Taylored Systems Presents...Conversations with Bill Taylor

The Laser is an Antique

2010-09-13T15:53:00.000-04:00

In the United States typically something is considered an antique after 50 years, if it has been subject to rigorous use. Well this year marks the 50th anniversary for the Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation or LASER to those of us who are normal. It’s funny to think of something that has always seemed so futuristic to be an antique.

Lasers were first conceptually developed in the Bell Laboratory in the late 1950s. In 1958 Bell Labs retained a patent on the MASER (the Lasers older brother). In 1960 the Laser was first constructed at Hughes Research Laboratory. Today lasers are used for everything from telecommunications to surgery to laser light shows. But I imagine when someone says the word laser thoughts go to a laser as a weapon. They have been imbedded in our mind through science fiction as the ultimate projectile. Though laser development has changed significantly over the last 50 years the weapons are still only in their beginning stages of development. Sorry to anyone who thinks they need a laser gun.

Lasers are closely related to our industry of technology and telecom. Without lasers we would not have fiber optic cable. Without fiber optic cable, we would not have networking at high speeds for long distances. If we could not transfer data at the speeds fiber allows us we would not have VoIP. So see it all comes back around. The moral of the story is that even the future becomes old.

If anyone is interested in antique lasers you’re not going to find them in Indianapolis, but Silicon Valley’s Bob Hess has a huge selection. You can see them here: http://holography.ning.com/profile/BobHess

This was Michael Martin’s latest conversation with Bill Taylor

Change

2010-08-25T08:13:00.001-04:00

It’s time to head back to school. As I watch kids climb onto the busses and see college students stock up on back to school supplies, I think about how things change. Not to get all philosophical, but let’s face it, whether the change for students going back to school, in climate from season to season, in technology or business methodology, or any number of things – one fact you can count on is that change is a constant.

There are many quotes on the topic. “The only people who like change are babies with dirty diapers – and note even them all the time.” (As a mother who had three little ones in diapers at the same time I can see the humor in that). I also like the famous, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result”…moral of the story, get with change.

Successful businesses must embrace change to keep moving forward. That’s why it continues to surprise me to engage with companies that are resistant to exploring new options for their business. The bigger surprise is those who have a compelling reason to make a change and aren’t able/willing/ready to take the leap.

When was the last time you evaluated your insurance needs and looked at your policy then shopped around to see how you could get a better rate, more coverage etc.? Most of us don’t do it without a nudge or suggestion from someone who knows the insurance industry and can make recommendations for us. If we did explore options and found significant savings or added value – would we go through the hassle of signing new paperwork and the necessary actions for a new policy? Probably only if we really trusted the person who was helping us and believed that change was best for the long term.

The same holds true for dial tone, internet, and business technology. When was the last time you looked at your phone bill – really looked at your phone bill and started to question the fees and rates? When was the last time that you asked for help to better understand if there was a better option? Are you ready to do that? Or the better question to ask is – what will you do with the information you learn? Are you in the mindset that “things are working just fine – why rock the boat?” or afraid to make changes? I ask this because I continue to see scenarios where there is a clear ROI or long term business benefit for changing service or product but the prospect is not comfortable making a change.

Thinking about change? Here is what I think…price is one thing, but it is important to evaluate total COST of the change. Ask for help:

1. Do you know who to call to facilitate an analysis?

2. Do you know who to trust to implement a solution?

3. Are you in the mindset to make a change or are you thinking, “it’s working and even though I’m paying more we’re afraid to make changes.”

Most importantly – once you’ve done your homework and are ready to make a change, work with a trusted source to ensure you’ve considered total cost, transition time, and ongoing support.

This was one of Amy Hershman's conversations with Bill Taylor.

PURE CENTREX 1985 TO HOSTED IP 2010

2010-08-11T09:20:00.000-04:00

While talking with Bill Taylor the other day, he reminisced about how in 1985 they had a customer who used an AT&T Dimension PBX phone system at their main location and expensive OPX circuits from Indiana Bell for their remote locations. Taylored Systems replaced this with a Pure Centrex Solution with lines run from Indiana Bell to each location with direct dial numbers, three/four digit dialing between locations, and one central live switchboard operator. This saved the customer quite a sum of money on a monthly basis, and removed the need to maintain the PBX phone system and only maintain the telephone instruments. Of course at that time the lines didn’t have voicemail, it was not very flexible to make any changes to your service. You had to have the providing carrier make any changes (which took several days) and if you didn’t like the changes it took several more days to correct them.

The Hosted IP Solutions of today are similar to the old Pure Centrex although today’s solutions are extremely flexible, more convenient, and have a variety of capabilities. You can add data to your plan and you have the availability to make instant changes from your browser, or web-enabled cell phone instead of waiting several days. Also you can have your phone set to follow you wherever you go with a “follow me” call forward to your cell phone.

Technology does not change; rather it advances and molds itself into newer and more useful creations.

Compared to the age of television when you only had three channels, technology has morphed into a five hundred channel mega creation. The same goes for telephony solutions from the simple Pure Centrex Solution to the more advanced Hosted IP of today. Who knows what the future will bring us?

Mary Couch’s Conversation with Bill Taylor

iPhone 4, Droid, Evo, but where is Blackberry????

2010-07-06T11:12:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I am the guy with two cell phones. Granted I do not wear them on my hip, nor do I have “California Gurls” as a ring tone on one and “OMG” on the other. Like our founding fathers I like separation, but mine is of business and personal. Although the way I communicate it seems as though my separation is mostly between one phone with my Taylored Systems supplied taylored.com email, and my phone with my personal gmail.com account and text messages. With all the hype of the new phones hitting the market I have done a lot of research lately. I have always been loyal to Verizon, why I do not know. So my loyalty had always stopped me even caring about the iPhone. However with the release of the Droid phones hitting the Verizon network, I was forced to do some research and make some decisions. I chose the Droid Incredible because I could not wait for the “possible” introduction of the iPhone on the Verizon network. So my two phones are the Blackberry Storm, and the Droid Incredible. Through my research I kept asking myself what is better, and where is Blackberry in all of this???

The first question was to figure out what phone, or phones most peaked my interest. iPhone had its upsides. The video chat looks nice and their app store is the best, and the battery life seemed to be better on this phone than any of the others. My concern was that the only Apple product I use is iTunes, and how will this iPhone sync with my Exchange, or my gmail?

My next step was to move on to the Android platform. I looked at the Incredible and the Nexus One. Well once released the Nexus One would only be available on T-Mobile, so I decided against looking any further into it. I focused my attention to the Incredible. It had everything I needed and wanted. Better camera than the iPhone, it had a flash and 8megapixles. It had full html that supported Java, unlike the iPhone. The display was much crisper than the other phones available. It just seemed like the best phone and I could keep my Verizon service.

I then looked at the Evo from Sprint. It appeared to be the same as the Incredible, but on the Sprint network. The HDMI out was a cool feature, but then I thought I’d have to download any movies from my computer to the phone, so why would I not just use my computer’s HDMI out to connect to my TV? I suppose it would be nice for videos, or photos taken on the phone, but I would want to back those up on my computer anyway so I can still just use the computer’s HDMI out.

The next step was finding the network I wanted to choose. T-Mobile is a joke, Sprint’s “4G” is laughable, AT&T is well AT&T, but Verizon has been the lesser of the evils and so I stayed with the Verizon network. I went with the Incredible, and now within a month of having the phone there is a new one on the verge of release, so there is no WIN-WIN-WIN ever in the world of cell phone choosing.

So now I have my personal phone for apps, gmail, text messages, phone calls etc., but I still did not answer my question of where was Blackberry in all of this trying to woo me with their latest and greatest?

To be honest I have not been overly happy with the Blackberry Storm. It definitely is not the iPhone killer it was billed to be when it was released. I dislike the “Optimized Web Browser” and the fact I can’t obtain HTML emails in the form they are designed like I can on my Incredible. When I did research into items of concern that matter in the business world, i.e. security, reliability, synchronization, I realized that Blackberry is still the trusted work horse it has been for many many years. So what if you cannot get an app that will tell you where the nearest possible speed trap might be, or an app that turns my phone into a Schwartz light saber, the Blackberry might just resort to being what it started as…as a secure email device. This was Bill’s comment to me, why do I need any of the other phones? Other than the full HTML and JAVA I did not have an answer for him. The synchronization between Blackberry with their Enterprise Server, or without, is by far the most reliable and best synchronization between Exchange (the dominate email source in the business world). On the Android you have to buy a $20 app to do what the Blackberry does out of the box. Also recently I ran a battery test of my Storm vs. my Incredible. The Incredible lasted 18 hours before needing a charge. My Storm lasted from Saturday mid-afternoon to Tuesday after work. So fear not Blackberry you are still relevant in this ball of confusion.

This was Michael Martin's latest conversation with Bill Taylor

Business Cyber Security

2010-06-03T11:28:00.001-04:00

You might have seen the recent news article about Marco’s Restaurant and Lounge’s experience with outside hackers tapping credit card machines and stealing card numbers from customers. Customers have had accounts wiped out and there is question around how firewalls and encryption software were breached.

They aren’t alone. It seems as though there are countless stories of laptops stolen with critical and confidential customer information on them, credit card machines being hacked and personal information being compromised.

While speaking with someone who works in company security, I learned that one of the easiest ways hackers are getting beyond firewalls, hacking networks and sharing viruses, is by dropping a thumb drive outside the entrance to a business. Some nice and unsuspecting employee will pick up it up, plug it in his/her computer in an effort to find out who it belongs to and bam…they’ve loaded the contents of the thumb drive onto the network.

I’ve been told that this is 75% successful so it’s a good reminder to educate employees on this type of hacking.

I, along with my colleague Steve McDonald, attended the Indiana Cyber Security Conference this year. One speaker, Dr. Eugene Spafford - Purdue University Professor and CERIAS (Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security) Executive Director, shared that next year marks the 25th anniversary of the first general computer virus that gained traction. Then, 120 viruses in 1990 and today - a whopping 40-50 THOUSAND viruses are reported daily (hundreds per minute), and the situation is getting worse. We try to stop damage once the virus is identified but we need to find ways to act proactively.

