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VoIP: Future-Proof Voice Solutions

Dec 18, 2018

What is VoIP?

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is often referred to as internet telephony or internet calling. Essentially, voice calls are sent over an IP network, such as the public internet or a corporate intranet, rather than traditional phone lines. This network can also act as your business’s data network, simplifying network management by combining services.

Benefits of VoIP

VoIP pricing is generally very cost-effective, as it combines data and voice services over a single network. Furthermore, “local” and “long distance” calls frequently receive the same flat rate. By routing calls through the internet, VoIP can be used across multiple locations, mobile devices, and cloud systems, making it extremely versatile. Finally, VoIP is often easier to work with as lines are added with little configuration required and telecommunications companies are committed to continuing to upgrade and update VoIP services, though upgrades are less frequent with the advanced equipment VoIP utilizes.

123Net’s Voice Services

Many companies are making the switch to future-proof VoIP solutions. As they seek to cut costs, improve features, and grow their businesses, VoIP technology will continue to expand to meet demands. 123Net is the largest independent phone company in Michigan and has been committed to providing enterprise grade VoIP services since 2001. To learn more about how you can upgrade your business voice services to VoIP, with services including SIP Trunking, Dynamic PRI, and Hosted IP PBX, visit https://www.123.net/voice-services/

Why Data Center Location Matters

Oct 30, 2018

Data center location should always be a top priority for customers. Choosing a data center in an optimal location not only provides immediate advantages, it also prevents major headaches down the road. 123Net carefully handpicked an ideal environment for each of its four Michigan data centers.

Network Speed

While people may think that bandwidth is the only factor determining speed, that’s not the case. The physical distance from a data center to an application can significantly affect network latency. For this reason, many companies, such as healthcare companies, are seeking data centers local to their office space. These companies are gaining a clear edge over the competition due to the speed advantage lower network latency provides. While it could be less expensive to collocate further away, it is often not worth sacrificing speed.

Natural Disasters

Businesses that collocate in areas prone to natural disasters are playing with fire. Events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes can cause critical power outages, leading to crippling downtime. If the best data center option happens to be in a disaster-prone area, consider selecting a backup data center at a safer location, preferably on a different power grid.

Accessibility

Data center space should be in an area that is comfortable to reach. Personnel may need to travel to the data center to make upgrades and service equipment. If a data center is out of driving distance, consider the logistics of transporting personnel and equipment through the air.

Connections

Businesses can take advantage of data center connectivity by creating multiple channels that will keep data moving freely despite outages. This makes data centers in well-connected areas safer and more reliable. It also gives businesses more room for growth, as they can easily make plenty of connections within the data center itself.

123Net’s three Southfield data center facilities have a superior location. They have access to more than 20 carriers, are in low-risk southeastern Michigan and close to thousands of Metro Detroit businesses. 123Net also has secure, easily accessible data center space in Grand Rapids that makes for premier primary or backup colocation space. Learn more about the strategic advantages you can gain from data center location or to schedule a tour of our data centers, visit: https://www.123.net/data-center/

How Cloud Connect Gives Customers Private Access to the Public Cloud

Oct 25, 2018

Cloud services are gaining more popularity, however, many businesses are still hesitant to adopt them. There are concerns that transitioning data to the cloud will hike up prices, reduce reliability, and raise security issues. With 123Net Cloud Connect, that is far from the case. This solution brings network service providers, cloud service providers, and enterprises together, allowing them to create private, point-to-point connections.

What Is 123Net Cloud Connect?

123Net Cloud Connect is an Ethernet switching service that facilitates secure, Software-Defined (SD) connections for direct cloud access with automated provisioning. The fabric directly connects businesses’ infrastructure to the cloud service provider of their choice, including industry leaders such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Salesforce, Google Cloud Platform, and many others. Available across several locations, the solution is designed to provide scalable, agile connectivity. This enables businesses to reach anyone instantly, nearby or across metros, driving the future of business communications.

Reliable

Improve application performance by connecting directly to cloud service providers over a consistent, high-throughput path. Cloud Connect empowers customers to determine how and where connections are made, giving them the peace of mind that specific paths will be followed to their preferences. The public internet is avoided, ensuring that enterprises will receive reliable, low latency connectivity.

Scalable

Cloud Connect is engineered to keep pace with growing businesses. Delivered through a single, Software-Defined Ethernet portal via fiber internet, enterprises can easily scale connection speeds between 50 Mbps and 10 Gbps. Capacity management can be performed at any time, over any device.

Secure

Create a more secure environment for applications by deploying them within a data center’s local area network. Deploying private connections, and avoiding the public internet, protects sensitive business data and information as it moves from data centers to cloud service providers.

Building direct, secure, reliable connectivity to cloud service providers via 123Net Cloud Connect allows businesses to take advantage of cloud computing without the hassle. To learnhow your enterprise can benefit from 123Net Cloud Connect, visit: https://www.123.net/network-services/cloud-connect/ 

Temporary Wireless is Key to Events Requiring High Capacity Internet

Oct 11, 2018

TEDx, Detroit Jazz Fest, and Electronic Music Festival rely on 123Net’s premier event wireless, because it provides quick and easy high-speed internet access. Fixed Wireless technology is a highly effective solution for concerts, trade shows, conferences, and much more.

When organizing an event, finding a dependable, high-speed internet connection is always a concern. Premier event wireless solutions simplify this challenge by creating a temporary, reliable internet solution that is rapidly deployed and does not require a long-term commitment. Premier event wireless gives event-goers access to high-capacity applications needed to send pictures, stream videos, and much more.

Rapid Deployment

Fixed Wireless can be up and running in as little as 7-14 days. Traditional internet solutions require more time and effort from the service provider. With premier event wireless, organizers can plan weeks ahead instead of months.

Flexible

Temporary Fixed Wireless is far more versatile than traditional internet services. Bandwidth is easily scalable, ensuring that specific requirements are met. Wireless internet provides service in hard-to-reach areas where physical cables are not available. If events are held in an area limited by infrastructure or other restrictions, customers can simply have a Fixed Wireless receiver installed for connectivity.

Reliable, Low Latency Internet

Temporary Fixed Wireless offers premium quality without the hassle. Towers transmit narrow beams, limiting interference. This helps lower latency and improve overall connectivity. Fixed Wireless beams are also secured by 128-Bit AES Encryption, protecting customers’ confidential information.

Traditional internet options are often more expensive and time-consuming. Wireless networks are installed with far less construction, reducing overall cost. After events, Fixed Wireless equipment can be quickly dismantled upon request.

123Net’s premier event wireless provides dedicated, symmetrical speeds up to 10 Gbps, along with the flexibility to scale bandwidth to your specific requirements. If your event requires reliable, high-capacity internet, 123Net’s premier event wireless will deliver. For more information, visit https://www.123.net/fixed-wireless/

Why Your Data Center Should Be Carrier Neutral

Oct 4, 2018

Inside a data center, 123Net believes your choice of carrier should not be limited to the data center owner. We make it as easy as possible for new carriers to build into our data centers. Opening the doors to more carriers greatly benefits businesses looking for more robust, diverse networks.

What Does Carrier Neutral Mean?

Having more options is a good thing. A carrier neutral data center, often referred to as a carrier hotel, is a facility that offers its customers the ability to purchase connectivity from any carrier in the building. Since these facilities are independent of providers, customers are open to many more carrier options. There are several factors that make carrier neutral facilities more desirable than their carrier-affiliated counterparts:

Diversity

Keeping your network running 24/7 is critical. Having carrier diversity, meaning multiple carriers connected to your business’s network, provides a backup option if a single carrier experiences an outage. Carrier hotels have a major advantage in that they support carrier diversity, whereas single provider data centers are less able to.

Cost-Effective

Using a carrier neutral facility can naturally lower the price of services through competition. When there are fewer options to choose from, customers are more likely to settle for higher prices. Moving to a new data center can be a costly and time-consuming process, so selecting a carrier neutral data center allows competition to keep costs low, without having to move to change providers.

Internet Exchange Connectivity

Carrier neutral data centers can also host internet exchanges. Internet exchanges allow enterprise, service provider, and carrier networks to peer with one another, lowering latency, network hops, and costs.

123Net has four, Tier 3, carrier neutral data center facilities and hosts the Detroit Internet Exchange (DET-IX), a not-for-profit regional exchange point in Michigan. To learn more about 123Net’s data centers, or to schedule a data center tour, visit https://www.123.net/data-center/

Why Your Business Should Implement SIP Trunking

Sep 25, 2018

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services are becoming the go-to way to manage business voice. One of the most popular options is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking, which is more cost-effective and flexible than most legacy voice services.

What is SIP Trunking?

A SIP trunk provides voice and data traffic between users’ phone systems and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) over a single IP network. It is a way to deliver high-capacity, secure, premium quality voice for businesses.

Scalability

SIP trunks have an interface that is better suited for growing businesses. Traditional phone systems often carry a 23-channel capacity, meaning that additional callers can only be added in increments of 23. Businesses with SIP trunks can add as many paths as needed, ensuring that they only pay for the interface they need.

Security

Businesses in industries such as government, healthcare, and education require ultra-secure connections for voice communication. Session border controllers (SBC) make SIP trunking systems secure for any business that requires secure voice. The SBC is a point of security between users and third-party callers providing the following features:

  • Topology Hiding & Privacy – The IP network topology of the business is hidden to prevent attacks. This protects user information and creates a layer of privacy between networks. Media is also monitored to prevent intercepts and fraud.
  • Access Control – Only known networks, devices, and applications are permitted to access the enterprise’s voice system.
  • Encryption – SIP enables the encryption of media.
  • Denial of Service (DoS) – Protection from malicious attacks and non-malicious overloads.
  • Virus & Worm Protection – SIP is protected from malicious attachments and messages containing viruses, worms, and trojans.
  • Logging, Monitoring, and Reporting – Attacks and overloads are reported and monitored.

Call Quality

One of the best ways to measure the quality of a voice call is a Mean Opinion Score (MOS). The scale gives a numerical score for call quality ranking from one (bad) to five (excellent). When VoIP technologies first came to the market in the 1990’s, phone voice quality took a step back, however current SIP trunking systems are now equivalent, if not better, in call quality.

The call quality of SIP trunking solutions typically ranges between four and five on this scale, meaning call issues are nearly imperceptible. Maintaining a high MOS is critical for all businesses. Weak voice quality leads to mental fatigue, reduced productivity, and a poor overall experience.

Flexibility

SIP trunks give businesses the flexibility to route voice traffic over redundant data circuits. If a primary connection is disrupted, voice traffic can be seamlessly routed over redundant fiber, fixed wireless, or Ethernet over copper using IP Failover. Having these redundant measures in place drastically reduces the chances of a business missing an opportunity due to voice services.

To learn more about upgrading your business’s voice services with 123Net’s SIP trunking, visit https://www.123.net/sip/