Tuesday, November 3, 2009
It's that time again: IT upgrades. The purchasing department wants bottom-dollar, but you know better than that. How long will it last? Can we get signal (believe it or not, the wireless broadband antenna technology makes a huge difference)? What's the throughput that it can handle?

According to independent market research firm, In-Stat, speed, security, and range are the top concerns among buyers. In-Stat recently published their research results pertaining to the purchasing decisions for Broadband Customer Premise Equipment (CPE). Not surprising, brand name was actually low on the list. Many companies today don't even trust a brand's reputation without first testing the equipment in their own environment.

So, according to the experts, speed tops the list. Can the hardware we're talking about handle the number of users on my network? The bandwidth we require? Most importantly, is the speed reliable. If the upstream and downstream speeds are high for half of the day, but unexpectedly and unpredictably hit peaks and valleys based on either signal strength, interferences, or usage spikes, that could be a big deterrent for many companies.

Range also tops the list. With fixed wireless broadband, there are a lot of factors to consider. RF interference, distance to the nearest tower, geographic barriers, and even the physical makeup of the location. Accel Networks has faced incredibly difficult scenarios at locations with high security--which basically means thick concrete and steel walls.

But, most notable at the top of this list is the demand for security. Ever since major network news magazines began warning consumers of the danger in wireless internet at their home (neighbors able to access sensitive data) everyone is keenly aware that passing company data over the airwaves can be problematic. Accel Networks offers layer 2 wireless broadband solutions--the standard required by the PCI-DSS.

So, what do you care about? When considering wireless broadband hardware (or services) does a big name impress? Are higher costs for higher dependability worth it? Do In-Stat's stats represent your mind?

Labels: Broadband Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), Layer 2, PCI Compliant Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 7:15 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Wednesday, October 14, 2009
To some, a broadband network means nothing more than a Cat5 cable that goes into the wall, and from there, who knows. All they know is when they're plugged in, they're online. But to the network admin, the CIO, the IT managers, the directors of information systems, and the like, that Cat5 cable is no more of the broadband network than the speedometer needle is of your car.

And since 2004, it's hard to have a conversation about an enterprise broadband network without mentioning the PCI-DSS. You see, as that yellow cable runs from your tower to the jack in the wall, there's little risk that any data will be hijacked by ill-willed intruders. But what about on the journey that packet of data takes from your office to the headquarters, hundreds of miles away? How many switches and routers does it hit? How many different networks does it traverse--from Time Warner to Verizon to the local Bell company?

Among other things (lots of other things) the PCI-DSS has put requirements in place which make it your business to know how that data is handled. Because, after all, are we really talking about the average user sending a mundane email to his aunt about Thanksgiving dinner? No, we're talking about company financials emailed to the accounting department for projections and analysis. We're talking about payroll and health benefits being sorted out by managers at locations across the country. And, of course, we know that those Cat5 cables also plug into credit card terminals, point-of-sale computers, and the ATM in the lobby.

This year, Accel Networks once again received a PCI Compliance renewal--the proverbial "nod" and "atta-boy" from the PCI and Visa CISP. Our fixed wireless broadband networks are not only built for quick deployment and cost-effective rural broadband, but we back it up with a layer 2 broadband network that you can take to the bank (literally, with cardholder data).

Labels: Broadband, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Layer 2, PCI Compliant Broadband, PCI-DSS, Rural Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 5:53 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I remember talking with a programmer one time about a simple web app I had created with my limited, self-taught knowledge. "Not bad," he said, "But all your logic is in the application layer." I nodded as if I knew what the heck he was talking about. Why should I care? It worked.

What I didn't know then was that back in 1977, some geeks, perhaps even bigger geeks than this guy who droned on about my application layer, got together and defined not one, not two, but seven layers to a computer network. Today, the work of this group, the Open System Interconnection (OSI) initiative, is the standard for network architect. The OSI Seven Layer Model describes, you guessed it, seven layers that any network must have: Application, Presentation, Session, Transport, Network, Data-Link, and Physical Layers.

So, what is layer 2? Layer 2 refers to the Data-Link layer. This is the layer of the network where data is transferred across the "Physical Layer"--cables, airwaves, routers, and LAN cards--from node to node in a Wide Area Network (WAN). So what, you might ask. I can send data from my computer to my sister's computer via email. What's the difference?

The difference is that, as you'll notice, the layer above Layer 2 is the Network itself. And, a subset of that network is something we all know and love: the Internet. WAN transmissions that remain on layer 2 never go to the internet. That email you sent your sister, however, did (provided you're not also office-mates with an Exchange server). If your data was a letter, Layer 2 describes your inter-office mail--no stamp, no postal worker, and it never leaves the building.

