November 2010

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Gobble but don't be Gobbled

November 29, 2010

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving holiday. Obviously, it was an opportunity for me to cook. Thanksgiving Day was shared with my stepdaughter and grandkids so the meal was very traditional. As such, I was only responsible for the turkeys, gravy, mashed potatoes and bread.

Tagged: Broadvox, HIPPA, Internet Protocol, Security, SIP Trunking, Thanksgiving, Transport Layer Security, Turkey, VARs, Virtual private network, Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP : Related Tags: southwestern turkey, calls, turkey, encryption, security, recipe

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Thanksgiving Day History

November 24, 2010

As we extend Happy Thanksgiving wishes to colleagues, friends, family and strangers, it is worth taking a few moments to remember how this celebration became a national holiday.

The first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 to celebrate the survival of an early colony of settlers in Plymouth, Massachusetts and it included some 91 Indians that aided the Pilgrims. The celebration lasted three days.

The next celebration of thanksgiving was in 1623 when the Pilgrims survived a severe drought. The day after the drought broke, the Pilgrims, who had been praying for rain, celebrated with a feast and the local Indians.

Tagged: George Washington, Holidays, National Day, Pilgrim, Plymouth Massachusetts, Thanksgiving, Thirteen Colonies, Thomas Jefferson : Related Tags: tradition thanksgiving, thursday november, happy thanksgiving, local indians, national holiday, thanksgiving

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Sauerbraten and HIPPA Compliance

November 22, 2010

There are times when I first taste a thing and wonder where it has been all my life. I still remember my first taste of mayonnaise, brown mustard, a croissant, nachos and fish head curry. This weekend I added sauerbraten to that list. I had the expectation of a sour dish but the result was a broader range of flavors than a traditional piece of roast beef.

Tagged: Broadvox, HIPPA, IP Communications, IP PBX, LAN, Sauerbraten, SIP Trunking, VARs, VLAN, VoIP, WAN, Wi-Fi, Wireless : Related Tags: hippa compliant, hippa compliance, hippa audit, secure hippa, hippa, compliant

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My Favorite IP PBX Features

November 19, 2010

Okay we now know the most popular end-user features:

Call forwarding
Call waiting
Conference calling
Call hold
Unified Communications features:
- Presence
- Unified messaging
- Instant messaging
- Find me/follow me/one number reach
- Click to dial

And we know which features IT managers prize:

Intrude
Call blocking
Call drop
Night service
Auto attendant
Corporate phone books with global extension dialing
ACD management and reporting
Business continuity/disaster recovery

I thought it interesting that several of my favorites did not make the list. While Click to dial made the list and perhaps Caller ID and CNAM are merely expected, my other two faves are Simultaneous ringing and Distinctive ringing.

Tagged: Andre Temnorod, Broadvox, IP PBX, presence, Unified Communications, Unified messaging, Virginia Institute of Marine Science : Related Tags: simultaneous ringing, distinctive ringing, ringing, phone, features, caller

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IT Managers Value Different PBX Features

November 17, 2010

While the list of favorite features for end users contains the most commonly used features those selected by IT managers might raise an eyebrow or two. To recap, the end user list is as follows:

Call forwarding
Call waiting
Conference calling
Call hold
Unified Communications Features:

o Presence

o Unified messaging

o Instant messaging

Tagged: ACD, Broadvox, GO!VBX, IP PBX, PBX, Presence, Private branch exchange, Session Initiation Protocol, Telecommunications, Unified Communications, Unified messaging, VAR : Related Tags: value propositions, communications features, features, managers, business, value

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Ratatouille, Shrimp and the Best PBX Features

November 15, 2010

I began developing a new recipe Saturday morning. It was so different for me that I decided I’d better do a back up dish in case it came out badly. The backup dish was curd free scrambled eggs. These eggs are fantastic and while they use the same method as regular scramble eggs the cooking technique is quite different.