Several of the conference speakers talked about the importance of processes and policies to support a business cyber security strategy but everything came back to a common point – people are the most important part of the strategy. It is people that mess things up typically, not the process or the technology.

As an employer, it is important to remember that the most important piece of your security strategy is your people. Pre screening, compliance monitoring and performance reviews, training, and ongoing education will help keep your team alert to potential cyber security threats.

This was Amy Hershman's last conversation with Bill Taylor.

National Broadband. Can we afford it? Can we afford not to?

2010-05-12T09:44:00.000-04:00

Talking with Bill the other day, I was reminded of my old rotary dial phone, and the hand-cranked phone that my Uncle had at his farm before the more modern touch-tone phone appeared which has since been replaced by cell phones and VoIP phones. Those were in the days when the big carrier services promoted universal service with a phone in every home. Now those same service providers are promoting Broadband for every home so you could switch from your landline phone to a cell phone or a VoIP phone through your computer.

We have seen access change from old fashion dial-up which merely streamed minute amounts of bandwidth, and would sometimes be busy because too many people were trying to use it at the same time. With Broadband you are continually connected, and can network your computer, phone, television, music system, or other compatible items together. Bandwidth would depend on your carrier service connection through cooper, fiber or coax cable from 20 Mbps to 100Mbps. Are only problem is that not everyone has access to these services, or can afford this technology.

In a recent newsletter article Bill and I read that the FCC was trying to develop a National Broadband Plan to ensure that all Americans have access to broadband capabilities. This plan was recently delivered to Congress with an ambitious broadband vision for the county to connect 100 million households to broadband service of 100 Mbps (at least 20 times faster than most current home connections) by 2020.

An ambitious and visionary plan but how realistic is it and with a price tag of $350 billion is it worth doing?

If we want our future generations to have more capability of working from home, their children to have access to the internet for homework assignments and classroom lessons via video conferencing for higher learning, or merely to have the advantage of networking our phone, computer, and other systems all together, then perhaps this broadband service of 100 Mbps seems like a great idea. Broadband is probably the technology that will take us further into the future, so that one day we may stand in a room and have a video chat with someone while on the split screen we watch a movie and at the desk our children search the internet for their homework lessons. This is a far cry from when we only had hand-crank or rotary dial phones and no computers.

Mary Couch’s latest conversation with Bill Taylor

We really are only a few seconds away from anywhere in the world!

2010-04-19T09:19:00.002-04:00

“Check out this sweet early ‘70s van I’ll be buying next week in New Zealand,” my friend Jordan told me while in Chile. You see, my friend Jordan is traveling around the world. Seeing a window of opportunity to accomplish one of his many life goals Jordan decided to leave his job at Google in London, where he had been transferred six months prior from New York. He and his girlfriend had decided to book an Around the World ticket taking them from Florida to China by route of Latin and South America, over to New Zealand and Australia, up through Southeast Asia into China then?????? Who knows? With the Around the World program you purchase travel destinations, not travel dates, and have one year to travel to these destinations. So when Jordan called me from London to tell me his latest adventure I figured, “well I’ll talk to you in a year. You have my info get a hold of me when you’re at a stopping point.” However I believe I have corresponded and been updated with Jordan more since he has traveled through Latin and South America as I have when he was living in New York and London combined.

Ironically enough it is Google that has been primarily keeping us in contact. Through Gmail and Google’s chat feature we can talk and share files no matter where he is as long as he has an internet connection or cell coverage. In the instance of the van, Jordan sent me the link to the ad where he found the van in New Zealand. I was updated the next day when he was robbed by the police, chatted with him while hiking in Patagonia, and received pictures from the top of Machu Picchu. I can also send him updates from what is going on here; music, pictures, stories, etc. I believe that helps with any of the home sickness that might be felt. But we all know how this works, the internet connects everyone to everyone no matter where in the world, it might be the only thing constant around the world. But my inquisitive mind had some other questions for Jordan and those questions also sparked interest for my own research.

I noticed that I was talking with Jordan not just in large cities like Buenos Ares, but also in small towns throughout his trip. When I asked if his hostels all had computers he was using he said yes, but most of these areas, even the small towns, have internet cafes. Internet cafes are nothing new, but in the last five to ten years bandwidth costs, even in rural areas have decreased so dramatically it allows for areas to establish connection to the Interweb for the citizens. When I asked Jordan if it was only tourists and business people in these cafes, he responded “I wish.” Apparently bandwidth is inexpensive however cost of the computer to access the world is still an issue in most of the areas he has been. So the cafes are filled with locals downloading music, movies, watching viral videos, etc. Jordan has said it can be a bit distracting when he is trying to write his blog and update everyone and the 13 yr old kid next to him is loudly singing Miley Cyrus (can’t escape it anywhere). While none of this is breaking news of what is available I found it interesting that someone can backpack around the world and not have a day go by where he is not updated from home and is not updating people at home of what is going on. We really are only a few seconds away from anywhere in the world.

If you would like to catch up on Jordan's travels and follow the rest of the trip visit his blog....
http://ilivevicariouslythrume.blogspot.com/

This was Michael Martin's latest conversation with Bill

DEDICATED PC for Online Banking

2010-04-01T15:50:00.000-04:00

Bill and I often pass newsletters and articles back and forth. We recently shared one with our Vice President of Finance, Amy Hart Ramey. It was about the alerts issued by the FBI and the American Banking Association suggesting that businesses use a dedicated PC for any online banking.

There are several articles and blogs on the topic. We discussed the “areas of exposure”. Most businesses are concerned about viruses, so they have protection. The bigger percent of exposure is linked to how secure your business surf controls are. If an employee is surfing the internet they may inadvertently download a worm or virus or may open the door for hackers to install keystroke loggers that your anti-virus may not pick up.

As a business owner, it is important to understand your bank’s position on the topic. Many banks will not accept any liability for fraudulent transfers if they determine that you were negligent in your online banking security measures including but not limited to a well-configured firewall and current anti-virus programs, or dedicated PC.

The core requirements to keep in mind are:

1. The PC should be dedicated and should only be used to link to the banking website

2. The PC should have no email access

We had a situation in our office where an employee visited a church website not knowing that it had a virus and it was showing up as a “malicious site” because of the virus. Thankfully we had our current anti-virus software running. And, we’ve instated a dedicated PC for online banking.

This was Amy Hershman’s last conversation with Bill Taylor and Amy Hart Ramey.

IS YOUR TELECOMMUICATION BILL A TWIN?

2010-03-05T15:47:00.000-05:00

Just last week Bill and I were discussing the Mobile Twinning on his phone. This Mobile Twinning feature allows the twinning of an external device to his IP Office extension. When a caller phones his line, both his extension and the twinned device (such as a cellular phone or home phone) will ring, allowing him to take the call from either device. This double or twin feature is a very handy piece of technology.

However this is not a feature you would want in your telecommunications bill. Say you have voice, data, long distance, internet, cable and cell phone usage at your business. Are you paying twice for any of these features? Is your cell phone usage costing you long distance charges as well as your voice and data? How do you know?
Suppose your IT department wants to know what they are paying on a bill, will they know if they are paying for similar services in more than one place. Does your accounting department know if they are paying for the same service from two companies? These are questions that as a business you should ask about your telecommunication bills in order to not duplicate payments.

Now is a good time to call us at (317) 776-4000 and have a Taylored Systems representative come out to your business and analyze your bills. They could discover that you are paying double for the same service. Any of our knowledgeable representatives can assist you with condensing, combining or bundling your telecommunications costs.

Twinning as a phone feature may be the newest technology, but twinning on your telecommunications bill is not something your company needs to afford. Call Taylored Systems today and let us assist you to find out if there is a twin in your bill.

This is Mary Couch’s latest conversation with Bill Taylor.

Utilizing A Wireless Cell Network for Back-up

2010-02-18T08:59:00.000-05:00

Think back to the day when you went to your local store to purchase the latest “single” or “album” of music. Then came the internet and you could listen, purchase, and share the music you wanted through a few licks of a mouse. The internet opened up the ability to share files which had a profound impact on the music industry and the way people go about purchasing music…the shift could have been devastating to the music industry but wasn’t because they responded by reinventing themselves to integrate.

Our industry is in a similar situation. Some predict that cell phones are taking over the business phone world and will make desk phones obsolete. We continue to identify applications where the cell and business phones overlap and can provide additional benefits to businesses. Business telephone manufacturers and internet service providers have jumped into this game full force and are continually introducing new ways to incorporate cell phones and cell networks into new business applications.

The other day Bill related an interesting story to me. Recently, we were contacted by a prospective customer who was moving. They had ordered their business internet service through a cable company and at the last minute, learned that the cable company would not be able to provide the service that had been agreed to. They called us to help.

We started by checking to see if we could help this prospective customer by providing DSL, but they were too far from the circuit.

After a “Taylored Systems mini brainstorming session” we determined that we could utilize an Adtran router (that we had in stock) and insert a card from Sprint or Verizon to allow the prospective customer to have internet access to multiple devices through this one connection. Voila…it worked.

We don’t recommend this as a permanent solution, but it is an outstanding temporary option until the permanent circuit can get installed. And, the customer is able to keep working without worrying about lost productivity.

We have since tested this option in areas that we didn’t think had great cell connections – and it worked; even in environments without strong cell strength. And so, as you are looking at have redundancy and back up plans in to support your business applications, don’t underestimate the power of the cell phone network.

Call us, we can help.

This was Amy Hershman’s last conversation with Bill Taylor.

Who do I call for that?

2010-02-03T16:53:00.001-05:00

So you have just switched to a bundle for your iPhone, Uverse, landline, and broadband. Why? Was it the one bill you receive that takes care of everything? YES! Was it knowing that you’ll have one company to call if something goes wrong? YES! Was it that you saved hundreds of dollars a month by lumping them all together? YES!

