Letter From The President Of Abletek, Bill Parker

2011 has been a year of great change, challenge, and opportunity here at Abletek and for our vendor and client partners. An uncertain economy, worthless politicians, and rapid changes in today's business model continues to have a profound effect on all. But out of this chaos comes opportunities for success! Our staff continues to work diligently to improve and enhance the value added solutions & service offerings we provide. Our goals are to improve your profitability, productivity and competitive advantage in the marketplace. Significant improvements in technology and how people use that technology continue to shape the way business is conducted. From cloud based solutions, social networking, and managed services to mobility, the world of IT, voice, and unified communications continues to evolve at a rapid pace.

The economic climate has also had a profound effect on many businesses.. Technology trends we have seen in 2011 have been embraced by many businesses. Security and disaster recovery continue to draw attention as companies review and improve their current standards and practices. Demand for data security and the ability to have reliable, swift, disaster recovery capabilities continues to be popular among those businesses who realize the significant risks of not having proper controls and solutions in place. Is your business prepared for disaster?

Cloud computing is here, and it's real. It is, as we hear more often these days, "The Future of Computing." If you're not yet leveraging cloud computing to streamline IT operations, you soon will be, or you'll be left behind by your competition. All of this, in the dizzyingly accelerated pace of IT evolution, is old news. The question facing many companies today is not "should I start using cloud computing?", but rather "which cloud provider should I choose?" We have been providing cloud based hosted solutions for over six years and see continued growth in this area.

Mobility is a hot topic. Mobile, social, video, and cloud collaboration services are quickly becoming four technology legs of a stool supporting what some are calling the workplace experience. Investment in these technologies continues to outpace the overall IT market. Yet taken alone, I'd argue these technologies offer little to no competitive advantage to firms. Employers who support their employees with the technology tools, effective leadership, information, and human networks perform better than those who do not.

In these uncertain economic and political times, businesses have focused on getting lean and mean and many of the human resource adjustments appear to be over resulting in a soft job market. Business should now be focused on improving the "tools" used to improve productivity, profitability, and competitive advantage in the marketplace. Replacing old, outdated IT & voice systems, moving to cloud based solutions, improving processes and gearing up for better economic times should be on the roadmaps of those companies who want to be prepared to capitalize on new opportunities to grow their business when the economy improves.

Finally, social networking is becoming an integral part of every business. Is your company utilizing Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social networking sites to communicate information to your clients and prospective clients? If you aren't, then your business is already in the minority and behind in the game. The world is constantly changing and technology continues to be at the center of almost every facet of it.

As we near the end of 2011 and prepare for the New Year, all of us here at Abletek wish each of you, your families, loved ones and friends a joyous and blessed Christmas season and a happy New Year.

Thank you for the privilege of serving you,

William "Bill" G. Parker
President

7 Advantages to Cloud Computing for SMB Online Version

As a small business owner or future entrepreneur, you understand that saving time and saving money whenever possible are both critical to your success. Whether you are just starting out or your business is more mature, cloud software and services can help you cut costs while also freeing up your time so you can concentrate on doing what you do best – running your business.

Cloud computing is a way of leveraging the Internet to consume software or other IT services on demand.

Users share processing power, storage space, bandwidth, memory, and software. With cloud computing, the resources are shared and so are the costs, making cloud computing very much a business model as well.

Advantages of cloud computing for SMB include:

• Lower Initial Investment – If you already have a computer and an Internet connection, you can very likely take advantage of most cloud offerings without investing in any new hardware, specialized software, or adding to staff.
• Easier to Manage – There are no power requirements or space considerations to think about and users do not have to understand the underlying technology in order to take advantage of it. You will not be responsible for maintaining and updating any new hardware or software. Planning time is considerably less as well since there are fewer logistical issues.
• Pay as You Go – Large upfront fees are not the norm when it comes to cloud services. Many software as a service applications and other types of cloud offerings are available on a month to month basis with no long term contracts.
• Scalability – Cloud computing can be scaled to match the changing needs of your small business as it grows. You can quickly add additional licenses, storage space, and more as needed.
• Deploy Faster – You can usually be up and running significantly faster with cloud services than you can if you have to plan, buy, build, and implement in house. With many software as a service applications or other cloud offerings you and your team can start using the service within hours or days rather than weeks or months.
• Location Independent – Because services are offered over the Internet, you are not limited to using cloud software or services just at work or only on one computer. Access from anywhere is a big advantage for people who travel a lot, like to be able to work from home, or whose organization is spread out across multiple locations.
• Device independent – Most web-based software and cloud services are not designed specifically for any one browser or operating system. Many can be accessed via PC, Mac, tablets like the iPad, and through smart phones.

