What benefits can a Hosted VoIP system provide to fast-changing companies?

Scalability of Hosted VoIP – Quickly Adapting to Business Change

Has your business been unsteady lately? Is your company growing fast one minute and shrinking the next? One problem many small companies have is they do not know their company size will look like in a few years.  Bosses have a tough job of deciding what kind of phone system to implement because they need something that can be extremely flexible based on the amount of people they have working for them.  This is where a Hosted VoIP system can come in handy.

One main benefit of a Hosted VoIP system is you can add, remove, and edit all members of the system with ease.  If business has been picking up and you needed to hire more workers, thus adding more users on the phones, you can do it with ease.  Simply upgrade your Hosted VoIP service by adding more extensions and that is all.  If peak season is over and your company is going to be losing some employees, it is extremely easy to downgrade your service and save you and your company some money.  The great thing about a Hosted VoIP system is you can make it fit to exactly what your company needs.

Another great benefit of the ease of a Hosted VoIP system is that it is extremely cost efficient.  There is no need to hire anyone to come in and set up individual phones and coordinate the lines.  You and your company can save a great amount simply by not having to hire an IT person to maintain your telephone lines.  Simple tasks such as adding and deleting phone lines typically rely on someone with experience coming in and completing the job for you but with a Hosted VoIP system, these changes are done with ease.

Hosted VoIP provides many great benefits to your company in terms of scalability.  Visit our website or give us a call to see if a Hosted VoIP system is right for you.

What TrueChoice Telecom Can Offer You

Want to know how to save as much as 40% on your phone services? Fill out the form and upload your bill on the TrueChoice website and find out how to start saving today. TrueChoice has over 65 providers all offering many great services for you to beat the prices of those normal providers and even offer more features. Also, learn a few reasons why TrueChoice Telecom is more than just a telephone service.

What are some options TrueChoice Telecom providers can offer? Well one great benefit is being able to set up a local phone number in many cities around the globe. This enables you to make phone calls with that area at the local rates for simply paying a monthly fee for that area’s phone number. This will enable business in cities you frequently deal with around the globe to not be harmed by outrageous international phone call rates. Also, having a local phone number will give various cities the feeling that you are a local business. Providing a local feel to your phone number can become a great benefit for business.

Another benefit of TrueChoice is their international phone call rates in the event you make frequent international phone call in an areas you do not have a local number for.  When making international phone calls, different providers charge different rates to receive and connect phone calls. If you are required to make phone calls to different countries, TrueChoice will help find the right plan and service for you to make phone calls at the most reasonable price you can. This can cut down on unnecessary costs behind doing international business.

TrueChoice Telecom’s providers are a great way to save you money on phone and data services. Check out our website, fill out the form, and start saving money on your phone services today. 

How can Hosted VoIP help with disaster recovery?

Disaster Recovery with Hosted VoIP

When working in any industry, phone calls are a vital part of business. The last thing you and your company needs is to have business halted due to not being able to call clients or receive phone calls from potential customers. One huge benefit of a Hosted VoIP system is that you are able to access it anywhere. If for some reason you are not able to make it into the office, you will still be able to call clients like nothing ever happened.  

Offsite Call Capability Reduces Downtime

One great benefit of Hosted VoIP is the ability to always be able to make and receive phone calls. With Hosted VoIP you can program your office phone and cell phone to ring simultaneously or in a specific sequence. In the event of a disaster and you are unable to make it to your office, your cell phone will get the call instead ensuring no loss of customer service due to an unforeseen incident. This will greatly improve customer satisfaction knowing they can always reach you.

Cloud-based Information Provides Security

Hosted VoIP is a great service because all information is stored at an offsite location. Having all of your phone information stored offsite means never losing contacts due to a disaster in the office. Simply log in online and you can get the phone number of the important client you were supposed to call. One of the worst things a company can do is lose their customers information and this will ensure you never run into that problem. Disaster or not, you can always make that important phone call you needed to make.

Flexible Communication On-The-Go

A final way that Hosted VoIP can help you in the event of a disaster is with on the fly conferencing. This allows you to form an impromptu conference to explain a situation should a disaster occur. You can add and delete people from a phone call as needed to get the word out to employees faster. This will make things run much smoother in the event of a disaster.