So why do you have this freedom at home with your personal technology needs, but from a business prospective, your accounts payable department and IT department is constantly asking:

• Who do I call to get my phone fixed?

 Taylored Systems!

• I have a problem with a line do I call Taylored Systems because they service my phone system? What about my video surveillance and door access needs? What about voice and data cabling? What about my routers and switches and servers? What about my data back ups and disaster recovery plan?

 Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! And YES!

• Why am I writing 4 checks to 4 different companies for things that are all reliant upon one another?

 Because you have not called a Taylored Systems representative to analyze your spending and condense your costs.

• I have some changes I’d like to make that will help us, but my director is telling me to watch my spending, how do I do this without it costing extra?

 Because you’re currently on the old pay-as-you-go time and material plan rather than a simple “budget friendly helping” “Service”

• Something is wrong and fingers are being pointed. I only have two hands how do I strangle all 6 of my vendors? Have one trusted advisor who will take care of everything. That way if something goes wrong you only have one person to strangle who cannot point fingers.

The good news: Our industry is making changes to become more efficient and less confusing to our end users. The previous questions have spurred new technologies. It is now simpler and more efficient to do business whether you’re a small business or a multi site, multi national corporate giant.

Have you considered Communications as a Service (CaaS), managed services, cloud computing, dynamic IP dial tone and internet, and virtualization since they are a few of the main changes and new developments our industry has undergone? Technology is making it easier for a company to have a single trusted advisor to assist with many different areas of their business applications. We all know there are many technology companies here in Indianapolis vying for your business, but do you want one of those for every piece of your technology?

No, that’s why you personally no longer have a cell phone bill, cable bill, landline bill, and internet bill. It all comes nicely on one bill every month.

This was Michael Martin's latest conversation with Bill Taylor.

Redefining Normal

2010-01-04T11:16:00.001-05:00

I was talking with Bill at Taylored Systems the other day about everything that has happened this year, and he remarked it looks like we need to redefine normal. This last year has bought about many changes from the challenges that everyone has faced with the economy. The normal of 2007 and 2008 is not what we have seen in 2009, and though things have progressed this was definitely a year to remember. It would be great if on January first we could just flip a switch and voila everything was fixed, but life doesn’t work that way. Instead we need to search for the new normal.

Taylored Systems has moved from being just a telecommunication company to being a business technology company. In this time of challenges Taylored Systems has expanded its line of products from telephone systems and carrier services (dial-tone and internet) by adding:

• BDR (Backup Disaster Recovery)
• Business Continuity Planning
• IP Video surveillance
• Emergency response/nurse call systems
• More complex IT solutions
• IP Door access systems
• Zultys IP phone system

Since 1982 Taylored Systems has seen many changes in the business technology industry. We are now in the midst of another large change in our industry to a new normal. Normal is now IP based. For dial-tone we have seen it transition from analog (POTs) to digital (PRI) to SIP. We have seen phone systems shift from mechanical key to electronic key to TDM. We are now watching the industry move into a SIP based system. The normal is changing, and we are changing. Our sales team has been forced to understand IP and more complex networking and data applications, rather than simply phones. Because troubles can come from a number of diverse sources, our technical staff has to be trained in a variety of different arenas to provide the service and support our customers have come to expect over the years. The benefit is that everything is on the same network so it may be different causes, but they are all managed from one central source.

By diversifying what we do, Taylored Systems has found a new normal for a non-normal time, and will continue to seek ways to overcome whatever comes at us in the future.

Taylored Systems celebrates the fact it was a challenge, but we have persevered and are looking forward to the New Year and searching for the new normal. Everything progresses slowly during a recession, but those who can redefine normal are the ones who will survive and move forward no matter what challenge is placed in their path.

This was Mary Couch's latest conversation with Bill Taylor.

What is an IP Address?

2009-12-09T16:22:00.000-05:00

Everyone’s talking IP (Internet Protocol) so I tossed it out as a topic to consider, “ Why not have a discussion about IP Addresses, how business continues to change, and how everything requires an IP Address?”

Great idea, Amy. Put a few sentences together and it will all make sense to the general public, right? It really isn’t that simple.

What is an IP Address? An IP Address is a number used to identify all information technology hardware (printers, routers, etc) allowing that hardware to communicate with other hardware on a computer network.

Think of it as houses on a street. Who are the people in your neighborhood? Each house has a separate address and the correct mailing address is required in order for that house to accept mail. In the IP world, the “houses” are the hardware and the “neighborhood” is the network. IP Addresses are either Public (outside of your network) or Private (inside your network).

Now that we’ve established the neighborhood, let’s talk about Dynamic IP Addresses versus Static IP Addresses. A Static IP Address never changes. (This makes sense and works with my house and neighborhood example.)

A Dynamic IP Address, however, could change at any time. This address is merely assigned from a pool of IP addresses allocated by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) or DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Server. Think of it like we think of zip codes. One of our employees, Steve Dietterle said he remembered getting mail addressed to Steve Dietterle, Herscher Illinois. His postmaster acted as a DNS server to route the mail to him.

Look for future posts where we talk about classes, versions, and the other components that may be linked to your IP Addresses.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

This was Amy Hershman’s last conversation with Bill Taylor and Steve Dietterle.

Keys and Tapes? What is this 1995? Part 2

2009-11-27T10:43:00.016-05:00

As promised here is Part 2 of our discussion on video surveillance and door access. Last post we discussed door access and Taylored Systems’ partnership with Amano. Today we will discuss Axis Communications and their video surveillance products.

Axis is a Swedish-based company, operating worldwide with offices in more than 20 countries. They are the global market leader in network video, driving the ongoing shift from analog to digital video surveillance. Like I said before it’s an exciting time in the world of video surveillance. The shift into IP and digital video has opened up many new doors and has made video surveillance an affordable protection for any and all companies. With the video now being digital it allows for a more reliable method of storage using a DVR and hard disks rather than tapes and VCRs.

The technology has moved away from being just for security and is being used for a multitude of other applications. We have had clients use video recordings to develop “how to” and “how not to” videos for new employee trainings. Other clients record their sales meetings for ongoing training to better their sales staff. We have had clients use the video to settle workman’s comp. claims. Video is being used to settle disputes or incidents that happen in an area a manager cannot see. We have a client who will record all cars entering and exiting their car wash to help with liability claims from damages. The technology has been widely popular in the retail and bar/restaurant industry. Not only for loss prevention by customers but also as loss prevention from employees. Having a camera focusing on the point of sale has helped many businesses weed out untrustworthy employees. There is integration where the point of sale system superimposes all register transaction data onto corresponding video, allowing management to verify cashier activity. Also providing on-screen alarms of suspicious transactions. Integration, like with door access, is one huge benefit to moving from an analog video system to an IP system. The more technologies you have on the network the more you can use them in conjunction with one another.

As with all IP technologies, IP video surveillance allows for remote management, reporting, and maintenance. It brings the on going costs to an affordable level and allows all business the opportunity use the technology to their benefit. As with anything there are concerns. Bandwidth requirements are a major concern with transferring video. Video requires a significant amount of bandwidth and the better quality of images and refresh rates you want, the more bandwidth you will need. If you have questions just ask…

This was Michael Martin's last conversation with Bill Taylor and Dean Reskevich

Keys and Tapes? What is this, 1995? Pt1

2009-11-02T10:54:00.011-05:00

A few months ago Taylored Systems partnered with Amano Security Systems and Axis Communications to provide our customers more options for the growing need of door access and video surveillance products. We also determined after a request for more info on door access technology from our previous post that we should address this topic in a little more detail and add in the video surveillance aspect.

In the last five years, here in Indianapolis, we noticed virtually every new construction project has required either door access, or video surveillance, or both. The interest for these two technologies has increased due to various reasons; mostly technology convergence and upgrades. Our explanation will be done in a two part posting with today’s touching on door access and a video surveillance follow up in a few days.

Door access utilizes IP technology to allow more flexibility controlling enterprise locations. Before these devices were IP capable, if someone had multiple locations all of the changes would need to be done on each site. Today networking the systems together can result in one administrator for any and all locations, no matter their location. As we discussed before it is also reducing the cost of installation by limiting the necessary wiring and cabling, and because these devices are residing on a company’s network it allows for integration with other components and easier use. This provides more in-depth functionality including:

· Triggering cameras to focus on a particular event

· Associate an event with an image database to determine if the fob/card holder is the correct user

· Ability to provide temporary fobs/cards that only allow access to certain doors at certain times (i.e. schools that have different groups that meet after-hours, UPS or other deliveries, cleaning services, etc)

· Deactivated or “flagged” cards/fobs triggering events to show the person by camera or notify necessary individuals

· If a door is held open the access system can trigger an alarm notification

· Integration with HV/AC and machine controls to keep all notifications coming from one location

· Notification by virtually any form of communication including text message, email, Tweet, SMS, phone call, etc.

· Storage of information on the hardware level- SMS modems inside the units allow for redundancy. If the network fails the notifications can still go out

Taylored Systems saw adding Amano to our product line as a better way to provide our customers an all inclusive solution ranging virtually all aspects of technology for a business large or small. Our customer’s demands and suggestions are always leading us into another realm of technology…so keep the suggestions coming and thank you!

This was Michael Martin's latest conversation with Bill Taylor and Dean Reskevich. Please stay tuned for Pt 2.

Made in America?

2009-10-05T11:50:00.009-04:00

The other day I was watching part of Rocky IV on TV and seeing Apollo Creed’s entrance into the ring for his fatal exhibition bout with the visiting Russian champ, Ivan Drago, sent a huge patriotic surge into my mind. I guess it’s something about James Brown’s rendition of “Living in America” and Apollo’s famous stars and stripes trunks with his Uncle Sam hat that got me thinking.

(see what I mean)

We all know the terrible state of the American and world economy. We know the horrible state the American automotive industry is in, and that more and more jobs are lost by outsourcing to other areas of the world, but let’s look at what can be done to help. In an industry of technology and electronics how can Taylored Systems provide an American made solution to do our part to keep this country moving forward? I thought there is no way that is possible. I was completely wrong.

