Ever used a t1 internet connection? Upgrading to this level of service is like going from an old used car to a new sports car. You'll feel the speed imediately! While both T1 and DSL connections claim to have a speed of 1.5Mbps, the former actually delivers it's claim. DSL and cable connections are severely oversubcribed and cannot always deliver the bandwidht they project expecially at peak hours. Ready to feel the difference? You may have already if your office has critical applications that use the web. If your office hosts e-mail, webservers or more than 20 people on internet access you most likely already have a dedicated T1 connection. If not, get one fast!!

A T1 internet connection is ideal because of it's reliability. Not only is it not oversubscribed, it also has low latency which mean fewer delays. Latency becomes critical in applicaions like video on demand, webconferencing, and gaming. While the latter may not seem so important, gamers require some of the best internet connections and are a good source for information on the top internet products available.

If you're ready to move into the fast lane or to put your office on a reliable connection that you should have anyway, get some advise from a broker that deals in T1 services. Brokers don't mark up the price of services. They offer the same price you would get if you did go direct to the company. The advantage of ordering through a broker is that you will get a second channel of customer service. If the company is not performing to expectation you will always be able to go back to your broker who puts a significant volume through the carrier. A broker is much more likely to get the companies attention and have your problem solved. In our opinion, a broker is the only way to go!

As the VPN market approaches maturity at a brisk pace, vendors have been forced to rethink the tradition identity of their IP Security-based technology for letting users securely access enterprise resources via the Internet. Most large companies in need of linking their offices together have done so on frame relay networks. Although frame is still a useful product many users have found that the reduced cost of VPN gives them an attractive alternative.

'During the last 18 months, vendors have pushed VPN technology into different devices, have lessened the distinction between VPN and firewall products, and have demonstrated a strong willingness to deviate from standardized technology to meet corporate remote access requirements. VPN services now come bundled with many dedicated services and several service providers are using VPN products as a loss leader so they can sell circuits. When investigating the use of VPN products make sure you speak with a professional who can guide you through the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the product. While it is a cost reduced alternative to frame it is a different product and should be thoroughly researched.

One of the advantages of a VPN is that internet access is not based only on the hub and spoke layout. The users away from the hub are able to access the internet through their own connection rather than going through the hub and creating a bottleneck. Users will only need to connect through the hub if they need to access information from the central database. When researching alternatives such as VPN, like always, we recommend you consult with a professional and not just a salesman for a VPN company. Make sure the individual you speak with is unbiased and will give you the strengths and weaknesses of each product. We recommend one of the brokers at T1 price for unbiased recommendations of multiple carriers.