Solve Q2 2015

What You Must Ask Your CIO pg 6

Medicine’s Tech Revolution pg 12

Cloud Jargon Decoded pg 24

SPRING 2015

DIVERSITY THE POWER OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 1

3/30/15 10:11 AM

Press play on the power of the new network.

Tune into our podcasts to learn about the latest technologies and applications that are transforming business communications.

Big Data is a Big Deal: Everyone is talking about big

data, but not many people really understand it. Hear stories from real companies on how big data is playing a big role in their businesses.

Networked Healthcare: Extending the Boundaries for Patient Care: This podcast explores the inextricable relationship between medical care, telecommunications and telemedicine.

Managed Network Service: The Benefits of Outsourcing: Take a look at Managed Network Services and the IT benefits of outsourcing infrastructure management.

For these podcast episodes and more, visit business.twc.com/podcast

Products and services not available in all areas. Some restrictions apply. Subject to change without notice. Time Warner Cable Business Class is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. Used under license. ©2015 Time Warner Enterprises LLC. All rights reserved.

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 2

3/30/15 10:11 AM

SPRING 2015 | VOLUME 2 | NO.2

Features

Departments L ETTER TO THE RE ADER

p. 06

8 CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CIO Get beyond security and into strategy.

08

EMPLOYEE TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS

A cost effective three-step approach Plus: Should you take learning online?

12

N EED TO KN OW

03 The Business Case for Diversity SAL ES AN D MARKETI NG

p.

p.

02 A Fresh Look at Growth

HEALTH CARE’S NEW HIGH-TECH TOUCH Telemedicine today—and tomorrow

p. 16

DIVERSITY: THE POWER OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

Why respect is not enough; ways to build a pipeline; how one company does diversity; research that reaches out

04 A New Way to Think About Your Company Logo F IEL D REPORTS

05 B&B Electric Taps Into Voice Power A mid-size firm gets bigcompany benefits from its new voice system.

10 San Antonio Kidney Disease Center: A Solution for Robust Healthcare A leading nephrology practice gets up to speed.

22 Polaris Automation: When Security Needs Meet Speed An engineering firm provides fast and safe service for manufacturing clients worldwide.

SUCCESS IN ACTION

Chief Talk: CEOs Tell How Technology Is Transforming Their Businesses 20 Sandra De Ovando: Beauty and the Bottom Line

GUIDE TO GO

24 Decoding Tech Jargon A down-to-earth guide to the cloud Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 1

1

3/30/15 10:11 AM

LETTER TO THE READER

SPRING 2015 | VOLUME 2 | NO.2 RSL MEDIA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A Fresh Look at Growth TODAY, THE NOTION OF “DIVERSITY” as a core business strength is not up for debate. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of a diverse workforce; our infographic on page 3 shows just a few of them.

But you likely don’t need statistics to be convinced. The increasing diversity of the U.S. population, and the globalization of businesses of every size, are clear indicators that variety will be the key to growth for your business. Excitingly, the latest thinking on diversity doesn’t focus simply on race, ethnicity, and gender—important as those are—but on leveraging different viewpoints and backgrounds to enrich your business strategies and serve your customers.

The question is, how can your company fully reap diversity’s benefits? It’s a more attainable goal than you may think, and it doesn’t require exorbitant amounts of money or resources. In our special section beginning on page 16, SOLVE provides hands-on advice from experts for finding the candidates you need, attracting them to your company, and leading them well.

Diversity is a core value here at Time Warner Cable Business Class—in our workforce, in our market, and in our best-in-class services and products. We know that in diversity lies our strength—and our power to help your business succeed in every possible way.

Robert Levin SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR

Lee Lusardi Connor ART DIRECTION

Jim Nissen DESIGNER

Jaclyn Threadgill

TIME WARNER CABLE BUSINESS CLASS CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Stephanie Anderson GROUP VICE PRESIDENT – MID-MARKET, CHANNELS AND ALLIANCES

Jeff Greenberg SENIOR DIRECTOR – CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE MARKETING

Orlando Betancourt MARKETING MANAGER

Nafeisa Shukair © 2015 Time Warner Cable Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. Time Warner Cable and the Time Warner Cable logo are trademarks of Time Warner Inc. Used under license.

Jeff Greenberg Group Vice President – Mid-Market, Channels and Alliances

Must What You

Ask Your

CIO pg 6

Tech Medicine’s

pg Revolution

12

n Decoded Cloud Jargo

pg 24

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

ITY DIVERS WER OF THE PO

2

DIFFER

ENT PERS

PECTIVE

S

Talk to us! How did you like this issue, and what should we cover next? Write to SolveMagazine@twcable.com. See previous issues at www.solvemagazine.com. And if you've worked with TWCBC to SOLVE your technology challenges, we'd like to hear about it for future issues. Visit business.twc.com/nomination to share your story.

All trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Material in this publication must not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission.

This magazine includes content created by third parties not affiliated with Time Warner Cable Inc. Time Warner Cable does not control or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of third party information nor does it endorse the views expressed or products/services offered by third parties.

All users accessing third party websites are subject to the policies of those websites.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 2

3/30/15 10:11 AM

T,

LLC.

and marks se.

their licad in

ed me does or on d or ies. s are es.

NEED TO KNOW

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR

DIVERSITY

To find out how to leverage diversity for your own business, turn to our special section beginning on page 16.

FOR YOUR WORKFORCE

Between 2000 and 2050, new immigrants and their children will account for

83 percent of the growth in the working-age population.1 Two thirds of job seekers say diversity is an important issue when deciding whether to work for a company.2

FOR YOUR MARKET

As of 2014, people of color (African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American) had a combined buying power of

$3 trillion.5

As of 2013, the adult lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community had an estimated buying power of

$830 billion.6

Sources: 1.) Congressional Budget Office, “The Role of Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market,” 2005.

