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.

​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!

We aren't too far into 2017 and it seems technology is a main focus. From widely-publicized cyber-attacks to major technology company mergers and acquisitions, technology news is dominating the airways. What we know for certain is that IT will continue to evolve at a rapid pace.

SD-WAN Expansion
We brought this to your attention in October, but in case you missed it, Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) is the wave of the future. We expect as demand increases, there will be more disruptions in the industry.

Predictions are that within three years, 30% of users will manage their WAN through the SD software, and others estimate that figure to be more like 70%. Being an early adopter of SD-WAN has clear connectivity and cost advantages.

WHAT IS SD-WAN?
​Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) is a specific application of software-defined networking (SDN) technology applied to wide area network (WAN) connections, which are used to connect one or more offices over large geographic distances.
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“SDN is an architecture, where as SD-WAN is a technology you can buy."
-Andrew Lerner, Analyst

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?
One advantage of SD-WAN is its ability to manage multiple types of connections. This can cut costs, because the technology can use Internet broadband connections services via the cloud and replace more expensive solutions, such as routing hardware. Since SD-WAN can be controlled through the cloud, it is more flexible and can be scaled during peak demand.

For rural sites with limited connectivity, SD-WAN can provide enough bandwidth to use voice over IP (VoIP) and process credit card transactions.

Additionally, its virtualization technology is applied to security and virtual private networking (VPN) technology, making them more secure. 
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Connect with your broker to see if this is an option for your business.

For many small and medium-sized businesses, it makes financial sense to allow employees to BYOD - bring your own device. Employees bring their own computer, cell phone, tablets, and more to work... giving them real-time access to communications, systems, and applications. 

85% of organizations allow employees to bring their own devices to work.
—IDG Research Services

53% of information users use their own personal devices for work; install unsupported software; or use unsupported Internet based services like Dropbox, Skype, Twitter, or Facebook to help them do their jobs. —Forrester 
Over 70% of mobile professionals will conduct their work on personal smart devices by 2018. —Forrester

Ok, so what's wrong with this picture? 
Security. 
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No matter how big or small your company, online security should be a priority, and a hosted voice provider can unify your financial and security goals. Hosted BYOD allows employees to receive and call out on a business extension on their personal device with an Internet connection. Additionally, voicemails can be transcribed and viewed in emails. There is also the ability to host web conferences and screen share, which streamlines communication. Hosted BYOD can improve productivity while improving security and employee privacy. 

Connect with your broker today to discuss a BYOD strategy and further your telecommunications goals.