Using Satellite for Business Continuity

If a disaster strikes, every minute counts when your network operations go down.  Planning for recovery of critical I.T. assets can make the difference between business interruption and strategic recuperation.

Through experience and access to the latest satellite technology, FTI aids enterprises large and small to implement primary or network backup communications to help mitigate potential business disruptions and restore to normal operations quickly.

FTI's VSAT satellite solutions meet the needs of hospitals, large corporations, banks, and financial institutions worldwide.

Virtually every company depends on Internet connectivity to conduct its normal operations. But only few businesses consider the risks of only having a single land-line based Internet service provider (ISP). Unfortunately, many businesses have learned about these risks the hard way. Simple water main repairs or routine road construction may have accidentally damaged or disconnected a land-line. An infrastructure failure or natural disaster may have caused an unforeseen interruption in service. In any case, these businesses experienced a drop in productivity—immediately.

Even a few minutes of lost time during peak hours can sometimes translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost business and productivity.It’s not enough to have just one Internet connection—you need a backup. And you need a backup that’s completely independent of the land-line infrastructure, and not vulnerable to the same risks. That’s where back-up satellite Internet solutions scores over traditional terrestrial Internet.

The satellite Business Continuity solution helps businesses stay running at all times. Business Continuity is redundant Internet access that gives businesses the ability to automatically switch traffic among multiple Internet connections. When the primary link goes down, the satellite link takes over. Meanwhile, QoS prioritization guarantees bandwidth to most important applications.

When the primary link goes down, your customers get the WAN/ISP failover that automatically switches the critical Internet traffic to the VSAT Systems backup link. QoS priority and bandwidth management can be decided according to requirements to guarantee bandwidth for critical applications.

While this may be a standard market for satellite communication services, unlike other broadband satellite providers, everything we offer is business-grade. Which means we provide the highest quality VSAT equipment. One primary failure incident averted pays for the service several times over.

Product Spotlight: FTI Network Monitoring Service

Available to customers for pennies a day, FTI’s NPM enables customers to quickly detect, diagnose, and resolve network outages and performance issues.  It offers at-a-glance insight into networks, ensuring access to critical information needed to keep the network in tip-top shape; and FTI’s NPM is the easiest product of its kind to use and maintain, meaning more time actually managing networks.    

• Monitor network performance indicators, such as bandwidth utilization, packet loss, latency, errors, discards, and quality of service for any SNMP-enabled devices
• Monitor disk space, CPU load, and memory utilization on network devices
• Conduct detailed performance monitoring and analysis of network elements
• Hover over a network object to see additional details about the object including status, IP address, machine type, and percent loss.

FTI’s Network Performance Monitor (NPM) provides comprehensive performance, fault management and network availability tools to ensure that the network is always running at peak performance. Via a cutting-edge, customizable web interface, FTI’s NPM provides a unified view into the performance of thousands of nodes and interfaces on the customer’s network, all from a single web page where the operator can drill into any element to see exactly what's happening.

FTI’s NPM’s web interface provides real-time views of network performance and availability statistics, as well as detailed monitoring and analysis of data from routers, switches, servers and any other SNMP-enabled devices.  This performance monitoring data alerts for poor network conditions like slow traffic, loss of packets, or impaired devices.  The result is a comprehensive view of how the network is performing, providing the information needed to quickly isolate, diagnose, and repair problems before end users realize that a network issue has developed.

With FTI’s NPM, customers can also automatically monitor and set alerts on disk space, CPU load and memory utilization for network devices. With out-of-the-box support for many vendors and operating systems, including Cisco®, Foundry®, Extreme Networks®, Motorola®, ARRIS®, Linux, Solaris®, HP-UX®, AIX®, Windows® 2000, Windows 2003, and Windows XP devices, FTI’s NPM ensures that customers can easily collect and alert on conditions that could potentially cause a network outage or performance degradation.
 

For additional information and a demonstration call or contact Lamar Bostic at lbostic@ftionline.com 

FTI’s NMS Screenshot: Fault Management & Network Availability Tools
[Color coded interactive map also available]

Article from RFID Journal: Kentucky, West Virginia Mines Try RFID Combined With Telecommunications

Kentucky, West Virginia Mines Try RFID Combined With Telecommunications

To improve safety, the mines are adopting or testing systems that use Axcess International's active RFID tags and readers, integrated with communications technologies from Tunnel Radio or Foundation Telecommunications Inc.

By Claire Swedberg

Sept. 23, 2008—West Virginia and Kentucky mines are using or testing wireless systems that employ telecommunications technology in conjunction with active RFID tags and readers to locate miners in underground tunnels. Although the mines in both states use Axcess International RFID Dot tags, they utilize different wireless platforms to relay RFID and telecommunications data.

