we see the network up, so it must be the customer equipment”. Intelletrace will continue to troubleshoot until the services are completely running to our customer’s satisfaction. Intelletrace will provide a high level engineer to the issue if necessary, who can further assist with escalation and troubleshooting with the Carrier. Most of the time, our customer’s are frustrated with the lack of knowledge of the support staff of the Carrier, equally frustrated with the escalation process, and are amazed at the lack of attention they are getting from a Carrier.

We know companies are understaffed and lack the resources to have people pulled away to take care of issue, which their vendors should be dealing with. This is where Intelletrace adds the most benefit and is not just a middleman. Bottom line, Intelletrace will not stop until your business is up and running.

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Sep 03

Making the Experience Suck Less!

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Let’s face it. Telecommunications is complicated and it is getting more complicated. There are many different types of services and ways to get Internet or have offices talk to other offices. Ethernet, DSL, Cable, Sonet, Copper, Wave, etc…. There are many different ways to receive your services and many different ways to order. The forms are all different for each service and the sometimes the equipment to make the services work are different too. The install process can be confusing, long, and painful. Often times, customer are caught in the dark of what is really going on or even reaching somebody who does know what they are doing. Let’s face it, the experience sucks? It is almost as bas as buying a new car. I am not saying Intelletrace does not experience the same problems with our vendors and we often do our best to hide the issues. We do have issues, and probably more of it, since we are ordering 10 to 20 new lines every month. Bottom line, we are working hard to make the experience suck less and meet the project deadlines of our customers. Competitive pricing, same network, experience people who answer the phone, and the process sucks less. Sounds like a good deal to me. Does somebody know a car dealer who can offer this too?

Happy Labor Day.

Tags: Cable, Copper, DSL, Ethernet, Internet, Sonet, Wave

Aug 25

Can Someone Manage My Network and Make It Simple?

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Wide Area Networking is becoming more complicated and the resources are sparse. Plugging different solutions with different companies and equipment, is too difficult to troubleshoot and often times is only a short term solution. No longer do companies have the funds and staff to deploy and maintain a wide area network. Intelletrace sees this demand, and continues to have great success in providing customers a full solution. Intelletrace is designing complicated networks with disaster recovery, VoIP, and full redundancy from the network level all the way down to the switches and routers. Also, we also can procure all of the hardware using refurbished equipment, which is 70% to 90% less than the new equipment. Intelletrace supports and manages the hardware 24×7, with next day shipping for equipment that might fail.

Companies are changing quickly in order to compete in today’s market place. Their wide area network is more important to them than ever, and most of the time, a straight out of the box solution will not work for them. Intelletrace has the experience and flexibility to offer any wide area networking solution to meet your need. Most importantly, we are going to cut through the BS and get your business up and running.

Tags: disaster recovery, routers, switches, VoIP, wide area networking

Aug 20

American Express OPEN Business Event

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Jumping off the Telecom subject…

Last night went to San Francisco to enjoy the American Express OPEN event. The event was at the 7 week old Wayfare Tavern. The Wayfare Tavern is the new creation of Chef Tyler Florence, of the Food Network. You might have seen his new show, the Great Food Truck Race. No, he would not tell me you won. Anyway, the food was awesome, especially the filet and fried chicken. Once the first mad rush for food was over, it was easy to get the food and well organzied. Although, they did run out of the lamb chops, which looked delicious. It was great to speak with other people in different industries, as well as, run into old friends. It is a small world…

I do recommend visiting the Wayfare Tavern, the next time you are in the City. Good location too. It is a block or two from the Embarcedero Shopping Mall. I have attached a picture of Tyler and I, enjoying the night. Sorry, the iPhone GS does not have a flash, so the picture is a little dark. I might have to step up to the iPhone 4, once the bugs are worked out.

If you have checked out the Wayfare Tavern already, I would love to hear about the experience, since we did not get to enjoy the full experience with a sit down dinner.

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Aug 09

A Big Fish in the Carrier Pond

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The Customer First service Intelletrace provides our customers, make our clients feel like a big fish. The clients of Intelletrace are #1 and we are always striving to make them feel important. We understand the mish mash of layers upon layers add nothing but complexity to the big Carriers. Through all the acquisitions, multiple databases, and separate networks, the clients are the ones who suffer and get lost. How often have you sent an email or placed a phone call to your account team, just to get lost in the Carrier Pond? Intelletrace has one database, one account manager, and one project manager assigned to every client. We make you feel like you are the only Fish. We can access your customer information quickly, whether it is billing, service status, or pricing. To top that off, Intelletrace will also provide the competitive pricing less than the competition to meet your budgets. We provide our clients more clout, due to our spend with the Carriers.

Tags: Big Fish

Jul 19

Getting It Done!

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Intelletrace is working with another Social Gaming company. The name will be revealed at a later time. However, if you are a fan of Jim Cramer’s most popular saying on Mad Money, you may know who they are. The company’s growth is unbelievable and the upgrades needed to happen quickly. DSL was no longer an option for people to get work done. This company had many decisions to make and multiple needs. One most important need, was working with one company, experienced, and with competitive rates to meet their budgets. They just didn’t have the resources or time, to manage and work with multiple vendors. Check, check, check… Within 2 days, the Intelletrace team had set up a tour at a premium data center in Mountain View, who could deliver their configuration within 20 days, provided competitive pricing with a fiber provider who could deliver 50megs of Internet bandwidth within 20 days, and search out a tier 1 Carrier to build out fiber to the data center, to provide them diversity and a premier Carrier to reach their client base in the Philippines.

Intelletrace is the one Network Service Provider who could meet their requirements. Bottom line, we are getting it done in their time frames to meet their mission critical applications for their customers. Another Raving Fan!!!

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