2.) Glassdoor Diversity Hiring Survey, 2014.

3.) Stanley F. Slater, Robert A. Weigand, Thomas J. Zwirlein, “The Business Case for Diversity,” 2008.

FOR YOUR BUSINESS RESULTS

American companies with a strong commitment to diversity outperform their non-diverse peers. According to a 2008 study, the median difference in their net profit margins was a positive 2.7 percent per year.3 A study of the S&P 500 showed that businesses committed to promoting minority and women workers more than doubled their annualized return on investment to 18.3 percent over a fiveyear period compared to companies that didn’t.4

FOR YOUR INNOVATION

At companies with “two-dimensional” diversity (both inherent and acquired through experience), inclusive leadership is able to “unlock” employee potential.

Compared to non-diverse companies, these organizations are

70 percent

more likely to have captured a new market in the past 12 months, and employees are 75 percent more likely to have had a marketable idea implemented.7

4.) Credit Suisse Research Institute, 2012.

5.) Selig Center for Economic Growth, University of Georgia Terry College of Business.

6.) Witeck Communications analysis, November 2013.

7.) Innovation, Diversity and Market Growth Report, 2013, Center for Talent Innovation.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 3

3

3/30/15 10:11 AM

SALES & MARKETING

A New Way to Think About Your Company Logo Is it telling customers what they need to know?

BY STEVE GOODWIN

W

ith corporate logos plastered virtually everywhere we look these days—on billboards, athletes, and every screen we own—your logo needs to work harder than ever before.

Today, it’s not enough to have a logo that’s merely “memorable.”

The best and most compelling logos must also be meaningful in order to cut through the clutter and provide a snapshot of your organization’s brand values and culture. Your logo must be the visual trigger that reminds all of your audiences— customers, prospects, employees, partners, competitors, investors, and so on—of the unique space your company occupies in their hearts and minds.

As a result, factors such as font, color, and size are only a piece of the logo puzzle. The bigger picture (and the key to achieving meaningfulness) lies in asking yourself what your logo conveys about your company.

For example, take a look at the multiple-award-winning logo of Federal Express. In the word “FedEx,” the not-so-hidden arrow formed by the negative space between the “E” and the “x” speaks to the company’s overarching mission: to deliver straight to you, fast and reliably. A bonus: while the “Fed” part of the logo is always purple, the company uses

4

different colors for the “Ex” portion to distinguish its different lines of business (e.g., orange = air express, green = ground, red = freight).

That’s the kind of thinking that can turbocharge your logo as well.

However, you don’t need legions of marketing staff or a big design budget to create or update a logo. Instead, try these three steps.

CO M PA N Y NAME

the people who matter most—our loyal customers. Ask: What do you value most about our product or service?

How would you describe the feeling you get working with us?

The latter question may seem “squishy” at first, but answers such as “confident,” “secure,” “successful” or other succinct notions will also provide rich direction for evaluating your logo.

1. LOOK INSIDE Convene a small internal group comprised of—and this is key— employees from a wide range of roles and departments. Going around the room, ask each employee to briefly answer the following questions: What makes our company a great place to work?

What makes us different from or better than our competitors?

What do our best customers value most about working with us?

Track the answers and you’ll begin to see how this simple brand exercise yields a number of recurring themes. These can be further honed and prioritized to provide a designer with the authentic “corporate DNA” info needed to illuminate and guide the design process.

3. LOOK ALL AROUND A quick review of the logos of your top competitors will yield a clear picture of the playing field and let you know whether there’s additional room for differentiation in your logo. It’s also the fastest way to understand what your customers and prospects in your market are used to seeing. The answer will help a designer establish parameters for including a variety of on-brand logo options.

Taking this brand-first approach and gathering the most authentic and compelling views of your company will go a long way toward building the blueprint for a meaningful logo that can be produced cost-efficiently.

Remember: brand drives design, not the other way around.

2. LOOK OUTSIDE Pick three or four customers who know your organization well and ask them for a short phone call. Describe the challenge: We’re rethinking our logo and want to incorporate the feedback of

Steve Goodwin is a brand architect and strategist who is a principal with Brandstone.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 4

3/30/15 10:11 AM

FIELD REPORT

IT ENGINEER OLIVER ACKERMANN

B&B Electric Taps Into Voice Power A mid-size firm gets big-company benefits from its new voice system.

THE CHALLENGE: B&B Electric Company of Lexington, Kentucky, recently restructured to focus on commercial utility and power line work. Operating within this specialized market caused call volume to drop, making B&B’s primary rate interface (PRI) costs disproportionately high.

Oliver Ackermann, IT engineer, wanted to cut costs, but also keep the “big company” image supported by PRI features such as high-quality faxing and individual employee phone numbers (or DIDs, for direct inward dialing).

However, Ackermann found that larger providers didn’t have lowerpriced solutions for a business of his size. Smaller telecoms recommended shared bandwidth voice-over-Internetprotocol (VoIP) arrangements, which involved changing existing DIDs. Not only would this arrangement create a bandwidth crunch; B&B would also

have to update all its company business cards and other information.

keep valued calling features—and gain even more features.

THE SOLUTION:

THE RESULT:

Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC) had provided 35 x 5 Mbps Business Internet bandwidth to B&B since 2008. In January 2014, Ackermann was delighted when TWCBC announced SIP Trunk Service—a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional voice services.

Instead of delivering voice service over the public Internet or robbing a business’s data bandwidth, Business Class SIP Trunk service uses TWCBC’s own fiber-rich IP network to deliver a reliable and secure voice solution for as few as six phone lines. Because the service includes dedicated bandwidth for voice calls, voice traffic doesn’t compete for bandwidth with a business’s data service. B&B was able to save money,

Scalability, lower costs, and more options. B&B can now easily add more call paths without affecting the speed of the company’s Internet. The new SIP Trunk service provides Caller ID and automatic call rerouting in the event of service disruption. B&B can now receive faxes without the expense of a separate fax line. The company can also capture data on call volume and other information through the SIP Trunk portal.