An unnamed West Virginia mine, for instance, is using an RFID-based tracking system known as MineAx, provided by Tunnel Radio of America, in conjunction with Tunnel Radios' UltraComm wireless networking technology. Several other West Virginia mining companies will be installing the system later this year as well.

The MineAx system employs Axcess' active RFID tags and wireless readers to ensure real-time data regarding its miners' locations as they move around tunnels underground. The system will help West Virginia mines comply with the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, which requires improved communications and emergency plans in the event of an underground mine accident.

With MineAx, when miners enter a shaft, they first pass through an Axcess reader portal. The portal reads the miners' Axcess Micro-Wireless ID active RFID tags, which can be placed in a pocket or attached to a hard hat. The portal emits a 126 kHz signal that awakens a dormant tag, which begins transmitting a signal in the 315 to 433 MHz ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) band. Typically, the portal contains two readers, one located in front of a mine's entrance, the other behind that entrance. The read sequence is then interpreted by Tunnel Radio software and provides data as to whether a particular miner is entering or leaving the mine. Elsewhere throughout the mine, additional RFID readers are deployed.

At the West Virginia site, the readers transmit data to the mine company's back-end system via the UltraComm wireless network, which includes a leaky feeder—a cable deployed throughout the mine that has "gaps" enabling it to function as a radio antenna and thereby emit and receive RF signals along its entire length. The mine utilizes the same UltraComm wireless network to support its two-way telecommunication system, also provided by Tunnel Radio. According to Mark Rose, Tunnel Radio's president and CEO, the two-way wireless communication system enables the mining company to contact underground miners via a Motorola radio each worker carries on a belt.

On the back-end system, Tunnel Radio software interprets that data and displays the employees' locations on a mine map generated from a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing of the mine. On that map, Rose says, a small hat icon represents each individual in the mine, color-coded according to that person's job function or experience. By placing the cursor over a hat, a manager can read the employee's name, as well as any other necessary data about that individual. If a miner has a problem, he can use the Motorola radio to place a call, and the manager or dispatcher can then utilize the RFID system to locate that worker on the display and communicate with him accordingly.

The UltraComm-MineAx system is especially effective, Rose says, in situations in which miners lack specific information, such as which shafts are clear, or which have collapsed or contain fires. In such a case, a dispatcher can determine where the miners are located on the display and, based on information about a fire or collapse, call them and describe what they must do to reach safety.

The system does not always provide real-time data, Rose says, but instead pinpoints the location of the most recent RFID transmission—that is, when the miner last came within range of an RFID reader, and which reader it was. Based on the sequence of transmissions, he explains, as well as information regarding the miner's work assignment for that day, dispatchers can approximate that miner's location.

Tunnel Radio software also allows a user to pull up manifests listing who is in a particular tunnel at any given time, Rose says, and who has recently entered or exited. During an evacuation, for example, a manager can watch names leave the "in" manifest and appear in the "out" manifest.

Rose has been at mines when accidents have occurred, he says, noting, "The first thing managers ask is, 'Who's in?'" At any given time, a mining company may have employees, contractors, electricians, inspectors and various other visitors within its tunnels. "If everyone is electronically tracked, you have a really good idea of who is where," he says.

Tunnel Radio is providing the MineAx Bird Dog system to existing customers using the two-way radio system, and also has some new customers for the combined solution. "We're a one-stop shop, and people really like that," Rose states. Some mines span as much as 80 miles, he says, and the system can transmit data throughout their length. The system has received the requisite Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and State of West Virginia approvals for operating in that state's mines.

Combining RFID with existing communication systems is a natural fit, says Allan Griebenow, Axcess' president and CEO. Because the wireless backbone is already in place, he adds, it is logical to employ that same backbone for RFID tracking.

According to Griebenow, the active RFID tag is small enough that a person can easily carry it into the mine, but has a transmission range of 150 feet to 1,000 feet in optimal conditions. UHF-based transmissions are the best in this environment, he says, because they are robust and do not interfere with any existing Wi-Fi systems.

Axcess is currently working on further features for the DOT tags and readers, including panic buttons for miners in emergency conditions, as well as sensor capabilities that would transmit a person's temperature or indicate whether that individual is moving.

The state of Kentucky has also been looking into RFID tracking systems that work in tandem with communications backbones. Last week, Foundation Telecommunications Inc. (FTI) completed a pilot for the state using its own satellite communications and tracking system, combined with Axcess RFID tags and communications hardware and integration services from Architron XRF.

The 30-day trial was completed on Sept. 19. In this case, the research team utilized a system of tunnels closely resembling the coal mines of Kentucky. FTI placed 12 wireless nodes every 250 feet throughout the tunnels, which are located in Missouri. Each node, provided by Architron, contained an Axcess interrogator, a telephone handset, a video camera and a computer keyboard that enabled voice, data and video communications.