When I did some research, I found virtually every product we carry has an option that is American made, if not every option. One of the phone systems we carry is assembled in California. Another phone system and our data equipment are assembled in Alabama. Both of the overhead paging products we provide are American made. The voice and data structured cabling we provide is made here in America. The cable management is made in the Chicago area. The door access products we use are made in our neighboring state, Ohio.

Okay, okay, I know where you are going with your argument. Yes the circuit boards and the majority of the pieces that make these electronics work are not American made. There is no disputing of that. However with these products being assembled in the United States they are American made. Also, and more importantly they are providing Americans with jobs to put these electronics together. These jobs are forming the equipment necessary to power other businesses. Those businesses are hiring other American workers to accomplish their goals as a business. Those businesses are providing goods and services for the American people and people of the world. It is a process that is never ending. We don’t need this to be an economics class, we all know how this works.

Everything and everyone is connected. The more we help one another, the more we help ourselves. Figure out what you can do to help. Here at Taylored Systems, we will continue to do our part.

Remote IP is the Answer

2009-09-22T09:00:00.004-04:00

Following Michael’s previous blog regarding IP Technology, Bill was discussing how back in the days before remote IP was available if his employees got sick, a spouse or child got sick, an employee took maternity leave, or had surgery, he was short handed at Taylored Systems due to their absence. Today using this same scenario he has the availability of Remote IP in the home to connect his employees so that they can work while recuperating from surgery, staying home with sick kids, are on maternity leave, or recovering from H1N1 and not infecting his other employees or customers.

Remote IP has advanced to the point where if the employee has no IP or Softphone in their home, one can be sent UPS to them, and as long as the individual’s home network is broadband the preprogrammed IP phone can just be hooked up. With certain phone systems like the Zultys which Taylored Systems uses, employees can bind to their home phone or the MXIE built-in Softphone, and when customer calls come into the workplace they are transferred to the employee at home as a seamless call.

Employees using this new IP Technology are now able to work from home when off due to illness, recuperating from surgery, maternity leave, or the sickness of a spouse or child. Through the use of VPN (Virtual Private Network) employees can also access the network files on the company’s server, or by using a Remote Desktop from their home computer they can connect to their work computer and it would be the same as if they were at Taylored Systems.

Remote IP Technology is the answer for any business that needs to be kept running during a pandemic where people need to stay home so they don’t infect or get infected by others, or merely when someone is recovering from surgery but is still capable of doing work from home. We no longer need to feel that work can’t get done due to a depleted workforce from pandemics, surgery, or other illnesses. Thanks to VPN or Remote Desktop employees have the capability to work from their home computers, and IP Phones will continue to connect them to their workplace as if they actually were at the office. With this technology available to everyone, no business should be under the weather due to their workforce being depleted by pandemics, or any other illness.

Due to the commotion with H1N1 and the anticipated problem it may cause this winter, perhaps now would be a good time to determine if your phone system is capable of IP Technology, or what it would take to make your system capable.

Mary Couch’s conversation with Bill Taylor

IP technology- Saves money and makes life easier so why aren’t we all using it????

2009-09-11T10:28:00.006-04:00

The other day I was reading a side article by Cliff Kuang in the September issue of WIRED magazine titled: When will international phone calls be free? The article caught my attention and spawned some thinking. I posed this question to Bill to gain his thoughts too. The article explained that with the surge in cell phones and voice-over-IP technology in the recent past, it’s not as far off as one might believe. Eventually, long distance will be wrapped into your 4G data plan and treated as though you are sending the calls from an IP source to another IP source (think Skype to Skype currently). So I started to think about how we currently use IP technology, what it has done, and what it can do.

Currently we use IP technology in our personal lives as well as in business. When you pick up the Hofner styled “Rock Band” bass guitar to play the McCartney parts for the new Beatles edition and sign on to join a “Rock Band” John Lennon anywhere in the world, IP technology is being used. When you watch TV on your computer using Hulu or even on your flat panel through AT&T Uverse, you are using IP to receive that signal. When you download a book from Amazon to your Kindle, you are using IP technology. When you check your Gmail from any computer in the world, you are using IP and cloud computing (we will talk about that technology on a later date).

IP technology can offer tremendous effeciencies and help in day to day business; increasing productivity and decreasing costs by:

Using one centralized voicemail and/or phone system or linking multiple smaller systems together

Enterprise wide voicemail messages
Much easier Unified messaging,
Enterprise-wide presence management
Enterprise-wide call transfer
Enterprise-wide 3 or 4 digit dialing

Remote or Home offices

Before IP when a company had worker working from their home it required; phone service, fax machine, and a computer. There was a delay from the time the employee received the bills and they were paid to when the accounting department would then reimburse the employee and also the amount of work on the accounting department to keep track of everything.
Now with IP a company can provide a laptop with a softphone or a laptop with a physical IP phone. They can work in an internet reimbursement program into the salary and it helps ease the pain and lighten the work for all parties involved.

IP technology can also be used in the office to reduce traveling expenses and costs of dial tone and internet:

Video conferencing
Web conferencing
Dynamic Internet and Dial tone- this is sending your voice and data over one circuit to reduce line costs and share unused idle bandwidth.

Although IP technology provides benefits to us in our personal life and business life, there are concerns. There are quality issues with companies offering free Long Distance if these products because are going out over the public internet and not a carrier network. IP based calling that does not have Quality of Service (QOS allows for the correct voice packets to be delivered in the order they should be and have priority over the data packets) may result in dropped calls, jitter, and poor call quality. When looking at your business does it make sense to risk talking with your multi-million dollar European account over these types of services to save a few bucks on long distance? I doubt it. But can you talk to your friends and family from overseas using these services at home, why not? Do you still need to have face to face meetings rather than video or web conferencing, if it’s an important enough meeting? ABSOULTELY! However there are major benefits. So the question is “How can technology improve my business or my personal life? How can I use it in my environment?” Chances are there is a technology that can help in whatever you are trying to accomplish.

This was Michael Martin's latest conversation with Bill Taylor

Technology and Workplace Wellness – Easing the Strain

2009-08-27T15:44:00.002-04:00

Have you ever considered how technology can help improve office wellness?

We recently invited a company into our office to complete an ergonomic assessment. Initially, we braced ourselves for a hefty price tag of adjustments and a laundry list of purchases to help ease the discomfort some employees were experiencing. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that we had minimal adjustments to make and were reminded of how important it is to use technology to aid us in our workplace wellness.

One change for us was making sure that employees who are on the phone a lot use wireless telephone headsets. I’m not talking about the headsets you might be thinking of…the big, clunky, over the head ones with cords that tangled and limited your mobility. There was a day here at Taylored Systems when, prior to selling a telephone headset we’d ask , “Do you want an over the ear or over the head piece,” or “ Would you prefer a one-ear or two-ear piece headset”? And don’t even think about those headsets being wireless…these had a limited radius of mobility!

Today, thanks to blue tooth technology and the types of ear pieces prevalent with iPods and cell phones, most people have come to expect and enjoy the small size and excellent quality that is also available with business phone compatible head and ear pieces.

You may recall a scene from the movie Black Sheep where Chris Farley’s character is making campaign calls and he straps the phone receiver to his head using a sweatband in order to have his hands free to work. Now it’s easier – no sweat band (or sweat) required. In fact, we’ve seen business telephones adapt by providing “blue tooth integration”. This technology allows you to “pair” a standard Bluetooth headset with your office phone, so you can seamlessly answer, originate, and terminate phone calls directly from the headset. It provides the standard headset features with the mobility of Bluetooth.

We recently worked with a customer who decided to swap out their cordless telephones for cordless headsets because they wanted the mobility and convenience of a headset with the quality of a business telephone system. It means increased productivity for employers and convenience for employees.

So what does this all mean for us and our ergonomic study? We purchased a few foot rests, adjusted a few monitors, and encouraged everyone to utilize a headset…and things are working great.

This was Amy Hershman’s last conversation with Bill Taylor and Steve McDonald.

THANK GOODNESS FOR DISASTER RECOVERY PLANS

2009-08-06T10:47:00.002-04:00

While talking to Bill at Taylored Systems the other day, he commented “Thank Goodness for Disaster Recovery Plans.” I asked him why, and Bill replied that on Friday, July 24th at 3:30PM when he was out of the office, someone cut the AT&T fiber outside the building knocking out the Taylored Systems phone lines. Of course, with our Disaster Recovery Plan, it didn’t matter if he was at the office or not because he has a strong team that knows how to execute the recovery plan. We have multiple ways to reroute all the telephone traffic in this type of situation:

1] reroute our calls to SIP trunks that come in on separate circuits to the building,

2] forward our extensions to cell phones, or other phones outside the office building, or

3] forward our lines to the live answering service we use for after hours and weekends.

So at 3:30PM that Friday we elected to send calls from our customers to the live answering service as the most convenient and efficient solution, since we would have forwarded our lines to them within the next hour and a half as usual. We could still call out using the SIP trunks( which are live all the time), so work went on for the rest of the day. Even our router for the internet according to Mark Sassman, an IT staff member, did its job correctly. It appears that when the main T1 internet connection drops for about one and one-half minutes it fails over to an alternate fiber internet connection on another carrier. This allowed for our SIP phone lines to keep on working even though our main phone lines had been cut, and email continued to flow in over the alternate connection to the server. This was a great example of disaster recovery technology at work compared to years ago when we might not have been able to continue helping our customers.

Bill checked to see that everything was up and working properly in the interim, and returned to the office at 7:00PM that night to let the AT&T repairman in to test the circuit, which came back up at 8:30PM. By Monday everything was back to normal as if it had never occurred. A Disaster Recovery Plan is something that we here at Taylored Systems use, as well as advocate for our customers. Please feel free to comment on this posting with stories of how your plan has saved your organization or how not having a plan has made it difficult to continue.

This was Mary Couch's most recent conversation with Bill Taylor.