The kicker? B&B is saving hundreds of dollars on voice services every month.

SHARE YOUR STORY!

How did you partner with TWCBC to SOLVE your technology issues? Tell us about it for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of SOLVE. Visit business.twc.com/nomination to share your story.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 5

5

3/30/15 10:11 AM

8

CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CIO Get beyond security and into strategy.

Now, we know you’re asking your IT professionals—regularly— about data and network security. But as technology transforms the business landscape, the range of topics on your agenda is no doubt expanding. Silos are falling and big role changes are happening, namely: every business leader is becoming a technology geek, and every IT services leader is becoming a business strategist.

At least, that’s what should be happening. Conversations between the CEO and the CIO (or CTO) should be frequent, strategic, and mutually enlightening. So consider the following essential topics for discussion, all suggested by experts in mid-size-company IT. What would you add to the list? Send your “Critical Questions to Ask the CIO” to SOLVEmagazine@twcable.com, and we’ll consider them for a future article.

6

1

“Do the developers and engineers know the customer use case?”

Non-technical executives might think that product managers make all the decisions on how software works, and engineers just implement the plan. In reality, engineers almost always end up discovering workflows and decision points that were missed when the spec was created. If an engineer doesn’t understand the customers or the use case, he or she will make sub-optimal decisions.

—Neal O’Mara, CTO, HelloSign, San Francisco, California

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 6

3/30/15 10:11 AM

2

“How prepared are we to lead our organization to capitalize on the analytics age?”

The age of analytics is here. Companies that learn to embrace and leverage the vast amounts of data being collected daily can change the courses of their industries. Related questions include: How can we use data and analytics to help create innovative ideas to serve our customers, and to monitor why clients buy from us, and assess our competitive advantage? What skills should we look for when hiring talent that will help us leverage data and technology to empower our business units?

—Heather Cole, president and CIO, Lodestar Solutions, Tampa, Florida

3

“How can we best support employee productivity with mobile technology?”

Organizations need to give the right tools to their staff. Assess what kinds of information your employees need to access, and when—around the clock, only while at work? By asking these questions, CEOs develop a better understanding of their organization’s mobile policy and whether bring your own device (BYOD) is truly the best answer for them. Particularly in manufacturing, retail, and health care, we’re finding that many organizations have simply adopted BYOD without considering other solutions that may be more efficient or cost-effective.

—Mike Lanciloti, vice president of product management and marketing, Spectralink, Boulder, Colorado

4

“What is the best way to outsource parts of our IT function so our team can focus on core competencies?”

7

“What type of legal hold strategy does the company have in place?”

Situations may arise when an IT team’s specific skill sets and knowledge base are not matched to a technology need.

Don’t overlook the opportunity to take advantage of trusted external suppliers.

If a need is identified, ask your CIO to identify top-tier software as a service (SaaS) solutions for faster ROI and better use of internal expertise.

A legal hold strategy must be set by the CIO ahead of time. Once a company is put on notice of potential litigation, it must have a mechanism in place to stop all pre-scheduled destruction of potentially relevant evidence, such as e-mail communications. The CEO and top-level employees must be aware of the legal hold strategy. The failure to have a comprehensive legal hold strategy can result in sanctions.

—Samuel Levin, CEO, MavenWire, Wayne, Pennsylvania

—Gary L. Rotkop, Law Offices of Gary Rotkop, Los Angeles, California

5

“Do we have processes in place to ensure that access to our cloud applications is terminated concurrently with an employee leaving the organization?”

—Dean Wiech, managing director, Tools4ever, Lynbrook, New York

6

”How is our IT team being motivated?”

Mid-size companies can’t offer the perks of a Google or Facebook, but also don’t offer the risk/reward profiles of a startup. How are you keeping a team of talented technologists engaged? Good answers include continuous learning initiatives relevant to tech staff, participation with the wider tech community and sponsorship of open-source or personal software projects.

8

“What will our company, our industry, and our competitive landscape look like in five years, considering the current pace of innovation?”

Technology is moving very, very fast.

Companies that have the insight and execution to drive smarter and faster impact will gain ground and sometimes even eliminate competitors. Is your technology allowing you to gain or lose competitive ground? Will it allow you to survive, thrive—or perish?

—Dan Pickett, CEO, nfrastructure, Clifton Park, New York

—Liza Daly, CTO, Safari Books Online, Sebastopol, California

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 7

7

3/30/15 10:11 AM

EMPLOYEE TRAINING THAT GETS

RESULTS Use this three-step approach to drive engagement—and business growth.

B Y PAT R I C K T. M A L O N E

C

ountless words have been written about how to address a lack of employee engagement.

Rather than add to them, I’ll share a strategy that will allow your company to avoid a lack of engagement all together.

It is this: you increase employee engagement by focusing on employee development. That development can take one of three forms: education, training, or new challenges.

and effectively onboarded them with orientation and training programs over the first 90 to 180 days. This process produced effective employees, and those employees assisted in driving the company’s growth.

Over time, as everyone is consumed with keeping up with business growth, their own personal growth begins to suffer. This is the point at which the seeds of disengagement are planted.

knowledge, skill, and challenge.

Along with your employees, use your current job descriptions to determine the knowledge and skill requirements of each position. Assess each employee against those requirements using “needs improvement,” “meets expectations,” or “exceeds expectations” ratings. You can then build a personalized development plan for each person.

How Development Gets Lost

What Do Your Employees Need?

If the Need Is …

Knowledge

Business growth is a wonderful thing. However, it also tends to mask potential problems until they have grown into real issues that impact productivity and quality.

