| I recently attended a trade show aimed at
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| | to hire Remote Access Specialists or
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| owners and operators of convenience
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| | highly trained (and expensive) engineers
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| stores. Dynamic speakers at the show
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| | who have experience with WAN technology.
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| inspired many attendees to ask lots of
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| | A private, managed service provider will
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| thoughtful questions. As I stood in our
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| | help you architect the WAN, provide
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| booth talking to these business owners a
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| | project management for the
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| theme developed: "Should we network our
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| | implementation, and proactively monitor
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| stores? And if so, what is the best
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| | the network 24/7/365 once it is turned
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| solution for our business?"Wide Area
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| | up. This results in a fast, secure
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| Networks (WANs) can often be the
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| | network that will not require
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| technology investment that doubles your
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| | encryption.2. VPN, Unmanaged: This is the
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| revenue. ---okay, maybe not double. But
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| | do-it-yourself network that can be
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| I've got your attention and a WAN is
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| | self-managed until you hit about four or
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| definitely a "bottom line" builder.In
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| | five stores. After that, it becomes
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| fourteen years of network engineering I
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| | unwieldy to manage and remember multiple
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| have orchestrated successful WAN
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| | broadband providers. You will need to
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| implementations streamlining ordering,
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| | have someone (or a team of technicians)
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| eliminating overtime expenses and
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| | who can travel to the stores and install
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| reducing shrink. But does every business
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| | the equipment as well as (regularly)
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| need a WAN? Answering six key questions
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| | maintain the firewall security and
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| ---Who, What, When, Where, Why and How
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| | perform firmware updates.3. VPN, Managed:
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| (including How Much)--- is the start to
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| | In this scenario mission critical data
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| finding out.Who: Get support from all
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| | travels over the public Internet between
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| departments. Anyone who will be affected
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| | the store and the corporate office. A
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| will need to be involved at some level. A
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| | hardware device (or software) at each end
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| WAN is a significant investment, and even
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| | goes through the process of building a
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| if it will be used only for Point-of-Sale
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| | "tunnel" between the stores and the data
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| (POS) traffic the project will go much
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| | center. Then each device encrypts the
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| smoother if there is buy-in from the CEO
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| | data packets on one end, and decrypts
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| on down. A new WAN will touch training,
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| | them on the other. Keeping the VPN Tunnel
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| sales, inventory, purchasing, accounts
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| | up is intensive enough. Add on to that
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| receivable, accounts payable, IT, and
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| | the hard work of encryption and
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| everyone in between. It's better to bring
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| | decryption and you will experience high
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| them in than wish you had.What: Choosing
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| | latency and network outages when the
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| a hardware platform is an important
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| | tunnel drops.The marketplace is rife with
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| decision. The wrong decision now may cost
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| | WAN providers. This has led to phenomenal
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| tens of thousands of dollars two years
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| | competition. Competition leads to
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| from now when you want to roll out VoIP
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| | innovation (another reason to only build
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| and your hardware won't handle it. Open
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| | for a five year period). Some of the
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| your eyes to the BIG picture and prepare
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| | newest players (2000 to present) bring
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| for the future. I recommend to my clients
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| | the best value to their customers. The
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| that they should think out no more than
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| | tier 1 providers are, of course, still
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| five years. The infrastructure will be
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| | there. Smaller, more agile companies may
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| ready for a facelift at that time.When:
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| | provide the flexibility you need. How
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| Just as critical as "Why". Time is a
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| | much you invest needs to be in direct
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| balancing act. Take as much time as you
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| | proportion to the service you receive.
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| can to design and implement your WAN
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| | Find a company that wants to help you be
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| properly. Moving too quickly will leave
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| | successful. Have at least two meetings
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| holes that someone (probably you) will
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| | with a company before you start to
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| fall into. One of my clients had tried
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| | discuss the "How Much" question. It is
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| the DIY approach before contacting me for
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| | absolutely essential that you both
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| help. He implemented his 32 point WAN too
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| | understand what will be needed in terms
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| quickly and the results were
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| | of bandwidth, uptime, monitoring,
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| catastrophic. The stores didn't have
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| | redundancy, billing, and other services.
