Why Businesses are Turning to WAN Consolidation

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By TMCnet Special Guest
Josh Ross, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Axia Technology Partners

Although the nation’s economy is slowly improving, companies everywhere are still trying to highlight some of the biggest challenges in IT consolidation and realizing enterprises across the country are increasingly turning to Wide Area Network (WAN) consolidation to solve those problems.

 

As a result of acquisitions or rapid growth, companies often get stuck with a collection of disparate IT systems. Local businesses everywhere are turning to full-service IP service companies to simplify complex infrastructures and reduce IT costs.

While the benefits of WAN consolidation are numerous, here are the top seven to consider when evaluating IT needs:

  1. The cost of maintaining Internet security and firewalls at multiple sites is eliminated. Generally, a firewall is only needed in a data center since it’s the only point where a business is exposed to the public Internet and not at multiple locations.
  2. It brings all locations together on one centralized, private network and users can pass information freely back and forth without exposure to the public Internet.
  3. Usage between multiple locations is free. Since a business has established a private network between sites, use of Internet bandwidth to pass information back and forth between locations is at no charge.
  4. A business can consolidate all of their phone lines from each location to the data center and purchases only the adequate lines needed for the business using a centralized network. Instead of the traditional phone system, where each location has a set number of physical phone lines, many companies provides a number of concurrent phone lines for a business as a whole, thus creating a huge cost savings.
  5. It allows businesses the flexibility to grow should more phone lines need to be added or the amount of dedicated Internet increased. One call, two clicks, and services are upgraded. There are no long lead times for adding additional phone lines like a traditional phone company.
  6. Provides improved redundancy for equipment and locations.
  7. Business owners can rest easy with a 24/7 monitoring system, and data centers backing up throughout the country, each able to ensure maximum uptime for business telecommunications.

Companies can certainly expect better-connected office locations, increased IP productivity and reduced monthly costs by up to 40 percent when bundling their IT needs with a WAN consolidation package. Strengthened security and support are also two major benefits of WAN consolidation with a well-respected IP services provider. Companies and employees can reap the benefits of utilizing WAN consolidation in the workplace.

Edited by Brooke Neuman

3 Questions with Axia’s Cory Childs

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One of the biggest benefits, for businesses, of the Internet is the ‘always on’ functionality. People can shop, research or contact a brand at their convenience. But that benefit can also be a drawback especially as brands begin consolidating data centers and servers.

by Kristina Knight

Indianapolis based Axia is one solution helping businesses control online costs.

Kristina: We’re seeing so many more businesses go online to cut costs. Once in the online space, what to brands (companies) need to know about controlling costs?

Cory Childs, Axia: Businesses that are considering moving to the cloud to cut out capital costs need to consider the additional operating expenditures they may incur to make cloud services a viable option. In addition to the new monthly expense for cloud services, business may also need to improve Internet infrastructure to be more resilient so that they have consistent access to their applications, and additional bandwidth may be required so that the applications can be accessed with the speed necessary to operate efficiently.

Kristina: How does Axia benefit online brands?

Cory: Axia provides a hybrid infrastructure and service approach [as well as] dedicated connectivity access to clients for communication services, dedicated connectivity out to the Internet, and dedicated connectivity back to a data center where customers can house infrastructure.

Kristina: In the online space, one of the biggest expenditures can be IT solutions – servers, data centers. What can businesses do to control this area?

Cory: Network consolidation is one way to control IT expenditures. Working with a provider to implement a solution that consolidates phone systems, voice services, Internet access, and infrastructure into a single communication platform keeps cost down. A converged platform is more simply managed and reduces the amount of hours and resources businesses need to spend controlling IT. The converged platform also allows businesses to make the most of their infrastructure so that access to all IT services can be reached across one platform.

Contacting the AxiaTP Technical Support Department

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 We are privileged to partner with you, and we take pride in giving you the industry’s best customer support.  Any time you have a question, concern, or service related problem you can either call our Technical Support Department at 1.866.459.5360 opt. 4 or you may open a case via “Case Central” on the main corporate website www.Axiatp.com (located on the left hand column on the main page) or within your secure customer portal.  Our support staff has an internal service commitment to respond to initial support requests via a return support/trouble ticket and ticket number within 15 minutes from receipt.  All support requests are triaged by the individual support team member and are subject to the table listed on page 5, as well as support management review.