As a rule, successful mid-market companies have hired great people

Markets evolve, processes are refined, disruptive technologies emerge, competitors proliferate—all of which require a continual assessment, with your employees, of your workforce’s capability. Keep it simple by checking competencies in three broad areas:

For every employee with a “needs improvement” rating in a knowledge category, the answer lies in education.

Education requires information and awareness. It is efficiently accomplished through online technology, newsletters, professional organizations, and other

8

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 8

3/30/15 10:11 AM

SHOULD YOU TAKE LEARNING relatively inexpensive means. Education can be gained in increments while an employee is at his or her desk, rather than spending a half a day or more at a training program.

I recently had a call from a 150-employee manufacturing firm that wanted us to conduct training on occupational safety. Since that issue involves an awareness of safety procedures, it requires an educational solution. I was able to direct them to an online resource that was more efficient and cost-effective than in-person training would have been.

If the Need Is … Skill Education produces awareness; training produces competence. For every employee who has a “needs improvement” rating in a skill category, the answer is training. While some skills can be obtained online, achieving competence usually requires a disciplined coach (whether an in-house mentor or an outside consultant) who can assist the employee to acquire “the feel” of the new skill.

Unfortunately many so-called “training” programs only deliver more information about the subject. They provide a lousy return on investment. In addition, simulations, role plays, games, and so on do not build real skill; they only enhance understanding of the skill.

They are like playing golf on a Wii rather than on a golf course.

What does work is training that produces real business results. For example, I am currently working with a mid-market financial services firm that is building an outside sales force of independent contractors. The training is customized to the particular

organizational requirements and is delivered on a just-in-time basis. No more than 20 percent of training time should be spent “talking about the skill.”

At least 80 percent should be devoted to coached applications that produce realworld work results.

If the Need Is … Challenge Employees who are rated “meets expectations” or “exceeds expectations” in every category are candidates for expanded roles and responsibilities.

This is where mid-market companies have the advantage, because they are big enough to allow this form of development, but flexible enough to enact it without a lot of bureaucracy.

I worked with a 50-employee technical services firm with highly competent senior technicians who were becoming bored. The CEO was able to identify half a dozen different growth areas in the organization, including customer service and reallocation of technical resources. Then we went to the senior people and offered them the opportunity to take on these expanded roles. Most jumped at the chance.

In addition to keeping staff current in their chosen fields, continuous employee development reinforces the commitment between the organization and the employee. It is a recipe for employee engagement that will make all the difference as a company transitions into a larger enterprise.

Patrick T. Malone is a senior partner with The PAR Group, an international training firm, and is a weekly radio host as well as coauthor of Cracking the Code to Leadership.

ONLINE?

Companies frequently turn to e-learning as a cheaper delivery channel than traditional face-to-face training sessions. However, that approach has had mixed results. In fact, some research shows that completion rates for online courses are less than 30 percent.

To enhance effectiveness, try these tips.

1. Use Creative Combinations.

The reality is that you will likely need a hybrid approach. Evaluate which lessons will have more impact in a virtual versus real-world environment. For example, a module on travel and reimbursement policies is well suited for 100 percent online delivery; whereas selling techniques might merit a blended format, with employees first reviewing content online and then participating in a live training session.

2. Crowd-Source Content from Within the Organization.

For too long, instructional content has been farmed out to third parties who don’t have domain expertise equal to that within the company itself. Most progressive organizations today, such as Google, empower employees to create internal training content; this also gets employees more invested in the success of the programs.

Deploy templates and best practice guides to ensure a consistent level of quality.

3. Measure and Adapt.

Admin dashboards can provide all the tools you’ll need for data collection and reporting.

Identify which types of content are being consumed more—video, customer success stories, or something else? E-learning is inherently fluid, so don’t be afraid to make changes on the fly based on your team’s strengths and challenges.

Mohit Garg is the cofounder of MindTickle, a social and gamified online platform that connects learning to business results.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 9

9

3/30/15 10:11 AM

FIELD REPORT

SAKDC IT DIRECTOR PHILIP MOYA

San Antonio Kidney Disease Center: A Solution for Robust Health care

A leading nephrology practice’s network gets up to speed.

THE CHALLENGE:

We’ve added a couple of new locations, and it’s been really easy.

–Philip Moya

10

As one of the largest nephrology practices in Texas, the San Antonio Kidney Disease Center Physician Group (SAKDC) has a network that supports 30 physicians and 100 employees in 15 satellite clinics—all of whom serve thousands of patients.

In addition to standard network tasks, such as Internet traffic and e-mail, SAKDC’s network must efficiently carry the patient management system, scheduling, and the practice’s electronic health records (EHRs).

Further, SAKDC must comply with strict HIPAA privacy and security requirements.

In 2013, however, they realized that T1 lines that connected SAKDC locations were frustratingly inadequate. Bandwidth limitations made doctors impatient with

slow access to EHRs. Philip Moya, SAKDC IT director, solicited bids for a new solution.

THE SOLUTION: The needed bandwidth is now provided by the fiber-rich network of Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC). An Ethernet Private Local Area Network (LAN) ties clinics into the SAKDC main office and data center via two paths. The primary connection is a fiber-optic circuit that links remote clinics with circuits ranging from 5 Mbps to 100 Mbps. Secondary connections are provided by 10 x 1 Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) modems. Should fiber connections go down, the DOCSIS modem establishes a virtual private network (VPN) link back to the main office.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 10

3/30/15 10:11 AM

For symmetrical, high-bandwidth uploads, SAKDC relies on a 20 Mbps Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) circuit.

THE RESULTS: SAKDC now enjoys a high level of redundancy, security, and control over its network.

“We did not want one single point of failure at any of our sites,” Moya explains.

“We were adamant about having two separate paths into the buildings, and Time Warner Cable Business Class did that. The way the circuits are configured, it would take two 18-wheelers simultaneously hitting poles in two different parts of the city to take us out.”