Tagged: Broadvox, Hosted PBX, IP PBX, IP Telephony, PBX, presence, Ratatouille, Unified Communications : Related Tags: uncovered dough, ratatouille shrimp, value proposition, unified communications, french toast, features

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Confidential...Good Luck with That

November 12, 2010

As I drove into the office this morning I heard that Google had fired the employee that leaked an internal memo regarding the global Google 10% raise. My first thought was the firing took place because the information was not correct or set in stone. I figured an overzealous employee had released the information prematurely. However, that was not the case.

Tagged: Broadvox, Confidentiality, Cypress Communications, Google, Merger : Related Tags: broadvox cypress, public relations, public statement, employee leaked, google, public

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Good Days and Bad Days

November 10, 2010

Last night I spent time with a very interesting group of business owners who have come together to create the Cloud Communications Alliance. They embody the spirit of the telecom entrepreneur by creating regional businesses that support SMBs with great products, support and competitive pricing. By forming the alliance they have created “the first nationwide high-definition enterprise voice network in the cloud - with no PBX to buy and no long distance costs between cloud customers.”

My original interest in the group was to see if our Carrier Sales group might have an opportunity to provide Broadvox SIP Termination and Origination to either the individual companies or the group.

Tagged: Bank of America, BlackBerry, BroadSoft, Broadvox, Cloud Communications Alliance, Cypress Communications, IPhone, Private branch exchange, Research In Motion, RIM, SaaS, Services : Related Tags: communications alliance, cloud communications, broadsoft, group, cloud, communications

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Pancakes and a Hopping Good Time

November 8, 2010

I go into every weekend wondering what I will make that is original and be of interest to you guys. However, I, too, like to eat some things more than once and from time to time it is not convenient to cook. This weekend was almost like that. Friday I made Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches.

Tagged: Echo, FCC, IETF, Ingate, IP MAN, ITSPs, Pancakes, SIP Trunking, Skype, VoIP : Related Tags: cheese steak, steak sandwiches, calls, rabbit, interesting, phone

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Net Neutrality Rebuked During Tuesday's Election

November 5, 2010

It doesn’t take long for the spin machines to get up to speed. In perhaps one of the weirdest statements of fact, it was noted that all of the Democrats that supported a net neutrality pledge sponsored by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) loss during Tuesday’s vote. According to Scott Cleland, a net neutrality opponent, “Net neutrality was completely repudiated in the election.” If only that were actually true.

I say that because, if it were true, then most Americans would know that a significant debate called “net neutrality” existed.

Tagged: Broadvox, Democratic, Democrats, Internet service provider, IP Communications, IP ecosystem, Network neutrality, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Republican, Service provider, SIP Trunking, United States, VoIP : Related Tags: scott cleland, correct answer, network infrastructure, answer supports, smaller government, neutrality

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SMBs and Unified Communications

November 3, 2010

With the pending merger of Cypress Communications and Broadvox, I am expanding by research efforts into understanding and implementing Unified Communications (UC) solutions. While Cypress has the stronger UC solution for enterprises, both Cypress and Broadvox with C3 IP and GO!VBX have what would be considered virtual IP PBX solutions that serve SMBs well. It is important to note that the needs and decision processes of SMBs varies greatly from that of enterprises. And since most of the members of our VAR Partner Program sell to SMBs, it is useful to state the key drivers of a UC solution for SMBs.

Tagged: Broadvox, C3 IP, Cisco, Cypress Communications, GO!VBX, IBM, IP PBX, Microsoft, ROI, SMBs, TCO, Unified Communications, VoIP : Related Tags: price sensitivity, unified communications, solution, price, important, cypress

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Telecommunications, More than Just a Hill of Beans

November 1, 2010

Telecommunications, More than Just a Hill of Beans

Saturday, I stopped by H Mart, an Asian grocery store. I went in with no real need but as always purchased quite a few things. Let's begin with the odd, pig's feet.

Tagged: broadband, FCC, IP Telephony, Milken Institute, Navy Beans, net neutrality, Telecommunications, Universal Service Fund : Related Tags: broadband expansion, shanks roasted, american people, beans, telecommunications, broadband

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Raven Call

November 2010