Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I pulled up to the fuel pump and immediately pulled out a credit card. Who goes inside anymore, anyway? After swiping the card a few times and ignoring the incessant beeps, I finally looked at the screen readout. "Please see attendee inside."

Oh great, there's something wrong with my card. I walked inside and found a line of customers waiting to pay. Not knowing the problem, I waited patiently to ask the cashier what seemed to be the matter with my card. After a few minutes, I learned the problem wasn't with my card at all. Their broadband was down and the store was operating on a backup network.

With broadband out and the entire store reliant on a dial-up connection, anything but business-critical applications were triaged, so-to-speak, on the all-but debilitated network. So, credit cards could be processed (and without an imprint, no less) but only at the counter, not the pump, and each transaction was accompanied by the screeching sounds of modem dial-up that I hadn't heard in years. The lottery sales were disabled. The in-store ATM was out of service. And tragedy of tragedies, even the application that tracked my reward points as a frequent customer of this particular c-store was out of order, so that day's $50 in gas didn't tabulate.

If you find yourself nodding as you read this description, realizing it's all-to-familiar for you, then I have an observation: you're just pretending to have backup. When backup doesn't actually back up the standard business functions, it's really a plan C, or D, but not a plan B. Fixed Wireless Broadband backup service from Accel Networks is full broadband throughput when you need it. In fact, it's so hard to notice when it's kicked in that we have enacted a service that alerts you when your backup service has been engaged. That's backup!

Labels: backup network, Convenience Stores, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 10:00 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Wireless... hmm, ok, maybe if I need a good back-up solution. But it's far too slow to run all my business-critical apps. It's unreliable. It's unsecured. Are you crazy?

Not exactly. Fixed Wireless Broadband networks have evolved through multiple generations of both antenna technology and network infrastructure. What may have characterized wireless broadband when you piloted it back in the 90's no longer has any bearing. What was once little more than a cell phone antenna stuck to your laptop, or possibly a router, is now a new generation of wireless technology that more and more large enterprise retail, hospitality, c-store, and more are looking to for the future of their broadband network.

What's changed? For starters, the GSM network coverage is getting more and more saturated every day. Beyond that, Accel Networks' proprietary antenna technology means better signal and reliable connectivity. Simply put, signal strength is the least of your concerns. What's more, with Accel Networks' you can even maintain an completely private and secure Layer 2 network with fixed wireless broadband technology.

If you're ready to think anew about wireless broadband, put it to the test. Talk with one of our agents or partners about a no-risk certification process to validate the viability of wireless for your primary or back-up network needs.

Labels: backup network, Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 7:28 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The other day my power went out. Of course, I immediately looked over at the stove clock to see the time and it was just a blank LED screen. So, what was my next move? I instinctively turned to look at the microwave to see the time there. No such luck. Obviously, they were both on the same connection to the power grid so of course they would both be out. They shared a common point of failure. That "duh" moment was the beginning of a great new idea.

What if that had been my internet, not my power… and it wasn't my oven clock that was down, it was my point-of-sale system? If you use one carrier and that carrier goes down, then what back-up can you have?

Recently, Accel completed an implementation for a retail store chain. With hundreds of stores, we were responsible for implementing both primary networks and network continuity (back-up) at various sites. The unique part is this: our multi-carrier antenna technology allowed us to tune one site's primary network to one carrier with their back-up network on another. The site's entire network was wireless, allowing for deployment in a matter of days. And their continuity is as bullet-proof as networks get.

Best of all, even though there a multiple carriers, there is only ONE bill. So you get the coverage you need, without the administrative nightmare. Accel delivered a predictable and reliable fixed wireless broadband service faster than any wireline could ever boast. How will you connect your next store opening?

Labels: backup network, Broadband, Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Network Providers

posted by Nick Carter at 11:18 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
In San Jose, California last week thousands of businesses lost connectivity for nearly 10 hours when vandals reportedly climbed through a manhole and cut fiber-optic cables. Fixing the problem had to start with finding the problem. Then, fixing fiber-optics isn't like splicing a 10-gauge wire with a stripper and some black tape. All this leaves me wondering, should your broadband be hanging by a fiber?

According to CNET, among the businesses affected was everyone from email marketing firms with millions of emails to serve all the way to small retail, convenience stores, and private homes. The outage affected people in at least 3 nearby cities.