Moya is also confident that SAKDC has found a first-rate solution to its security and privacy needs. “Nobody else’s data touches our network, and vice versa,” he says. “We backhaul all of our Internet access through the main site, which runs through our filters.

If we have to failover off the private network onto the wide-open Internet, everything is encrypted through AES-256 VPN tunnels.” The network is built to attain the high standards required by HIPAA for “data in motion.”

Moya and his expert IT team appreciate the control their TWCBC solution gives them.

“We know how to program routers and how to program failover and failbacks. When we have a problem at a site, I can just log into the router and fix it myself.”

SAKDC now has practical options for scaling the network, and for continuity planning. For example, Moya is thinking of using the existing New Braunfels, Texas, office as a location for a second SAKDC data center.

He knows that with dual-path, redundant fiber connectivity and the control he has over the network, bringing the new data center online would be easy. “All I’ve got to do is call the [TWCBC] team,” he says.

SHARE YOUR STORY!

How did you partner with TWCBC to SOLVE your technology issues? Tell us about it for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of SOLVE. Visit business.twc.com/nomination to share your story.

GRowth iS inEvitaBlE. iS youR nEtwoRk REady?

two out of three it leaders* say demand for bandwidth will increase at their company over the next year. Knowing how much bandwidth your business needs to succeed is key.

When you have enough bandwidth, you have the capacity to run all the applications that drive your business: Mission-Critical Cloud Applications

45.5

Mbps

Big Data File Downloads

Video Collaboration and Conferencing Sample Calculation

Stay ahead of the bandwidth curve by trying our FREE Bandwidth Calculator.

Try the bandwidth calculator today at bandwidth.network-needs.com

Choose from a wide range of applications to calculate your specific bandwidth needs. Five minutes is all it takes to find out if your network is ready for tomorrow.

Time Warner Cable Business Class is here to help make sure your network is ready.

*InformationWeek 2014 Next-Generation WAN Survey

The bandwidth calculator estimates are based upon performance metrics derived from ACG Research, and individual results will vary.

Contact your Time Warner Cable Business Class Account Executive for assistance in refining your bandwidth estimates. Time Warner Cable Business Class is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. Used under license. ©2015 Time Warner Enterprises LLC. All rights reserved.

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 11

3/30/15 10:11 AM

12

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 12

3/30/15 10:11 AM

HEALTH CARE’S NEW HIGH-

TECH

TOUCH I n remote areas of Montana, children with head injuries can now be evaluated via video by a pediatric neurosurgeon. In the past, they had trips of up to nine hours and 500 miles.

In Eastern North Carolina, psychiatric patients who arrive at emergency rooms in 10 rural hospitals now have remote access to psychiatric expertise, where

previously it was limited or nonexistent.

In one year, length of stay for emergency psychiatric patients was reduced by 47 percent, and 30-day recidivism was reduced by 35 percent.

In Kansas, health professionals are using iPad Mini tablets with interactive, encrypted video conferencing for realtime intervention for at-home patients

»BEFORE RECORDED »1860 A BRIEF HISTORY Civil War HISTORY African tribes use smoke battlefield signals to indicate widespread hospitals use the OF REMOTE telegraph to order HEALTH CARE illness.

S

SOURCES: NASA, HEALTH CARE GLOBAL, NATIONAL CENTER FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY INFORMATION

supplies and ask for advice.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 13

13

3/30/15 10:11 AM

with conditions that require an invasive IV catheter. Health professionals can see catheter site wounds, educate families about home caregiving and reduce the cost of health care visits.

The remote delivery of health care has a rich history (see timeline, starting on the previous page). Today, however, telemedicine—the practice of medicine over distance via modern communications methodologies—is poised to truly transform the field for health care companies of all kinds and sizes. Technology innovation creates unprecedented opportunities. Along with new federal regulations, it also creates unprecedented challenges.

A Changing Landscape Telemedicine is currently divided into several segments: Clinical telemedicine involves the use of dedicated video cameras, codecs and monitors with high-end biometric instrumentation and other exam devices. This interaction generally takes place between two clinical locations, with patient exams conducted remotely over the video link. In a variation, home clinical telemedicine, the equipment is portable and can be used from a

»1900 Telephone is in wide use and becomes mainstay of medical communications.

14

patient’s home via a standard Internet connection and a web browser.

A recent growth area in this category is clinical telemedicine pods in drugstores. The patient can be examined remotely for minor ailments by a clinician who then may write a prescription that the pharmacy will fill before the patient leaves the store.

Home health monitoring uses a video device that allows two-way visual communication over an Internet connection. This mode is used in cases where a remote visual exam between office visits is indicated.

Home health monitoring with biometric devices (also referred to as remote patient monitoring, or RPM) utilizes an automated, continuous collection of patient health data via biometric devices such as blood pressure monitors. Health care providers are now beginning the RPM process during the hospital stay, then moving it to the home setting for cost savings and better care results.

All forms of telemedicine are greatly enhanced by electronic health records (EHRs), real-time digital versions of a patient’s paper chart that can be shared with authorized health care providers

»1905 Physiology professor Willem Einthoven devises a way to transmit electrocardiogram signals from the hospital to his laboratory.

»1940s Ships at sea in World War II use wireless technology for injuries and emergencies.

The FCC advises multi-provider health care organizations to deploy broadband connections of at least 10 Mbps.

IMAGE FILE DOWNLOAD TIME

BY CONNECTION SPEED T1 (1.5 Mbps) 10 Mbps 100 Mbps

CT (35 MB)

ECG (350 MB)

3 min 30 sec 3 sec

31 min 5 min 30 sec

Source: Health Care Broadband in America, Federal Communications Commission, 2010

in a number of different organizations.

Federal regulations give significant incentives for the use of EHRs. What does the changing landscape mean for health care providers?

