Advanced Communications

Newsletter SPRING 2013 www.phonedepotcanada.com The IP Edition

this issue
The times they are a changing P.1 Is SIP for my company? P.2 New area codes for the GTA P.3 The pros and cons of the IP-PBX P.3

PRESS RELEASE
Advanced Communications is pleased to announce, that we are now a Positron Partner. Established in 1970, Positron is a holding and operating company that develops and manufactures telecommunications equipment for high reliability, critical service applications. Positron products such as thousands of 9-1-1 systems, and core central office equipment have been standardized by all U.S. major telephone companies and over 35 international carriers. Positron Inc. subsidiaries include Positron Telecommunications Systems, Positron Power and Positron Access Solutions. Positron has received two awards for leadership in developing new technologies from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and a Best Product award.. With offices in Newport Beach, CA and Montreal, Canada, Positron's global footprint extends from the United States and Canada through Europe, Latin America, Australia, Asia and the South Pacific.

The times they are a changing

If I can borrow the line from Bob Dylan, whom I grew up listening too, The times they are a changing. Some mornings I wake up , and wish things would just stay the way they are just for today, it seems the rapid pace of technological change only increases each year. No better an example of this can be found, than in todays communications industry. Working in communications my whole life, I have watched many changes take place. As an apprentice servicing one of the last working Cord boards in London UK. In case you are wondering a Cord Board was a term used to refer to the times when you would lift the receiver, lighting a lamp on an operators board, who would then plug a cord from her headset into your line, ask who you wanted, and then use another cord to patch you through. The days of cord boards as an effective means of controlling your inter, and intra office communications is long past, but is that also now true for analog phone lines? Digital phones? Read on to see where the industry is headed. Continued on page 2

We are also pleased to announce effective immediately Advanced Communications is now an Aastra approved reseller.

The times they are a changing

Continued from page 1
Well the answer is they are technology from a time when we bought cassette tapes, and 8 tracks, now more like CDs they are not museum pieces, or for the history books yet, but they are a technology that is on the way out. Now dont panic, the equipment you have today is not going to suddenly stop working, or be unable to communicate with the rest of the world. One day, however, it will need to be replaced. Unfortunately some businesses try to save money by not replacing their phone equipment until it fails. This is a false economy in several ways, there is the cost to business, and potential lost business while they are relying on employees cell phones as the only way to communicate. Then there are the ongoing costs of a hasty purchase decision. Colin Meaden The situation puts a tremendous amount of pressure on getting something installed, anything installed to get them back in business. Buying what is in stock locally, and suitable for immediate deployment. Rather than the focus being on how they can deploy newer communications technology, and put to it to work for their business. How a new system can help them work smarter, work better, sound better, and save money. In many examples I run into everyday, a carefully planned deployment of the right mix of available technologies can reduce monthly ongoing line, and usage charges. Its a strategy that can work for organizations of any size, its a matter of matching your organizations needs to the technologies available. Colin Meaden has 38 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, and has been operating Advanced Communications, servicing the GTA since 1989 One tip I give all my clients, and its even more true today than ever, Do not sign a long term contract, without talking to an independent professional you trust otherwise you may lock yourself in, putting you in a position where you cant make changes if a better deal, or way of doing things comes along. Another tip is to find a good service company that understands todays technologies, and can help you evaluate what you have today, what is available to you, and if there is a better way, or more affordable way of doing things. Then working with them to develop, and implement a strategy so you can take advantage of what's available, before your competition does. Whatever you decide to do, have a plan, and dont leave it until your old system fails.

PRESS RELEASE
Advanced Communications is please to announce we are now able to offer affordable, reliable SIP trunking from babyTEL

Is SIP for my company?

SIP trunking enables smaller companies access to features previously only available to much larger organizations, so the first thing I would say to someone, considering VoIP is it really does help smaller companies compete. SIP trunking also allows you to buy only as much service as you need, so you can save money. We offer sip trunks from as low as $5 per trunk per month (minimum 2 trunks) plus usage, ideal for low traffic organizations, $27 per trunk per month (minimum 2 trunks) with unlimited local calling (long distance in North America 2 cents/min), or for heavy phone users $40 per trunk per month (minimum 2 trunks) unlimited local and long distance throughout North America. With our SIP trunking service, you can add or remove lines, get new numbers, remove numbers yourself, or have our staff make the changes for you, and have them operational within minutes, not days that the Telcos take.

IN OTHER NEWS NEW area codes coming!

Yes thats right, 416, was followed by 905, then 647, and 289, and now 437, and 365 will be added this March. Why? Well at the current rate of assigning new numbers in the GTA we were going to run out of numbers next year. 387 has also been set aside for the GTA but no date set for when it will need to be released.

The pros and cons of the IP-PBX

With new technology comes new ways of doing things, we gain advantages (more about them later) we could never have before, but there are always trade offs. Relying on the internet for your companies telephone lines, means if your internet goes down, then so does your ability to phone in or out of the office. At Advanced Communications we use SIP trunking ourselves, should our internet ever go down, our inbound calls are redirected to my cellular number. Redirecting calls to a cell phone number is hardly viable for a larger organization, but our inbound calls could as easily be directed to back up analog lines, PRI, a regional or head office etc. In the case of the Positron systems we can even set them up to keep your phones up and running wirelessly using a USB stick from a cellular company that provides cellular data coverage in your area. (TIP: We always recommend keeping one back up analog line for 911 use). So what are some of the advantages, to a IPPBX? One of the things I personally love about IP Trunking is that when my clients want to add Lines, need a new DID, I can do it for them on the spot no more waiting 10 business days to get a new number. This also means that if you have a big advertising campaign, and need to add lines, and operators you can add them, and then delete I will talk about some of the other pros, and cons of investing in a IP-PBX for your business in part two of this article in next quarters issue. them after the campaign is over, or if your business is seasonal you can ramp up your services when needed, and then reduce them in the off season to save costs. So what about sound quality? I am glad you asked, if you have yet to talk to someone from SIP to SIP I can only say the first time I did, it made me realize just how poor the sound quality is that we have become accustom to today. Think of hearing someone, just as you would if they were standing next to you! Only you are on the phone. This is thanks to the use of new HD codecs.

Graphic Courtesy of Toronto Life

Did you know

Graham Alexander Bell, proposed answering the telephone ahoy.

News from Samsung

Special pricing on the Samsung OfficeServ 7200-S, for a limited time only.

Yealink

the back page

Words of wisdom
If life gives you lemons, then make lemonade.

IT humor
What is the definition of a good IT professional? Someone who has a software patch named after them.

Advanced Communications SPRING 2013

On the front cover

The Yealink VP530 is a further innovation of our advanced, executive-level IP Video Phone. With integrated audio, video and applications, the VP530 is a very powerful business video phone. Its large display and easy use make it an ideal all-in-one tool for todays busy business leaders, regardless of where they happen to be. With excellent performance and rich business features, the VP530 offers an all-round, face-to-face network experience that allows users to interact and communicate like never before. TI DaVinci dual-core chipset, 2M CMOS camera, 7 800x480 digital LCD, Touch screen, HD Voice, full-duplex speakerphone, 4 VoIP accounts, 3-way video conferencing, BLF, Intercom, 18 one-touch soft DSS keys, Total directory solution, Door phone application.

In the next issue

Part two of our in depth look at the IP-PBX How much is too much? A look at keeping your line and usage charges under control.

A word from the editor

We hope you found this issue of our newsletter both informative, and useful . We welcome your comments, and suggestions at admin@phonedepotcanada.com

Advanced Communications
Connecting you to the world

416.466.7700 www.phonedepotcanada.com