How many cell towers can be found in that same radius? Not less than a dozen. It would take a small army of vandals to black out the redundancy of that GSM wireless grid. Fixed wireless broadband, whether as a primary network or a backup network, could have kept tens of thousands of businesses online. If each business does just 10 transactions an hour of $10 a piece, that would be no less than $1 Million in sales processed without a hitch.

Now, imagine if your store wasn't located in a grid like urban San Francisco. How long could it take to restore connectivity to your new store in a developing community or the gas station off a rural highway. When just one over-zealous digger severs a cable or a vandal finds an unguarded manhole, what can that mean for your expanding business? Will you be ready? Will you stay connected?

Labels: backup network, Broadband, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 4:57 AM Link to this Article  1 Comments

Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I had a noon appointment yesterday, so I decided to head out about 10 minutes early and stop off at a store to pick up something real quick. I knew exactly what I needed and where to find it, so it should just be a quick in-and-out, right? Wrong.

My first clue should have been when the associate had to call the back room manually and check to see if an item was in stock. Should the computer tell him that? When I approached the registers, lines were longer than usual, but nothing too daunting, and besides, I had time to spare. Ten minutes later, however, I was about to abandon the mission and just come back later when at last a new register opened that I could move to. Finally, just a swipe of the credit card and I'm out the door.

I was wrong. The delays that I was experiencing were due to a network outage. The store's local network was up and running just fine, but they had lost their layer 2 network connection with the central store. Their point-of-sale system was entirely dependent on the central network, as was inventory (even local inventories) and credit card processing. After waiting for a manual imprint of my card and a telephone authorization, I arrived at my meeting 15 minutes late.

Fixed Wireless Broadband backup networks offer more reliability than any wireline network could dream. Since the "grid" relies on no physical connectivity, careless diggers and even natural disasters have far less effect. The store's sales and customer satisfaction could have been significantly higher with a PCI-compliant back-up network from Accel Networks.

Labels: backup network, Broadband, Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 9:15 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Friday, March 27, 2009
I remember exactly where I was when 9/11 happened. To this day my parents can still tell me every detail about the moments when they heard about JFK. So, if you were the network administrator for a large retail chain, would you be imprinted with the memory of the news alert: "hi, in 7 days you won't have internet anymore." I would.

In fact, it barely affects my day-to-day work and I was even stunned when I saw the press release that Telekenex would be purchasing AuBeta. According to official statements from AuBeta CEO Ethan Hernandez, the company is "pleased that Telekenex can offer our customers a complete business continuity solution that prevents any disruption." I hope that's the case. But what if it weren't? What if there are serious network failures.

Never does it become more clear to system admins that a back-up network is a good idea (nay, even a vital requirement) than when something as unexpected as the AuBeta/Telekenex transition causes a network outage. It can happen to anyone, anywhere.

This is where Accel shines. For starters, their back-up network is unmatched for reliability and affordability. Whether its a "fire sale" buy-out or a digger severs a cable, immediate failover to the Accel Network Continuity solution is there when you need. But, if you are being unfortunately affected by the recent fire sale, Accel has a specific offer for former customers of AuBeta.

Labels: AuBeta Telekenex, backup network

posted by Nick Carter at 6:26 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Friday, March 20, 2009
If you're a store owner, you know the risks of network outage. If you've suffered an outage for any length of time, then you know how those risks translate to costs all too well. Between loss of credit card processing, point-of-sale processes, and the man-hours required to bring it all back online, a few hours of outage could cost more than an entire year of a back-up network you might never even use.

So, what should you use for a back-up network? More and more businesses today are turning to Accel Networks for a fixed wireless broadband layer2 network that keeps their stores active in the event of wiredline outage. Consider this, in the post-Katrina aftermath in New Orleans, the GSM (cell tower) network was online the same day in many areas, and within a matter of hours the majority of the city had coverage.

Now, if your store were sitting at the bottom of a 10-foot swell, network connectivity may be the least of your worries. But this serves as an example of how fixed wireless networks, not reliant on wireline infrastructure, can be the most reliable and resiliant broadband access choices in the face of any disaster.

Not only is Accel Network's fixed wireless broadband solution the logical choice because of the network through which it's supported, but clients also enjoy a customer-friendly billing process where overage fees are actually avoided. To learn more about these plans and your options, visit Accel Networks' "Network Continuity" solutions page.

Labels: backup network, Broadband, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 11:46 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments