Wireless Network Solutions Indiana

Support your BlackBerry phones better with BlackBerry Enterprise Express Server

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 by Daniel White

BlackBerry phones are becoming less and less prevalent in the small business market. Historically, Blackberry phones offered the benefit of securely accesing enterprise class Microsoft Exchange e-mail servers. The cost of adding the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) application t your Microsoft Exchange server is typically cost prohibitive for the small business market. Rival phone products like Windows Mobile 7, Apple Iphone, and Android phones have greatly improved thier capabilities in accessing business resources such as Microsoft Exchange based e-mail. The most major difference is that most of the rivals offer similar functionality as Blackberry, but for free. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server features that aid in phone integration and security are unmatched by any competitor, but at the entry cost of over a thousand dollars and a per user license fee of one hundred dollars. Many small business users are tranistioning to rival products once contracts expire due mainly to the total cost of ownership of the Blackberry Enterprise Server solution.

BlackBerry now offers the free option called the BlackBerry Enterprise Express Server which fills this market segment. The BlackBerry Enterprise Express Server still retains most of the important features (listed below) for up to two thousand users at no additional charge. BES Express works with Microsoft Exchange 2010, 2007 and 2003 and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 and 2003. With this new software connected to your servers, your employees' BlackBerry smartphones will be able to do the following:

·   Wirelessly synchronize their email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks.
·   Manage email folders and search email on the mail server remotely.
·   Book meetings and appointments, check availability and forward calendar attachments
·   Set an out-of-office reply.
·   Edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files using Documents To Go.
·   Access files stored on the company network.
·   Use mobile applications to access business systems behind the firewall.

For IT administrators, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express also offers:

·   Runs on the same physical or virtual server as the Microsoft mail server or on its own server.
·   BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is also certified for use with VMware ESX
·   Over 35 IT controls and policies, including the ability to remotely wipe a smartphone and enforce and reset passwords.
·   A Web-based interface that allows remote administration and makes it easy to install the software, connect BlackBerry smartphones and apply usage policies.

For more information on our Blackberry server configuration service in Indiana and business phone support please call us at 317-831-0704. We also provide BlackBerry server troubleshooting services for our Indiana clients.

Backups!: Seven easy ways to backup

Friday, March 18, 2011 by Britton Starr

In part two of of my PC Backup Solutions blog, we're going to look at seven specific ways to backup our valuable data. As mentioned in my previous blog, in PC Repair Indiana computers will inevitably fail. Not to mention natural hazards, such as floods, ice and lighting storms. And, given our increasing reliance on these machines in our day to day lives, data backup is essential. (If you haven't read my first blog on the subject, I'd definitely take a minute to scan that one to find out the importance of backing up)

So, now let's get into the knitty-gritty of actual ways to back up your personal information. We'll take a look at some of the various backup methods, their strengths, their weaknesses, and the associated costs. In particular we'll look at 7 backup methods that are most relevant to a home PC user.

1. CD Backup
Burning important files to CD-R's is a cheap and easy way of backing up your important documents. CD-R's are incredibly cheap costing only maybe $12 for a 50 pack, readily available, and usable on nearly any machine made in the last 6 years. They are however prone to scratching, not rewritable meaning that you can't update the files, and relatively low capacity. While light years ahead of a floppy, they won't store more than say, 150 photos or songs. They're great for burning a single important album or backing up a couple years of tax info.

2. DVD Backup
Burning important files to DVD's is an affordable and easy way of backing up important files and documents. DVD-R's are only a little pricier than CD's at maybe $15 for a 50 pack, easy to find, and store six and a half times as much information as a CD-R. There are even more expensive dual-layer discs that store 9 Gigs of information! Like CD's though, they are prone to scratching and will get torn up if mistreated.

3. USB Flash Drive
Keeping backup copies of important files on a flash drive is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to help ensure your data is protected. A 4 GB flash drive, which would be enough for say, 900 photos or 1000 songs, can be purchased at many stores for as cheap as $11-12. An even larger drive, such as 8 GB runs only $16-18, and you can buy even larger drives if storage becomes an issue. Using one, couldn't be easier. You just open two windows, select the files or folders you want, and drag them onto the flash drive. USB drives are fairly resistant to most damage if treated with any amount of care, though personal experience has shown, it's best not to run them through the wash in your pocket.