Kate Copice – Employee Spotlight

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 Kate Copice

Kate Copice began her career with Axia in April of 2010 and quickly rose through the ranks to a full Project Manager within the Operations Department.  Ms. Copice is responsible for orchestrating and overseeing all aspects of a project from post Sales through field installation.  Organizational skills and attention to detail are absolute necessities for successful project implementation, and are skillsets that seem second nature to Ms. Copice.  The numerous tasks required of this demanding position include fulfilling the role as client liaison, being responsible for coordinating various internal and external meetings, porting of numbers, receiving and submitting industry standard documentation as required, overseeing equipment and device procurement, scheduling of internal resources, ordering of circuits, and working with our various upstream providers and subcontractors to ensure field installations are done on time and within budget.

 Ms. Copice fills a vital role in the Operations Department at Axia, and her success is evident in the role that she played as she held this same position during this past year when our organization was named as one of the fastest growing Technology Companies in all of Indiana.  The effort required of Ms. Copice to ensure a seamless project installation often goes unnoticed by those clients who do not see the day in and day out activities within Axia, but her efforts are fully appreciated by our staff.  With that in mind, please extend your “thank you” to Ms. Copice the next time you speak with her for the hard work and dedication she exudes on a daily basis to ensure your next project installation is a successful one.

Featured on TMC – Axia Expands Channel Software Initiative

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Axia a provider of converged IP services, recently launched Axia Channel Services.  INTERNET TELEPHONY interviewed Judd Heredos, director of operation at Axia Technology Partners, about the company and this news.

Tell us about your company.

Heredos: Axia Technology Partners, headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., provides IP services to customers nationwide.  The company maintains a national footprint by way of its interconnected networks and has established peering arrangements with 29 of the nation’s largest backbones.  With its national central office topology and network interconnects, Axia has become a market leader in delivering IP services nationwide.  Axia’s current client base encompasses many municipalities, hospitals, power companies, and corporations ranging from five to 2,500 employees.  The company also services thousands of customers as the primary carrier for local phone, long-distance, Internet, and toll-free services.  Axia is a full service phone system, phone service, and connectivity provider.  Axia was recently named on of the fastest growing companies in the State of Indiana, was nominated as and Indiana Company to Watch, and has been featured on CNBC, in the Boston Globe, as well as many other industry and trade publications nationwide.

How and when did the company get started?

Heredos: Axia Technology Partners was founded in 2008, in the midst of one of the roughest economic downturns, by brothers Josh and Jason Ross.  With the emergence of IP services in the market and the evolution of VoIP, the focus was on building a national footprint and carrier network that could be sold through established corporations and their entrenched client relationship.  Axia’s executive staff has over 46 years of collective experience in information technology.

The comapny recently launched Axia Channel Services.  What’s noteworthy about that?

Heredos: Axia Technology Partners launched the channel services software to improve business tracking and workflows.  Having had an established national partner channel for the past several years, the ACS software was originally developed for our channel success, but had such a profound impact on our partner’s general business and workflows that we decided to make the software available to the open market.  The software system is cloud-based and provides east-to-use operational management tools that revolutionize business workflow, establish a rock solid foundation for organized growth, and by creating such efficiencies can improve the bottom line.

How is it different/better than other channel-related solutions in the market?

Heredos: Axia Channel Services provides turnkey implementation software and drastically improves operating efficiencies for channel partners, agents and value-added resellers.  The software helps structure the foundation of the business to streamline process and workflows that are a critical components to overall business success.  Unlike other CRM-type solutions, our software is very focused and contains the foundational components of business (quoting, proposal generation, commission generation, provisioning, project management, billing, support and tracking) and doesn’t require add-ons, specialized knowledge, or development staff to operate.

Featured on Channel Partners – Axia Technology Makes Business Process Software Available to Partners

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 Axia Technology Partners launched at the Spring 2012 Channel Partners Conference & Expo the Axia Channel Services (ACS) turnkey software, which helps channel partners oversee workflow management, sales quoting, commissions, proposal generation, tracking tools, product and service invoice order operations, billing, tax filling and more.  Each element can be purchased individually or as a bundle.  Axia has been using the system internally for several years and, after requests from channel partners, decided to make it available to the other.  www.axiatp.com

Indiana Town Saves $35k Annually After Selecting Axia Technology Partners for Services

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The town of Brownsburg, Ind. was on the hunt for a new technology services company to help assist it in standing out when it came to communication and leading edge technology. As a well-known city in the Hoosier state, Brownsburg values a family-oriented environment, new and existing business developments, a stable property tax structure and a variety of educational, employment, and recreational opportunities.