Reduced costs, better care delivery— and a pressing need for secure, speedy, and reliable phone and Internet service.

Connectivity and Care Applications like video conferencing, EHRs and networked medical imaging

»1950s Developments in closedcircuit television and video communications allow their use in clinical settings.

»EARLY 1960s NASA uses satellite technology to take physiological measurements of astronauts.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 14

3/30/15 10:11 AM

dramatically boost bandwidth utilization.

For example, a T1 connection, which provides 1.5 Mbps for workers at a site to share, was once considered sufficient for many medical offices.

However, “Health Care Broadband in America,” a 2010 report by the Federal Communications Commission, advises multi-provider health care organizations to deploy broadband connections of at least 10 Mbps, with large facilities (such as hospitals an academic medical centers) requiring 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps.

Similarly, where legacy public switched telephone network systems were once adequate for phone communication, they are now not up to speed for health care providers’ video and voice requirements.

Specialists need to be able to make bedside visits without leaving the office; first responders need to instantly connect with physicians from the field; hospital nurses need to use video to better monitor maternity and intensive care units. For all of these uses, a robust IP (Internet protocol) voice and video communications setup can assure seamless streaming and high call-session quality.

Health care providers are also looking for rapid delivery of large medical imaging files, such as those

»EARLY 1970s NASA applies space technology to Rural Papago Advanced Health Care Program in Arizona.

NASA research on telemedicine continues to this day.

from MRIs and CT scans. The delivery difference by connection speed is dramatic (see chart, left). A 35 MB CT scan that takes three minutes to transmit over a T1 line takes just 3 seconds over a 100 Mbps line.

Not surprisingly, file-sharing, storage and backup functions also require ever-increasing resources from health care providers. And all of these challenges must be met while following regulatory mandates for reductions in operational costs and stringent patient privacy protections.

The bottom line: In this new health care world, it is critical for a healthcare provider to have a telecom provider that can not only meet today’s needs, but be ready for tomorrow’s. As new challenges and exciting possibilities arise, a scalable, fast, reliable network has become essential to the delivery of high-quality and cost-effective patient care.

Lee Lusardi Connor of RSL Media and Jim Nelson of Time Warner Cable Business Class contributed to this article.

»2015 AND BEYOND Faster Internet connections, mobile-friendly diagnostic devices and improved software provide increasingly better telemedicine experiences.

TECH Rx FOR HEALTH CARE Look for these indicators of a topnotch technology service:

• Facility-based company that owns (and therefore controls) its own fiber network • Simplified pricing • A single point of contact for sales and service • A commitment to meet or exceed applicable compliance regulations • The ability to help your organization scale for future needs More than 1,000 hospitals and 60,000 practices and clinics use Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC) video, voice, Internet, Ethernet, and managed services from Maine to California. NaviSite, owned by TWCBC, offers managed and outsourced IT solutions and cloud services.

To learn more, visit business.twc.com.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 15

15

3/30/15 10:11 AM

RESPECT IS NOT ENOUGH

DIVERSITY

THE POWER OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

Fact: A more multicultural, younger, and more female group will create your company’s future—its workforce, its leaders, and its consumers. (For some eye-opening statistics, see the infographic on page 3.)

So how does your business reap the benefits of these diverse perspectives? The good news: you don’t need a complicated welter of policies and procedures. In this section, SOLVE gives you doable, hands-on ideas from experts on the front lines.

16

The fine (and profitable) art of inclusive leadership

BY JANE HYUN

L

et’s make some assumptions: you are a good, well-intentioned and experienced leader. You want your employees to be engaged, and to give you their best possible work. You may often say something like, “One of our company’s core values is respect for each employee.”

That is a fine sentiment as far as it goes—but it doesn’t go far enough. The idea of “respect” and “treating everyone the same” has the unintended effect of glossing over differences between people on your team. It comes with the subtle belief that the leader’s approach is the right approach.

The fact is that respect means different things to different people.

Is it speaking up aggressively and contributing in a meeting, or quietly taking cues and direction from the boss? Is it getting right down to business when closing a deal, or taking time to develop a relationship first through small talk? Is it multitasking while on social media, or having a deep conversation over the phone?

The key to the puzzle lies, not in enforcing one “right” way of behavior, but in acknowledging and working with those differences.

Too often, business has seen “diversity” as a problem to be solved

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 16

3/30/15 10:11 AM

by hiring different types of people, then never mentioning the subject again.

The problem is that employees who are forced out of their comfort zones into the business-as-usual, dominant cultural norms will be more prone to leave for an employer who can appreciate their capabilities and tap into their strengths more readily. And replacing employees is expensive.

The even bigger cost is that of opportunity—the loss of perspective and insight that employees of all stripes and backgrounds can bring to your operations, marketing, and business growth.

You and your team will learn to find the opportunities in healthy debate and constructive conflict resolution.

You can set the tone by giving the team the green light for this kind of exchange.

When people feel free to speak and respond as their true selves, great things happen. Research shows that diverse multicultural thinking has a positive correlation with innovation. With flex leadership, “business as usual” turns into “business better than ever.”

Be open to possibilities. There is a real race for talent out there. Our clients tell us that if we have a candidate who seems like he or she would be a good fit, introduce the person to them right away—don’t wait until they call us about a specific position.

Get referrals. Our best candidates tend to come as referrals from people we’ve placed. In your company, your employees will be an invaluable source of referrals. You may want to create a program that allows people to submit former colleagues or classmates, fraternity or sorority members, friends, and so on as possible candidates.

Flex Leadership Today, the most effective manager is the one who can switch between leadership styles to communicate with people who are different from him or her. We call this style of leadership flexing.

Now, flexing does not mean that you reduce your power or authority or that you change who you fundamentally are.

What flexing does mean is that you decrease the power gap between you and your employee, enhancing communication and creating greater trust. This goes beyond simply saying, “My door is always open.”

