September 2008 Archives

For more than a decade, Tom Cross of TECHtionary.com has been teaching data to telecommunications-trained people and telecommunications to data-trained people. What he has found is that whether you are a user, agent, broker, channel partner, VAR, analysts or the general public, there is nearly universal mass misunderstanding by nearly everyone on data, voice, network services and other concepts.

New concepts like UC-Unified Communications, UM-Unified Messaging, hosted, SIP, MPLS, VPLS certainly don't make this any easier. In Tom's opinion, "this confusion is having a significant impact on the overall marketplace. That is, "if only" people had a greater understanding of what needs to be done would certainly "lift all boats."


In addition, users would receive greater benefit and satisfaction from the services and equipment they have purchased.

In the spirit of change and in order to provide a "more perfect union", AudioCodes & TECHtionary.com will present a series of six web seminars. These seminars are designed to "bridge the chasm" of telecommunications and internet technologies. We will "talk your talk" to show data people what network services are such as the PSTN,
T-1/E-1, PRI, MPLS, VPLS and others. We will also talk data to telecom people to show them that data is no more complex than what they understand now, it's just different terminology.

The seminars are 60-minutes in length. The first 30-minutes will be to "talk data" and the last 30-mintues will be to "talk-telecom." Obviously you can stay for the entire show because there is no doubt that you need to talk "data" or talk "telecom" to someone today or tomorrow.

Join us on

Session 1:
October 9, 2008 (9am PST/12pm EST)
What is Voice - Channel, Packet, IM, UC-UM, Presence, Video?


Session 2:
October 23, 2008 (9am PST/12pm EST)
Network Services - Demystifying MPLS, VPLS, T-1, PSTN, SIP & SIP Trunking, etc.


Session 3:
November 6, 2008 (9am PST/12pm EST)
Connecting "Parts with Parts" - Routers, Switches, Firewalls PBXs, DMZ, Open Source, Media Gateways, and more


Session 4:
November 20, 2008 (9am PST/12pm EST)
Planning and Implementing - "Getting Your Stuff Together and Keeping It Together"


Session 5:
December 4, 2008 (9am PST/12pm EST)
Diagnostics and Troubleshooting - "If it's all in one basket, now what?"


Session 6:
December 18, 2008 (9am PST/12pm EST)
Security, Scaling and Survivability - "Don't be scared, just be a better Boy Scout"


Click on register or copy the following url:
https://audiocodes-training.webex.com/audiocodes-training/k2/j.php?ED=108093777&UID=1034571272&FM=1

Following your registration you will receive a link to the Webinar.
Joining the Webinar requires an installation of small client software on your computer.
Please join ahead of time and allow approximately 10 minutes for installation.

Save more than $1,000 on new advanced career/success-oriented courses

Boulder: TECHtionary.com today announced immediate availability of innovative online courses. Tom Cross, TECHtionary.com and developer/instructor, explained, "New technology continues to expand more rapidly than ever, as OCS-Office Communications Server, Response Point, WiFi, WiMax, SIP, Voice over IP, Metro Ethernet, storage, web conferencing and other emerging technologies become more widely accepted. To offer a truly innovative education, professionals of all ages need to know all about today's technology and be informed on what's being developed for tomorrow. With these online courses, anyone can become a credible expert."
Tom Cross explained other courses. "OCS/RP is an indepth guide to Microsoft's Office Communications Server and Response Point. STE is for network administrators, managers, users and implementers of advanced SIP-Session Initiation Protocol - IP internet telephony. VBE is the only course was created to help channel partners better understand VoIP-SIP and to help them succeed in the VoIP-SIP business. There is more than a year of research, interviews, discussions, meetings and presentations to channel partners, providers, manufacturer's and other interested parties in the VoIP-SIP industry. VBE is a business strategy course that includes sales, marketing, technical issues and critical success issues needed to stay-in the VoIP-SIP business.

All online courses are available for $299 offer expires 9/19. Course titles include:

- OCS-Office Communications Server Planning Guide

- Communications Technology Manager
Introduction to the Fundamentals

- Wireless Technology Manager
Job Training and Implementation of WiFi, WiMax, Cellular and IMS

- VBE - VoIP Business Executive
Channel Provider & Partner Business Sales & Technical Strategies for VoIP-SIP

- STE - SIP Technology Business Executive and Planning Guide
An Executive Planning Guide to SIP-Session Initiation Protocol

- Advanced Data Networking
Preparation for industry-wide Cisco, Microsoft, Avaya, Comptia and other certifications

For complete course details and outlines: http://www.techtionary.com/techu/

If you read yesterday, I have had an enormous number of problems with my at&t broadband card. In addition, the larger problem was trying to get help - spending hours and hours connecting to and being disconnected from customer support.
Last night, a person called from at&t asking about my experiences with at&t. I told of how much I disliked them and like what i said yesterday, "they don't care, they don't have to."
Well, guess she didn't like my answer. She must have told Randall L. Stephenson, at&t's CEO, because my iphone doesn't work now. I can't even call 611 to find out why.

I guess the lesson to be learned is that "don't complain because they will turn you off."

In the 1970s, I saw a bumper sticker in Washington, D.C with the Bell System logo and said, "We Don't Care, We Don't Have To." Seems that not much has changed since then, I've been onhold with AT&T for close to an hour now with the most obnoxious sales pitch onhold ever. I am calling about my AT&T or rather lower case, at&t broadband card. I got it a few months ago as I was doing a lot of bus rides and needed mobile access. It worked pretty well and then I put it away for a while. Then last week I needed access again at the airport and rather than try the congested WiFi, I used the broadband card. It worked pretty well but I only used it for about 15 minutes. Due to moving my household, I needed the broadband card again. Well, when you really need it, of course, it doesn't work and worse yet, it causes Vista to hang.

Today, I learned something regarding power to the USB ports that would also be of benefit to the rest of you if you are using Vista.
First go into the Control Panel,
then select Power Options,
then Select Edit Plan Settings,
then Change Advanced Power Settings,
then go to USB Power Settings
click on USB selective suspend setting
and then
change the option to DISABLED
for both Battery and Plugged In.
This way your USB ports are provided electrical power, no matter what your Power Options are set for.
This is very useful for many other devices as well.

Meanwhile back at bad service
Yesterday I really need the broadband card to do work to and from my new consulting gig. Three times right in the middle of a critical application the service died and for nearly ten miles was completely without service, then again it worked and coming over a hill, the service died again. So I tried in vain again to call and complain but after more than two hours of long hold times followed by dropped calls, I gave up. AT&T can't even figure out how to process a call for the broadband card, it treats the number as a cell phone and gives you the bizarre array of options as you try to navigate their auto-attendant. Then you get a call center agent who knows nothing about broadband and then they drop the call transferring it to another department.

I would strong recommend you NOT buy broadband service from AT&T until you have thoroughly tested it and be prepared for total nightmare in customer service if you really need help.

By the way, I still love my iphone!