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By: Travis Mast, DBS Account Executive

About six months ago, Avaya introduced IP Office R.7.0.  This release made it possible to further integrate the Nortel brand with the IP Office.  With R7.0, Nortel users could upgrade their phone system to an IPO, reusing their Nortel phones.  This significantly lowered the cost of an upgrade.  Now Avaya has announced the release of IP office R.8.0, which will be available by December 1, 2011.

Avaya has always been the market leader in investing in research and development.  In fact, Avaya invests more money in R&D than most of our competitors make in sales in a year.  So we would expect great things from Avaya.  There are many great upgrades taking place with 8.0 which will improve your communications and lower your install costs, including enhanced cellular phone capabilities for Android, Miscrosoft Outlook integration, and Salesforce.com integration. 

As a mobile worker, I am most excited about the enhanced cell phone capabilities.  I already use mobile twinning, which means that anytime my phone number is called, my desk phone and cell phone ring simultaneously.  If I am roaming around the office and answer the call on my cell, I can press a button on my desk phone and pick the call up on that phone. Coming up with R8.0, I will be able to have more control with those calls.  I can set up a conference call on-the-fly and control who is able to speak on the call.  I can transfer from my cell back to any extension in the office.  I can even screen callers leaving me a voice message, and pick up the call if I choose.  For Android users, this app will make your cell phone just like an extension off of your phone system. 

Microsoft Outlook integration has been around for quite a while via 3^rd party Avaya partners.  Now Avaya is taking some of those features and making them standard on new phone system installs.  Outlook integration will allow you to instant message co-workers, initiate a call via Outlook, and get visual notifications for incoming calls with options to accept or send to voicemail.  I am hopeful that with the next release of 8.x, Avaya will include screen pops, which are still currently only available with an added cost.  Assuming you have the contact in your Outlook, this will allow Outlook to pop up the caller’s information when they call.  This is especially great for salespeople.  Your clients will appreciate it when you answer their call with that added personal touch.  Salesforce.com integration works in a similar way and will allow you to take inbound calls, make outbound calls, hold calls, and transfer calls without navigating away from your webpage. 

 Finally, in the past, Avaya has required an external server for Preferred and Advanced Editions of the IP Office.  With 8.0, Avaya is introducing a module that will act as the server.  This will save a lot of programming time, since the module will come programmed to speak with the IP Office.

Fast Tube by Casper

By: JT Krohe, DBS Communications

Selling phone systems in Cleveland has never been more exciting. I’m in my 11^th year in the telecom business at DBS Communications and the Avaya product line has never been more versatile and in tune with the ever changing needs of the small business.

A lot has happened in the last decade. Ten years ago we were selling a truck-load of Partner systems, Avaya’s (or at the time Lucent’s) flagship system for the small business. It had inexpensive voicemail and all of the features that the typical small business needed to stay productive and in touch with its customers. The voice and data worlds were separate and simpler.

Jump to 2011. The Partner system is no longer sold. Voice and Data are now synonymous with data vendors adept at phone systems and voice vendors savvy at setting up a data network. Setting up voicemail/email integration is as standard as configuring a voicemail box. Voice-Over-IP is no longer a buzzword. It is the norm. Avaya now has the IP Office – the new flagship product for the small business.

So what does this technology boom really mean to the small-business owner?

First, it means everything that all of the brochures and articles say it does. Mobility features now allows you to communicate anytime and anywhere with customers. Presence applications allow users to have a wealth of information about coworkers’ availability. Internal Conference Bridging. Mobile phones now integrate with desktop phones. The list goes on and on. But while these technology bells and whistles are certainly cool and can create bottom line returns on profits, do all small businesses need all of them? Nope. This brings me to my second point as to what the technology boom means to the small-business customer…

Secondly, and I think most importantly, the technology boom is allowing small-business customers to choose what technology they want, when they want it, and on their terms. A small insurance office in Cleveland doesn’t have a call center, but may have outside agents who have to stay connected with the office. A small urgent care facility has no interest in VoIP, but needs an efficient, small call center to handle appointment calls, prescription refills, and billing calls all while handling the immediate needs of the patient across the counter.

Avaya’s IP Office is a great answer to the small business that doesn’t need all the bells and whistles…just one bell and one whistle. Or one bell and two whistles. Small businesses shouldn’t have to pay for what they don’t need. They can build the IP Office system as they need it and add on to it as new applications can be used and cost-justified.

Finally, the small business shouldn’t have to hire an IT person to manage the new technology. There is no benefit if all the cost-savings and new profits are wiped out by an added salary. Small businesses must consider this prior to selecting their system. Consider what technology is manageable and what vendor, such as DBS Communications or other qualified Avaya Business Partner, will be contracted to offer support.

Selling phone systems in 2011 is certainly exciting. As long as the technology boom and the wealth of options don’t make it scary for the most important person: The Small Business Owner.

By: David Schrembeck, RCDD

Like most industries, data network infrastructure cabling
has seen its share of changes. At one time each computer network utilized
proprietary cabling. From RS232 and IBM Type 1 to Thin and Thicknet coax. You
had to use the same company and sometimes the same installers because each
system had its own peculiar scheme. Soon afterwards we saw the adoption of UTP
(unshielded twisted pair) standards. This media has been in existence since
Alexander Gram Bell and is currently the 1^st choice of typical
network installations.

A rapid progression of network speed and bandwidth required
the same from copper cabling. The advent of CAT3, CAT5E, CAT6 and now Augmented
CAT6 also known as CAT6A has resulted in an exponential increase in speed and
performance.

As increased performance expectations grew it was obvious a
strict adherence to standards would be required. UL, ETL, TIA, IEEE, BICSI and
the NEC are just a few of the “alphabet soup” organizations diligently working
to insure a compliant product.