MOON LANDING – TECHNOLOGY THEN AND NOW

2009-07-27T10:05:00.001-04:00

It has been 40 years since the historic Moon Landing on July 20, 1969 when 500 million people watched a live broadcast of Apollo 11 to see Neil Armstrong step off the “Eagle” onto the moon’s surface, and say “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The inspiration provided by that goal is credited for laying the groundwork for a host of technologies that society depends on today. Consider the integrated circuit, commonly referred to as a computer chip. The Apollo Guidance Computer used for the Apollo program was the largest single consumer of integrated circuits between 1961 and 1965. NASA did not invent it, but did play a major role in making the integrated computer chip commercially viable in addition to encouraging the push toward the development of the personal computer, and sowing the seeds of the Internet.

The technologies that helped Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins reach the moon spurred the development of such products as wireless headsets, freeze-dried foods, cordless vacuum cleaners and bicycle helmets. They also used a digital technology to map the lunar surface that Estee Lauder later used to study high resolution images of human skin to design cosmetics. Whether you’re looking through a telescope, or looking through a microscope, the technology is the same.

Consider that 40 years ago computers were thought to be little more than “giant room-sized machines that were extremely large and power-hungry.” That image changed when NASA built a worldwide computer network to maintain communications with the astronauts. Microprocessors gained wide acceptance when they were introduced in the 1970s changing the perception of computing, proving that a computer could do something in the real world instead of a data-processing center.

In the 40 years since Bill Taylor and I watched the moon landing, NASA-related technology has come down to earth with hundreds of everyday products developed or modified using aerospace research from baby formula to swimsuits. The first things people think about are Tang, Teflon and Velcro. Actually none of these originated with the space program. Tang was developed in 1957 and John Glenn drank it while in orbit in 1962, upping its visibility and linking it to the space program. Teflon used for some heat shields and spacesuits, and Velcro used to keep equipment from floating around, have a role in the space program but originated well before NASA. However there are plenty of items widely in use with ties to the space program such as Global Communications and GPS systems, baby formula, scratch resistance lens for glasses, athletic fabrics and improved weather forecasting. Robotic tools on the space vehicles lead to artificial limbs, and the scanning system used by the astronauts lead to MRI, CAT SCAN and Ultra Sound machines.

Technology has advanced through the merits of the NASA Space Program from 40 years ago to more wireless applications in communications, laptop computers, GPS systems, digital imaging, and even better swimsuits and fabrics. I wonder what technology advancements we will see in the next 40 years as the NASA program continues and perhaps someday goes even further to travel to distant planets such as Mars.

Mary Couch’s conversation with Bill Taylor

Fiber Optics and 10 Gigabit Technology

2009-07-15T07:31:00.003-04:00

Wired vs. Wireless, Power over Ethernet (PoE), PoE Plus, what’s next? Funny you should ask. As we continue our conversations on connectivity, it only makes sense that the next topic we explore is fiber.

You’ll notice we skipped the “copper” discussion. There was a point in time that copper was commonly used. The drawbacks to copper wiring were the distance limitations and the interference. Consumers wanted a clean, clear signal and found the solution in fiber.

Just for fun, I asked a few people, “What comes to mind when you think of fiber/ fiber optics?” For one person, it was the way fiber optics are used to create the magic at Disney from the glistening lights in the cement to the amazing shows. For another it was the little toy wands that you can get at a circus-like event that has strands of multi colored fiber optic lights. For me, I have the image of the fiber optic snowman that Hallmark has sold over the Holidays that can change colors and add a festive glow to the room.

In actuality, have you ever stopped to think about how fiber optics impacts your day to day activities? Imagine the hundreds of thousands of miles of fiber beneath the ground you are standing on. We use fiber to connect our buildings and communities. It is a framework in our society, weaving together campuses, businesses, and residential areas so all people can share and access the technology.

You may have heard the terms “single mode” and “multi mode” fiber.

Single Mode (more expensive) is typically used for “long haul” scenarios. This is considered the better choice for high precision needs. Electronics needed to support this fiber cost more, however the bandwidth quality is exceptional.

Multi Mode (less expensive) is typically used for communication over shorter distances, often over a campus or within a building. Electronics needed to support this fiber will cost less.
Technology will change. Business will evolve. People will adapt new methods to streamline processes. Files will continue to get larger, the cost of data storage will continue to decrease and we will rely on new technology to stay in the game.

The current “hot topic” now is 10 Gigabit. It warrants your attention. As the need for bandwidth to support video, voice and data networks increases, 10 Gigabit Fiber will provide the pipe large enough to accommodate these growing bandwidth needs. Be on the lookout for more to come on 10 Gigabit information and how it will impact your day to day activities and the very ground you are standing on today.

This was Amy Hershman’s last conversation with Bill Taylor and Dean Reskevich

PoE Plus

2009-06-29T08:17:00.005-04:00

Last installment of the blog we talked about Power over Ethernet technology. We discussed what it is, what is does, and how it works. Today, as promised, we will discuss the future of PoE technology, PoE +. PoE + is an improvement and more developed version of its predecessor, like the Playstation 3, Gen 3 iPhone, and Windows Vis…ehh Windows 7.

PoE currently is capable to deliver up to 12.95 watts to the powered device at a safe nominal 48 volts direct current over Cat5 cabling or higher. The IEEE recognized an opportunity to enhance the capabilities of PoE to deliver necessary power to devices that make sense to run on PoE but need more juice. PoE+ will deliver up to 29.5 watts to the powered device at a safe nominal 53 volts DC over Cat5e or higher rated cabling. But with PoE as with really any cabling you have done for a new install it should be Cat5e or higher.

PoE + will be a huge benefit to energy consumption and costs as well as helping move people into the next realm of technology easier and more efficiently. Here is a list of a few devices that will be able to be powered by PoE+:

Laptop Computers and Thin Clients- Imagine the savings of one cable to the desktop, using your phone as a switch to connect your phone and computer back to the main server room. No more power bricks of any kind. Also using an IP phone and a virtualized desktop or cloud computing for true inter-enterprise ease of mobility.
Security cameras with pan/tilt/zoom capabilities
IP television
Factory Automation
WiMax transceivers providing wireless data over long distances
Biometric sensors- With the ever constant development in security these types of sensors that were once a part only of Sci-fi movies are now becoming common place.

Now don’t rush out and expect to purchase devices that are PoE+ compatible. The technology is still in the development and testing stages however it is not as far off as one would believe. There are many parts of the equation that will have to work together for the release of the technology. The switch manufacturers need to make their devices send the power, the powered devices will need to make their equipment receive the power, and both will need to retro-fit existing equipment to accept the new technology. There has already been one issue that has been solved; sending so much power through the cabling was heating the cables to an unsafe level. Through their studies the IEEE has developed a standard to make sure the correct cables are used and installed properly for the specific devices being powered. As you are ready to move forward with the new technology make sure you are working with a BICSI certified installer and someone who understands the technology and what needs to be done. We would not want your cabling to burn down your business, but in the event it does…be proactive on how to recover. http://taylored.com/business-continuity

This was Michael Martin's latest conversation with Bill Taylor and Dean Reskevich.

PoE / Power over Ethernet

2009-06-15T10:30:00.004-04:00

Do you think Alexander Graham Bell thought his “vocal telegraph” invention would ever be the source of new technologies over the last 100 years? Telephones have spurred numerous trends and inventions from voicemail to mobile devices to text messaging to voice documentation, just to name a few. One technology that came out of the IP version of telephones was Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology.

Traditional TDM or digital phones are connected back to a phone system using copper wiring. This copper wiring is used to send the digital signal from the port card in the TDM telephone system. This signal powers the telephone set and it’s LED lights. When using TCP/IP to send data and voice, as IP phones do, those signals cannot use the same pairs as power. When VoIP telephones, using TCP/IP to communicate, first came out there was a question of how do we power these new devices? One solution was to add a power brick to each phone and plug it into an outlet. This seemed a bit over-kill for power consumption as well as, “just one more thing to buy and worry about.” This is where PoE took shape. To solve the problem manufacturers began sending power over the unused wire pairs in the Ethernet cables.

Today most common PoE set ups are comprised of a PoE switch(es), powered by a centralized power unit. There is then an Ethernet cable running from the switch to the device that will be Powered over Ethernet. This allows for a couple newer developments into the IT and telecom world. We can now run one network for both voice and data using one cable, or run separate networks using one cable depending on your switch’s capability (there is then a patch cord from the phone to the computer connecting both back to the switch). With IP phones working so well over PoE and the culmination of both networks using only one cable it lead to a thought. If we can power these phones this way what else can we power this way and what benefits does it give?

PoE can currently be used for:
· IP telephones
· IP security cameras
· Wireless access points
· Radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers
· Print servers
· Bar code scanners
· Building automation system; including thermostats, smoke detectors, alarm systems, security access, industrial clocks/timekeepers, and badge readers

Benefits of PoE:
· Lower install costs (those magic words again…lower costs)
· Going Green…reduction of costs as well as a reduction of energy consumption
· Space saver…consolidation of wiring saves precious space in ordinarily cramped and full data rooms

As with everything in the telecom and IT industry, PoE is going through an upgrade and change. Soon there will be a new form of PoE that will have increased power allowing us to power even more devices using PoE and open up many more opportunities for PoE benefits. Stay tuned, the next post will be on PoE+, the next generation of PoE.

This was Mike Martin's last conversation with Bill Taylor and Dean Reskevich

Wired vs Wireless Technology

2009-06-01T07:19:00.004-04:00

At Taylored Systems the other morning, I had a discussion on wired vs. wireless technology with Bill and Dean Reskevich, our Vice President of Installations. Bill had thought that five to ten years ago wireless would have become more prevalent than wired, but he was wrong.

Even though wireless is a convenient way of accessing a network, or “the Internet,” allowing you the freedom to work anywhere, sometimes the use of an Ethernet cable makes more sense. With wireless you still have cables at the access points, there is a limited range of signal and speed decreases depending on your distance from the main source. Your signal can also be intercepted (low security), and signals are affected by other signals and radio waves.

