Timely Articles

Information to think about

Click on any link to read more about that topic

911 for Developers and Landlords – Real estate developers and landlords, among other telecom users, have a Duty of Care especially as it applies to 911 and First Responder safety. Many of the 911 requirements have been codified in federal legislation such as Kari’s Law and Ray Baum’s Act while others represent requirements for increased organizational safety, regulatory compliance, and avoidance of civil liability.  https://www.fcc.gov/mlts-911-requirements

FOMO – For the technologically inclined, whether a home enthusiast or enterprise professional, there has never been a better time to be involved. With constant hardware advances, significant software improvements, and a limitless supply of acronyms identified things (e.g. API, AI, MSP, SaaS, AR, LLM, etc.) there is an unlimited tool (toy?) box of thing to be tried. And behind each item are vendors promising a better life and a significant ROI.

POTS LINES – Historically the method used by communications carriers to deliver services to your premises was something we did not need to concern ourselves about. Based on the requirements the “telephone company” provided the appropriate services and only when we had unusual and specific needs did we request special services.

BEST OF SUITE OR BREED- The history of procuring enterprise communications has tracked in several directions and it seem to be returning to the “good old days.” Way back when, the choice was basically AT&T and all components of the system came with an AT&T label attached.

VOICE THE KILLER APP- Historically, voice in the enterprise was aligned with telephone PBX features. With the advent of video conferencing, voice was subordinated. But in fact, voice is still the critical mechanism by which most interpersonal communications occur. Remove the video from a conference – some degradation; Remove voice and nothing happens.

ENTERPRISE 9-1-1 – PROTECT YOURSELF – Dialing 911 is universally known as the way to access emergency services be they police, fire, or emergency medical service. From the car or home the request is a relatively simple interaction between the caller and a trained Emergency Communications Center telecommunicator. However, 911 calls from the workplace or from employees’ homes over a corporate system become much more complex and may place the corporation at risk.

THE CLOUD – While it is assumed that by now the question of “should we use a Cloud provider?” has been pretty much settled, it is estimated that as many as 40% of business and institutional telecom systems are still premises based. There are managers who have yet to confront this critical issue.

CAN’T WE JUST TALK – Even as an executive responsible for delivering customer service, in real life, you are both a provider and a consumer of customer support. Some perspective (indulge me)– I live in a townhouse community and while working from home I heard people on the roof. Assuming it was routine maintenance, gutter cleaning etc. I ignored them until the noise continued for several hours. When I approached the workers to find out what was going on I was told they were repairing a leak by replacing a portion of the roof. I had no leak and wanted to find out what was going on without delay!

COMMON WIRELESS SERVICES IN THE EFFICIENT WORKPLACE – Wireless communications services have become ubiquitous in our businesses and institutions. From omnipresent Wi-Fi to other more specialized services, wireless supports enhanced operations and provides a measurable ROI. But as with many situations, no good deed goes unpunished, and wireless may be a similar victim.

TELECOM IMPLEMENTATIONS USED TO BE UNCOMPLICATED, NOW THERE ARE COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS -Codes and regulations are familiar requirements for builders and occupants of commercial buildings. Building codes assure structural integrity and adequate core utility systems. Regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act impact the placement of doors and furniture to accommodate all workers. The one category that has historically been free from mandated regulations has been telecom; No More.