While sitting here at my computer my lights started to flicker and I thought this would be a good topic for my current blog. What does flickering lights mean to the layman? Well let's say "BAD NEWS" if your not protected.

Flickering lights means your having a "BROWN OUT" which can mean your either on your way to a full power failure, or your on you way to some possible expensive repair and or replacement of your expensive equipment such as your telephone system, computers, and a host of other electricity dependant items. Their are so many products that purport to be surge protectors or surge suppressors, but the truth is you really need a good quality full "UPS SYSTEM" = uninterruptable power supply. A UPS is powering your equipment on DC power at all times, and the batteries are being trickled charged all the time. This way when the power is interrupted or goes out completely you have the time to properly power down your network or PC, as well as to finish a phone call, and have a period of time to still have some working service for emergency.

A very important part of all of this is how much of a UPS do you need. If your just powering a single computer than some of the smaller over the counter type of products like the APC line sold a most every office supply store can be the right choice, however if you have a business that has multiple computers as well as your phone system you really need a professional such as NEWCOM NETWORKS to do a analysis as to how much battery back up your company will need to survive for a period of time that is acceptable to you the customer.

When it comes to protecting your expensive electronic and data handling products from power surges and spikes, or where down-time due to power outage is not an option, it doesn't pay to take chances with anything but Minuteman UPS products. For PCs, communications equipment, enterprise servers, and other sensitive electronics, Minuteman UPS Power Backup and Power Surge Protection is the best in the industry.

Manufactured to the most demanding specifications, each Minuteman UPS comes with software that monitors the condition of the power reaching your critical network components, providing you with an unparalleled level of control and diagnostic information. For total guaranteed power surge protection and backed by up to $100,000 in equipment damage insurance, these are the best UPS battery backup, power management, and power filtration systems available.

 

NEWCOM NETWORKS is an excellent source for your power protection needs.

 

Stay tuned for more of Doug's Corner......... 

What's good  verses What to be careful of in the complex world of VOIP

The newest technology that almost 75% of my clients think they want is VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol. Yes it is an excellent technology, but like many things that are new and exciting one has to ask themselves a couple of very important questions.

1. What is VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol. (which I have tried my best to answer on my VOIP  page.

2. Is Voice of Internet Protocol (VOIP)  what I need for my company?

3. What is the cost difference between conventional voice lines (cooper lines) versus VOIP.

As a professional in the telecom industry for over 35 years, I have seen a lot of technologies come and go. I for one believe that the VOIP industry is here, and here to stay. Now is it the right choice for everyone? That answer is a strong "NO"

One must have a need. The trade offs are sometimes substantial. The very first question is do you have multiple locations. If your answer is yes then VOIP is a great solution to keep the two or more offices in touch with each other and offer seamless transferring of calls as well as a host of cost savings on many levels. If you have only the one office and your needs like the vast majority of user in the United States are under 8 lines, than the trade offs may not be worth the expense as well as the loss of the guaranteed quality of service we have become very use to. VOIP especially with the smaller users tends to have QOS issues,  "Quality Of Service".

The issues of "QUALITY OF SERVICE" are vast. As I have learned the very hard way, as a the owner of a very established "Interconnect Company" which in the day meant we sold and serviced telephone system with standard copper lines form AT&T or Verizon or a host of other resellers, we thought that installing these new VOIP system would be a piece of cake. Well we really thought wrong.  It takes an experienced IT computer person who understand what bandwidth means and how to test your network BEFORE you engage someone to just install a VOIP system.

Newcom Networks now has key personal that can do just that. We do an in depth study of what your present network is and weather it can handle the traffic that your company will require. I am more than sure you have called to someone and it sounded like they were talking underwater. That is just part of the issue of the lack of QOS!!

Stay tuned I will have more to say in the next few days.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.