There was a great variety of exhibitors as well, and many speakers and presentations to choose from at ITEXPO. It was a great opportunity to hear not only others’ perspectives on the industry and the rise of cloud communications, but to have our own CSO Louis Hayner’s view reinforced. Conferences like ITEXPO help the telecommunications industry and its respective business members to keep innovating and forging ahead with new technologies, products and fresh marketing ideas. Not only was I able to view and analyze what other vendors and their booths had to offer, but I was able to stand in our booth to explain and demonstrate why Alteva and USA Datanet’s products are standouts in the marketplace. The event not only strengthened and deepened my knowledge on the status of the industry, but also my knowledge of our own products. I learned little facts and tricks that I hadn’t previously known just from listening to my colleagues’ presentations to prospective wholesale and channel partners.

I guess it is true what they say. Sometimes you have you have to get lost (or just get away) to find yourself.

Elizabeth Backus
Product Manager
WVT Communications Group

With USA Datanet’s Unified Communications solution, your employees can do business from anywhere, never miss a call or message, listen to voice mail messages right from their email inbox or on their cell phone, move their calls from desktop to cell, and can see their coworkers’ availability via presence status – all drastically improving their productivity. When working on their desktop, they will be able to see when a co-worker is available, make phone calls, bring a co-worker into a call, add video conferencing or share their desktop with a click of a mouse. Time is money.

With the cost of fuel rising all the time, the expense of traveling continues to skyrocket. Microsoft’s Live Meeting tool eliminates unnecessary travel by giving the users the ability to easily share their desktops and utilize audio and web conferencing. Time is money.

So what is your competition doing? UC is expected to grow to $30 billion by 2013. Information Week reports from a December 2011 survey of over 300 Business Tech Professionals that the use of UC jumped 6% in 2011 to 36% and an additional 31% said they plan on deploying UC within 24 months. Can you afford to wait? The clock is ticking…..

Frank Cafarchio
Channel Manager
USA Datanet

This could have been avoided if her company had been prepared with a data back-up system. Can you imagine losing all of your files, folders & emails? Or the dreaded blue screen of death appears?! Regardless of industry, no business can lose all of its files without becoming utterly crippled as a result.

What if the sprinkler system goes off in your building, destroying all electronic systems, files and inventory? Can your business still function? Your business could be hit with something unexpected that interferes with your ability to perform business operations. How long before you are up and running the next day, week or month?

What’s your backup plan? Two different data backup systems to consider:

• On premise – Automatic backups take place while your computer is not in use. Scheduled backups can be performed daily or weekly at a specified time of day.
• Remote – Remote Backup works basically like regular data backup software, with one important difference. Instead of sending backups to a tape drive or other media attached to the computer it is backing up, Remote Backup sends the backup over regular telephone lines or network connections to another computer safely offsite, in a secure, protected location.

Don’t let this happen to you, be proactive and look into a Data Backup System for your Company.

Judith Walter
Channel Manager
USA Datanet

Let’s start with safety and security then deal with the question of compliance. Most small and medium sized businesses initially start using the “cloud” for one or more business applications that are provided as Software as a Service (SaaS). The “cloud” provider has those applications running in a secure data center on redundant hardware and in many cases, they will keep multiple copies of that data housed in different geographic locations. In most cases, these secure data centers provide a far superior level of safety, security and back-up than most small and medium sized businesses can provide on their own premises.

So, the question of your data being safe and secure in the “cloud” can be answered with a resounding “yes!” – but that is just one piece of the safety and security issue. The key to obtaining the real value of “cloud” computing is the ability to securely access that data anytime and from anywhere. In this regard businesses themselves must take appropriate steps to decide who can access those applications and the underlying data. “Cloud” providers will require user names and passwords and in some cases provide other management tools but in the end it is up to the businesses to monitor and provide security as to whom has access and when that access will be terminated or denied.

Passwords with a high level of security are the first step businesses must take. The word (password) is not a high security level password. As we see more businesses moving to “cloud” based applications, you are starting to see an increase in dual factor identification. The first factor is the password the user has assigned to them. The second is something the user has that will identify them. Fingerprint and retina scans, as well as tokens, are examples of that second factor of identification.

So there you have it, “cloud” providers give businesses the physical and back-up security businesses want and need. When businesses put in place the proper processes to insure secure access, then “cloud” computing can truly provide the operational and financial advantages it was designed to deliver.

