Is business technology moving backward?

[PiratePast40]

maybe it's just me but I'm having more and more reliability issues with technology. I live in Oregon and the main office for the company is on the east coast. It seems it's harder and harder to stay in communication. Just a few examples:
We switched to Comcast as a phone service provider. Now all conference calls have such an echo it's allmost impossible to hear. Comcast has supposidly done everything they can including joining our calls from different parts of the company but they have no idea how to solve the problem. We end up having to pay for a service for a dial-in number for conference calls.

The email server is constantly going down for one reason or another. Yestersday, the service provider company changed hands so our VPN domain no longer exists. They were supposed to have it fixed by COB yesterday but are still working on it.

Some have decided to go to all cell phones and get rid of land lines. I think it's rather rude to be talking to customers on a phone that is constantly clipping and cutting off one side of a conversation. I'm not talking about when you're away from the office but as an everyday occurrance when you are actually in the office.

Trying to get a cell phone that has modern office features can be unbelievably difficult. The sales people are all about facebook, twitter, and watching movies on your phone. But asking about syncing your Outlook database, viewing and modifying spreadsheets or ducuments and you get a blank stare. I've even been asked what Outlook was. They are pushing iPads but when you ask about creating documents, you get the same blank stare. I even had one tell me that it was more important to be able to shop and watch movies that all of that business stuff.

No wonder we're behind other countries in technology. It's not that we don't have the technology, it's that we're using it for entertainment instead of making a living. I'm no stranger to computers. I've built my own last 3 desktops and just replaced the keyboard in one of my laptops so I have a rudimentary knowledge of how things are supposed to work. It seems that some people are using technology for technologies sake and forgetting that these are supposed to be means to an end and not just a toy.

Well - rant over. Just wanted to see if others are having the same experiences.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

Well said. Cell phones have their place, but to try to replace a robust local switch with cell phone programmed services is a good example of misapplied technology.

Add to that the fact that limited radio spectrum is used by extremely low power devices (phones) that are not allowed to interfere or complain about interference (so how do you police that) you can expect more troubles as the number of users skyrockets.

 

[JB]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

I have found it impossible to contact AOL, so I am firing them and going to Gmail. The only way I can fire them is to cut off payments. Their service is nonexistent anyway.

 

[rbh]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

The problem with the service provider is all this VOIP packet stuff, you want to call
someone and your conversation is routed through the cheapest available fiber.
(I believe that is called a SIP switch system)
(remember I work on the construction end not Central Office)
After the old T1 spans gave way to fiber optics the telco's could throw vast amounts of voice and data down line, and they could as they had been doing it for years, but then came along the low budget cable tv companies and the cut rate broad band suppliers who had to rent band width.
Thing is the telco's still have the best backbone cabling across the country.

 

[Cofe]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

(Not to be pessimistic) but I think that modern technology has too many vulnerabilities to last very much longer.

 

[rbh]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

Lets say for example you own the cable plant and switches for three small towns.
You have a choice either you link the three communities with your own cable, IE fiber optics.
Or you rent band width off of who ever has back bone cable closest to your locations, and this may not all be the same reseller, this is how you get the tinny, warble, echo.

If you had gone through one good carrier and or ran your own tie/back bone cable the problem would not be so obvious.

As for the cell phone issue, try this.
Get the people that take care of you KSU/PABX to give you a line into one of the analog trunk cards, get a cell to POTS adapter so when the cell phone rings it comes into the switch as a plain old tel line and you can route it through the office or have it use you switches voice mail service.
and when you go, unplug and your back to your cell phone again.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

Lets say for example you own the cable plant and switches for three small towns.
You have a choice either you link the three communities with your own cable, IE fiber optics.
Or you rent band width off of who ever has back bone cable closest to your locations, and this may not all be the same reseller, this is how you get the tinny, warble, echo.

If you had gone through one good carrier and or ran your own tie/back bone cable the problem would not be so obvious.

As for the cell phone issue, try this.
Get the people that take care of you KSU/PABX to give you a line into one of the analog trunk cards, get a cell to POTS adapter so when the cell phone rings it comes into the switch as a plain old tel line and you can route it through the office or have it use you switches voice mail service.
and when you go, unplug and your back to your cell phone again.

Like I said, technology thown sideways at a "problem".

Simplest thing to do with the PABX is set up the desk phone as you normally would, with busy/no answer routed to voice mail.
Then program the voice mail menu with a response that will route to the cell phone through an outbound trunk. On call fail it comes back to the menu. Then the caller can go to voice mail with another selection.

That way it's all handled in your own switch, in a logical manner, with fall back routines for when the cell phart fails.

Once you train the users to give out only their desk phone number, and to use the voicemail and routing features on the system, you can sit back and relax with the Maytag repairman.

 

[rbh]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

Like I said, technology thown sideways at a "problem".

Simplest thing to do with the PABX is set up the desk phone as you normally would, with busy/no answer routed to voice mail.
Then program the voice mail menu with a response that will route to the cell phone through an outbound trunk. On call fail it comes back to the menu. Then the caller can go to voice mail with another selection.

That way it's all handled in your own switch, in a logical manner, with fall back routines for when the cell phart fails.

Once you train the users to give out only their desk phone number, and to use the voicemail and routing features on the system, you can sit back and relax with the Maytag repairman.

