| One of the easy things to do when discussing | | | | will push lots of traffic across a smaller |
| the products and services available on the | | | | network, whereas more conscientious vendors |
| market is to wax lyrical about the way the | | | | will make sure that there is loads of |
| market is going, the best solutions that you | | | | capacity and will be able to talk confidently |
| can buy and the most cost effective results | | | | about their high reliability and low |
| you can achieve. And in an extremely dynamic | | | | latency.Whilst you are digging deep into the |
| industry, such as IT, there is plenty to talk | | | | knowledge bank of your supplier you would |
| about. We all know that there are constantly | | | | also be well advised to talk to them about |
| evolving solutions and a parade of suppliers | | | | the provision of voice over the managed VPN. |
| who can provide them.But rather than talk | | | | Voice can be run across your broadband VPN, |
| about the best technology, I think it would | | | | but not all suppliers really know how to do |
| be useful just to swing the debate over to | | | | this or are capable of doing it. But be |
| the issue of the Supplier. Recently one of | | | | aware, this is something that is happening |
| our customers, 'The Firewall Warehouse' | | | | and will become more and more popular. |
| implemented a broadband VPN for it's 3 | | | | Because of this a good supplier will be |
| offices and centralised warehouse that are | | | | either encouraging you to run voice over your |
| spread across the UK.Nick Johnson, Director | | | | managed VPN now or setting your expectations |
| of The Firewall Warehouse said, 'For the | | | | to do it as part of your medium term |
| management team the technological argument | | | | planning.But knowing about the technology and |
| and the financial benefit derived was not | | | | how it applies to you is important, but |
| really an issue. Where we struggled was with | | | | equally so is their knowledge of process. So |
| our choice of supplier.'Johnson went on, 'the | | | | many times you can place orders and then be |
| problem was that we treated the sale as a | | | | lost in a sea of promises. A good supplier |
| commodity and didn't really respect the fact | | | | will guide you as to what they will do, but |
| that connecting our business up and passing | | | | also as to what you need to do. You don't |
| our vital data between sites was, in reality, | | | | need to spend hours on working with the |
| one of the most important things on our | | | | supplier but you do need to be in synch with |
| agenda. Sure, we understood it all, but we | | | | their programme and understand what they are |
| really should have made sure that we | | | | delivering, when they are delivering and |
| understood the product source, the delivery | | | | basically when to flick the switch.A good |
| schedule, the time we needed to invest and | | | | supplier will have a combination of |
| the fact that those who provide you with | | | | automation and human resource. You should |
| critical solutions need to be close to you | | | | expect to be able to be given an online |
| and your business.''As it so happens we ended | | | | service to manage and indeed provision your |
| up with a good delivery and a solution that | | | | service, but likewise you should know the |
| is fast, robust, capable and secure, but only | | | | service agent who is in charge of your |
| after we realised that we were not paying | | | | project. Invariably you will have questions, |
| enough attention to the deal and consequently | | | | date slippages, configuration changes and so |
| put our own management efforts into play, | | | | on and you want that piece of mind that your |
| which incidentally was not that arduous.'The | | | | supplier works with you to change the |
| lessons 'The Firewall Warehouse' learnt were | | | | schedule and meet your demands. Do watch out |
| that you need to do a bit of basic research | | | | for this because once you lose track of what |
| yourself before kicking off the supplier | | | | you and they are doing it becomes an absolute |
| process.The web is a fantastic source of | | | | muddle of spaghetti to unravel.Other simple |
| information, as we all know and by searching | | | | things to look out for are the speed and |
| 'VPN network' 'managed VPN', 'managed | | | | simplicity of the supplier process. |
| broadband', and a few other similar phrases, | | | | Automation of process invariably means that |
| it is possible to become that much brighter | | | | line orders are placed quickly, but you need |
| and informed. But equally important is to | | | | to understand their acknowledgment process |
| understand what is behind the marketing web | | | | and update process so that you are |
| pages, what do the network providers actually | | | | comfortable with what information you expect |
| do?Now, even in the commodity sale, not all | | | | to be fed to you over the order lifetime. |
| vendors offer the same product or service. | | | | Likewise you need to actually understand how |
| For a start, don't ever believe that | | | | the installation takes place. It should be a |
| broadband is just broadband. It comes in | | | | speedy delivery of a box, a speedy delivery |
| various guises and is delivered with varying | | | | of a connection or connections and a |
| levels of quality and efficiency.Some of the | | | | harmonious bringing together of the items to |
| better known names do not necessarily offer | | | | create your managed VPN. If you can't see |
| you the best quality broadband and quite | | | | that nice clear plan from your supplier then |
| frankly the delivery and customer care | | | | be warned that it all might not be plain |
| capabilities are woefully inadequate for the | | | | sailing.So don't panic, but just be conscious |
| small and medium sized business. So it's | | | | of getting stuck in to some of the detail |
| important to understand your vendors | | | | when you are evaluating your supplier. This |
| offering. What contention rates and speeds | | | | is absolutely not just about price. It's |
| are on offer for a start? And if you can get | | | | about their knowledge of how to create and |
| into a discussion with a supplier about this | | | | run a project and it's about the network they |
| you will find that one who has knowledge of | | | | use to provide it. It's also about how they |
| the topic and an understanding of how best to | | | | efficiently supply you and appraise you along |
| network a business will really give you that | | | | the way as well as their ability to persuade |
| added comfort.Additionally you need to know | | | | you of their business and technological |
| how good the service is and there are two | | | | integrity.It's a fun thing to be able to make |
| issues that need some real clarity. The first | | | | your business better and I also think that |
| of these is Reliability.Now the answer to | | | | your supplier will actually want to be part |
| reliability is not just a simple claim of | | | | of that journey too. So do probe and ask |
| being reliable. What you need to be told is | | | | questions about some of the issues raised and |
| the structure of the network and an | | | | I'm sure you will find your choice of |
| explanation of how they intend to provide you | | | | supplier to be much easier and fairly |
| with the usual spiel about 99.999999% | | | | natural. Like most choices the most |
| guaranteed uptime. This revolves around how | | | | appropriate one is fairly obvious once you |
| they have built their network and how they | | | | know which questions to ask.Nathan |
| can demonstrate a lack of network congestion. | | | | Hill-Haimes is the Managing Director of |
| The least reliable infrastructure will be the | | | | Managed Communications Ltd and a serial |
| one that packs as many people as it can on to | | | | entrepreneur, having built, sold and turned |
| a limited network. Conversely, the better | | | | around several Internet centric companies |
| network is that which can cope with lots of | | | | prior to founding Managed Communications - |
| traffic as well as having a lot of free | | | | Communications is a high-performance Managed |
| capacity.Which brings up the second issue; | | | | VPN Service provider - the company does not |
| namely that of Latency. This again needs | | | | use the public internet to create VPNs as |
| explained to you by the supplier and they | | | | experience has shown this is where many |
| need to convince you that there is low | | | | issues regarding latency and security can |
| latency on their network because they are | | | | occur. In addition to standard VPN services |
| being generous with the capacity and not | | | | bonding of lines enables higher capacity than |
| overburdening their infrastructure with | | | | other service providers can offer to key VPN |
| users. It's the same issue as that of | | | | sites. |
| reliability; less conscientious suppliers | | | | |