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| enough bandwidth to work properly and the
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| | Remember, this is an investment to
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| VPN tunnels were not properly secured. He
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| | increase revenue. "But David, how can
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| spent the majority of his time just
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| | that be?", you ask. Consider this:Fraud,
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| keeping the WAN running and was not able
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| | theft, Inventory shrink are all losses we
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| to keep up with his day-to-day work. But,
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| | would like to eliminate. Your new WAN
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| as I wrote earlier, time is a balancing
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| | will allow for immediate access to POS
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| act. If you take too long precious
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| | transactions, current inventory levels,
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| momentum is lost and it becomes easy to
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| | and make catching the "till dipper"
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| overlook an element of the project, such
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| | red-handed, adding thousands to your
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| as the IP addressing scheme. I have often
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| | bottom line. Video surveillance will also
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| said, "A WAN is a living, breathing
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| | help catch the nighttime burglar, not to
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| creature and sometimes it has
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| | mention the rogue employee that has
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| attitude"!Where: This is an interesting
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| | inventory going out the back door. The
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| part of the design decisions. Certainly
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| | entire world is quickly moving toward
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| each store will be part of the WAN but
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| | Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and
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| what about corporate HQ? Maybe now is the
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| | for good reason. Site-to-site calls are
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| time to co-locate your data-center in a
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| | free! Site to Corporate calls are free!
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| secure, professional facility? You may
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| | Long distance charges can be eliminated!
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| benefit from inviting a choice vendor or
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| | Sending credit card and gift card
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| two into the WAN (called an ExtraNet). If
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| | transactions over the WAN will reduce the
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| you have retail stores you may want to be
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| | processing time from 30 - 40 seconds down
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| connected to your credit card processor
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| | to 2 - 3 seconds. Customers move quickly
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| for faster (and potentially less
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| | through the check out line and have a
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| expensive) transactions. The same is true
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| | happier experience, bringing them back
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| for gift card processors, VoIP providers,
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| | more often. Additionally, processors may
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| etc.Why: There are so many reasons. The
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| | lower your per-transaction fees for using
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| one I hear most often is, "We want to get
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| | a faster connection than dial-up.
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| access to the POS data for each of our
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| | Creating a WAN will eliminate the need
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| stores." or, "We want to start using
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| | for costly phone lines. A broadband
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| e-mail". Other reasons may include to
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| | connection can share your existing fax
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| reviewing inventory levels, implementing
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| | line and you may be able to eliminate
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| a new enterprise application, providing
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| | lines for ATM machines, credit card
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| online training to store staff,
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| | machines, and others. These add up to
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| monitoring video surveillance, or adding
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| | very real dollars being pushed straight
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| VoIP. It is critical to explore all of
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| | to your bottom line.Making the decision
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| the reasons well in advance. Identifying
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| | to design and implement a WAN is a
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| as many desired components at the front
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| | terrific first step. Don't underestimate
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| end will maximize benefits and ROI. When
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| | the amount of effort and time that will
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| the time comes to design the network,
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| | be required to make your project a
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| each application will have its own
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| | success. Find a good partner in the
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| network requirements.How (or How Much):
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| | marketplace that is like-minded and will
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| WANs come in different colors and
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| | work with you flexibly to meet and exceed
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| flavors. Private, hosted, VPN, software
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| | your needs.David Chambers helps clients
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| based, hardware based, broadband, layer
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| | design, build, and manage their network
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| 2, and layer 3 are just a few options
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| | infrastructures. He lives in Dallas, TX
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| available. To break it down more simply
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| | with his lovely wife of four years and
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| consider these three options:1. Private,
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| | their two children. He may be reached at
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| Managed: This option eliminates the need
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| | or 866-607-9468.
|
