If you are a Linux user in the business world, you have definitely run into issues using the popular web conferencing services, such as, Microsoft Live Meeting, Citrix GoToMeeting, and Cisco WebEx.

Unfortunately, there are not allot of options out their for the Linux community, but I have found one that works very well on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines, ReadyTalk.

I have tried a few different services on the net, such as Spreed, but all of them seemed to have their own set of issues.  ReadyTalk, on the other hand, is stable platform agnostic, and reasonably priced.  Don´t get me wrong, it is not perfect, but it works well and has enough features that makes it very usable in a professional work environment.

So, if you are running Linux, and are in the market for an enterprise ready web conferencing service, I recommend that you consider ReadyTalk.  You can access their site by Clicking Here.

If the End-User experience and Cost are important to you, then you owe it to yourself and your company to explore the idea of leveraging the public Internet to connect all of your sites instead of using the traditional MPLS solutions.

Let´s look at this idea a little more closely.  At first blush, there may be a few ¨C¨ level executives, and even a few Enterprise Architects, that may think this sounds like a reckless idea.  However, when we consider that the same physical circuits, equipment, and facilities that support the MPLS networks also support the public Internet networks, this idea may start to make good business sense.

The days of the home based Internet Service Providers (ISP) are, for the most part, over.  The ISP landscape today is provided by large telecommunication Service Providers, who also provide many other network services, such as MPLS.  As such, if we look at Service Providers like Level 3 Networks, Global Crossing, AT&T, Sprint, Telstra, Telecom South Africa, Internet Solutions, British Telecom, etc..., all of whom are well known for their Global MPLS networks, are also Internet Service Providers. 

The question is, do we get a better, more reliable service from these companies through their MPLS products compared to their Internet products?  I say no.

The reason for this is that their MPLS products and Internet products both share the same physical backbone.  All of the Routers, Circuits, ATM switches, Fiber, Node Sites, etc..., all carry both product sets.  Therefore, there is no physical advantage between the two.

Now let´s compare the pricing.  With MPLS, we pay for Access Circuits, Premises Equipment, Ports, and Class of Service (CoS).  We also pay for Performance Service Level Agreements (SLA) through the purchase of Class of Service.  With Internet, we pay for Access Circuits, Premises Equipment, and Ports, though the Access Circuits and Ports are usually bundled into one price.  There are usually no Classes that can be purchased and no SLA´s with Internet.  The result is that Internet is priced significantly less than MPLS in-spite of the fact that they both use the same physical elements to send packets between two points.

So, if there is no reliability benefit and the cost is less, why are we not using the Internet instead of MPLS?  I don´t have a clean answer to provide you.  It seems that this is a very personal choice for many people, sort of a comfort zone scenario.

I for one will always look at the public networks before MPLS, as the financials, resiliency, and flexibility of the Internet are simply no match for MPLS.

You may have heard that Expand Networks has recently run into a deeper level of financial trouble.  Well, what will this next round mean for their installed base?

What does this mean for all of the Expand customers who depend on their technology to manage their WAN traffic?  In the immediate near future, it might not mean a whole lot, but I suspect that in the not to far off future it may have a very negative impact on the installed base.

My suggestion to the Expand Networks customer base is to start considering your options and start preparing for a transition.  If you decide to stay with Expand in the hopes that they will be purchased, you will still be faced with a transition as the new company steps in and changes everything.  If you prepare properly, and early, you will be in a better position to maneuverer when the time comes to make a decision.

I would suggest that you take this opportunity to re-evaluate the competitive landscape, and maybe to update your WAN Optimization technology across the board.  This news just might be the catalyst needed to move you to the next generation of WAN Optimization.

To read more about the receivership, please Click Here.

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