However with a wired network the signals can’t be intercepted down the wire (high security), and have immensely high speeds depending on the cable and hardware. You can plug and play without messing around with settings, and most people feel they are in a comfort zone with the use of a wired solution over a wireless.

Dean stated that structured wiring (cabling) has come a long way from the use of locations with (4) cables (quads) to single runs which can support data & voice with VoIP Technology and from the migration from Cat-5 to Cat-5e to Cat-6 all the way to Augmented Cat-6 (Cat-6a) which gives you 10 Gig technology to your desktop. With the VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology, being wired is more cost effective than using wireless and a whole lot safer. Also with the PoE Switches (Power Over Ethernet) life just keeps getting better being wired instead of wireless.

Taylored Systems, a communications technology company based out of Noblesville, Indiana, uses a wired solution along with several wireless access points for laptop capability around the building. However , even though he uses a wireless laptop, Bill sometimes has to plug it in due to reliability issues.

Wireless can be indispensable when you need to locate a networked device in an area where running cable is not practical such as older homes, but a wired solution is still your best bet for more speed, reliability, security and less interference from other sources. Wireless Technology is being used more in Manufacturing and Warehousing as way to keep track of inventory and mobile employees. To me having an Ethernet cable to plug my computer into makes more sense especially if I am somewhere on vacation and the wireless keeps dropping my signal giving me a major headache, and not letting me get connected to my world.

Mary Couch’s conversation with Bill Taylor & Dean Reskevich

SIP here, SIP there, SIP everywhere

2009-05-15T15:58:00.007-04:00

Last post we discussed a general overview of a newer technology that is taking our industry by storm, Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) trunks. Taylored Systems is using SIP trunks and we have found some great applications for the technology. We have also found some applications where it might not be the best fit. Like any newer technology there are some great benefits, but there are some issues that will need to be worked through. This is where your telecom and technology trusted advisor can step in and help sift through the acronyms and technical jargon to breakdown it down to a simple explanation to assist in making an educated decision.

Time for school….

Lesson 1- Advantages to SIP trunks over existing dial tone options

· Pay for what you use

o In a scenario where a company needs or wants Direct Inward Dial numbers (direct number rather than an being transferred to an extension), but does not need all 23 channels of a PRI (pronounced PRY) for dial tone they can use the number of SIP trunks they do need and still have the ability to give everyone a direct dial number in a more cost effective manner.

o There are some applications, depending on your SIP provider, where SIP trunks can be shared over multiple locations no matter where the locations are physically located. Also these trunks can be burstable, for instance if you have 40 SIP trunks for the entire company and someone needs a 41^st trunk to make a call, not a problem. If you go over your allotment the provider will give you the trunk for use at a per-minute rate. Very similar to cell phone minutes.

· Multi-device harware or no added hardware

o When using a traditional TDM phone system with a PRI or Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS lines) the hardware within the phone system to make these types of dial tone lines work can only be used for those lines. When using SIP trunks on a TDM phone system there is still hardware needed, but it will be an IP card. So rather than buying a card that will only be used for your type of dial tone, with an IP card you can run more than just your dial tone. An IP card, normally 16 or 24 ports, can be used for SIP trunks, IP phones, networking, ACD voice assistant ports, and voicemail.

o When using a pure IP phone system with a PRI or POTS lines you will need to add a PRI card or a card for the POTS lines. However when using SIP on a pure IP system there is no need for extra equipment…

SIP is native to the newer pure IP phone systems

A pure IP phone system is communicating within itself using SIP. When you bring in a SIP trunk and connect it to a SIP based system there are no conversions thus limiting the chance of voice quality issues. When you connect a digital signal, such as a PRI, or an analog signal, such as POTS lines to a SIP based system you will have conversions from digital or analog to SIP, possibly causing some quality issues. I enlisted some help around our office when coming up with real world analogies and received two great ones which lead me to mine. I couldn’t pick from the 3 so here they all are…

1. Communicating via SIP to SIP is like taking a direct flight rather than a flight with stops and layovers. When you convert signals on the phone system the voice packets are like your luggage, the more stops and the more times it changes hands the more likely your luggage will not end up in its originally designed destination.

2. With Star Trek buzz in the air with this summer’s release you can imagine the SIP to SIP is like being “beamed up.” Obviously when you’re talking about matter being transported you wouldn’t want any conversions and would want the same quality as you would with voice packets being transported.

3. The prior example made me think of the comedy styling’s of Mel Brooks. There is a scene in Spaceballs when President Skroob is beamed from one room to another and when he reaches the destination his head facing one way and the rest of his body facing the other way….we wouldn’t want that to happen to your voice packets. They don’t have the option to just walk over to the next room like he does.

Reduce Long Distance costs (Yes those magic words “reduce costs”)

When talking SIP to SIP you will eliminate long distance costs for internal communication without needing the phone systems to network or an MPLS or Point to Point connection.

Lesson 2- Issues to be aware of and talked about with your provider

Bandwidth

Do you have enough bandwidth to handle both voice and data traffic?
Does your bandwidth have Quality of Service to the switch, or the ability for it to be added?

Business essentials that do not work well with SIP

Fax Machines, Alarms, 911

We understand all of the acronyms and the technical jargon can be overwhelming. Basically as an end user you should take away that there are options out there. When your dial tone contract comes up for renewal or expiration, what you have might not be the best fit, even if it was 3 years ago. The rate of change in the telecom, business telephones, and dial tone industry is amazing. Make sure your trusted advisor is on top of the new technology and can give you an accurate assessment of needs and what will be the best fit. Here in Indianapolis we have a whole plethora of options and providers, make sure you get what you need in the most cost effective manner.

This was Michael Martin’s latest conversation with Bill Taylor.

Beware of SIP Impersonaters!

2009-04-30T17:23:00.007-04:00

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a buzz word in today’s technology circles. SIP trunks work with your business phone system by utilizing your Ethernet or internet pipe. SIP rides on the same Internet Protocol (IP) that data does and allows both voice and data traffic to share the circuit.

The language can be a little confusing because you can have an IP phone system and not have SIP, yet you can have a TDM phone system and have SIP.

SIP is, however, important to research and consider. SIP trunks can present noteworthy cost-savings for businesses, reducing the need for local Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) gateways, expensive Integrated Services Digital Network Basic Rate Interface (ISDN BRI’s) or Primary Rate Interfaces (PRIs). Sound too good to be true? It could be. You could find yourself in a situation where you think you are buying the latest technology, but if that technology is not up to current standards you may not be able to achieve what you are hoping to.

There are some core questions you should ask if considering the use of SIP trunks:

Is the SIP carrier credible? There are many people selling SIP technology without Quality of Service (QoS) on the circuit. Since SIP rides on the data path, you need the control to keep the voice as priority or voice quality could be impacted. (Imagine if your business telephone calls sounded like you were talking on a cell phone in an area with poor cell reception…)

Can the SIP trunks be connected directly into your phone system or is additional hardware required to convert it? Anytime more hardware is concerned you should be asking about cost and if you are risking voice quality.

Does your business require faxing capabilities? SIP faxing isn’t always reliable and it may mean you need to keep a Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) line for faxing.

What is your business environment like? Do you have multiple sites? For example, if your main office is located in Indianapolis and your secondary offices are located in Fort Wayne, Reno, and /or Biloxi, each location can utilize the same SIP trunks regardless of where the call is placed.

Is your business seasonal? SIP trunks allow you to “burst” or expand during your seasonal times and only pay for what you need during those times instead of paying for costly terms on larger circuits.

What additional risks or considerations are important as you review Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and SIP?

Most SIP providers want you to keep a POTS line as a backup so you have a priority line for 911 calls, so don’t expect to cancel all your lines.

If your internet goes down, you lose both voice and data. However, if you purchase your SIP trunks through a major carrier, they will publish their commitment to your up time and what point they will reimburse you for lost business.

So, what does all of this mean? It is OK to get “jiggy” about new technology, but be cautious to ensure you are asking the right questions and involving trusted resources to ensure you are protecting your business and your investment.

This was Amy Hershman's latest conversation with Bill Taylor.Thank you and kind regards.

Spinning Our Web On the Internet

2009-04-20T09:37:00.004-04:00

Recently Bill decided to take a walk down memory lane via the internet by checking out a link called http://www.archive.org/ and used the “Way Back Machine” to check out his website and see how it has changed through the years. Bill discovered that it was October of 1994 when he began the first Taylored Systems website, and it was a far cry from what technology is capable of at this time. Back then websites were just beginning to become popular on the internet for companies. In the following years Taylored Systems began to make some changes to the website starting in 1998 with the last major change in 2006.

Bill along with his Marketing Team recently decided to make some new changes to the website and depict not only who we are, but what we do in the community. They worked on making it more customer friendly and incorporated the knowledge from the minds of the Taylored Systems employees to provide helpful and pertinent information in a format that was easily understood. The final product was very professional and will be another avenue for customers to communicate with Taylored Systems.

Last week Taylored Systems launched this new and improved website complete with the capability for customers to now submit a service request, or ask for a quote online. In addition to a new “look”, the website has new features and functionality. We are able to make changes, add items, create new pages, and update information instead of having another company do it for us which is very cost effective. We have also increased the amount of information available to our customers – whether through the frequently asked questions and glossary, or just in general knowledge of our products and services. Our Taylored Systems glossary assists with the foreign language of telecommunications. If you know a term you hear often, you can search for it, and the search will identify where that term is used throughout the website. This increases the customer’s knowledge of what they are using, and what it is called which is always helpful on a service call.

Down the road Bill and the Taylored Systems Marketing Team is looking at perhaps incorporating an interactive telephone demonstration, or film clip taking the website to another level. With the constant change in technology, who knows what the future will bring us, or what our website will look like, or be capable of in the coming years.

We would like to thank Foundry Advertising Company for all their help and assistance in the website redevelopment. Foundry is an ad company headquartered here in Indianapolis, specializing in jargon-free advice and guidence in building your brand. Please contact Foundry - foundryadco.com

Mary Couch’s conversation with Bill Taylor.