Testers carried Axcess RFID tags in their pockets, and the tags' 315 to 433 MHz RF signals were picked up by the wireless nodes. In this case, the nodes could forward such data as the individual's ID number, as well as any voice or video data, via an 802.11 wireless mesh system. When the information reached the tunnel's surface, it was received by a satellite dish that then transmitted it to FTI's satellite hub in Salt Lake City.

From there, explains Byron del Castillo, Architron's CEO, the data was made available on a Web server that authorized users in remote locations could then access via the Internet to gain information regarding the miners' location in the tunnels, or real-time audio or video images of what was happening in the mine. Because the nodes were placed 250 feet apart, and since the RFID readers proved able to receive transmissions at about 125 feet, FTI had real-time visibility the entire time a miner was in the tunnels.

The wireless mesh system, del Castillo says, enabled multiple transmissions, including voice, RF data and video, all to be directed to the Internet-based system. "At any time," he explains, "if there was a collapse, we would know what zone they are in."

Kentucky has approved the initial pilot's results, and the system must now receive MSHA approval before FTI can commence marketing it to Kentucky mines. FTI first began discussing such a system with the state approximately two years ago, according to FTI's president and CEO, George Livergood.

"We started looking at RFID companies, and we came across Axcess and liked the technology path they were taking," Livergood says. "That was when we hooked up with them [Axcess and Architron]. With this system, you could be in a conference room in Kentucky and see a miner down in a tunnel in Missouri."

The FTI software system displays a list of employee names, and when a name is selected, it also provides pictures and other details about that particular miner. While awaiting MSHA approval, Livergood says, researchers plan to spend several more weeks working out the mounting of the nodes on tunnel walls. The nodes must be installed within 3 inches of the ceiling, he says, noting. "We've proven without a doubt that wireless mesh works."

© Copyright 2002-2009 RFID Journal LLC.

http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleprint/4336/-1/1

FTI Newsletter Dec. 2009

Quarterly newsletter printed by FTI showcasing our latest developments and accomplishments. See what new products and services we now provide and review our projects completed throughout the year.

Vol. 3; Issue 6

FTI Newsletter Dec. 2009

SCOLA Announces Launch of 8th Channel

FTI is proud to announce the launch of the 8th SCOLA broadcast channel. Founded over twenty-three (23) years ago in 1986, SCOLA is a non-profit educational organization that receives and re-transmits digital television programming from around the world in native languages to an estimated 41 million viewers via satellite and has announced the launch of “SCOLA Eight Eurasia”. The eighth channel is the most recent addition to the SCOLA channel line-up which includes:

• Channel One - Europe
• Channel Two - Spanish & Portuguese 
• Channel Three - The Confucius Institute Channel—Mandarin Chinese 
• Channel Four - Asia Channel Eight - Eurasia
• Channel Five - Africa
• Channel Six - Middle East & Near East
• Channel Seven - Far East (South Asia)

SCOLA’s eight satellite channels broadcast 24 hours a day seven days a week from 115 countries in more than 100 languages. That is over 70,000 hours of programming a year broadcast to approximately 41 million viewers. This adds another level of excellence to this premier provider of foreign language training and cultural awareness providing educational programming to Universities, Colleges, K-12 schools, cable systems, government language schools and individuals. SCOLA is the best source for Satellite provided content for current foreign language news, language study and cultural enhancement.

“SCOLA has always been very proud to be the near sole-source provider for the Less Commonly Taught and Virtually Never Taught languages,” said Francis Lajba, SCOLA President and CEO. “We are the go-to network for incredibly hard to get countries and languages.”

SCOLA emphasizes the importance and effectiveness of modern information technology as a tool in overcoming barriers to global understanding and will remain at the forefront of its applications. FTI is honored to be the sole provider of satellite related hardware and technical support to the SCOLA organization.

Foundation Telecommunications, Inc. has been providing SCOLA uninterrupted satellite network technical and operational support for over fifteen (15) years and anticipates many more years as the network continues to grow and evolve technically.

For more information about SCOLA and their broadcasts visit http://www.scola.org

President's Corner:

2009 is a benchmark year for Foundation Telecommunications, Inc. with much to look back on since its original incorporation in 1979. Thirty years of continuously providing telecommunications solutions through innovative applications of leading edge satellite and wireless technologies has served both the company and its clients well over the years. Some of those include:

• 15 years of continuous engineering support for SCOLA, a non-profit institution now serving over 41 million viewers with foreign language programming
• 17 years of the provision of continuous uninterrupted two-way high-speed satellite Internet to extremely rural geographically isolated K-12 schools in the Wyoming Equality Network
• 17 years of providing two-way high-speed Internet and secured VPN services via satellite technology to schools, businesses, government agencies, cable television companies, Internet Service Providers and others

The next decade promises to include the development of even more impressive telecommunications technologies that will allow higher data rates at lower power requirements providing wireless services direct to end users over wider distances more reliably than every before.

