Telcom Line-Sharing Professionals

Remote Power Control Professionals ]]> http://multi-link.biz/blog/feed 0 http://multi-link.biz/blog http://multi-link.biz/blog#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:01:13 +0000 jhopkins http://multi-link.biz/?p=547

In the 2009 Remote Product Service research project by The Aberdeen Group, the average cost per service dispatch was $276 in 2009. This represents a a 32% increase from 2006.

Not surprisingly 50% of the research respondents, comprised of service and manufacturing professionals, were concerned with reducing service-related costs and preventing unplanned service dispatches. Customer satisfaction, however, does not take a backseat. Adding to cost concerns, companies are facing increased customer pressure to provide faster service, improved asset uptime, and better asset performance.

The top two objectives for cost management were 1) Improving diagnosis for better first time fixes; and 2) Reduce instances of unplanned service visits.

Excerpt: “While the cost of fuel has retreated from highs seen in 2008, cost containment associated with unnecessary dispatches is a key pressure for service and manufacturing firms. In fact, responding firms indicate that nearly 29% of all dispatches and truck rolls are for issues that could have either been resolved remotely or through other means negating the need for dispatch.”

It is one thing to monitor remote assets, but if you can’t make a fix chances are you are among that 29% group. If you are rolling a truck to a site just to perform a power fail to reset equipment, there is a better way. The Power Stone has saved the day for countless service technicians who would have otherwise have to headed out to a site just to try a hard reboot on unresponsive equipment.

The Power Stone remote power controller can diagnose, reboot, or simply turn power off or on when needed—all by phone. The IP 3000 extends this capability with TCP/IP connectivity as well as by phone. Considerably less than the cost of a one time truck roll, these two units can complement any and all remote monitoring systems and provide quicker response times and reduce service dispatches.

Learn more about specific applications here: http://multi-link.biz/applications

Let us know how often you have to reboot remote site equipment:
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In a publication by Homeland Security’s National Cyber Security Division, “Recommended Practice for Securing Control System Modems”, methods for securing dial-up modems are addressed. It states that, ” In general the dialup PSTN is the least secure as it exposes a modem to the equivalent of world-level Internet access. As a result, this communication point can be accessed from anywhere in the world by anyone with a modem and may be vulnerable to attack.“

One security method presented in the paper is a telephony firewall. All of Multi-Link’s line sharing devices, in addition to cutting costs, allow the end-user to secure access to telephony devices with programmable security access codes(SAC). These SAC’s can be configured differently for each port. Our most robust product from a security standpoint is the Polnet ACP with 7 digit SAC’s that would effectively provide a stand-alone firewall for dial-up modems.

Another method for controlling connections is to control its power supply, powering up the modem for use and then powering down when access is no longer required. The Power Stone is ideal for this procedure with its automatic power-on-call feature. Devices plugged in to the Power Stone can be turned on for the duration of the call and turned off after disconnect. SAC’s are used for manual operation and remote programming.

It is highly recommended to audit and document all known modems and faxes for the purpose of not only cost reduction, but for the sake of closing any backdoors into a company’s telecom and IT networks.

 1. POS systems in fast paced retail environments typically use broadband for transaction processing. In many cases, dial-up modems are used as back-up in case of a network outage. Paying for a dedicated phone line for emergency use only is costly and wasteful. Multi-unit restaurant and department store chains save thousands of dollars annually by installing a line sharing device with a fax line and POS back-up line and significantly reduce fixed telecom costs. In a scenario with fewer POS transactions (only a few per day), a dial-up line is more economical. Sharing this line with a fax or phone is a practical way to lower overhead costs while processing sales normally. 

2.  When the network is down and normal in-band access is denied, how do you recover the network equipment? Remote Out-of-band access to serial console ports provides an efficient back door method for recovery. This can be through the use of a backup dial-up modem via the PSTN. However, paying for a phone line that you hope you never use is expensive.

Phone line sharing saves money for IT departments and MNS groups by eliminating costly phone lines dedicated for out-of-band dial up access to remote network equipment. Fixed telecom costs are dramatically reduced and a 3 month R.O.I. is typical. In addition to savings, the Polnet ACP is engineered to provide an additional layer of security to connected devices. Vulnerable pathways to equipment via the PSTN are protected by programmable Security Access Codes up to seven characters. There are over 35 million combinations to choose from, effectively creating a telephony firewall for dial-up connections. 

3. Automated meter reading, or AMR, is the technology of automatically collecting consumption, diagnostic, and status data from energy metering devices (water, gas, electric) and transferring that data to a central database for billing, troubleshooting, and analyzing. This advance mainly saves utility providers the expense of periodic trips to each physical location to read a meter. Further savings can be achieved by sharing a POTS line for dial-up modems with multiple on-site meters and RTU’s. Installing nine devices on one phone is more cost effective than having nine individual lines to pay for. 

4. Fuel tank monitoring is a method by which underground fuel tanks are measured for capacity and leak detection. Multiple modems connected to gauges can be accessed with only one phone line with a phone line sharing device. C-stores are a prime user as well as industrial fueling stations for commercial, government, and military use. 

5. SOHO’s have always been a major consumer of phone line sharing. The basic set-up of the home office has remained unchanged over the years with the phone, PC, and ubiquitous fax machine, or all-in-one with fax capability, as the essential business tools. Phone line sharing devices such as The Stick have been equally important, helping to save the small business owner as much as $600 a year just by consolidating the fax and phone on the same line. 

What’s your favorite application? Have another one you would like to share with us? Post a comment or drop me a line — sshelton@multi-link.net

Happy Holidays!

Considering that fax machines have been around in one form or another, e.g. Multi-Function Printers or All-in-One’s, for more than a century (courtesy of Alexander Bain in 1843) it comes as no surprise that detractors annually predict the ultimate demise of faxing as a useful technology. 

A recent prediction has the fax machine dying off in 2010, along with the computer mouse I might add. Undeniably, on-line fax services, email, online conferencing, collaborative writing and editing, file sharing, and desktop sharing are all easily acquired, multi-platformed, and gaining in enthusiastic popularity. 

So no need for a fax, right? Maybe, maybe not… 

Even with dozens of document sharing applications available today, you would hard pressed to walk into any business, from a SOHO to Fortune 500, and not find a fax machine. There are approx. 130 million fax machines worldwide still in use, pumping out about 80 billion fax transmissions every year. Fax documents are still considered essential to a wide range of important business processes across all industries. 

Why? Simplicity. Security. Familiarity. Some people still like to have that piece of paper in their hand. 

Here are just a few commonly faxed documents: insurance claims, RFQ’s, PO’s, contracts, enrollment forms, NDF’s, W-9’s, invoices, resumes, tax filings, legal documents, expense reports, wire transfer confirmations, and so on. Perhaps even a family holiday recipe.

No doubt, faxes do come in handy. In a dramatic recent example, faxes were a critical fix for a router malfunction in the FAA’s computer system. Unbelievably, airlines were forced to use fax machines to send in flight plans that then had to be entered manually by controllers. If you were flying on Nov. 19th, you might want to redefine “useful technology” and thank the trusty fax.

So sound off —which camp are you in? Are a Pro-Faxer or No-Faxer? Here is a link to cast your vote: http://polls.linkedin.com/p/68046/gomjm  Or you can fax me  859-885-6619

Learn More (pdf)

Learn More (pdf)