Keyless to Success

2009-04-06T08:17:00.002-04:00

“Rib eyes, New York Strips, Filets!” exclaimed a man with a Midwestern draw. This man was not a butcher in a butcher shop or a barker in a meat market, but a guy standing in the Taylored Systems sales department hawking meat out of his refrigerated truck. The peddler walked in the front door to sell his goods. Bill looked up from his desk, scratched his head in confusion, and escorted the gentleman to the door, past the “No Soliciting” sign. Bill could respect the salesmen’s drive but was concerned with the security of his building.

Bill had been planning and designing a new Taylored Systems office building. Incidentally, the office move happened the weekend following the attacks on September 11th. With the question of access to our building, coupled with the concern for security that was in all of our minds, we needed to monitor who could gain access to our building.

In 2001, door access technology was simple and easy. A key fob or card waved in front of a reader device sent a signal to the electronic lock giving it authorization to open. A controller in the data room controlled access to the doors and locks. Multiple wires run from this controller to each door allowing the system to work. We receive reports of which key fob or card was swiped, by whom, at what time. Our employees can access their offices any time to work.

Door access technology has changed and now integrates with phone systems. One product we carry has the ability to add door access readers and key fobs or cards with the phone system expense. An employee waves their fob or card in front of the reader to signal the phone system and trigger the reporting feature to mark that user as “In” for a time clock function. It can also mark the employee as “In” for their Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) agent seat or trigger their Do Not Disturb (DND) setting. This works the opposite way at the end of the day to mark them as “Out” for their time clock, ACD, and DND.

Today we use Internet Protocol (IP) for everything technology related. We send voice over the IP (VoIP), use IP to stream images from our security cameras, use IP telephones to work remotely in a seamless fashion.. IP can also control door access, allowing easier management with one centralized computer to monitor and change settings on all locks in either your home or remote locations. IP also allows for easier cabling and door access devices can work in tandem with IP security cameras. When a fob or card is waved, it sends a signal to your camera triggering it to focus on the door.

Wireless capabilities are moving into door access technology. Rather than cabling from the locks back, a wireless access point near the door can use wireless technology to connect to the network and carry the signal as IP to the locking device and the central controller.

Some may think door access is only for the large corporations. There are many benefits that can be used for businesses of all sizes. Do your research and consult a trusted advisor before ruling out or jumping in.

This was Michael Martin’s latest conversation with Bill Taylor.

It's Madness!!

2009-03-19T17:02:00.002-04:00

It’s madness I tell you! Basketball madness, that is. Today, we are down to 64 teams in the NCAA March Madness Tournament. Bill has watched more basketball in the last week than in the last month and we get a little competitive this time of year.

Interestingly enough, we all root for different teams. We have the ultimate “fan of fans” when it comes to Purdue sports, Bonnie Dolick. Whether basketball or football; she’s sure to be there to support her team. When it comes to our Leadership Team, Amy Hart-Ramey is a Butler grad and roots for her Bulldogs. Bill likes to cheer for the Boilermakers…he is so excited to watch them in the NCAA and enjoyed watching them last weekend. Dean Reskevich roots for Indiana while Steve McDonald cheers for Iowa. (Bill gets great joy in reminding them that their two teams are the only Big Ten schools not in the post season.) As for me, I sit back and take it all in.

In the midst of all this basketball madness, the most fun we’ve had in the past week around basketball has been watching the events at the Noblesville Boys and Girls Club where Taylored Systems sponsors a team. This year, our sponsored team is made up of 3rd grade boys. Monday night started the beginning of the playoffs and the Taylored Systems team took on an undefeated team. One of our employees, Nikki Bohannon from our NOC has a son playing on the team. Bill was there to cheer on the team for their 5:45 game and they WON! The win meant they played again at 7:45 and Bill had to stay and see what was happening, it was so fun to watch these kids play ball! And, guess what…Taylored System’s sponsored team won again!

The excitement is growing as this Monday the Taylored Team with Nikki’s son as a player will face off against the opposing team with Amy Hart-Ramey’s son as a player. So much excitement we can hardly stand it.

Want to know what is so cool about this? There are no endorsements or big contract negotiations tied around these games. It is genuine, fun, good spirited competition. These kids are there to learn how to play the game, show good sportsmanship, and have fun. There is one boy on the team who wears braces on his legs. He isn’t the fastest player, but he has the right mindset and his team rallies around him. He recently scored his first 2 points and the crowd erupted to celebrate his relentless pursuit. It was a “goose bump” moment.

Whether the fastest player or not, all kids get the chance to play…and isn’t that what it is all about? It is fun to know that the same level of excitement and enthusiasm that erupts annually around “March Madness” is alive in our communities with the activities and events our kids are participating in. It is pretty neat to be a part of that.

This was Amy Hershman's latest conversation with Bill Taylor.
Thank you and kind regards.

Being Connected Wherever You Go In Indiana Or Around The World!

2009-03-06T09:59:00.005-05:00

There was a time before the advancement of technology when your cell phone was similar to your home phone, mainly for just getting calls. Well, all that changed with the newest phones having the addition of cameras, email, and web browsing on the internet, and even though Bill has owned Taylored Systems, a telecommunication company, and enjoyed the benefits of the newest technology innovations, he still was using a traditional cell phone along with a device to get emails away from the office, and didn’t think he was missing anything while his sales personnel and management team were using the new Blackberry.

Progress arrived, and Bill embraced the new era of the Blackberry. After several weeks he stated it made his life easier. He has one voice mailbox for all his messages, whether you call his direct number, Taylored Systems main office number and are transferred to his voicemail , or you call his cell phone, all go to the same voice mailbox on our Toshiba phone system in the office. Through the unified messaging if you leave a voice mail our Toshiba system automatically sends that voice mail as a .wav file to email which can be retrieved the same as his other e-mails on his Blackberry, and in most cases it shows Bill the phone number so he knows who sent it. He can select it, and hear the voice mail wherever he is either through a headset, or by holding his Blackberry to his ear. This is an improvement over having to call back into the office to retrieve his voice mail, and listen to it. Bill also found that he could send the voice mail traditionally to someone else, or as an email.

As Bill continued to experiment with his new techno toy, he discovered that someone could fax something to him and it comes in as a .tiff file which he can open and read, and then forward on to someone else. Bill says that this Blackberry is now his office wherever he may go during the day or night, and because it is connected to our Toshiba system he has only one voice mailbox. Now when he is at home, at work, or driving the tractor at his farm in North Central Indiana, he can still have full office capabilities in the palm of his hand. While most had already gone the route of the Blackberry, Bill had been staying away from that technology, but now feels it’s the greatest advancement since it connects him through his office phone system. With the wonders of our modern technology, I along with Bill can only guess what new innovations his cell phone will be capable of in the future.

Mary Couch’s Conversation with Bill Taylor

A farmer and a CEO

2009-02-20T15:59:00.003-05:00

“I work for a farmer who also happens to be a CEO. “
That’s what I often say when people ask me about the owner of the company I work for. Sound crazy to you? It makes perfect sense to me. Bill Taylor farms with his dad and brother in North Central Indiana and also owns Taylored Systems, a successful technology communications company.
The way I see it, farmers, by nature, have unbelievable persistence. They stay committed to their objective…I will raise a crop, I will sell it, and I will make sure there a little something left over as a result of my hard work. Successful farmers keep moving forward. They avoid the mindset to “park the tractor” when things look bad, because that would not help them with a successful harvest.
The same is true for us in business. Everywhere you turn, conversation seems to involve a discussion about our current economic state. It is no different in our world, but we are intentionally making a choice that will help our employees, our business, and our economy.
We just held our annual all employee meeting where we reviewed 2008, and it was a good year. (Not a GREAT year, but a good year). And as a result of that year, all employees were able to receive a small bonus for their continued effort, hard work, and commitment to the company. We are in the process of hiring new employees and as a result will need to purchase a new fleet vehicle. Instead of one, we decided to purchase two vehicles, to help replace one of our older ones.
Last week our President signed a new stimulus package and we hoped it would mean good things for the economy. The same day, the market dropped 300 points and commodities tanked. By all historical economic indicators, it may be a little while until we pull out of the “economic situation”, but we have to keep moving forward. We have to remain positive, and we have to keep those tractors moving.
We will do our part to buy goods and services that will help us achieve our goals and refuse to let the nervousness around us stop us from making sound business decisions that will help us in our 3, 5, and 10 year business plan. You have a choice to make too. Are you going to complain about the situation and “park your tractor” or are you going to keep industry alive; keep buying, shopping, hiring, and persistently pursuing your objectives? We hope you’ll join us.
This was Amy Hershman’s latest conversation with Bill Taylor.
Thank you and kind regards.

What Is Your Next Move?

2009-02-10T15:39:00.005-05:00

A disaster rips through your town, power is out, businesses are closed, families are shaken, homes are destroyed, and a sense of worry is all around. This happens all the time all over the United States. Recently the floods in Iowa, tornados in Indiana, hurricanes on the coasts, and fires in California have made people think; if that is happening there it could easily happen here. Worrying about your own family’s safety is one thing, but if you are a business owner or manager you have the families of your employees on your mind as well.

When Bill Taylor took a trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa last summer to visit a partner company, he saw that worry first hand when the company he was visiting had to evacuate their location due to rising waters. He began thinking in his mind. It was the same thought process many business owners face…what would I do if that happened where I operate my business?????????

When Bill asked himself if his current disaster plan was going to ensure the 40 people he employs would be able to continue to work and provide for their families even in the event of a disaster, the answer was not as clear as he would have liked.

At that time Taylored Systems was doing back ups on discs and tapes; and then physically moving these items to off site locations. So he began to think through scenarios to determine if his plans were where they needed to be.

Scenario 1:
The building we operate in is fine, but a server has crashed. How do I fix it? Where do I get parts quickly? How long will I be down?

Scenario 2:
Our building is damaged, computers and servers are operational, but the company needs to move to a secondary location. How long will it take to move all the equipment? What can we leave behind and still be operational?

Scenario 3:
Our building is damaged or demolished; computers and servers are destroyed or not operational. What the @$*% do I do???