The reason I am going the way I mentioned is that we only have one land line coming in and a cell phone.
The land line is set to call forward busy to the cell, so if the land line is tied up we have a second line coming in.

OH, and John tried sending you a PM on a switch issue but your mail box is full.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

Hmmm ... most of this is Greek to me. For cell phones, I'm talking about the remote offices. I'm the only one left that still has a landline and a fax machine. The other guys have cell phone only. And when on the road, I just use call forwarding. All of the remote offices are one person home offices so there is no complex system.

It was explained to me that the phones in the east coast office are the equivelant of small digital computers with handsets. They are not at all what we used to call telephones. There was a time when a call for a remote office was a simple matter of dialing that persons number and hooking the caller up with the right office. I'm told that's not something that can be done anymore without expensive additional software. Seems like some overthinking and making something simple very complex.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

I don't know that it is moving backwards, but I do think our expectations are becoming higher....and technology does not always move as fast as our expectations..

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

Ever decreasing circles !!! The more it is used, the more it slows down leading to buying better faster equipment and it just keeps going through the same procedure !!

 

[perchin]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

I'll agree with most of the feelings in this thread... but I'll leave you knowing that my Droid Incredible, syncs with my outlook, gmail, yahoo, and creates, opens, and deals with all excel, and other office tools.

All said though... the phone could never completely replace my laptop or PC. I think people thinking that they will is the entire problem.

 

[mscher]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

If I remember my former IT "life", if you are using Comcast, technically you are not using a "land line", which would be the old reliable copper and/or fiber optic worldwide phone system. As bullet-proof, as phone system gets, nearly everywhere in the world. But alas, you have to pay $$$ for it.

Likely your calls are some form of Voice Over IP (VOIP), which calls are broken into data packets and sent over the Internet, sharing bandwith with Youtube videos, porn and "biggest loser" reruns. Routing and network traffic loads, can have a very negative effect on call quality and reliability, as you have experienced. Comcasts just shrugs their shoulders, because they know that this is exactly how well it works. Their networks are already overloaded anyway.

VOIP telephony is very cost effective (free), but you often get exactly what you pay for.

Unfortunately, the bottom line in a lot of technology, is "pay up" "shut up" and "get used to it". It's only money and time (your's)

 

[dingbat]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

It's not the technology; it's your local service providers.

You can't go to the mall and ask for an office setup. Call your local provider and ask to talk with business services department. They should have no problems setting you up.

I work for a multi-billion dollar corporation out of my home and "report" to an office in Germany. We dumped the desk tops, land lines and fax machines 6 years ago. We replaced those with a lap top and a Blackberry with international calling services. I use FIOS in the office and iPass and a Sprint Aircard when on the road. There are very few places in the world I can?t get a reliable internet connection.

With the Blackberry I?m connected via voice and data 24-7 anywhere in the world. Outlook, Excel, you name it. The Blackberry is nothing more than a small, handheld computor. I have absolutely no interest in using any type of landline again.

 

[98Shabah]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

I've been in IT since the mid 90's. As a couple others have said, it sounds like the issues are the service providers, the technology they're using, and the quality of the equipment and the personnel supporting it all. Too many people fall for the "VOIP is great/cheap" pitch from their local internet provider and try to conduct business over it. VOIP is great (when installed correctly) in an office, but I'd never use it to connect a business to the rest of the world, well unless I could get a REAL dedicated connection between myself and the provider AND a guaranteed QOS contract.
We've always gone with ISDN PRIs for phone service through the local telco provider. For internet, no shared connection, we use a dual T1 (3mb) from a local telco provider also.
Email servers/systems are only as good as the equipment and the people that installed & maintain them. I do feel for some IT folks who are asked to do miracles with a budget that is 25% of what they need to do the job "right".

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Is business technology moving backward?

The answer is no however the customer service and govt regulation is almost collapsing. We have the tech in place for 21st century communication. Seemless commucications to all at very low cost. But the big communcation boys have to slice it up and dibby out the spoils as to who gets what.

Its almost childish as to what is going on, What this country needs is comptent CEO's that are responsible to the company's name plate and its integerity and not to accounts and the bottom line only aka the sacred Return On Investment. The day that happen's is the day the rest of the communucations company's will have there a@@ handed to them.

Take a good close look at Ford and what Mulally has done to the auto business.....Ford is well on its way to handing every MFG there a@@ thourgh inovation and design. Im not saying this to sell ford take a look at how much effort and change... immeitate change is taking place with there product line its mind boggling if your look close and in just 4 yrs in the next ten yrs Ford will reshape american mfg ideaology..that is you gain earnings and market share thourgh innovation not sitting on arcaic old tech

Now look at comcast yes they are using cable lines that were buried in the 70's to do there commuication's when they have the abilty to use the air waves for tranfer to the cutomer and fiber optics between hubs. There is so much RF interference in some citys airline pilots have problems with landings...thats due to poor line (cable loss) quality they have to amp it up to incredible levels.....Any airline pilots here????

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cableleak.html


Ok im going a rant heres a read: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/july-dec10/fcc_12-21.html

The govt ended vhf and uhf communication to allow those old air waves to used more effectivly and its turned into a cat fight