4. USB Portable Hard Drive
Sometimes you just have too many photos, or too much music, to make backing up on DVD's or a flash drive feasible. Enter the USB Portable Hard Drive. These small, pocketable hard drives can carry enough storage to backup most laptops, and most small to midsize desktops. They don't require any special plugs or adapters, just a single USB port for data and power. Like the flash drive you can simply drag and drop your data on to the new drive. Some even come with software tools to make backing up even easier. Portable hard drives are pretty rugged, but much like a laptop excessive shaking and harsh drops should be avoided.

5. USB Desktop Hard Drive
This is the biggest and best of the add-on type of discs/drives. These are larger drives, both physically and in regards to storeage amount. Many drives even have higher speed connection types, such as firewire or e-sata, to make backups and file transfers incredibly fast. There is enough storage on most of these drives for 10,000+ photos or songs, and to back up nearly any desktop or laptop. Most large drives include backup software as a standard feature. The drawback with these drives though, is that they require a separate plug for power and are a little bulky to carry around.

6. RAID Array Backup
When purchasing a new PC, there is one option that is especially great for data backup and reliability. A RAID setup can have many forms, the one we're ideally concerned with is what we call RAID 5. Avoiding the technical end of things, this allows your computer to run faster, and keeps copies of your data on multiple drives, so that even if one drive fails, a new one may be substituted in its place. The computer reconstructs the data, and it's like it never happened. Raid is not terribly expensive to setup, however it needs compatible hardware and must be done at the time the machine is made, which are a couple of the system's only drawbacks.

7. Offsite Remote Backup
This backup solution is the ultimate in protection and security for your data. It is a powerful way to keep your data safe in even the most severe of circumstances. It's also what we normally recommend for our IT Support for Small Business customers. Since your data is backed up to a remote location, your files are kept safe even in the event of catastrophe like a fire or flood. While it is a little more expensive than some of the other options, it is the most reliable and easy way to ensure your valuable data is kept safe. We provide this service for many of our business customers, and so called "cloud" backups are available for home users as well.

So hopefully you've learned not just why we need backups in today's society, but also about some of the various ways we can backup our important data, files, and memories. If you have any questions, or would like us to help you implement a backup strategy of your own, please don't hesitate to call us. As always, we're here for all your Computer Repair Mooresville needs.

If you liked this Blog Post, then check out The Interconnect Group other Blog Posts:

Backups!: Why Backups Are Crucial In Todays Electronic World

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 by Britton Starr

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." -Benjamin Franklin

We've all heard this saying before. It addresses the fact that sometimes a little effort up front can save you from a world of trouble in the long run. I want to share with you about just such a situation. Today I'd like to compare this timeless quote to the world of PC Backup Solutions. While it may seem a little far-fetched at first glance, the comparison is quite valid. So why do I bring this topic up? Because if there is one thing I have learned in Computer Help Desk Support, it's that you should plan for the worst, even if you hope for the best.

Modern computers are incredibly complex. While a computer is meant to be as fault tolerant as possible, things can and will happen. Think about how we use our computers today. Banking, news, email, music libraries, taxes, homework, facebook, financing, photo storage, business correspondence, the list goes on and on. The problem is, if your computer fails you can lose everything. This is why in today's technologically dependent world, corporations aren't the only ones who need to think about backup solutions.

Reliable data backup can be a lifesaver, not to mention a sound investment. I once lost $600 worth of wedding photos, due to a hard drive crash. No red flags, no warnings. The data was just gone. Priceless memories, and part of my reputation as a freelancer lost because of a simple mechanical failure. Tax documents and massive music collections are just as vulnerable. Given the importance of such documents, even at home backups are a must. It's a lesson several of our Indianapolis IT Support customers have learned the hard way.

Let's put this in context of our quote. Our ounce of prevention is like our Backup strategy, being quite easy and rather affordable on the Indiana PC Repair customer. Solutions for a home PC can range from a USB Drive purchased for a few dollars use to back up key documents, to a robust and safe offsite backup available for a reasonable monthly fee. If we neglect these options however the results can be devastating. The loss of precious memories, the thousand dollar charges of advanced data recovery services, even potential financial or legal trouble. While some products like music may be purchased again, some documents are irreplacable and should be treated as such.

Clearly, we really are better off safe, rather than sorry.

In part two, which will be posted later this week, we'll look at the specific options and pricing we have available to help protect you and your valuable data. That's all for today. If you have any concerns about your computer's health, or feel it might be time for a tune up, please visit us for all your Computer Repair Mooresville needs.

If you liked this Blog Post, then check out The Interconnect Group other Blog Posts:

A Great Small Business Network Router for your Design

Tuesday, November 2, 2010 by Chad Whaley

If you've read any of my previous blogs, you may have noticed that I'm a very big fan of Adtran routers. I've used them across a wide spectrum of projects and have never been dissatisfied. If you've ever stepped into a telecom closet, you have most likely seen an Adtran router mounted on the wall being used by the local telecom carrier. Adtran routers are very effective for VoIP Network Design and/or the standard Small Business Network Design.

