This is the third in a series of four posts called “The Top 4 Reasons to switch to a Modern Voice and Data Network”

This is the third post in our four-part series, “The Business Case for Technology Phone Systems.” Click the following links to read our first and second posts.

The importance of a reliable voice and data network

It wasn’t that long ago, when a phone call was the only way to communicate, other than a face-to-face meeting. Therefore, your business phone system was crucial for your business.

Today, there are many ways to connect, such as video conferencing and mobile communications. Phone calls are a bit less important; however, business communication is still a very important part of your business.

Modern business technology systems are made up of two critical components; voice and data. While it is important for businesses to have reliable business communication systems, many businesses have old, outdated equipment and hope that their communication system will withstand the tests of weather events or earthquakes. These business owners won’t know that their system is unreliable until the worst happens.

Resilience and Reliability: The Pillars of Quality Communications

In today’s business climate, it is critical to have 100% uptime for your voice and data network. There are two major factors that affect the availability and up-time of a business communication system, resilience and reliability.

Resilience: This refers to the delivery of a service despite compromised conditions.

Reliability: This refers to the quality of the network. How often does service go down and for how long does it remain down?

How to Increase Resilience

The most important component of a resilient voice and data network, are the circuits. A resilient network has two (or more) circuits that have the capacity for both data and voice traffic. If one circuit fails, the other one will automatically pick up the traffic until the failed circuit is repaired.

In order to set up a resilient voice and data network, there are several factors to consider. For instance, the type of circuit is an important factor. It has to be able to handle the demands of voice traffic. In addition, your network will need two separate paths to the internet. You will, most likely, need to hire a vendor to set up the paths and circuits, because most voice and data carriers do not offer this service.

At TeleDynamic, we offer voice and data network service, plus local installation, maintenance, support, and service. We can help you engineer an affordable communications solution to protect your business against network failure.

How to Increase Reliability

The most important factor in regard to reliability is the quality of the service provider. The second-most important factor is the quality of the circuit. Like many other things in business, you often get what you pay for. A bargain price on voice and data service, may mean poor service and a lack of reliability.

The type of circuit has a direct correlation with its quality. For example, cable and DSL are affordably priced, but have poor reliability. Ethernet over Copper is more reliable than DSL or cable, and fiber is the most reliable connection available today.

Lastly, circuits that come with credits or guaranteed uptime are more reliable than circuits that are provided on a ‘best efforts’ basis. To find out what kind of guarantees are offered with your circuit, check your Service Level Agreement (SLA.) Cable and DSL circuits have no service level agreement.

TeleDynamic has worked with carriers for more than 20 years and we know which carriers have the highest reliability. and can help you find the best choice for your business. Contact us at 510-342-4200 or info@teledynamic.com and we can help you assess the reliability and resilience of your current network.

Earthquakes and your San Francisco Area Business

Businesses in San Francisco are very aware of the possibility of a major earthquake. Does your business have a plan to deal with a natural disaster? Is your communications network set up to provide continuous service in the event of an earthquake or weather event?

San Francisco businesses were out of phone and data service for several days following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. If there was an earthquake of the same magnitude today, your business is likely to lose voice and data service for days.

Some business owners say, “That’s alright, we have smartphones. It wouldn’t be ideal, but we could still run our business.”

That is a wrong assumption. In the last earthquake, and in the more recent natural disasters on the East Coast, local voice and data infrastructures could not handle the load and were brought to their knees.

There are robust technologies available to handle these kinds of challenges. Phone systems can be virtual and services provided by the cloud. Employees can work from remote locations. All you need is a solid plan and the correct application of current technologies.

TeleDynamic can help you design and implement a resilient and reliable voice and data network that is designed to withstand earthquakes and other natural disasters.

All of this at a savings!

This is one of those rare situations in which you can upgrade your business communication system to a modern, reliable, cloud-enabled voice and data system while saving money. Many San Francisco area businesses have saved as much as 40 percent on their monthly communication bills. Let us take a look at your situation. Just fill out the form above, or call us at 510.785.2480.

Don’t miss the next post in our series Reason 4: The Cloud-Enabled Network.