Evolving technology allows Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) to provide better services for customers, and many will compete for your business by offering better internet plans. While this can be to your advantage, especially if you’re struggling with your current service provider, switching to another ISP is not a simple matter. Here are five things to understand when considering a switch.
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• Internet speed: Internet speed is usually the main reason people choose a new ISP. It’s important to know what speed is ideal for your use. There are three types of internet connectivity: DSL, which while inexpensive is very slow and comes with almost no customer support; Cable, which has a large capacity for downloads; and fiber, which although newer, has the fastest speed and can handle a lot of bandwidths. 
• Investigate: When considering a new ISP, investigate its firewall and router, which are responsible for handling your outbound data traffic. 
• Email provider: While hosting is typically not a problem for homes and private connections, it can be a major issue for businesses. If your current provider hosts your e-mail, make sure to do updates updates before switching. You’ll need to do the same for your website if your current provider also hosts that. 
• Time: Before switching ISP’s, make sure you know how long installation will take. With some companies, it can take one to two months before they can install new services. 
• Support: Consider your new ISP’s customer support. When a problem occurs, you need to be able to get help quickly and easily. Check out reviews on line and ask friends and colleagues for their recommendations. 

A reliable internet connection is essential in today’s world. If you’re ready to switch internet service providers, Simplified can help you choose one that’s right for your specific needs. 

While the full effects of natural disasters are still being assessed, many are using them as a way to gauge the resilience of their businesses. If a hurricane, flood or wildfire were to strike, how quickly could you be back up and running? A business continuity plan addresses the four “R’s” of response, resumption, recovery, and restoration and can help you plan for both catastrophic natural disasters, as well as events like power outages, computer viruses, and equipment failure.

Here are five things to consider in a business continuity plan

• Do you have an alternate power supply? How long can it sustain your operations?
• Is your data protected and backed-up? How quickly can it be restored?
• Will you be able to take calls from employees, customers and vendors?
• Do your insurance policies have adequate coverage to protect you and keep you going?
• Do you have alternate vendors/suppliers should your primary ones not be able to deliver to your company?​

​Your business continuity plan should also include a business impact analysis to determine what happens if key employees are not able to work for any number of reasons. Do you have other trained and knowledgeable staff who would be able to cover for key employees?
While the above points are important, keep in mind that during a disaster, stress levels are high, and your first priority is your people and their physical and emotional needs. 

Since your company’s telecom services can account for 5-20 percent of annual expenses, it makes sense to perform a telecom audit in order to discover where you may be losing money and identify ways to save. When performing a telecom audit, professional auditors like those at Simplified will examine your local telephone bills, long distance invoices, wireless services, internet and VoIP bills, and current tariff charges. From this information, your auditor will prepare but a detailed and comprehensive report.

The most common areas to find savings are:

• Surcharges
• Usage
• Late payments/interest charges
• Shortfall penalties
• Term liabilities
• Contract renewals or expirations
• Contract terms and conditions
• Taxes and governmental billing
• Account reconciliation

Once the audit is complete, Simplified agents work for you to negotiate better rates through your current provider or by helping you find a new one. For more information on how a telecom audit can help your business, contact Simplified today.​

You’ve probably heard and read about “net neutrality” more in recent weeks. That’s because the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been considering rescinding net neutrality regulations that require Internet service providers (ISPs) to treat all legal Internet data the same, regardless of where it comes from or who it is going to.

One way to think of net neutrality is like an on-ramp to the Internet, where ISPs can’t interfere with where users want to go. Under current, Obama-era net neutrality regulations, ISPs are not allowed to slow down websites or applications, such as those of their competitors. If the FCC rolls back those regulations, some warn that the result could be an Internet that operates very differently from what we experience today.

For example, ISPs could offer streaming services like Netflix or YouTube the opportunity to pay to reach users at faster speeds during certain times of the day. Or, customers who use certain subscribers, like AT&T or Comcast, would get faster connections to websites like HBO or Facebook, for instance.