Let’s say you decide you want to obtain certain results from a given team member. Before you meet with the individual, ask yourself what could be behind the way he or she acts? Could there be generational, gender, or age differences at play?

Consider the best way to reach out without seeming to judge. Put yourself in the person’s shoes. What might he or she be afraid of, or wishing for? Don’t try to wing it in these conversations.

The more thoughtful you are, the more productive and open your conversation can be.

Will there be conflict when your diverse team members have opposing views? Yes. That’s a good thing.

excited about mid-size companies because they believe they will have a wider range of opportunities than in big companies.

HOW TO BUILD A

PIPELINE

Tips from a diversity recruiter

BY KENNETH JOHNSON

C

ompanies get entrenched in doing things the same way and going back to the same talent pools to pull people into upper management and senior-level roles. That’s how they’ve ended up with candidates who were all very similar to existing management.

However, in recent years we have seen a big increase in the realization that diversity and inclusion are business drivers. Companies don’t just say, “Find me a minority candidate for X position;” they want a steady source of highly qualified minority candidates for X, Y, and Z positions. Here are some ways companies can build this pipeline.

Know your advantage as a mid-size business. Many candidates are more

Consider employee resource groups, known as ERGs. If you have several employees that fit a certain demographic you would like to see more of in your company—be that women, veterans, or LGBT—they may want to volunteer to be part of a group that explores diversity issues in your company.

Tap into professional organizations.

Have your management team attend, host, and speak at meetings held by professional organizations that represent a specific group, such as the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, the National Black MBA Association, the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, the National Association of Asian American Professionals, and so on.

This is America. Diversity is everywhere! Identify your local chapters of these organizations and give yourself a chance to connect with the people in them. >>

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 17

17

3/30/15 10:11 AM

How Diversity Pays Off

>>

HOW ONE COMPANY DOES

hen you look at my industry, commercial real estate, it looks like the United States Senate—a sea of middle-aged white men.

Yet when I talk to other business leaders, I consistently hear that they desire diversity, but they don’t get the applicants. Companies are missing so much talent because they’re not casting a wider net.

In an industry that is very low in minority representation, my company’s 60-person workforce is 50 percent minority. We have achieved this largely through our work with what are known as historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), to provide scholarships and internships, and assist with establishing programs for the study of real estate.

We have had great success in our work with HBCUs. Sometimes our interns end up as full-time employees, sometimes they don’t—but either way, they are exposed to our industry and we are exposed to their school and its students.

Other companies could implement a similar process without needing to spend a whole lot of time or money.

There are more than 100 HBCUs across the country. Check them out—you’ll find a lot of talent there. Or pick a different type of school, preferably one that’s geographically close, and endow a scholarship for a minority student in your field. The money you invest doesn’t have to be much, relatively. I meet college students all the time who are trying to figure out how to put gas in the car. A check for $300 or $400 can be a big, big deal.

Then, don’t just disappear. Keep in touch with the recipients. Commit to guest lecture once a semester for five years. Don’t be intimidated by that—as a wise professor once told me, the students change, so the jokes can stay the same.

Jane Hyun, a global leadership strategist and coach, advises a wide range of organizations on effective talent deployment through her leadership consulting firm Hyun & Associates. She is the author of Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling and the coauthor of the recent Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences.

Kenneth Johnson is founder and president of East Coast Executives, based in Philadelphia and New York, an executive search firm with a focus on diversity. Johnson is a diversity staffing consultant at The Urban League of Philadelphia and is a member of the Human Capital Executive Research Board.

DIVERSITY

BY JOHN CROSSMAN

W

18

I see our outreach as continuing in the spirit of my father, the Rev. Kenneth Crossman, a Methodist minister and civil rights advocate. But I also see it as a key driver of our company’s success.

Our business has benefited in so many ways. One young man I hired told me, “John, you know how people say they have a fallback plan if a job doesn’t work out? Mine is this: if this job doesn’t work out, I’m going to fall back and crack my head open. So I have to make it work.”

His energy and creativity are unbelievable.

He has brought in new revenue streams, and created new opportunities.

I have employees who are of a variety of races, who are over 70, who are just out of college, who are of every possible political and religious view. We have benefited over and over from their insight on everything from company holidays to business decisions. It’s so important to create a safe place for employees, where they feel they can express their values and feelings.

You start with respect, one-on-one conversations, and group discussions.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to have casual group meals together. Maybe it’s a rainy day and you say, “Hey, let’s order in pizza,” or you organize a potluck. This kind of gettogether, where people are just talking, is what builds relationships and trust, and that gives you a lot more flexibility to make things happen for your business.

John Crossman is president of Crossman & Company, an Orlando, Florida–based commercial real estate firm with a presence in seven Southeastern states.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 18

3/30/15 10:11 AM

RESEARCH THAT

REACHES How to support a diverse

OUT

business community

A

s every business leader knows, changing marketplace demographics have far-ranging effects.

These are reflected not only in the products and services companies provide, but also in the way they recruit and retain talented people. At the same time, the larger business environment is evolving—for example, through new or relaxed regulations.

Smart firms are looking to go beyond merely staying in tune with these changes to actually contributing to their development. One very tangible and practical way to do so is to commission new research for diverse communities.

For example, Time Warner Cable (TWC), which publishes SOLVE, helps customers and businesses via its Research Program on Digital Communications. This innovative program provides funding for local organizations so they can create the research and analysis they need to stimulate business and employment.

The Research Program invites applications for consideration, then awards stipends to research companies and writers, enabling new analysis that provides information, insights, and practical advice. In turn, TWC hopes this effort continues an ongoing conversation on how to make tomorrow’s economy more inclusive.

Since its creation in 2010, the program has awarded 16 stipends to 23 leading

If your company is looking for a new way to reach out to the diverse communities you serve, consider using research. researchers across the United States.

