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  • Internet Speed Tests: How Accurate Are My Results?
    Oct 4, 2012

    If you want to get a quick, rough idea of the bandwidth your business is receiving from its ISP, online speed tests can be good tools to use. However, there are several fickle factors that can affect the accuracy of these speed tests, so if you’ll need to choose your test carefully. Read on to learn about how these speed tests work and how you can maximize the accuracy of your speed test results.

    How Does A Speed Test Work?

    One or more sample files are downloaded from a server out on the World Wide Web (WWW) to your computer via the user’s Internet connection. The file or files are then uploaded again to the server. As this occurs, the application monitors and records the download and upload speed of the connection.

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  • MPLS and VPN: What You Need to Know
    Sep 14, 2012

    Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a highly scalable, protocol agnostic, data-carrying mechanism in high-performance telecommunications networks which directs and carries data from one network node to the next. It’s better known as a network-based WAN solution.

    MPLS belongs to the family of packet-switched networks where data is transferred in the form of ‘packets,’ or small units of binary data. These data packets are assigned a label that determines how the subsequent information is forwarded and organized at the end of a transfer. The advantage of this protocol is that it doesn’t require the use of a traditional routing table, creating a more direct path between endpoints.

    For transmission of data

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  • What is the "Last Mile" and Why Should I Care?
    Aug 10, 2012

    What is the “last mile?” When speaking about telecommunications, the “last mile” refers to the connection between a home or business and the established telephone company’s Central Office Wire Center. This is also referred to as the local loop. The established phone company is also known as the Local Exchange Carrier or LEC. Their Central Office is where all of the connections to residences and commercial establishments come in and get routed to the customer’s telephone company.

    Although the “last mile” may be shorter or longer than a mile, the phrase still refers to the connection from the Central Office to the user.

    Who controls the last mile and how did that come to be? Prior to the

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  • What are Fraudulent Calls – and What Happens if my Company is a Victim of this Fraud?
    Jul 31, 2012

    When small business owners are hit with fraud, a few of their initial questions are: What are these calls?  Who placed them? How did this happen? What can I do to prevent this from happening to my organization again?

    All of these questions are legitimate, and as a business owner or manager you should want to understand what exactly fraudulent calls are, their impact to your business, and how to protect yourself. In this blog, we will answer a few of those key questions and provide tips to help prevent this type of activity from happening to your organization.

    Small business owners are often not concerned with fraudulent calls because they believe this is an issue that only larger companies face. The fact of the matter

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  • What is Ethernet?
    Jul 23, 2012

    Ethernet is a physical and data link layer technology for local area networks (LANs).

    In the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model, Ethernet technology operates at the physical and data link layers (Layers One and Two respectively). Ethernet supports all popular network and higher-level protocols, most notably IP.

    Ethernet employs a topology, where all devices or hosts on the network use the same shared communication line. Each device on the LAN possesses an Ethernet address, also known as Media Access Control (MAC) address which provides unique identification and access control. Sending devices use Ethernet addresses to specify the intended receiving device for each message sent.

    Data sent over the Ethernet is

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