Hosted VoIP can greatly help in the event of a disaster at the office and can make the transition run much smoother.

What is call swapping and how can it help me?

How to Communicate Better with Hosted VoIP

In the economy today, staying in constant communication with your company and your clients is a must. Clients expect fast responses and flawless communication. That is where Hosted VoIP can help. Hosted VoIP provides a great service in ensuring contact between all the parts of your business.

One great way communication is improved by a Hosted VoIP system is that it unites everyone. No matter where they are, all employees will be able to benefit from all the features provided. They can use their home offices as work offices because they can access all the features provided by this technology at home

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Next, a Hosted VoIP system allows employees to get the same phone call on multiple phones. If someone calls their office phone, you can program it to call their cell phone at the same time with ease. No more missed phone calls because someone stepped out of the office for a few minutes. Though, if you did want to miss that phone call, Hosted VoIP also offers a hide me feature to send the call to voicemail.

Hosted VoIP also offers visual voicemail to everyone. No more checking your messages at home, work, and on your cell to see if you missed that important phone call. With the visual voicemail feature, all messages are in one spot and you can see who each of them are from too. This enables you to get to the important message you have been waiting for as quick as possible. 

A final, huge benefit of a Hosted VoIP system is on the go call swapping. Say you are on your office phone when you get an email to meet a client as soon as possible. With the call swap feature, you can simply press a button and it will swap the call to your cell phone so you can get on your way quickly.

Hosted VoIP can benefit your business greatly and make communication between your team and clients work seamlessly. Give it a try and see how it can benefit you today. 

Keeping Business Growing with Hosted VoIP

Unpredictable events are bound to happen and harm day-to-day business activities.  It is impossible to stay connected with business events and phone calls with a regular telephone system.  With a Hosted VoIP system, there is no need to worry about any of that.  If something occurs at your office such as a fire, you have no reason to panic about missing out on important phone calls because there is no tangible box residing at your place of business that you need to worry about getting harmed.

 

With Hosted VoIP, in case of the unthinkable, all phone calls can be sent to cell phones or any other phones even in locations other than just your office.  This enables phone calls from anywhere and provides great convince to you and your staff.  It is an extremely reliable resource for your company to have.

Hosted VoIP also brings great flexibility for a growing company.  With the VoIP system, you are not simply limited to a specific amount of users on the system.  This allows you to add and remove employees as needed from the system.  It is a monthly service that you can expand or reduce as needed with very little effort required.  You also are able to add and remove features as needed for the best experience for your company.

 

Another way True Choice Telecom’s Hosted VoIP enables company growth is with their automatic upgrades.   Since no physical hardware is located on your premise, all software changes and upgrades are installed automatically for you without you needing to do anything for it.  True Choice will also alert you when any new features and functions come out.

 

Hosted VoIP is a necessary resource for any growing business trying to save some money where they can.  The convenience, reliability, and flexibility are the top reasons for you to let True Choice help you and your business out.   

How can True Choice Telecom’s Hosted VoIP service save me money?

What are a few reasons to secure your wireless internet?

Choosing the Right PBX for You

When starting a company, having multiple lines for phone calls is a must.  Rather than having ten different lines for ten different people, you can get what is called a private branch exchange, or PBX for short.  This not only enables people outside the office to be able to reach individual people but also people in the office can reach other people by simply dialing a three to four numbers.  There are two choices when deciding on your PBX, premise based and hosted.

A premise based is exactly how it sounds.  It is a way to have multiple lines without multiple numbers.  The difference is it is on the premise instead of hosted somewhere else.  With a premise based, the fee can be either a one-time charge or a certain cost spread over a year or two.  The benefit here is once you pay off the original cost, the monthly charge goes away and you will only be paying for your phone provider.  This enables you to have a greater amount of control over your system and means that calls aren’t getting routed to you from somewhere else.

Hosted PBX consists of taking the core call control from your office and moving it to a data center where calls for multiple businesses are routed too.  The benefit of this is that you all but guaranteed to never be out of service.  The hosted PBX is also beneficial because you don’t have to worry about maintenance of upgrades since your VoIP provider will take care of that for you.  This frees up more time for business owners to focus on the company instead of having a hassle to deal with.  With the hosted PBX, you do have a recurring bill every month.

