12/1/99 Fortune (See Bold)
1999 WL 27633193
Fortune Magazine Special
Copyright 1999
Wednesday, December 1, 1999
Issue: Winter 2000 Special Issue/Technology Guide
Small Business/Communications
Casting The Net New communications technologies for small businesses ensure
speedy--and easy--connections.
Easier, faster, cheaper. If last year's big news for the small
office was the emergence of super-simple networking kits and servers,
this year high-speed Internet access is the top priority. A new
technology, DSL, or digital subscriber line service, provides an
inexpensive, easy way for small businesses and home users to get fast
access to the Internet. Now small businesses, such as mom-and-pop
accounting firms and bagel stores, can have Internet access that
approaches the high speeds previously reserved for large corporations
using costly, dedicated T1 lines.
The same trend toward affordability is affecting networking and
telephony products--anything the small business needs to stay
connected to customers, partners, and employees. Thanks to the
convergence of digital technologies, networks and telephones are
delivering high-end capabilities with simplicity and prices that
appeal to the home and small-business user. Whether you need to hook
together a few PCs to share files and printers, find an inexpensive
telephone system to accommodate a rapidly growing staff, or put
together a retail Website, there are plenty of interesting
communications options to get you started.
Most businesses will want to begin by linking their PCs to share
files, printers, and an Internet connection, if they haven't already
done so. The most common way to connect desktop systems is with an
Ethernet network. Each PC will need an Ethernet networking card and
some connecting cables. A typical example is SOHOware's Fast Ethernet
network kit. Sometimes setting up a network requires adding a computer to act as a "server" that manages shared files.
Other relatively new alternatives are network kits that use
telephone lines or radio waves instead of cables to connect PCs.
Some, such as 3Com's AirConnect Wireless LAN, can connect wireless
PCs and roaming notebook systems to a wired LAN, so users can be more
mobile in the office.
Once you have your internal network together, you'll want Internet
access. DSL offers a connection that's more than fifty times faster
than an ordinary 56Kbps modem. And there's no waiting; the connection
is always on. As a result, small businesses are finding it practical
to do more business over the Internet. Those maintaining their own
sites will want symmetric, or SDSL service, which provides the same
speed for both uploading and downloading. Rates start at about $100
per month.
The drawback: DSL is not yet widely available. To find out whether
the service is available in your area, check with your local phone
company, Internet service provider, or a DSL provider such as
NorthPoint Communications in San Francisco, Covad Communications in
Santa Clara, Calif., or Rhythms NetConnections in Englewood, Colo.
For businesses in areas where DSL is not available, there are
other ways to speed up service. One is a device that combines 56K
modems and phone lines for high-bandwidth, on-demand connectivity
similar to DSL. Netopia's R2121 Dual Analog Internet Router is one
such product.
Fast connections to the Internet make it much easier for small
businesses to move into e-commerce. Those wanting to set up retail
sites to sell their products on the Web will either need to find an e-
commerce hosting service that will take care of everything for them
or to buy the appropriate hardware and software.
For the latter group, manufacturers have created a class of
Internet appliances for small businesses that combines a Web server
for e-commerce with other functions such as security firewalls.
Generally these can handle e-mail and related communications chores
as well. They include the FreeGate OneGate 150 and the eSoft Team
Internet Model 100. All are designed for use by small companies that
don't have a large technical support staff.
SOHO Switchboard
New versatile phone systems are also a boon to small businesses.
For years, small businesses have relied on either a few unconnected
phones or the more expensive Centrex or key services. Rarely could
they afford a PBX, or private branch exchange, a technology that is
expensive and difficult to set up and service.
Now affordable telephone systems with advanced features for small
businesses are becoming widely available. A good option for startups
and small companies is a cordless digital system such as the Casio
Communications MA-240. These systems usually come with a base unit
and one handset. The base unit plugs into a power source and phone
jack, and additional handsets can be added without requiring extra
jacks.
The cordless systems provide conferencing, call waiting, caller
ID, and other familiar services. Ericsson's CyberGenie cordless
system even uses speech-recognition technology to greet callers and
manage messages. It can read voicemail, e-mail, and fax headers over
the phone to users who dial in for messages when they are away from
the office.
For companies with 20 users or more, there are other options.
Flexion offers an all-in-one system, called X300, that provides PBX
capabilities, fax, e-mail, voicemail, remote access, and Internet
access.
Artisoft's TeleVantage runs on Windows NT and provides a way
for users to manage phone calls, voice messages, and other
communications services through their computers. "There's a big
market for products that can combine all these things in an
affordable package," says Mary Porter, a market analyst with
International Data Corp. of Framingham, Mass. "Once a product becomes
simple enough for small-business owners to install themselves, it is
very appealing."
PRODUCTS TO WATCH
Casio Communications MA-240 $199
www.casio.com - 310-618-9910
This two-line cordless phone system is good for small businesses
that are short on jacks. Casio's MA-240 can support two lines and
as many as 12 handsets, all of which can communicate with one
another. This is great for small businesses that want to transfer
calls between desks but don't want to install a complicated PBX.
The Casio MA-240 is also a big improvement over earlier cordless
systems, which usually couldn't support more than five
interoperable handsets.
The basic unit comes with a base and one cordless handset;
additional handsets cost $99 each. The digital telephones use a
900 MHz sampling rate for high quality sound. The system supports
call transfer, intercom, conferencing, call waiting, and caller
ID. Each handset has a two-line LCD screen for recognizing
callers and scrolling through an address book that can store up
to 20 names and numbers. Handset-to-handset intercom and
three-way call conferencing are also supported.
Cisco 673 SOHO/Telecommuter SDSL Router $499
www.cisco.com - 800-553-6387
The Cisco 673 SDSL Router gives small-business and work-at-home
users high-speed yet inexpensive Internet access in areas with
DSL access. It connects an Ethernet network or a single PC--with an Ethernet card--to the Internet using a symmetrical digital
subscriber line (SDSL) for speedy response time, and can handle
data rates up to nearly 1.2 Mbps. The 673 also offers routing,
bridging, and point-to-point connectivity.
Bundled software automatically configures the network connection
and assigns IP addresses to PCs in the home office. LCD displays
report on power, alarm, SDSL activity, and Ethernet connectivity.
The 673 also features multilevel password protection, and can be
managed remotely from a central office. In addition to SDSL
connectivity, the Cisco 600 product line offers different types
of ADSL connectivity through its 675 and 677 routers. Also in the
Cisco 600 product family is the Cisco 633 ($899), a serial
SDSL data service unit (DSU) for business router connectivity.
Flexion Systems X300 $6,000 for eight users
www.flexion.com - 877-FLEXION
This next-generation PBX delivers voice, mail, fax, remote
access, and Internet access in a Windows NT system. The Flexion
X300 is intended for companies with 8 to 64 employees. Unlike
many PC-PBX combination products, the Flexion X300 features a
phone system that will stay up and running even if the Flexion
Windows NT server goes down. The Flexion X300 integrates all communications in one unit, as
plug-in modules that connect telephones to PCs so that employees
can manage communications from their computers. Like other
unified messaging systems, the X300 converts voice-mail to sound
files, which lets users receive and listen to their phone
messages through e-mail. In addition, speech- recognition
technology can convert voice messages to text, and lets mobile
employees send text-based e-mails through a telephone. The X300
comes with a two-year warranty, and the company recommends that
customers buy maintenance service from resellers. |
