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R E V I E W

Add Some Fiberlink to Your VPN Diet

August 19, 2002
By Mike Fratto

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Fiberlink Communications Corp. Managed Service for Fiberlink Global Remote

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	In this article
	Introduction
	Fiberlink Communications Corp. Managed Service for Fiberlink Global Remote
	Other Products Reviewed
	Managed VPN Services
	Real World Requirement
	Doing Business Safely
	Online Only: Our Original VPN ASP Request for Proposal
	Full Responses to RFIs
	Report Card

Fiberlink typically deploys a complete dial-up plus VPN service to its customers. For our RFP and organization, we used AT&T's dial-up service, so Fiberlink's dial-up component was unnecessary. It was essential that remote clients be supported behind remote firewalls on customer networks regardless of the transport method, including broadband. Fiberlink supplied a pair of Cisco 3005 VPN Concentrators and installed them in failover mode. We added accounts right on the concentrators, though we could have back-ended to RADIUS or a proxy.

Fiberlink's service costs $9,800 per year, including a one-time installation fee and premium support. We questioned this--$9,800 per year is a lot lower than rivals' pricing. The company said it offers dial-up and VPN services as one package, so between its existing infrastructure and streamlined, automated management, it reaps the benefits of very low costs. An interesting feature is Cisco's SmartNet service 24x7 with four-hour restore time, meaning hardware failures will be mitigated within that time. While hardware systems do have extended uptimes, fast recovery in the event of failure is nice. System monitoring extends beyond the concentrator to key items, such as RADIUS servers, at the device location. In addition, premium support includes customer monitoring of resource utilization, and also all maintenance and software upgrades during the product's life.

Notably, Fiberlink support is initiated from your NOC to its NOC, so you're responsible for Level 1 support. Not terrible, but not as desirable as handing over the whole enchilada.

Service outages classified as "urgent" (loss of service) and "high" (significant impact to business) are escalated automatically until resolved, topping in at three or six hours, respectively. Less severe issues may be escalated at the customer's request. Configuration changes are passed to an engineer and entered into Fiberlink's management system. Security checks are made, and a back-out plan is developed. Once this is done, the change is implemented.

Managed VPN Services Pricing (First Year)

Click here to enlarge

The Cisco 3005 doesn't require a constant connection to Fiberlink's NOC, so if you lose contact with Fiberlink, users will still be able to connect over the VPN. However, changes to the VPN will have to wait until a connection to Fiberlink is available.

Fiberlink's NOC boasts a Sonet ring with two entry points from AT&T and a Sonet fiber entry point from Verizon. The NOC also has battery back-up and an emergency generator in the event of power failure. Unfortunately, Fiberlink has only one NOC, which doesn't leave us with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Bottom line, Fiberlink provides a solid managed VPN service at an affordable price. But while the first-level support issue and the single NOC location are not huge minuses, those for whom cost is not paramount might prefer a more robust solution.

Fiberlink Managed Service for Fiberlink Global Remote, Premium Service Level, Fiberlink Communications Corp., (215) 793-6500, (800) LINK-NOW. http://wwwfiberlink.com