What are the Benefits of SIP Trunking over Traditional PRI?

Twenty years ago the term "Internet Provider or ISP" was foreign to most. Then AOL made their name known to many; other ISP's started popping up here, there and yonder and before you know it- every home has the Internet, thanks to Internet Service Providers. Today's SIP Trunking is basically the newest business technology phenomenon presenting itself to the world, providing business with data, video, and audio communication over one line. And those that provide this service to business are known as Internet Telephony Service Providers or ITSPs.

Why is SIP Trunking so much better than traditional PRI? It's simply a matter of technology and cost. Traditional PRI or Primary Rate Interface is often expensive to businesses; when one business or another makes the decision to switch from PRI to SIP Trunking- they not only save money; they see a much better quality product and service. More and more ITSP's are providing SIP Trunking to businesses allowing them to communicate for less money and less need for equipment changes. You can basically take your current phone system and add SIP Trunking and a PBX switch- allow a qualified ITSP to hook your business up and you're good to go.

SIP Trunking is more advanced than traditional PRI in that it offers the user more features. IM- call screening is available. Unlike traditional conferencing where there were delays and it was more like watching a bad movie; this new IM-Call screening technology makes both users feel like they are actually "there" in real-time. It eliminates the machine/computerized conferencing that many businesses currently despise. It streamlines the call and video so without physically leaving one city; you can see, hear, and talk to one another like you are actually in the same room. Another feature that stands out in regards to IP telephony service; SIP Trunking also allows third party interfacing; something traditional primary rate interface does not. As technology continues to advance, this feature will, as well. But even today- some ITSP's give their clients the ability to voip with multiple businesses and organizations.

Although SIP Trunking is a new concept in the world of communication technology, more and more businesses are opting to use ITSP's for their business communication needs. IP Telephony providers allow businesses to grow; seeing long-term savings when looking at the big picture. In essence, you're taking all the communication mediums available to a business and combining them into one smooth and exciting network. Those that utilize SIP Trunking now see big savings and find that the technology is improving each and every day. And just as time never stands still- neither will the technology of business communication; luckily SIP trunking can evolve with new technology into a well-rounded means for communication for business.

Article Credit - IP5280.com

Partner News

SonicWALL Centralizes Communications with Zultys
By Robbie Pleasant November 10, 2011

SonicWall, a Global Network security company, has begun using Zultys phone systems across its sites worldwide. With three Zultys MX-250 and two MX30 IP phone systems in each of its four sites, SonicWall has reduced its operational costs by $10,000 per month.

Zultys uses an extensible SIP-based solution that easily adapts to different architectures, which allowed SonicWALL to run Zultys alongside its existing system with a T-1 connection between the two. With a simple installation and maintenance, engineers and operators could focus on testing and other core tasks, rather than wasting time with installation. SonicWALL can now route internal and external calls over their data network to their various locations with less analog lines while migrating to an internet telephony service provider.

Read More »

Abletek is a Zultys Partner. Contact Abletek for more information, or visit www.zultys.com.

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Datto

At Abletek, our choice of data backup and BDR partners is critical to our ability to bring reliable, best of breed solutions to our clients. Check out the following link to see a comparison of three of the leaders in the BDR solution world. Our favorite is Datto, Inc. Check out the following link to see how they compare with Zenith and Axcient. Let us show you why Datto is our choice for us and our customers.

http://www.bdrfacts.com/compare.html.

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Studio Productions - It's that time of the year again!

What do your callers hear when they are on hold? On-hold messages mixed with music inform, sell, and keep your customers on hold longer! Contact us to find out about the special rates we have arranged. http://www.abletek.com/eCampaign/1211-holiday.html

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