One of the primary benefits of choosing Hosted VoIP is flexibility. Nothing matches Hosted VoIP for companies with an outside sales force, multiple locations, remote workers or work-from-home employees.  PBX is an important and valuable system to use in your company and you need the best for it.

Making Communication Easier

Hosted VoIP is the cutting edge way to keep your company connected, even over a great distance.  You can make this technology even more efficient by installing SoftPhone Applications onto your computer.  SoftPhone Apps are a new type of software that can enable your computer to make and receive phone calls without the need for a separate, stand alone telephone.  Users can access the phone option through their computers with the use of a headset or even a cell phone that plugs into a USB connection.

SoftPhone lends itself perfectly to the Hosted VoIP system by further eliminating dependence on clunky hardware.  Now you can communicate with co-workers and clients alike wherever you are just by carrying your laptop.  This is particularly helpful for employees that need to travel for work or can’t always be in the office.  The VoIP systems link your business’s communication through the computer and SoftPhone apps eliminating the need for a separate phone by turning your computer into the phone.  

With SoftPhone apps you can access all of the features that you would have with a traditional phone through a keypad displayed on your computer’s screen.  That includes features like caller ID, voicemail, conference call and one touch response.  In addition to these features, you can give callers a text-to-speech message or send and receive a fax.  SoftPhone also allows for easy integration with Microsoft Outlook, which makes it easy for you to transcribe your calls and email them to your co-workers and employees.  It will even provide you with a detailed phone log so that you can keep track of missed phone calls and clients’ numbers.

SoftPhone will save your company money by doing away with the need to purchase and maintain telephones for all of your employees.  They will also save your employees time by having all of your call data located in one spot on your computers database and, of course, not having a phone will free up more space on your desk to get to work. 

Hosted VoIP: Your Shelter From the Rain

Into everyone’s life a little rain must fall.  When disaster strikes, the last thing that you should have to worry about is your business slowing down.  If a fire, flood or other unforeseen event forces you to have to move from your place of business, TrueChoice Telecom Hosted VoIP has the ability to route your calls from anywhere that there is an internet connection via web portal.  If a customer calls your office number, Hosted VoIP will redirect your call to a new location that hasn’t been effected by the disaster. 

With Hosted VoIP, your business’s communication needs are no longer reliant on any particular hardware or location.  SMB, or service message block, is a protocol that allows the sharing of files, printers, scanners, communication equipment and serial ports among a group of computers.  With TrueChoice Telecom’s Hosted VoIP, an assemblage of providers will be handling your SMB needs from a separate location.  These providers’ main area of expertise is establishing and maintaining this form of communication between your company computers and communication devices.

One of the many advantages to this type of out-of-house managing systems is with the flexibility they provide in event of a disaster.  By maintaining your communications systems with TrueChoice Telecom, their Hosted VoIP program can reroute your calls instantaneously, so that there will be no gap in your ability to conduct your business.  It will also enable you to maintain contact with the members of your company and efficiently establish a plan for keeping your business together as you work through the aftermath of the disaster.  Even if the best course of action is to have employees working out of their own homes for a while, Hosted VoIP can make easy communication a reality.

No one wants to think about a disaster affecting their place of business but these things do happen.  It will give you peace of mind to know that if disaster strikes for your business you have Hosted VoIP in place and you will be able to focus on the more important issues of getting back on your feet again. 

How Secure Is Cloud Computing?

One of the concerns that people talk about when it comes to cloud computing is safety. Those concerns although valid can be unfounded, because as a whole cloud computing is rather safe. Cloud computing has been for a while very safe from hackers as they have been having a lot of trouble trying to access data from the companies that offer the service. You should still ask your company about their security features to make sure that they have as much security as you can feel comfortable with. In general, you should be satisfied with the safety features of cloud computing.

Security Offline

As great as the security features are online, you will be even happier with the offline it is virtually impossible for your data to be stolen offline. A thief could actually steal your computer and they would still have no access to the data from the cloud. That feature alone makes it one of the safest services that you can get while using your computer or ant device that you may use to access the information. The company that you are using also has security features to protect the data such as firewalls, encryptions and some of the best anti-virus protection there is.