Proponents of net neutrality regulations also argue that, without regulations, the U.S. Internet will operate like it does in countries such as Guatemala, for example. There, mobile plans allow users to only access certain apps without cutting into their data plans. In response, residents often have two SIM cards, one that allows them to access Facebook for free, and on another that provides free access to WhatsApp. Once users’ data is used, sites like Facebook and WhatsApp are still accessible, but not the rest of the internet. When users try to access other websites or apps, they are prompted to pay more. 
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Proponents of rolling back regulations argue that fewer regulations would result in ISPs making investments that would provide better and faster online access. Whatever the FCC decides, both sides on the net neutrality debate acknowledge that users’ Internet experiences will be affected.

To find out more about how you could be saving on your Internet service plan, contact Simplified.

Telecommunication services – from data transmission to phone-based operations – are critical to the success of your business, regardless of its size. Productivity, competitiveness, growth and more are affected by the quality and reliability of your communication platforms. Considering the importance of these services, businesses are turning to telecom brokers to help navigate the complexity and variety of products available today.

Telecom brokers can save your business time and money in a variety of ways.

• Provide a detailed review of your current telecom services (including agreements) and offer service recommendations that make sense for your business. A broker’s knowledge and experience can help reduce redundancies and increase efficiencies. There’s no reason for you to invest in services you don’t need or, conversely, be held back by systems that no longer fit.
  
  
• Negotiate rates to ensure you get the best pricing and promotions. This allows you focus on your business-critical responsibilities instead of getting mired down in telecom minutia. And because agents aren’t tied to a single provider, they act in your best interest in comparing products of multiple suppliers.
  
  
• Oversee installation of new systems. A broker serves as your telecom expert, eliminating downtime, anticipating issues and planning for contingencies you may not be aware of.

In short, brokers like Simplified Communications can provide you with the highest quality services at the best available price directly from the carrier. What’s more, you save time by not having to spend hours on the phone ordering, arranging installation, and following up on service delivery.
Working with a broker is like having a telecom expert on staff without the cost. Connect with your broker today and experience the benefits.

Whether you are just starting to consider an office or other business relocation, or are well into the planning process, Simplified Communications can help manage your entire telecommunications services move, including ordering, verifying services, and coordinating the installation of the necessary services and hardware in your new space.
Planning ahead with your Simplified agent can help avoid costly downtime during relocation.
Here are several more tips to make your move easier:

• Plan your move as far in advance as possible (6 month – 2 years is the norm).
• Invest in commercial movers who have the necessary experience, resources and manpower, and ask them to fax you a copy of their insurance. Additionally, you may want to consider hiring a move manager coordinate with the moving team, furniture delivery, IT install team, etc.
• The move will most likely need to be done outside of normal business hours, so be sure to schedule it not only with the building you are moving into, but the one you are moving out of as well. Use this time to confirm requirements such as the amount of time you can be at the loading dock or how to reserve elevators.
• Some states require businesses provide notice of a move to employees well in advance. Be sure to check this out and also keep employees informed throughout the process.
• Make a list of the materials that will need address changes, such a business cards, envelopes, ad, websites, etc. Forward all mail online via www.usps.com.
• Each department manager should take inventory of all items to be moved, while employees should pack and move all of their personal items.
• Do a walk-through of the new space with a building manager before the move, and check that AC or heat will be operating during your move (some buildings’ HVAC’s turn off on weekends).

A business move is an exciting time that, if done correctly, does not have to be stressful. If one is in your future, talk to your Simplified agent today about how he or she can help.​

The Many Benefits of Fixed Wireless

Nextera, a Simplified Communications featured carrier, offers customizable solutions for voice, data and internet services via Minnesota’s largest fixed wireless internet network. Because the company controls its entire wireless network, independent of any phone company, both business and residential customers can enjoy high-quality, symmetrical bandwidth with faster installations and greater savings. The company’s portfolio of facility options includes fixed wireless, Ethernet over Copper (EoC), T-1 and fiber, and its voice services include T-1, SIP Trunking, Hosted PBX and more.

About Fixed Wireless

​Fixed wireless refers to wireless communication between fixed locations. Fixed wireless provides several advantages over traditional copper and fiber connections, including: rapid installation, high-speed and scalable bandwidth, an expanded coverage area, greater protection against downtime with path diversity and ethernet connectivity.

Not only is fixed-wireless a more efficient and affordable path to high-speed bandwidth, it's also secure and reliable. Nextera’s network is designed based on carrier class standards and uses signal modulation to ensure optimal throughput during adverse conditions. What’s more, a variety of performance enhancing techniques are utilized to maximize network performance and user experience.
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For more information about Nextera and how Simplified Communications can simplify your telecommunications plan, contact us today.

Simplified Communications brokers offer an unbiased approach when working with clients to optimize the telecommunication services that best fit their needs. One of the top carriers that Simplified often recommends is Onvoy, which merged with and came under the brand of Inteliquent in early 2017.

Onvoy was established in 1997, when a local Minnesota telco consortium merged with Minnesota Regional Networks (MRNet). The company quickly grew as a leader in communications enablement solutions, including inbound voice, long distance, tandem, SS7, and voice peering delivered over a carrier-grade network.

As Inteliquent, the company is equipped to provide customers with a superior network experience through industry-leading voice quality, a reliable and expansive network footprint, and advanced features – all supported by a team of market experts. More than 70 percent of Inteliquent’s traffic is managed on-net, and the network carries more than 25 billion voice minutes and text messages per month. Additionally, Inteliquent’s portals and APIs allow customers to manage services whenever and wherever they are needed with intuitive interfaces and rich features.

Through the Inteliquent network, customers can:

• ​Improve the quality of outbound voice calls by terminating more than 70 percent of calls on-net, reducing the number of hops to a target phone number.
• Expand local service reach by with Inteliquent's local phone number footprint, which reaches more than 7,000 on-net rate centers in 49 states with extended network reach to Puerto Rico and Canada.
• Improve the reliability of inbound and outbound calls by leveraging an industry-leading voice network that includes maximum in-market switch redundancy, backbone redundancy and network scaling.
• Reduce costs by terminating direct-to-end carriers and eliminating resellers.
• Improve operational efficiencies and employee effectiveness by utilizing our rich set of API’s and Web portal for service ordering, number porting and service management.

​To find out how Simplified can help streamline your telecommunications services through providers like Inteliquent, contact us today.​

​Last Monday, President Trump signed into law a reversal of Internet privacy rules that allow Internet Service Providers (ISPs) the ability to sell consumer information such as geolocation and browsing history to advertisers. This previous Federal Communications Commission (FCC) law passed in October required ISPs to receive permission before selling consumer information.

So what changed since from October to last Monday, and how does it affect your privacy?.

How will this affect you?
Truthfully, you are unlikely to notice any changes. Since the rules were instated in October, the FCC’s new broadband privacy rules had not yet even taken effect. ISPs such as Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon made statements defending the new law, pointing out there are many misunderstandings and misleading information around the new rules.

Proponents of the reversal of the rules note that it unfairly subjected ISPs to privacy restrictions that are not required of websites that collect user data for targeted ads, such as Facebook and Google.
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It's important to note that each ISP has its own privacy policy, some even promise not to sell your information to third parties. Each is required to send out a statement of privacy policies. We've all received these and it usually hits the trash before we read it, but you may look more closely next time. Comcast stated it would be revising its privacy policy to “make more clear and prominent that, contrary to the many inaccurate statements and reports, we do not sell our customers’ individual web browsing information to third parties.”

A new bill is being proposed by Senate Democrats that would reinstate privacy rules, although it is unlikely to pass.

Need assistance with your telecommunications plans? Connect with a broker, today!