One model that I really like is the Adtran Netvanta 3438 Multiservice Access Router. It has a network interface module that will support up two T1s. In addition to the two Ethernet ports, there is a built in 8-port, non-blocking Ethernet switch with an optional PoE add-on. I've used the NV3448 for both hosted VoIP solutions Indiana projects and small business network solutions alike. I prefer getting the version with the Enhanced Feature Pack (EFP) more for the Voice Quality Monitoring (VQM) feature than the VPN capabilities although the VPN feature is very robust. The VQM comes in very handy when monitoring client's historical VoIP call quality.

Adtran offers both a good GUI and command line interface (CLI). I commonly use the CLI for my initial configuration setup as well as those times when I'm troubleshooting a tough problem. I use the GUI for general maintenance and monitoring tasks. Since you can see the raw SIP messaging at the CLI level in Adtran's Operating System (AOS), additional steps of capturing SIP messaging and importing into Wire Shark isn't necessary.

I would be remiss in my blogging duties if I wrote an article about Adtran routers and didn't mention their industry leading warranty. Adtran stands behind their products and offers a 5 year warranty on most products and a 10 year warranty on some select product lines. Adtran offers free firmware updates for their hardware for the lifetime of that hardware. Adtran offers free telephone support on their products which is staffed by English speaking, Engineering degreed US based staff. This is a very key selling point to me and my small business network design clients.

If you liked this Blog Post, then check out The Interconnect Group other Blog Posts:

Know your 4G wireless networks and their future

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 by Dawn Tomey

As many of you know the 4G (fourth generation) wireless network evolution is in full swing. What does this mean to Indiana Telecommunications Provider customers/users?

Higher data throughput speeds
Lower latency*
Internet global mobility
Excellent geographic coverage
Improved in-building penetration

*Latency is the amount of time it takes data to travel end to end within a network

Verizon Wireless has estimated that 100 million people will have their 4G wireless network coverage by the end of 2010. USB modems are expected to be the first devices used, followed shortly thereafter by smartphones and mobile hotspots. By 2012, industry analysts estimate 50 million user devices will have embedded wireless capabilities. LTE technology will support videoconferencing, real time gaming apps, home heating/air control, as well as appliance control.

There are currently 3 different types of 4G networks.

LTE – Long Term Evolution

WiMAX – Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access

HSPA+ – High Speed Packet Access (Emerging 3G Technology)

LTE technology has been chosen by the 3 largest wireless carriers. Meaning it will support more than 100 billion customers. Verizon Wireless plans to be the first U.S. carrier to have nationwide 4G coverage. AT&T is currently upgrading their network to HSPA+, but plans to migrate to LTE starting in mid 2011. T-Mobile is beginning to deploy it’s 3G technology and has indicated their choice as LTE when they begin to move forward. Sprint chose WiMAX rather than LTE. They launched their 4G network in late 2009 in partnership with Clearwire and operate their WiMAX network under the Clearwire brand.

Speeds expected with the new 4G networks:

	*LTE*	*WiMAX*	*HSPA+*
*Download*	5 – 12 Mbps	Up to 4 Mbps	1.5 – 7 Mbps
*Upload*	2 – 5 Mbps	500 Kbps	1 – 4 Mbps
*Expected Latency*	Up to 30 ms	Up to 100 ms	Up to 100 ms
*Global Adoptation*	Yes	No	Yes
*Contiguous U.S. Coverage*	Yes (VZW only)	No	No
*Carriers*	VerizonWireless Vodafone China Mobile T-Mobile	Sprint	AT&T (plans to migrate to LTE starting in mid 2011)

Mbps = megabits per second Kbps = kilobits per second ms = milliseconds

This undoubtedly will bring greater options to the world of remote worker solutions and small business telecommunications. The idea of being able to download information at a multiple Mbps via a USB Modem or even a Smartphone opens a world of possibilities.

If you liked this Blog Post, then check out other The Interconnect Group blog posts:

What Is Internet Speed

Saturday, February 20, 2010 by Brett Neal

I was talking to my father the other day. He was having problems trying to grasp how high speed internet is faster than slower connections. In Internet Connectivity Solutions, a faster speed does not mean that it gets somewhere faster per say. Think of it like this, lets say that you currently live in Indiana. You are looking at a website that the people who own that website are in Califorina. When you go to that page, lets say www.onlinestore.com, your computer requests and recieves infromation from California server. If you have DSL or if you have dial up, it takes the same amount of time for that information to travel the distance from California.