Money Saving Option

Although some people may have some concerns about cloud computing, most of those fears are really not based on the facts. Cloud computing is one of the most secure ways to reduce the costs of your company. It is a great advantage to be able to see the files in any computer in the world that you have access to. You do not have to risk transporting and losing data while traveling and that can save you time, money and headaches. There should be no hesitation on your part when it comes to security concerns.

Top 10 Business Technology Trends of 2012

Amidst the economic struggles that continue to challenge businesses in 2012, technology is among the industries that is showing enormous opportunities for expansion.

Here are the top 10 business technology trends of 2012.

1. Social Networking For Business

Incorporating social network type communications has become one of the trendiest things to do for business. In fact it is becoming as common as email accounts for employees to be in touch with customers.

2. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is the technology that allows businesses to move information without costs or risks of physical transportation. Services and applications can be delivered while saving money.

3. 360 Security

Security in the cloud is provided by 360 Security. It secures both applications and corporate networks across the cloud.

4. Telepresence

Why would anyone go with telework, when telepresence is now available? It is one of the fastest growing sectors of business technology and it is predicted that it will be more so in a couple of years.

5. Borderless Businesses

There are no obstacles to delivering information between a business and their employees, suppliers, customers or partners because of the extended enterprise which borderless business creates.

6. High IQ Networks

On demand bandwidth is part of the smart network technology that businesses are now using and will continue to use in the near future. That manages costs at the same time it allocates the company’s resources.

7. Green Technologies

So much is being done to have businesses go green; not only because it is responsible, but it can also save them money. Less paper, cleaner cheaper energy, energy management and conservation can translate to great savings.

8. Visual Communications

Visual communication has a lot of advantages and nearly zero disadvantages. It makes tele-meetings possible and it makes it so that everyone is “face-to-face” in those meetings.

9. Smart Devices and Wireless Applications

Wireless applications are on the rise, but if you want to see the uptrend, then you have to look at the wireless application and information sharing between machines. Communication is better, and so are the results.

10. Future Vision

There is software now that can help a business learn from the past and see future trends. This allows companies to learn from those decisions and project where they will go in the future.

The Advantage Of Getting Hosted VOIP From Your Connectivity Vendor Instead Of BYOB

One of the primary issues in the modern, ever-changing world of IT is simplification. IT professionals are continually looking for efficient solutions to help them reduce redundancies and headaches in all aspects of their work.  One of the newest, most exciting technologies which companies are implementing, often through their IT department, is VOIP (Voice Over IP).  VOIP is a cost-effective way to end traditional phone service and instead route it through their internet connections.  It’s a good idea to do a little research and learn about the type of services you’ll be selecting from for your company. 

There are two common problems with using a hosted VOIP provider separate from your data provider, or BYOB (bring your own bandwidth) vendor:

1. There can be problems with inefficiency.  It makes no sense to have to deal with a company for your data provider in addition to a VOIP vendor.  Twice the time is required to talk to at least two different company representatives.  If the hosted VOIP vendor you’re working with is also your connectivity vendor, the process is streamlined and efficient. 

2. There can be problems with unreliability.  When a company has an account with a connectivity provider which also provides VOIP services, the connectivity provider feels a strong responsibility for this client; however, BYOB providers only have one account with the client and thus don’t feel the same responsibility for their clients.

Nowadays, simply offering good services is not enough. Companies are looking for ‘solutions’ that will make work life simpler and more efficient. It’s also true that companies need bandwidth that can support their clients and that is fast. It is now expected that reliable service and exceptional customer care go hand in hand, but simpler and faster coordination also matters a great deal. In short, to obtain a simplified, streamlined, more efficient communications service, companies should turn to all-in-one vendors, such as TrueChoiceTelecom.com.

What is cloud computing, who uses it, and what are the benefits?

Applying Hassle Free Network Solutions In A Global World

Communication is absolutely vital for any business, especially in an era where communication and connectivity across states, countries and continents should happen seamlessly in an instant. More and more solutions are being made available to companies, in order to maximize technology and give businesses the advantage of national network coverage.  If your company has satellite offices nationwide, being able to communicate and properly access information on a day to day basis can save you time and valuable resources.

Simply put, a good telecom provider takes your main office, satellite offices and all other details, such as the communication habits within your organization and clients, re-aligns and organizes them in order to make things work better and more efficiently.