FTI Product Spotlight: PRI in the SKY!

Foundation Telecommunications, Inc.announces the newest lineup in satellite services available to small and large companies alike. An addition to our satellite internet backup solutions, PRI in the SKY, a telephone system recovery service that restores your existing PRI service instantly in the event of a disaster or service interruption.

After an outage occurs, PRI in the Sky™ enables your existing phone system to switch over to a satellite connection, instantly restoring normal functionality and turning every connected station into a satellite phone.

PRI in the Sky™ is compatible with Avaya, Nortel, Lucent, Cisco, NEC, 3COM, Alcatel, Mitel and any other system using PRI/ISDN for carrier connections.

A single satellite dish can support up to 92 concurrent calls in multiple formats (PRI, analog, E & M trunks) and simultaneously provide backup internet service.

Other PRI in the Sky™ benefits include:

• Always on, easy to test
• Move a PRI connection anywhere there’s broadband internet access with Portable PRI™
• Circumvent carrier failure and/or congestion
• Backup internet service simultaneously provided
• Included Voice Recovery Service™ provides unrivaled flexibility and control: route some calls to PRI in the Sky™, others to mobile phones, landlines, other locations, voicemail, and more, all controllable remotely in real-time
• Voice Recovery Service™ also provides complete backup to PRI in the Sky™ in case of power failure, equipment failure, or evacuation
• VoiceCast mass notification (voice, text, email) and Fax Recovery Service™ are included
• Satisfy compliance requirements (including 2009 Joint Commission EM.02.02.01)
• May qualify for ASPR, DHS and other federal and state grant programs

After an outage, PRI in the Sky™ satellite-enables your entire existing phone system, and every phone connected to it.

In partnership with Telecom Recovery, this service rapidly restores control of incoming calls during telecom outages, whether caused by power outage, equipment failure, cable cut or disaster.

• Quickly recover all your existing numbers, including DID’s and toll-frees
  
• Recover from all types of outages and disasters, even catastrophes such as Katrina and 9/11
  
• Unparalleled control during the outage with the Web Call Controller™
  
• Connect live calls to the right employees – during your outage – even employees still inside the building that's experiencing the outage
  
• Highly transparent and professional to callers, who may have no idea you're experiencing an outage
  
• Unlimited voicemail boxes are included, to back up every phone number, every extension, every department, every employee
  
• Easily testable, with free minutes to burn every month
  
• No hardware, No software, No change of carriers
  
• Scalable, from small business to enterprise
  
• Surprisingly affordable, with No declaration or activation charges
  
  
•  VoiceCast Mass Notification--rapidly sends messages to thousands of people; voice, SMS/text, and/or email messages, and more...
  
• Fax Recovery Service--recover incoming faxes after almost any outage or disaster, secure online storage of originals, immediate delivery to email as PDF or TIFF, and more...
  
• Emergency Information Hotline--Always on, always ready, unlimited recordings, unlimited voicemail, multiple languages supported and more...
  
• Compliance/BCDR Plan-satisfies compliance requirements in many industries, hard/soft copies provided, diagrams, and much more...
  
• Many cool tools to enhance your service: instant conferencing, polling, boomerang, uniform call distribution, and much much more...
  

Phone outages are no fun. In a disaster, a lack of communication can be deadly. Though more common outages such as cable cuts and equipment failure are more temporary, they can still be quite costly, and they're always embarrassing to your organization's reputation.

What kind of pain do you feel when the phone lines are down? How much pain do your callers feel?

Telecom Recovery is a pioneer in the rapid recovery of communications after a telecommunications outage, with a unique focus on the restoration of the incoming calls to existing phone numbers. With the partnership of Telecom Recovery's Voice Recovery Service™ and FTI's satellite internet system, complete control of incoming calls to all phone numbers – including individual DID's – can be restored in only minutes, allowing callers to be handled in almost any way imaginable, and enabling quick adaptation to changing circumstances on-the-fly, even while calls are in progress.

There's no hardware or software to buy or install and it works seamlessly with existing carriers and equipment. It's powerful, fast, flexible, comprehensive, and perhaps best of all, affordable.

If you want to see a real-time demonstration of one of the coolest – or hottest – technologies you've ever seen, contact us soon to schedule a time. It takes less than an hour, and it will surprise and impress you with its capability and value.