Bill then asked himself two questions…what can I add to increase flexibility into my disaster recovery plans? And whatever I find that works, will I be comfortable telling this story and suggesting it to friends, customers, etc????

When looking at those two questions coupled with the 3 scenarios one product was found that answered everything. Back-up Disaster Recovery (BDR), is a device that resides in our computer room that backs up our drives on the servers in 15 minute increments. Each evening it compiles a composite of changes made and sends that back up to two offsite locations, virtually. The BDR does not only make the back-ups and storage of those back-ups easier and more manageable it also allows for recalling that data in a much easier fashion.
For instance, a few days ago our accounting department was working on an important Excel file. Throughout the morning one person had made multiple changes to the spreadsheet. In the afternoon, after the file had been shared through the department it was noticed that there had been a formula error at some point and the spreadsheet was now useless. Bothered with the idea of having to recreate this file and spend days redoing work that had already been done they thought there has to be a different way. With the implementation of our BDR there was another way. Within minutes we were able to go back to the time period of when the file was known to be correct, pinpoint the most recent correct version of file, restore the file allowing the accounting department to continue on their work at hand rather than recreating the important document. This saved us countless hours of extra work, which we all know SAVING TIME means SAVING MONEY.

Back-up Disaster Recovery can also work as a virtual server, and this is how Bill saw the BDR as a way to accomplish all of his scenarios.

Scenario 1:
The building we operate in is fine, but a server has crashed. How do I fix it? Where do I get parts quickly? How long will I be down?

Answer:
BDR becomes the virtual server. It takes the back-ups that it knows and operates just as your server would based on the information it has. While you are working to fix the issue that has caused the server to fail, instead of hours or days of downtime, the BDR takes over and allows you to effectively and in a timely manner operate your business.

This moves us out of break/fix mode to a truly managed service where the customer does not call us to say they have a down server, we will call you to let you know the problem has been monitored and the procedure is in place or has been completed to switch over to the BDR until the issue is resolved.

Scenario 2:
Building is damaged, computers and servers are operational, but the company needs to move to a secondary location. How long will it take to move all the equipment? What can we leave behind and still be operational?

Answer:
Rather than moving your entire IT room to begin functioning in your new location you can move the BDR, put it in virtual mode. Your latest back-up will be your benchmark and as long as there is an internet connection the BDR can continue to backup and send the data to the offsite locations for safe storage. Since it is only backing up changes and not rewriting the whole back up it allows for this to be done on a DSL or a slower form of broadband.

Scenario 3:
Building is damaged or demolished; computers and servers are destroyed or not operational. What the @$*% do I do???

Answer:
You need to spend your time and resources taking care of your other pressing issues. Your data will be safe. Within 24 hours of contacting us, a new BDR with the base image and incremental back-ups from the last back up will be shipped to your new location to be used as a virtual server. When your replacement server is received and ready to be used the BDR allows for a much more time efficient way providing the necessary data to build the server and get your company in full operation.

So what is your plan today?? Have you even thought about it? What will you do in the event of any of these scenarios or disasters that affect others on a daily basis? Do you want to be the one saying “I wish I had done that before this happened,” I do not know why you would.
When faced with the question why put money into something that may or may not be needed, ask yourself these questions as well.

Can I put a price on regret?
What is all my data worth to my business?
How long can I be out of business?
Even though my insurance covers my equipment, how much lost revenue can I deal with while I wait on the insurance company to clear my claim?
How much time am I willing to spend after the claim rebuilding what I had?

Think about the families you are responsible for, do you want to explain to an employee’s child why their parent has not worked and what you could have done to avoid that???????

This is Michael Martin's latest conversation with Bill Taylor.

DISASTER RECOVERY - PART 1 (Insurance Safeguard)

2009-01-23T13:12:00.003-05:00

In the early days of 1982 when we first began Taylored Systems, it was a simple process to have a disaster recovery plan. Back then, you only had to worry about phone lines, and phone systems. If you were a small or medium sized business there was no voice mail or ACD (Automated Call Distribution). Exchange servers and internet came along a few years later. If anything you had a single standalone PC, and not everyone had a computer. In those days sales of fax machines were the going rage, and we spent several years selling them. There was only one phone company, Indiana Bell. If the phone lines went down we would contact someone at their home office to get help as call forwarding was just becoming popular, and if the phone systems went down we had spares in our warehouse to correct any problem.

In those simpler days most people did not expect you to return a call immediately, if you got back to them in the same day they were lucky. Now days when people call they expect either an immediate call back, or an email answer. Technology has come to a point where we live for immediate gratification in everything that we do, and because of this we are concerned about not only our phone lines and phone systems, but our internet connections, fax machines, voice mail, unified messaging, routers, Ethernet switches, exchange servers and regular servers. Should any of these go down or out, we would feel as if we were back in the dark ages using only candles for illumination, and the pony express for message delivery.

Taylored Systems has an existing Disaster Recovery Plan in place to keep us going in case of an emergency. Under our plan we have a T1 that provides our internet and phone line service, and a separate circuit that we share with other companies on a different server as backup, we also have a Toshiba CIX670 in our warehouse to replace the one in use. We do tape backups every night and change them every morning, and each week they are taken off premise for safety. Tapes are now becoming a thing of the past. Now we are transitioning into a BDR-Computer (Backup Disaster Recovery) to securely transfer our data and be within a short reach in the event we need a recovery.

With disasters like Katrina, the floods in Indiana that occurred last summer, and tornados almost every summer, we just need to be aware that anything can happen and we all need an insurance safeguard to keep our business running smoothly. Even though we were not in the midst of a natural disaster we have had to use our redundancy plan due to an outage. We simply logged into a website, and plugged our phones into our back up SIP trunks which kept us in business during the three hours the lines were down. With products like the BDR and a PLAN, it is now just as simple to manage all of our complex technologies as it was to manage the few pieces of equipment we started with in the early days.

Mary Couch’s conversation with Bill Taylor

Should a recession stop progress???

2009-01-09T12:06:00.009-05:00

The answer to that question is NO! Recessions post WWII are measured by the unemployment rate. According to the U.S. Department of Labor the unemployment rate as of November 2008 is 6.7% and rising. Analysts predict that it will reach close to 8% before we see a turn around. Compare the 6.7%-8% to the average of 2007 and 2006, 4.6%; yes we are in a horrible downslide like a child who fell off his sled halfway down the hill. However there should be an opportunity seen in the downslide, an opportunity to examine a current place and find where one can become more efficient. Also we are not as bad off as we have been in the recent past…

In 1980-1985 the United States had a similar unemployment issue. The average of those six years was 8.1%. In the years between 1980 and 1985 we saw the rate rise from 7.1% in 1980 and top out at 9.7% in 1982 before finally beginning a descending swing in 1985 with the rate back to 7.2% and falling. During a recession with an unemployment rate the highest it had been since 1948, when the Department of Labor started measuring recessions based on unemployment, one would not find that as the best time to start a new business. However, in 1982, a young Bill Taylor DID start a new business, his FIRST business. The thought of a recession and unemployment never crossed his mind. He saw an opportunity to accomplish a goal and he went for it, in true American fashion.

The point of comparison is that even in today’s slow economy people should not stop what they are doing and hold steady. We should continue to look for opportunities and take care of our needs. The longer we stay stagnate waiting for things to change, we miss these opportunities, and those who did not tread water move directly past us taking our dream.

There will always be needs. Those needs will force struggling markets to regain their position and move the economy back to where it will continue to grow. Growth is something we have seen, even in the recession. Our structured cabling department has continued to grow. Our nurse call products for the healthcare industry have continued to grow. The necessity and growth for more bandwidth, and the decreasing cost of internet connectivity has coupled into a tremendous opportunity for companies to gain the bandwidth needed to do more efficient applications. Some of those applications we are seeing include online billing, online banking, online records, distance learning, hosted computer services, hosted phone systems, IP based video surveillance, government applications, hospitality industry providing internet to guests. These are a few areas that are continually growing and not standing still waiting. If they aren’t standing still why are you??????

Luckily here in the Midwest we have not seen the downturn as predominately as other areas of the country, so maybe it is easier for us to be optimistic about the future. Our message is to keep looking, find new ways to become efficient, use technology to your benefit, and create opportunities for yourself and others. Like the child who lost his sled we will inevitably try to sled again, lets just hope next time it’s a smaller hill, and we have breaks so we can stop and get back to the top more quickly without falling.

This was Michael Martin's latest conversation with Bill Taylor.

Thanks

Evolution or Revolution???

2009-01-02T11:10:00.006-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

With a new year comes change. Change has sparked everything from debates to thinking to wars. Change has proved to be both good and bad, as well as provide comfort to some and horror for others. Change was made by the Pilgrims in the 1600s, debated by Thomas Jefferson and John Adams in the 1700s, shown by Abraham Lincoln in the 1800s, felt world wide in the 1940s, practiced by Martin Luther King Jr. and sang about by Bob Dylan in the 1960s, initiated by Bill Gates in the 1980s, and accepted by the majority vote in 2008.

2008 was a year unique in its own for change. People have started to see the bottom of the barrel and are worried about how to fill it back up. In a downward plunge into one of the deepest depths our nation has ever been driven there is hope and a promise of better days. All of this has to do with change and learning from mistakes and triumphs of the past. We take this knowledge and use it towards our future in hopes that tomorrow will be a brighter day.

Taylored Systems has embraced this new outlook on the future and has asked ourself, what can we do, how can we do it, and how will we help others through??? We have answers to these questions and that is the purpose of this blog.

"Conversations with Bill Taylor" is one of many changes that are happening at Taylored Systems this New Year. The blog will be designed to help, inform, educate, and show insight. We will be updating this bi monthly and the information will be compiled from conversations with the founder of Taylored Systems, Bill Taylor, and key people that have helped him grow a small phone company into a multi-million dollar technology corporation. The idea is for us to help you and your company move forward through changing times.

Comments and questions are welcome and encouraged....

Good Luck to all and hopefully we will be meeting in the future.

Thanks

Taylored Systems