Finally, why do I care? Wireless broadband may seem like old hat to many of us. With a smart phone, tethering, and hot spots all over the city, we might not think twice about what layer our laptop is on when surfing the web on a layover at the airport. But what if instead of your laptop, it was a retail store's server... and instead of surfing the web, it was sending daily transaction reports or even credit card data for payment processing. Still think the layer is irrelevant? A layer 2 network means that cardholder data never hits the internet (a big no-no for PCI Compliance).

Accel Networks fixed wireless broadband services deliver broadband connection to your remote locations, not just for internet browsing, but for Layer 2 network purposes such as point-of-sale and other sensitive company data. Proving once again, "this ain't your average air card."

Labels: "Internet infrastructure", Fixed Wireless Broadband, Layer 2, OSI, PCI Compliance, PCI Compliant Broadband, PCI-DSS, WAN

posted by Nick Carter at 5:12 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Texas is a massive state. Second in size only to Alaska, Texas is over a quarter million square miles. And, while it's also second in population in the U.S. with over 24 million people in the great state, 75% of its population reside in the 60,000 square-mile region of booming metropolises like Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio that dot Texas' Eastern portion.

What remains outside of these large cities and towns reaching inward from the Gulf Coast is an expanse that many simply call "West Texas"--as if it were a small sliver of the larger state. In reality, West Texas spans 3x the square mileage of East Texas and is dotted with nearly 2300 rural settlements, called Colonias, characterized by poverty and lack of basic infrastructure.

In the 630-mile drive along Interstate 20 from Dallas to Juarez, you can expect to see no more than one city along the way that boasts more than 100,000 in population. A handful of others dot the trail with a few thousand souls. But for the most part, a whole lot of small towns.

So, if you're ever so inclined to make this drive, think of two things: first, that your A/C is fully charged! Second, when you want to swipe your card at the gas pump... how does anybody get broadband out here? Or, when the officer stops to help you with a flat tire, does he even have email back at his station? How many stores, companies, and even government agencies in this remote part of our country go without the high-speed connectivity many of us take for granted?

The Texas DIR recently tapped into Accel Networks' unique fixed wireless broadband service to provide at least one solution to this problem. Via partner RealCom Solutions, state and local government agencies have special discounted prices for what could be the only broadband solution viable in many areas. More than that, however, commercial applications rely on Accel everyday, too. Point-of-sale, convenience store registers, ATM's, pay at the pump, and just about any retail that requires cardholder data transfer needs not only broadband, but PCI-compliant broadband.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and when it comes to spanning hundreds of miles with a data network with consistent througput and broadband speeds, Texas' size is not always in its favor. Accel Networks is glad to help.

Labels: Convenience Stores, Fixed Wireless Broadband, PCI Compliance, PCI Compliant Broadband, PCI-DSS, Rural Broadband Access, Texas DIR

posted by Nick Carter at 6:15 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Thursday, April 2, 2009
St. Petersburg, FL – March 30, 2009 – Accel Networks ("Accel") announced today the successful completion of its annual audit under the rules of the PCI-DSS – Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and that Visa has renewed Accel’s certification as a Tier 1 Compliant Provider. Accel provides multi-site retail and hospitality businesses with managed PCI-compliant wireless broadband networks, including payment processing and other secure data transfers.

Founded by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide, and Visa International, the PCI Security Standards Council is an independent body formed to develop, enhance, disseminate and assist with implementation of security standards for payment account security. Additionally, CISP is a certification program whereby Visa individually enforces PCI-DSS compliance among all merchants in their network. Accel is one of very few wireless broadband providers in the US to achieve PCI Compliance and CISP Certification.

"Our clients trust us with their customers' most sensitive data, their customers’ cardholder data," said Mark Gianinni, CEO of Accel Networks. "Helping merchants keep that data secure is the most important requirement of any retailer’s wide area network. That's why we work hard to achieve and maintain a PCI Compliant broadband solution for our customers."

To learn more about Accel's PCI-compliant network solutions, visit www.accel-networks.com.

About Accel Networks

Accel is the leading provider of managed fixed wireless broadband services in North America. Drawing on its experience in fixed wireless networking, Accel fused proprietary technology and intellectual property with the 3G GSM and CDMA networks and created the first PCI compliant broadband fixed wireless enterprise network. Accelerator™ brings together the availability, reliability, network management and security of terrestrial frame relay with the data throughput and price point of DSL, without the long lead times, complex installations, and high fallout rates of terrestrial broadband. For more information, visit www.accel-networks.com.

Contact:

Nick Carter

Carter and Company, LLC

317-594-9550
nick@carterandcompanyllc.com

Labels: PCI Compliance, PCI Compliant Broadband, PCI-DSS, Press Release

posted by Nick Carter at 1:54 PM Link to this Article  0 Comments