Grant Kleinhenz, Assistant Town Manager for the Town of Brownsburg, along with other Town of Brownsburg employees, knew that a state-of-the-art telecommunications system was one key to helping a community operate more smoothly and continue to flourish.

With its previous telecommunications system, the Town of Brownsburg was paying excessive amounts monetarily. Kleinhenz and his colleagues knew a change was needed and the Brownsburg Fire Territory suggested calling upon Axia Technology Partners (AXIATP) http://www.axiatp.com . Brownsburg hoped to cut costs in its overall budget and develop a strong relationship with its IP services provider.

Kleinhenz quickly discovered that Axia’s telephony solution would likely be the missing piece to make the town of Brownsburg in a league of their own when it came to technology services and providing for the community.

The Town of Brownsburg’s Problems Prior to Axia TP

Brownsburg needed a technology services provider it could count on. After researching and interviewing multiple service providers, Brownsburg respected Axia’s overall service as well as the additional software that would allow its users additional resources. It was looking for the ability to self-maintain a system without the hassle and cost of service calls.

Brownsburg felt confident in its choice of Axia’s solution due to the ease of use of its system and its top of the line products. Axia’s solution would allow the town to save a great deal of money instead of paying additional sums every time it needed an additional phone or other piece of equipment. Additionally, Axia is located just west of Brownsburg, so Brownsburg felt comfort knowing that in the event of an outage, Axia would be available for on-site support. Engineers could be on-site quickly, and costs for time and travel were competitive given the in-state proximity.

Brownsburg was able to enjoy a new, feature rich phone system without the need for a large capital investment in expensive PBX equipment thanks to Axia’s services. Axia offered Brownsburg an instant return on its investment by giving it a telecommunications system that could grow with the town.

 The Town of Brownsburg Upgrades with High-Tech Systems and Services

Implementation of the new system focused on configuration for the various employees as well as the actual switchover from the town’s previous provider. Brownsburg and Axia held multiple meetings to prepare for the transition where basic information and any questions or concerns were provided and solved on both ends.

Axia Hosted PBX provides all standard PBX functions, in addition to fully integrated enhanced features – such as call center, conferencing, voice, video, fax to email and mobile integration. All setup and configuration is easily managed via a Web portal, enabling customers with as few as five end users, or large enterprises with thousands of users distributed across the globe, to easily configure the system around their specific parameters. With its powerful capabilities and ease of use, AXIATP Hosted PBX creates a strong value proposition for any business.

Axia was able to come on site, complete necessary testing, address problems, and program telephones. Axia was able to complete all these things while working with the town’s employees to ensure an effective transition. 

Axia’s Hosted PBX application delivers a complete suite of enhanced PBX functionality over any private IP connection—without the need for expensive PBX equipment. The system is built and configured in advance, so customers can then spend their time identifying and fine tuning the preferences. This seamless approach also allowed Brownsburg time to test and train employees to use the system before it was installed. 

 “Axia helped make a successful transition possible through its willingness to communicate openly and work with the Town of Brownsburg to implement this service solution,” Kleinhenz said. “Axia technicians adapted quickly and were adequately prepared to make the implementation process seamless for all of us.”  

Brownsburg employees shared feedback saying the Axia support group and installation team “very helpful and available.” Feedback on the actual Axia system was equally positive. Brownsburg employees said that they enjoyed the individualized outbound caller ID for each department as opposed to a single number for every call, thus saving time and energy.

Ability to Increase Cost-Savings

Brownsburg employees are thrilled with the new features provided by Axia’s services. To date, they save $35,000 annually on charges by now using Axia’s services.

Additionally, Axia helped the town save time by not having to call an outside vendor in order to make small changes such as adding new employees or name changes. Axia was also able to help the administration department save more time because the new automated line eliminates the need to route as many calls to other departments.