So how exatly is your connection faster? If you have a straw and a paper towl tube the exact same length setting side by side. If you drop a tiny marble in the top of each at the same time, both marbles will hit the bottem at the same time. If you have the same straw and paper towl tube, and you want to put 20 marbles through both of them each, you can drop all 20 tiny marbles through the paper towl tube at once, but you're limited to one marble at a time through the straw. This is how your internet connection works. The higher the speed, the wider the tube which we often refer to as bandwidth. So if you have two different computers at the same time loading a webpage that has two pictures on it and one computer is on dial-up and the other is on xDSL. The dial up computer is limited to receiving a fraction of one picture at one time, where the dsl computer can fit both pictures at the same time. This is a simple analogy of how to visualize "faster" when talking about how Internet connectivity solutions works.

If you liked this Blog Post, then check out The Interconnect Group other Blog Posts:

Making Technology Work In Your Business

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 by Chad Whaley

A few weeks ago, I took a break from my Indianapolis IT Support practice and attended a morning seminar hosted by Franklin Covey entitled "The 4 Disciplines of Execution". Although the event was a sales pitch for Franklin Covey's consulting services, I felt the speakers did a great job of providing a great balance of useful information with sales pitch for their system. In other words, it was well worth my time.

In addition to taking away a few pointers on goal setting, leading and lagging measures, and setting accountability, I noted that they had a software program that they recommended using to track and follow their system throughout their consulting engagement. This interested me because it reinforced an idea that technology, specifically IT technology, can be helpful at all levels of organizations. It can even help organizations set and achieve goals when implemented correctly. I doubt however, that the technology alone would make a client successful. It was only one piece to a proven system that Franklin Covey was offering which in it's entirety benefited their clients tremendously according to their statistics.

Does technology work for your business or organization? Too often I've seen technology or the lack of technology work against prospective clients. Instead, organizations often cobble together several systems that inefficiently meet their needs, but often restrains growth. We've come across small business server Indiana clients using their server technology as a glorified desktop due to a lack of understanding of capability.

I believe in a "solutions" approach to technology. When I say solutions, I mean hardware, software and human interaction to help implement technology that will solve business problems or provide a foundation to enhance efficiency or improve sales. Some common technology solutions:

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System
Trouble Ticket System
Business Intelligence Management System
Corporate Wikipedia
Call Center Management/Reporting System

Most of the five things bulleted above require a mixture of hardware and software to be implemented, but more importantly they require engagement and buy in from both users and management to actually work. The most expensive CRM system in the world is worthless if people do not enter, track and utilize the information stored in it. I often find it is the human factor that determines if a new technology implementation is going to be a success.

Depending on the size of your organization, I recommend including someone from both management and the front lines of your organization to work in conjunction on the planning and implementation of new technology. Make sure that the new technology being implemented is one component to implementing a new solution to a common small business problem.

If you liked this Blog Post, then check out The Interconnect Group other Blog Posts:

Alternative Connectivity Solutions

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 by Chad Whaley

Does your company have multiple facilities within a few miles of each other that require data/voice communication connectivity between them?

I've come across several situations where companies opt to pay reoccurring monthly fees to the local Telco carrier for a Point-to-Point (PtP) T1, because they most likely didn't know of other solutions available to them. Although one solution does not fit all, I wanted to make you aware of some alternative connectivity solutions which saved our clients several thousand dollars over traditional carrier connectivity products.

Private PtP Wireless Network Solutions

My wireless network solutions Indiana consulting and implementation practice takes proven, carrier grade wireless network solutions to the business market. One project we did last year helped a manufacturing plant in Indianapolis connect their sales office to the main building located 3/4 mile away. A PtP T1 from the phone company would have cost them $350-450/month for a 36 month term and would have only yielded them 1.5 Mbps upload and download speeds. The PtP wireless solution we implemented for them provided 20-25 Mbps of upload and download speeds at a 35% cost reduction over the same 36 month term. At month 37, the PtP wireless system is paid for minus normal maintenance, so our client's Return on Investment (ROI) will rapidly excell from then on through the life of the equipment.

Commercial carriers have been using wireless solutions for decades. Today's market offers affordable licensed and unlicensed radio solutions. I often provide WISP business consulting clients both the business case and technical support required to implement wireless network solutions. These systems can and have been deployed in private systems where connectivity for both voice and data are required between multiple facilities.