The best part about it, is that a quality company can bundle up all these services and help you come up with cost effective solutions which will allow you to save anywhere from twenty to fifty percent on nationwide and overseas communication expenses and other service maintenance fees. Your provider should be able to give you the expertise to take all your various requirements and come up with full end-to-end solutions for your company and all its branches. 

What are the advantages of getting a hosted VoIP from your connectivity vendor instead of BYOB?

One Provider, End-to-End Solutions for Seamless Connectivity

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There are numerous details that need to be put in place in maintaining seamless connectivity in the workplace and ensuring that everything is functioning efficiently. This can be quite tedious especially if your office has multiple national and international locations. Companies will greatly benefit from end to end services provided by one single vendor. A complete range of IT solutions from a single point of contact eliminates the headache of coordinating and troubleshooting with several vendors.

For companies with multiple locations, VPN/MPLS allows for cost effective, superior connectivity and secure data travel across all branches. No matter how superior any system is, companies should always be prepared for some unforeseen problems, either from natural disasters or malicious intent. Your solutions provider should have collocation and data backup options in various locations with proper DR (disaster recovery) systems in place.  This system should replicate and store data as your company creates it, giving you instant access to your complete files once problems are encountered with the original files. Should there be a power outage, theft or any other problem occur, the DR servers should be up and available immediately to prevent loss of work for your company. 

The VPN/MPLS and DR systems are just the basics; it is highly recommended that your vendor be able to provide you with continuous support before, during and after the complete network set up. Each company is unique and has unique needs so your network solutions provider should be flexible and be able to address the company and all its individual branch needs. Some would say that it is risky to entrust your entire system to one provider this is why you should be meticulous in ensuring that your provider has the professional expertise and resources to have several back up options in place to ensure continuous productivity from your end. 

Simplicity Sells- the Secret to Our Success!

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What’s the main reason you’re interested in outsourcing the management and maintenance of your business’ telecommunication services?

Is it the cost savings you expect to receive by working with a company like True Choice Telecom? Bill reductions of over 50% are nothing to sneeze at, but they’re probably not the main reason you’re interested in hiring us.

Are you seeking exceptional customer service? While we pride the high quality care we offer our clientele, ultimately we know there’s another factor our clients appreciate even more.

No, the main reason you want to work with our company is the simplicity we provide our customers.  Whether your business operates from a single location or multiple locations, whether your business hires 1,000 people or 10,000 people, whether your business utilizes basic phone systems or complicated VoIP solutions, we’re happy to take the burden of managing your telecommunications system off of your hands.

Instead of having to call a dozen different carriers every time you have a telecom problem, you just need to call us and we’ll handle all the running around for you.

Instead of trying to juggle your carriers, your IT staff, your vendors, and your property managers whenever you need to make a change to your system, let us know your plans and we’ll co-ordinate every relevant party for you.

Instead of constantly searching through dozens and dozens of different carriers, offers, special deals and loyalty programs to make sure you’re always getting the most bang for your buck, we keep up to date on every breath the telecom industry makes for you.

All of the individual reasons why you’re going to love working with us winnow down to a single point- we simplify what most businesses consider an overly complicated, overly confusing, and seemingly byzantine aspect of their day-to-day operations.

Simplicity is priceless. Sure, it saves you money, but it also saves you energy, it saves you worry, and it saves you the most precious resource of all- time.                                                                                                                                                                                             

Connectivity Between Multiple Locations (VPN and MPLS)

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More and more modern businesses and organizations are finding themselves struggling to handle an increasingly diverse workforce. Some organizations simply operate from multiple locations, while an increasingly large number of organizations are either hiring a remotely located workforce or allowing their employees to perform their duties wherever they’d prefer. No matter the reason behind your need for connectivity between multiple locations, the solution to this problem is remarkably uniform - you either need to set up a VPN or MPLS.

A VPN is a Virtual Private Network, which essentially allows a single computer or a single network to connect with another single computer or network in a different physical location. The biggest benefit of setting up a VPN is simple - every member of your organization will be able access the same files, the same network resources, and the same collaborative tools as every other member of your organization, no matter where they are all located. In essence VPNs are great for sharing resources among any number of remote workers or networks.

