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Online Networking
I am quite new to online networking and currently use OpenBC. I have found it to be a fantastic tool and have made some brilliant contacts, probably some of the best that I have ever made. I do feel, however, that I am maybe missing out on other similar sites. I was wondering if there are any other online networking sites that you guys use that I might find useful?
Newletter software is still elusive
Anyone with a good newletter software or preferable WYSIWYG service that 'will allow me to import' my CSV or TXT list that I have built in my own outdated system. Want to import the lists, build the mailing and let it fly. Have about 2-3,000 opt in that are being wasted without the right solution.
email marketing - email lists
I am looking into creating an email marketing campaign and I have been looking around for a good source of opt-in email addresses. There seems to be quite a bit out there with varying prices. Does anybody have a good source they have worked with in the past, that can provide good email lists of consumers? Ideally I would like to target consumers with a medium to high income and who are health conscious.
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03.17.06
Meeting
Your Bandwidth Requirements For SCM Applications
 By
Michael Lemm
As I pointed out in a previous article, Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a complex
animal.
The key to a successful SCM implementation is a clear understanding of the business
objectives and business requirements of the company the SCM primarily supports.
This often includes a number of legacy systems which need to be integrated into
the solution. From this will come the technical objectives to be met and the technical
requirements that frame the solution. Only then will the commmunication requirements
for bandwidth capacity, reliability, resiliancy, latency, security, and expandability
be meaningful.
Here's just 2 such technical aspects.....
Frame Relay
Frame relay initially had several advantages over the alternative solutions for
SCM and other multi site and multi company communications networks.
The first advantage was with circuit costs. For a multi site network, the traditional
approach was a large number of point to point circuits. Each circuit required
a router port, a CSU, and often a circuit monitoring module. With milage based
pricing, each circuit represented a significant recurring cost on top of the initial
hardware costs. Router sizing was often a factor of ports supported rather than
performance capability.
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Frame relay exchanged the point to point circuit costs with an access circuit,
typically at less than 1/10th of the cost. With port speeds from DS0 to DS3, multiple
sites could be connected with a single port at each site. A partial or full mesh,
even with full redundancy, could be accomplished with very few router ports and
CSU at each site. This represented significant capital savings.
Using fractional T1 and T3 on the access circuits, frame relay made expanding
capacity between sites relatively painless. Port changes within the frame relay
provider's network was often a configuration change. Expanding the actual circuits
was typically a configuration change on the CSU and DACS.
Adding new sites was often accomplished with physical changes at the new site
only. The new PVC across the frame relay network and at the existing site(s) was
a configuration change. Depending on the routers used and the routing protocol
implemented, this might be accomplished without a maintenance window.
The PVC approach allowed for additional security. A given location could be directed
to a specific port within the DMZ, limiting the exposure of one's own network
to other vendors within the SCM network. Firewalls at each end allowed each company
to control its own security. The frame relay network was vulnerable to external
monitoring at very few points, and the relationship of PVC traffic to specific
customer required specific network design information.
Frame relay offered the ability to have a disaster recovery site support multiple
locations. PVC between the disaster location and other locations could be defined
in the configuration, allowing dynamic implementation of the disaster recovery
network.
As a circuit protocol, frame relay functions independent of other protocols. This
segmentation allowed IPX, IP, SNA, and other system communications protocols to
be implemented over the same paths. If desired, each of these could have its own
PVC and bandwidth, or they could all operate over a common path. Finally, the
bandwidth and performance could be established specifically to site pairs on a
PVC basis.
For a vendor that participated in multiple SCM networks, frame relay represented
real cost savings. Instead of a new circuit for each network, a PVC could be established.
Instead of 6 week circuit installation delays, service could be established in
hours.
----
So why the past tense? The advantages of frame relay are now achieved via the
Internet. The timeframes for implementation have been reduced from hours to minutes.
Encryption has advanced beyond the security offered by isolated paths. Advances
in application based routing can achieve availablity assurances. Legacy protocols
have been largely replaced by IP.
There are still times when frame relay is the best choice based on business requirements
or technical constraints. But a robust bandwidth network (e.g. OC3 or OC12 bandwidth....perhaps
with GigE connectivity) applying IP protocols will enable a seemless flow of information
without risking security concerns.
Emerging Technologies
The most notable is Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID. RFID tags are essentially
barcodes on steroids. Whereas barcodes only identify the product, RFID tags can
tell what the product is, where it has been, when it expires, whatever information
someone wishes to program it with. RFID technology is going to generate mountains
of data about the location of pallets, cases, cartons, totes and individual products
in the supply chain. It's going to produce oceans of information about when and
where merchandise is manufactured, picked, packed and shipped. It's going to create
rivers of numbers telling retailers about the expiration dates of their perishable
items--numbers that will have to be stored, transmitted in real-time and shared
with warehouse management, inventory management, financial and other enterprise
systems. In other words, it is going to have a really big impact.
Another benefit of RFIDs is that, unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be read automatically
by electronic readers. Imagine a truck carrying a container full of widgets entering
a shipping terminal in China. If the container is equipped with an RFID tag, and
the terminal has an RFID sensor network, that container's whereabouts can be automatically
sent to Widget Co. without the truck ever slowing down. It has the potential to
add a substantial amount of visibility into the extended supply chain.
Right now the two biggest hurdles to widespread RFID adoption are the cost of
building the infrastructure and the lack of agreed-upon industry standards. But
regardless...RFID implementation will be bandwidth intensive to retrieve and disseminate
the mountain of information such a tool will provide.
Summary
The answer to how to meet bandwidth requirements for SCM applications is as complex
as ever. The addition of emerging technologies like RFID into the mix of legacy
point-to-point approaches, the frame relay darling, and the simplification afforded
by OCx backed IP protocols....means your IT staff will be pegging their stress
meter trying to make a decision. To navigate the aspect involving researching
and acquiring the right bandwidth solution....do yourself a favor. Use the services
of an independent unbiased consultant such as FreedomFire Communications to navigate
the minefield for you. Your IT staff will love you for it.
About the Author:
LTD
Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications .... including Business-VoIP-Solution.com
Michael also authors Broadband
Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand
news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses. |
