Winner: Fiberlink Global Remote, Fiberlink Communications Corp., (800) LINK-NOW, (215) 793-6500. www.fiberlink.com
Once products or processes become commoditized, outsourcing can reduce both capital and management costs. VPN services are a prime example, and Fiberlink offers a flexible and cost-effective solution based on commercial off-the-shelf products, such as the Cisco VPN 3005 Concentrator. Fiberlink manages the configuration and policy changes required, while user authentication is back-ended to internal RADIUS or Microsoft Windows NT domains.
Fiberlink's top-tier service offering comes complete with Cisco SmartNet 24x7 service. Failed equipment is replaced within four hours, so downtime is limited. Although Fiberlink has only one NOC, it is fed by two points on an AT&T Sonet ring, and there is a third, to a Verizon Sonet connection. Moreover, in the event of a catastrophic network failure between the VPN gateways and the NOC, the Cisco VPN 3005 Concentrator will still operate normally.
Finalists:
AT&T Managed VPN Tunneling Services, AT&T Corp., (800) ATT-3199.
www.business.att.com
Aventail.Net Managed Services, Aventail Corp., (877) AVENTAIL, (206) 215-1111.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