When choosing a cabling solution for your organization make
sure quality and performance are guaranteed. High performing products such as
CommScope Uniprise and Systimax, Berk-Tek, Leviton and Hubbell are the right
start. But the product must be properly handled and installed to meet the
manufacturers’ strict warranty requirements. International suppliers like
Graybar, Jenne and Anixter are instrumental to a good install. But no product
will perform properly if it’s not installed by a competent, well trained
technician. Great service provided by a great staff is not a local “commodity”.

DBS offers a complete end-to-end solution. From
obtaining local permits, performing complete end-to-end testing and providing a
manufacturer’s warranty, we offer a complete solution to your cabling
infrastructure needs. Don’t be seduced by a lowball price only to find several
months later your system isn’t only performing poorly but it was illegally
installed by a company that has closed its doors and reopened simply to avoid
legal recourse and payment of its monetary obligations.

By: David Schrembeck, RCDD

It’s that time of year again when the snow gives way to thunderstorms. Did you know it takes less than one volt of electricity to destroy a modern day micro chip? Let’s put that in perspective. Your television remote control typically runs on three volts and your wireless mouse on 1.5 volts. The static spark you see in the dry winter months can exceed 10,000 volts!

This emphasizes the need to properly protect your equipment from electrical spikes and surges. The upfront cost of this protection is minimal when compared to the replacement cost of ruined equipment and down time.

In addition to spikes and surges are “brown outs” or power sags. This happens more often during the hot summer months when the power grid is loaded down with the high demand caused by air conditioners. These lags in power can cause a destabilization in your data and communications platform. The under powering of electronic equipment can cause just as much damage as a spike.

The best way to help protect your equipment from these events is the installation of a UPS. The installation of an advanced “on line” unit provides conditioned, uninterrupted power to your equipment. The length of battery time is scalable and can be expanded to fit your needs.

For  more information contact Dave Schrembeck at 216-265-3233.

New Avaya IP Office System for a Company in Madison

By: Travis Mast, DBS Account Executive

A couple of months ago, I was fortunate enough to get a meeting with a small manufacturing company in Madison, Ohio. 

They had a lot of business critical communication issues that was costing them money.  Their old Nortel System was starting to fail.  Line ports were going bad which caused callers to get busy signals when trying to call.  They also wanted additional features that their Nortel System was not able to accommodate, such as call recording and call accounting software.  They knew they didn’t want to put additional money into a system that was outdated and incapable of meeting their needs.  They knew they needed a system that would be able to grow with them and support either copper lines, PRI or SIP trunks.

We installed an Avaya IP Office 500, which met all of their needs.  Callers are now able to get through and the busy signal problem has gone away. 

The IP Office call recording solution with Avaya’s Contact Store application has enhanced the customer’s training of its employees and improved efficiency for the support and management staff.  Call accounting software gives the end user valuable information, such as who is calling, what departments are called, and how long users are on the phone.  This information is now being used to ensure that the company’s staffing can handle the amount of call volume at specific times during the day.  They also now know where ALL of their customers are calling from!

For dial tone, the IP Office gave the customer the best of both worlds. The system was set up as analog, but it will be upgraded to digital when a PRI can be installed by the service provider.  The customer will also be able to add VoIP whenever they are ready. 

This customer had gotten used to the Nortel system over the past 10 years. With this in mind, the DBS staff and I made sure we prepared them for the transition.  We made sure all end users were trained before the system went live.  We were also on location for the first day of business with the new system.  Any questions were immediately answered, and any small changes to the system, were immediately changed.  All of this ensured a great install, and a happy client.

The Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc. (IEC) is pleased to announce that DBS Communications in Brook Park, Ohio, received the 2010 IEC National Award of Excellence in Low‐Voltage Systems during the 53rd Annual IEC National Convention & Electric Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, for its work on the Wyse Advertising offices.

DESIGN: The Wyse Advertising offices had approximately 125 workstations on the main floor of a historic building in downtown Cleveland that had been vacant for more than 10 years. The construction project began when the building was gutted down to its outside, load‐bearing walls and support columns. The main floor had 17‐foot high ceilings.
OBSTACLES OVERCOME: Due to the unique installation environment, the cabling scope of work’s level of difficulty was extremely high. Each office needed cabling, but without drop ceiling and standard pathways, it was nearly impossible to get the wires to the workstation locations without exposing the wires and ruining the aesthetic look of the office.
The cabling foreman accepted the challenge and created solutions to wire all of the offices without leaving a single wire exposed. All wiring was run through cable trays, down chimneys, underneath eaves, and anywhere that could conceal the wires. Without this creativity and skill level, the installation would not have been acceptable to the customer or the overall appearance of the
offices.

SAFETY: The foreman ran his crews efficiently and with safety as the primary concern. Weekly safety meetings were attended and safety checks were regularly completed for each crew.
THE NUTS & BOLTS: The Wyse floor plan had a series of departmental areas spread throughout the main floor. Those areas included administration, IT, reception, design, creative, and marketing. All areas were wired back to one main closet located in the IT department. Overall, this cabling infrastructure provided Wyse Advertising a solid platform for its current technology needs and flexibility for future technologies that will be used in the
years to come. This project was implemented with the above in mind while being as cost‐competitive as possible in order to win the project and stay profitable.
Awards of Excellence in Low‐Voltage Systems recognizes IEC member companies that exhibit excellence in low-voltage systems construction by striving for innovation and total quality.

DBS Communications closed 2010 on a hugely positive note. We acquired many new accounts through the year via increased focus to customer relations and sales, but we also feel that its a significant sign of our economy rebounding.
The Cleveland area has found in recent years that its overdue to upgrade legacy systems. We’re looking toward an even better 2011 as we help Northeast Ohio make this transition.