A Worthwhile Business Partnership

One of the most significant contributions from Axia is its ability to have an exemplary level of communication. Axia and the Town of Brownsburg were able to develop a great relationship that provides quality service and exudes beyond the town’s expectations of a phone and internet service provider. Brownsburg feels as if it has found a partner in Axia, not just an anonymous technology service company.

The town experiences great equipment, increased independence and a great solution with Axia.

“The quality of the system and the level of service that Axia provides is great,” said Wendi True, Town of Brownsburg Executive Assistant. “The service that Axia provides makes it easy on us to recommend them to other businesses.”

Featured on Tmcnet.com – Axia Partners with Customers, the Channel to Lower WAN Service Costs

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Businesses that want to save money and outsource as much of their communications as possible may find what they’re looking for in Axia Technology Partners. So says Josh Ross, a managing partner with the company, who adds that Axia can provide WAN solutions that can save companies 40 percent.

Axia, founded by Josh and his brother Jason, can take on an entire package of services for customers. The company puts together customized solutions for customers through its consultative sales approach, says Josh. That may include such things as fiber construction, Internet services, network convergence, nationwide local phone service, hosted dialer services, and cloud PBX services. Co-location is also an ancillary part of the business.

The company, which has nationwide reach, offers services to a variety of customers, including credit unions, hospitals, municipalities, and many other types of entities.

Forty partners help bring Axia solutions to such customers via reseller arrangements. In fact, the company recently launched Axia Channel Services. The new platform includes dashboards which can be tapped into remotely anytime and anywhere, and can be customized with reseller brands.

ACS also addresses the entire customer lifecycle. The ability of all parts of an organization – from finance, to marketing, management, operations, and sales – to enter and extract data from a single interface reduces errors and delays, according to Axia. And the ACS solution was designed to make lead management simple. Channel partners can track leads using one ID from quote to contract.

Axia provides the channel education about its products and processes through three-day and week-long seminars at its facilities. Noting the complexities in taxes given variations among states and countries, Ross adds that Axia also leverages its BillSoft platform to provide partners and customers with taxation. In fact, he says, Axia has in the past enlightened counties on their own tax laws.

Article By: Jennifer Russell

Axia Partners with Customers, the Channel to Lower WAN Service Costs

Call Recordings

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Have an Axia Advantage PBX and want to find a call recording?  Contact your PBX administrator and they can retrieve the wav. file of your recording by searching the incoming caller id, your extension, your phone number, time and day or all of the above to find the call recording you are searching for.

Unified Communications Can Bolster a Company’s Disaster Recovery Plan

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IT executives looking to maximize their UC investments or searching for a way to gain budget approval should make UC a core component of a company’s business continuity and disaster recovery plans.

When I interview current or potential deployers of UC, the conversation typically focuses on cost savings and how to measure productivity gains. However, one thing that does not get brought up often enough is how organizations can use UC as a way to ensure continuous communications in the event of a disaster.

Organizations that haven’t been through a disaster tend to only think about the ones that gain national attention such as hurricane Katrina or 9/11. However, the majority of disasters occurs with very little media attention and can be just as harmful. For example, one enterprise I recently dealt with had a chemical truck spill directly in front of the building so workers were not allowed in the building. This meant none of the workers were able to get into the location even though there was no problem with the physical location; it was more of an access problem.

Planning for disasters with traditional communications tools is very difficult, if not impossible, overly expensive and not really feasible at all. Communication systems are especially difficult, as the systems will reach peak utilization in times of disaster. With many disasters though, even if the telephony systems are unavailable, Internet connections are often available.

Implementing UC gives workers a wide variety of communication tools to collaborate with other workers, partners, customers or others in the organizations extended enterprise. UC tools have the same experience whether the worker is in the office or working remotely. If the UC suite is coupled with a softphone, the worker can almost re-create the “in office” experience from where ever they are.

One of the reasons many disaster recovery plans fail is because the workers are not familiar with how to use the tools in the event of a disaster. Many applications use a browser or thin client interface to work remotely. With UC though, the applications are the same and should be familiar to the worker when operating in a disaster environment.

Any organization that is currently struggling to justify their UC purchase should consider using BCDR as additional justification for the purchase.

By: Zeus Kerravala

http://www.blogs.yankeegroup.com