In the old days of business communication, people sent information via telegrams. Then it became the norm to use the telephone for information and to ship documents back and forth through the U.S. mail and through mail courier services. And then came the fax machine. Suddenly, documents including contracts and others could be sent back and forth from one location to another. The needs were simple: Both parties had to have an onsite fax machine or easy access to one. As more and more companies started using the computer for …

Travel can be a major problem for a company, regardless of the industry.  There are many reasons that a company may seek to avoid travel as much as possible, including the cost, the loss of productivity in the office because of the travel and the desire to reduce carbon emissions in these days of eco-consciousness.  Using videoconferencing can not only eliminate the cost of travel but can increase productivity for the company as well.  For instance, a company can schedule a videoconference for both the morning and evening with representatives …

MPLS stands for “multiprotocol label switching” and is a mechanism used in high-performance telecommunications networks which direct and carry data from one network node to another.  By using MPLS, virtual links are created between distant nodes.  The biggest benefit of using MPLS is simple: there is no need to be dependent on any one particular type of technology to achieve your telecommunication needs.
MPLS can replace or enhance many different types of service for voice or data and can save money for the company over the long run.  Calls or other …

Simply put, VoIP is “voice over internet protocol”, a type of internet telephone that can have some major advantages over traditional, land-based phones in terms of use and price.  There are some requirements to using VoIP and some equipment considerations to make, however, it can equal huge cost savings in the long run and is at least worth a strong look.  Your managed services provider can give you the basic rundown of what it is, how it works and how much it costs in terms of the initial investment and …

Ethernet is a branded, computer networking standard that uses different types of wiring schemes to connect a local area network (LAN).  The most common standard connection is the use of twisted pair wiring coupled with fiber optics as the backbone.  Since its introduction in the 1980’s, Ethernet has largely replaced other local area network standards in most applications. 
Twisted pair Ethernet is also referred to as twisted copper and makes use of the existing telephone lines in many commercial buildings.  With Ethernet in place, a company can reduce the costs of …

No matter what type of company that you have, the need to reduce your global impact is a very important one. While most companies do their part with environmental concerns by reducing their need for resources, recycling what they can and reusing other items, there is still a lot that can be done. One of the biggest impacts that any company, regardless of size, makes on the planet is with the carbon emissions created simply by its existence. Cars driving in and out of the parking lot cause emissions. People …

The answer to when you should monitor your telecom expenses is always. The answer to the second part of the question, when should you change services, could depend on a number of factors. You should start investigating the possibility of a change before the end of your contract period. Consider how important that telecom expense management is to your company, the more that you rely on technology, the more important and the more expensive that it becomes. For some companies, the telecom costs can be more than a quarter of …

Many companies hire an office manager to take care of the day to day details and tasks that need to be done.  In addition to taking care of some of these details, the office manager might be expected to handle the telecommunications details as well.  The more involved your company’s telecommunications needs are, the more responsibilities there will be and the more expensive these services will end up being.  For instance, the cost of the equipment that is needed and the staff that will also be needed to keep the …

The telecommunications carriers know that companies are facing hard times. They themselves have probably had to tighten their belts and maybe even had to lay off a few employees until things pick up. While they will not give you your service for free, they are still a business after all; they will work with you to change your agreement so that you can continue to be a good customer.
 If you are facing difficulty paying your bills, it is best to start asking for rate reductions or changes in the terms …

A.) The time it takes to move your voice and/or data services to another location varies from carrier to carrier so you should verify with your particular provider.  Most carriers will request at least a 30 day notification if you would like to move your services to a new address.