Now let’s talk about compliance because that is something else entirely. When you talk about compliance the three regulations most often mentioned in “cloud” computing discussions are HIPPA, SOX and PCI.

HIPPA is the standards and rules regarding “personal health information” and how different health entities and providers use and protect that information.

SOX is the acronym for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a law passed to protect investors by requiring publicly reporting companies to adhere to specific rules and regulations.

PCI compliance is a set of rules and standards in the financial sector that governs electronic transactions and how the data must be treated, stored and secured in transit.

Now that we know the main regulatory acts we can address the question of “cloud” computing and whether the “cloud” provider is compliant. “Cloud” computing services are not and should not be considered compliant. Compliance to these laws and regulations is the responsibility of the organizations covered by those requirements. This doesn’t mean that “cloud” computing services can’t help organizations better meet those regulations and requirements but the responsibility lies entirely with the regulated organization.

John Vaughan
Channel Manager
USA Datanet

WARWICK , NY & NEW ORLEANS, LA – October 17, 2011 – WVT Communications Group (NASDAQ: WWVY), the holding company of leading cloud communications pioneers, today announced that its Chief Operating Officer, David Cuthbert, is a featured keynote speaker at the upcoming Cloud Services Summit, October 25th in New Orleans, LA. Co-located with the TelcoTV Conference and Expo, which draws over 2,500 telecom executives, the executive summit focuses on the cloud services business opportunity for broadband carriers. David will present from 8:45-9:15am.

Many broadband carriers haven’t been able to do much with hosted services yet or are still in the earlier stages of their cloud strategy formulation. In order to get out of being perceived as a typical broadband provider, it’s important that they monetize their broadband infrastructure by embracing the power of the cloud.

“In its 2010 predictions, Gartner predicts that by 2012, twenty percent of businesses will own no IT assets. Businesses are slowly but surely realizing the benefits to the customer of cloud-based technologies are unsurpassed. By monetizing their broadband infrastructure with cloud and managed services, broadband providers can add significant value to their networks,” said Cuthbert. “I am excited to offer my insight and share WVT Communications Group’s vision for cloud and managed services at the Summit, and educate attendees on how the cloud business opportunity can fit into their long term business goals.”

Cloud and managed services represents one of the more promising business opportunities for broadband carriers, giving them tools to escape the ‘dumb pipe’ trap. The Cloud Services Summit will focus on important cloud and managed services topics including the growing role of video service delivery from the cloud, the growing importance of the data center to broadband carriers, and an exploration of the impact of both business and consumer apps from the cloud.

The event will provide educational, networking, and business development opportunities for both the broadband carrier and cloud services ecosystems.

About David Cuthbert:

For me, this was a truly welcoming experience. I, like many of my fellow employees, was unsure of what to expect, unsure of how people would relate to one another and unsure of what was expected of me. However, once we all came together on the first evening, it was apparent that although we may have been apprehensive at first, we were all starting to realize that we’re all in this together – coming together for the common good of an organization where the sky is the limit. It was wonderful to see folks mingling and introducing themselves and asking not only about what people did in their jobs but about their families and what they enjoyed outside of the office. Many of us discovered common interests and talents and it was nice to see the smiles and hear the laughter in the room as everyone started coming together. It was my personal goal to meet every single person in that room and learn more about everyone and as I was going around to each table and introducing myself I was thankful for how open and welcoming everyone was and amazed at the amount of talent, knowledge and skills that each one of us brings to the table.

During the sessions on the second day, we focused on who we are, where we are going, and how we’re going to get there. We provided everyone with additional tools and resources to move forward towards coming together and uniting as one organization. We learned a little bit more about one another, heard from our leaders, and received answers to many of our questions and in the spirit of coming together and doing the best we can for every employee announced new enhanced benefits for all of our workforce. We came together in small teams at first and had some fun putting all of our different skills to work and then became larger teams and developed team songs reflective of what we experienced throughout our two days and in all sessions the teams and their songs focused on TEAMWORK. It’s important to retain that focus as we move forward and remember that although individually we have a lot to offer, if we share our knowledge, suggest new ideas, listen to alternative points of view, and recognize the value in collaborating with our peers, then we can take the energy from boot camp and use it to cultivate and develop one of the most dynamic workforces in the Unified Communications arena today.

I’m thrilled to be part of this new organization and look forward to working with each and every employee as we continue our journey!

Rachel Romeo
Director, Human Resources
Employee Relations & Development
WVT Communications Group

Cloud Services Summit to Explore Broadband Service Provider Cloud Strategies

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