If you are looking for more affordable alternatives to keep multiple facilities connected, then benefit from our wireless network solutions Indiana experience. Getting started is as easy as 1-2-3:

An extensive site survey is required of all involved facilities
A path study will need to be completed by our engineering staff
A feasibility study will be made to determine cost per alternative options

If you are interested in learning more about these and other alternative connectivity strategies, then call me at (317) 831-0704 or email me at cwhaley@tincg.com to get more information.

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Don't Over Pay For Your Router and Network Hardware

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 by Chad Whaley

There are several Affordable Router Solutions available to both the carrier and enterprise level markets. Like any name brand item, one pays a premium for the "name" behind the product and sometimes sacrifices support and performance. I've been a network integrator since 2004. I'm comfortable with many brands of routers, but typically try to select the right product for the application. I wanted to briefly review a few common router implementations and my logic behind selecting vendor A, I, or M over C. The following three routers are my top Affordable Router Soutions for the specific application.

My Top Router Picks

Wireless Applications - MikroTik RB433AH Routerboard
VoIP Integration - ADTRAN TA904 and NV3448 Routers
Enterprise Workhorse - Imagestream Rebel Router

Wireless Network Solutions

I've owned and operated an Indiana Wireless Solutions and Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) since 2004. From the beginning, we operated on a very tight budget which forced us to review some of the Linux Router Solutions available to the market. We began using MikroTik routers from day one. We utilized them because of affordability, flexibility, and wireless performance. These routers have a very good GUI in addition to command-line interface (CLI). MikroTik manufactures there own brand of routerboards for their RouterOS or you can load the RouterOS on a x86 PC. Each routerboard is a full blown router and firewall. If wireless access is required, then one can add a mpci based radio card to the board for an integrated wireless AP and router solution.

Although MikroTik offers various routerboard solutions that meet different needs, I prefer the RB433AH routerboard. The architecture allows for plenty of throughput. In fact, I have a full duplex 5GHz N-stream solution running for a given client which is reliably pushing 28-30M full duplex throughput across the system which links their annex facility to their main building almost 1 mile away. These routers also offer advance firewalling, QoS Services, and scripting abilities. Most important is the Hotspot solution that is included in MikroTik's RouterOS.

VoIP Integration

I prefer the ADTRAN router line for all VoIP Integrations. I use both the Total Access 900 and NetVanta lines. ADTRAN has integrated switch ports into some NetVanta models to minimize the amount of devices required to manage in the network. ADTRAN offers both a "IOS" style CLI and a GUI. I prefer the CLI for setup and troubleshooting, but utilize the GUI a lot to check status. The Voice Quality Monitor (VQM) feature is very nice for VoIP Integrations. It allows me to trend voice quality statistics over time while also reporting key metrics such as MOS scores, delay, jitter, and packet loss. The ADTRAN product has superior SIP messaging troubleshooting. With other products, I would have to perform a packet capture and then export it into Wireshark for analysis. In ADTRAN's CLI, I can view the SIP level messaging in real time.

Hands down the best thing I can say about ADTRAN is the professionalism and helpfulness of their Technical Support. Guess what? Their support comes with the purchase of their product unlike the Big "C" brand. ADTRAN offers a 5yr. warranty on both of these product lines as well as most of their other products.

Affordable Router Solutions for the Enterprise

I've also been very happy with Indiana based router manufacturer, Imagestream. The Imagestream solution is based on a Linux OS platform. It currently does not have a GUI interface, but they do promise to release one soon. In a recent conversation with Imagestream's Lead Software Developer for the GUI Project, he mentioned to me the advance monitoring capabilities integrated into the GUI. After getting a sneak peak of the first GUI version, I think they are on the right track.

The Imagestream Rebel router is in my opinion the "jewel" of the Imagestream product line with the proper blend of price and performance. It out performs a lot of other routers in its class, including Cisco. It comes equipped with six Gig-E ports while having the ability to route ~100Mb Ethernet at wire speed. Imagestream offers a wide variety of interface cards to handle fiber to T1 termination. The ability to implement advance QoS Services and Firewalling Filters allows for some very advanced controls of the data streams. I've seen clients with a little scripting/programming talent do some really advance automated monitoring tasks with these routers. Imagestream also offers superb support for their routers which is included with the purchase.

IT Networking Support and Equipment Selection

Please consult your IT Networking Support professional before purchasing equipment. If you currently do not work with someone in this area, then feel free to contact The Interconnect Group for assistance with any of these router products and more. The key to this article is that you do not have to overpay for the right router solution. There are several affordable router solutions that will meet your needs on performance and price.