Making the Internet Business Class—for Branch and Retail Offices

Business runs on your customers' time. Not being able to execute a $4.50 transaction at a coffee shop can result in thousands of dollars of lost revenue per year—not to mention lost loyalties. The stakes are higher for specialty clothing retailers—and even higher for stock brokers who can lose thousands of dollars on a single transaction.

Where margins are thin, time is money—and customer satisfaction is critical to keeping the competition at bay. That's why infrastructure cost management and infrastructure performance are key components to any successful business plan. For retailers and branch offices, performance-oriented, reliable and secure communications are literally mission critical for their continued existence. And it's where iPass Branch and Retail Office solutions can have a real impact.

A business case for the Internet
Not long ago, choosing how to connect distributed locations was a no-brainer. The applications were light and the requirements were minimal for data transfer. Either price or performance drove your technology decision. You could opt for frame relay (typically only 56Kbps-384Kbps due to price) or if you wanted to save some money and had the patience of a saint, you could choose analog dial-up (56Kbps) or ISDN (128Kbps).

But now, thanks to the evolution of the Internet, virtual private networking and better broadband options, companies are now finding they can build both reliable and affordable networks.

Just a few years ago, companies paid thousands of dollars per month for a 1.5Mbps T1 circuit. This cost is now into the hundreds of dollars in most markets, but this is still several times the cost of newer, alternative technologies such as cable or DSL, which typically offer higher speeds such as 1.5Mbps downstream and 384Kbps upstream. These technologies have also become far more robust over the years.

Carriers have previously been able to charge premiums for private-line services, but enhancements in broadband routers, Internet protocols, VPN and firewall devices and other solutions have enabled lower-cost (and, in most cases, higher-bandwidth) broadband to play a crucial role in business-grade solutions.

Now, with many cable operators deploying speeds upwards of 10Mbps down/1Mbps up and with DSL Internet services not far behind, reliability, performance and newer access prices have tempted many companies to deploy IP VPN networks. But companies must consider many additional factors when moving to Internet-based networks such as network security and configuration, hardware integration and testing, broadband provisioning, service installation, and ongoing management, monitoring and support. Companies must also get assurances that their WAN solutions will keep pace with the ever-changing regulatory and technology landscape.

Manage the WAN and manage expectations
iPass believes that customers can take advantage of the ubiquity of Internet-based broadband to deliver a viable "business-grade" branch or retail service. However, a complete solution must include the following key factors:

• Integrated design: Transmitting sensitive consumer and corporate data over the Internet requires design sophistication and seamless integration with the corporate network topology, communications hardware, security appliance and security software, as well as network performance tuning. The iPass engineering and design practice takes all of these elements into consideration in building out robust networks for our customers.
• Experienced provider management: Any carrier can deliver 100 percent coverage using expensive T1s or frame-relay circuits. An Internet-based design can increase your bandwidth options substantially while reducing the need for expensive T1s. For example, an average 1,000-site network in North America can require more than 50 providers to deliver 100-percent coverage.
  
  Thus, provisioning coverage, negotiating rates, managing carrier performance and billing administration can be a time-consuming process. As the provider landscape changes over time (due to mergers, technology changes, bandwidth improvement, etc.), customers want to remain on the leading edge and plugged into the right partners. iPass' managed network contracts and relationships with partners and providers enables us to remain current with technology changes and manage service levels in this moving-target environment.
• Materials Management: Managing hardware, hardware support contracts and hardware configuration parameters securely and efficiently are common daily tasks in deploying and managing change in any network. Shipping and logistics are often overlooked in managing a network. iPass Managed Network Services has systems, tools and resources in place to manage this complexity.
• Timely deployment and testing: Deployment and service validation are common stumbling blocks for companies trying to bring multiple IP VPNs online. On-site troubleshooting, additional cabling, VPN installation and activation are all integral to this process. You must consider the cost of your IT staff's time and travel expenses. iPass' proven Project Management Deployment Methodology enables a clear path for streamlined deployment, service delivery and clear communication.
• Proactive performance management: SLAs exist for one basic reason—to minimize business risk. In a corporate-built WAN, if service levels are not met by your IT organization, accountability rests on the shoulders of your company. To avoid downtime and ensure security compliance, each IP VPN network must be continuously monitored and issues must be rapidly resolved. The iPass proactive monitoring platform coupled with our Branch and Retail Office SLAs lead the industry for Internet-based IP VPN solutions.
• Transparency to metrics: Understanding the performance of your network is a very important factor in recognizing where to focus your energies. Detailed data mining, service metrics and analytics that are readily available are a crucial element in daily network management. The iPass Portal enables customer self-service and detailed reporting of network information.
• Ongoing compliance and network management: Networks require care and maintenance on a daily and weekly basis. Ongoing technology refreshes, hardware security patches or Internet broadband upgrades are all part of the routine. Retail, healthcare, financial services and other regulated industries add a layer of complexity to service management. In particular, companies handling consumer credit card transactions are required to maintain PCI compliance, which includes over 212 individual security requirements plus annual audit management. iPass has been a PCI-compliant service provider for several years, and we understand the complexities in the retail environment. iPass supports ongoing network monitoring, issue troubleshooting and professional services availability for any required network modifications.

iPass: Adding Value through Management
Internet-based solutions can increase opportunities to deliver reliable, performance-oriented and cost-effective solutions—ultimately increasing the likelihood of success in a tough market. Using a managed service provider such as iPass can provide you with ideal solutions for your business while minimizing your costs and levels of risk.

As the world's largest aggregator of remote and mobile networks, iPass is an expert at managing multi-carrier connectivity solutions and delivering business-class Managed Network Services. We've managed relationships with hundreds of carriers and performed technical integration to deliver DSL, cable, T1, 3G and dial-up. We realize that any migration to Internet-based solutions can be seen as adding management complexity, costs and risks.

Consequently, we have made it our mission to simplify mobile and remote office networking by unifying service management within our software-based platform and providing full life-cycle management to these services.

So the next time you're early for a business appointment and have a few minutes to kill, hopefully your favorite coffee shop is using a reliable iPass solution—you'll be out the door in no time!

To learn more about Managed Network Services (US & Canada service only) visit our website or contact your iPass Account Manager.