MPLS refers to Multi-Protocol Label Switching technology, which works very similarly to VPN technology but with a few minor adjustments. The main difference between VPN and MPLS technologies is the fact MPLS technologies are generally set up by service providers, while individual users are able to set up VPN systems. VPN connections generally occur over public connections, such as the internet at-large, while MPLS systems generally occur over a private network. This makes information sent over MPLS connections safer and more secure than information sent over VPN connections.

Overall both VPN and MPLS connections provide an excellent solution for businesses that need to handle connectivity between multiple locations. If you’re interested in one of these solutions it’s a good idea to speak with a service provider or intermediary to determine which solution is best for you. 

What Good Customer Service REALLY Looks Like

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“Customer service” is one of those popular phrases that gets thrown around by most companies and organizations out there. Businesses want to make it seem like they take the utmost care of their customers and that they will bend over backwards for all of their clients. But do most companies really know what customer service is all about?

Most companies seem to think customer service refers to nothing more than doing the bare minimum to close the deal and make sure they get paid, and that’s IT. They put together some good sales materials, they will provide seemingly “expert” advice that sounds like it will meet your needs, they produce the paperwork, and then they disappear. Does that sound like great customer service to you?

We believe customer service means something else altogether. We believe customer service means performing a thorough, guided evaluation to make sure we fully understand our clients and their needs. We believe customer service means being present through every step of the process to make sure our clients feel confident and secure about the choices they’re making. We believe customer service means taking care of all the details so our clients can relax, secure in the knowledge they’re telecom needs are being taken care of. And we believe customer service means sticking around, taking care of any and all problems that crop up, and making sure our clients are kept up to date on any new solutions that might better serve them.

Which definition of “customer service” sounds better to you?

Are VoIP or Hosted VoIP Solutions Right For Your Business?

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VoIP and Hosted VoIP telecom solutions are increasingly popular these days, but what are these solutions really and do they represent an appropriate upgrade for your organization?

Don’t let the confusing acronym fool you into thinking VoIP is anything particularly complicated or far beyond your personal understanding of technology. VoIP technology, which is short for Voice Over Internet Protocol, represents nothing more than using the internet to transmit voices instead of either landlines or satellites. There are a number of benefits to using VoIP, as well as a few less positive aspects of the technology, which are worth considering when deciding whether VoIP is right for your business or not.

First, VoIP and Hosted VoIP solutions are often less expensive than traditional telephony systems. Due to the fact that it uses your internet connection, it’s easy to install, implement, and utilize VoIP solutions. VoIP telephony solutions are also highly portable and allow you to create a communication system that is more remote and disperse than most traditional telephony solutions allow. Finally, VoIP systems tend to be much easier and cheaper to scale up as your organization grows in size.

 VoIP and Hosted VoIP offer an excellent solution for the majority of businesses and their professional applications. 

The Importance of High Bandwidth and Fast Internet Speed

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It’s difficult to overstate the importance of maintaining consistently high-speed internet connections within your organization. This is true whether you’re providing internet connections simply for your employees, or whether a high-speed internet connection is one of the services you offer your clients. In both cases, slow connection speeds and low bandwidth are recipes for disaster.

If you primarily provide bandwidth to your employees then sluggish internet connections will massively reduce their productivity. Think for a moment about the last time you encountered a slow internet connection when you were trying to get a work task done. How much time did that slow connection waste? A few seconds? A few minutes?

Keeping in mind how much of your time was wasted the last time you personally encountered a slow internet connection, multiply that amount by all of your employees and the number of encounters with slow connections they might run into on any given day. Slow internet connection speeds at work almost always amount to a vast sum of wasted time. During that time you will be paying your employees to sit around and do nothing but wait - not exactly a highly productive or efficient way to spend your organization’s resources!

If your organization offers high-speed internet to your clients then unreliable connection speeds will likely create with an even bigger problem for your organization than just lost productivity - you’ll have to contend with lost clients. Think about a coffee shop that hosts laptop workers all day and consider how long they’ll stay in business if the wireless signal they provide is slow and unreliable. Think about a hotel that provides complimentary high-speed internet to its lodgers and consider how long that hotel will stay in business if it can’t handle its client’s bandwidth demands.

High bandwidth, blazing fast internet is a MUST for ALL businesses these days.