How does research help diverse communities? In several ways. Last year, for example, TWC supported two large civil rights–focused organizations by commissioning new research reports on their behalf, which were debuted during their summer conventions. This saved each organization resources, while providing more value for convention attendees.

To help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, TWC sponsored the National Urban League’s 2014 summer convention. Held in Cincinnati, Ohio, NUL’s convention was themed “One Nation, Underemployed.”

To support the message of economic empowerment, TWC commissioned a special report, written by the NUL, titled “Small Businesses, Big Opportunities: Creating More Jobs with Technology.”

This report documents that one of the best ways to address persistent unemployment in minority communities is through opportunities created by minority-owned small businesses.

It also provided information on how

technology can be used to accelerate small business growth.

TWC also sponsored the annual convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), held in New York City last summer. As with the NUL, TWC helped LULAC by sponsoring a new report, written by LULAC. The report, “STEM Education: A Bridge for Latinos to Opportunity and Success,” addresses statistics indicating that the need for workers with science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM) knowledge is far outpacing the supply. Twenty-six million jobs in the United States require such knowledge, a figure that will top 35 million by 2020.

At the same time, Latinos are underrepresented in STEM fields. Despite being 17 percent of the United States population—a figure that will double by 2060—Latinos only constituted 7 percent of the STEM workforce in 2011. The report goes on to provide constructive ideas for closing the gap, such as youth education, engagement, and the need for more parental and community participation. This report supports TWC’s belief that everyone benefits when the STEM workforce reflects the nation’s rich diversity.

To learn more about TWC’s Research Program, follow it on Twitter @TWC_RP. To download any of the program’s publications, visit twcresearchprogram.com.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 19

19

3/30/15 10:11 AM

SUCCESS IN ACTION

CHIEF TALK

CEOS TELL HOW TECHNOLOGY is TRANSFORMING THEIR BUSINESSES INTERVIEW BY LEE LUSARDI CONNOR

O

vando, founded in 2003 by Sandra de Ovando, started life as a luxury floral boutique and has evolved into a floral design and event production firm. Its client list includes the US Tennis Association, the Museum of Modern Art, Saks Fifth Avenue, Coach, Hermès and many other globally recognized brands.

With nearly 50 employees and legions of independent contractors, Ovando is a sizable company in an industry largely populated by small shops. De Ovando herself, born in Mexico City to Spanish and Russian parents, credits her inspiration to her upbringing and extensive travels, and her company’s success to its culture and high standards.

In a high-touch field, de Ovando is actively exploring ways in which hightech can keep her business on top.

Technology Enables Creativity

OVANDO: BEAUTY AND THE BOTTOM LINE A HIGH-END EVENT PRODUCTION COMPANY COMBINES HEART WITH THE STATE OF THE ART.

20

Nature, for us, is really very inspiring as a source of ideas. So too are art, dance, architecture, sculpture, music, photography—all kinds of mediums spark ideas. Of course, with the Internet and globalization, the range of inspiration available for event production is greater than ever. We can get materials from China, from India; you can be on Skype with someone in a little village in Peru who makes amazing things.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 20

3/30/15 10:11 AM

SUCCESS IN ACTION

Clients are always looking for the next new thing. The niche in which we compete continues to get more competitive and sophisticated. We are constantly seeking innovation, setting the bar higher and higher. Technology helps us do that.

For one of our events, we created “hammocks” out of pressed Lucite, suspended them from the ceiling and filled them with gorgeous flowers.

For another event, we had a “jungle sunset” theme and used engineered MDF [medium-density fiberboard] wood to create very precise laser-cut images of trees, pineapples, all kinds of images.

For the Hospitality Room at the US Open, our team created an 18-foot tennis racket-shaped light box, finished with a gradient of hanging tennis balls.

An LED light rope hidden behind stretch fabric created the illusion that the tennis balls and racket were floating. The installation also provided a light fixture to guide the players to the lounge area.

Let Software Help Make the Sale— and Save Money When we create a concept for a client event, we use CAD [computer assisted design] renderings in our presentation.

We use 3D modeling software called SketchUp to create what we call a “flythrough.” The client will get the feeling of what entering the event will look like, the cocktail bar arrangement, the furniture,

We are constantly setting the bar higher.

Technology helps us do that.

—SANDRA DE OVANDO

the linens, and so on. The client gets to “experience” the event before signing on.

Recently, we invested in custom software. Typically, our industry does not have technology beyond point-ofsale programs. There is a lot of manual work—entering orders, calculating materials needed, the staff, the props, creating a market list and often having to enter the same data in several different places, then hand-tallying the expenses and revenue. With our custom software, we are able to cut the time spent on these tasks by 30 percent.

That gives our people a lot more time to work on non-redundant tasks, and helps us keep even closer track of our profitability. The software will also be invaluable to us as our company grows.

Brand and Culture Are Everything.

We have employees from very diverse backgrounds and points of view. We are open to all ideas; however, we Ovando-ize them. The brand is very, very

important to us. We work very closely to make sure our projects are identifiable as Ovando—that they are beautiful, clean, modern, purposeful. That you can see there is a design hand and craftsmanship behind what was done. Nothing is there because it just happened to end up there. We train the designers and the salespeople and everyone in the company to have that mentality—to dress that way, to think that way.

I spend a lot of time talking to the team, one on one and in meetings, about what our brand stands for. I ask our employees to read Whale Done: The Power of Positive Relationships by Ken Blanchard, and Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service [by Ken Blanchard et al]. I’m a big admirer of Seth Godin and will sometimes show my staff clips of his work.

We have a culture document that outlines our company’s purpose—to create beautiful moments and spaces, to thrill people’s senses and make them happy. Our focus is to “wow” everyone we touch with everything we do. One of our beliefs is “Having fun at work is everyone’s job.”

When I hire, I am definitely looking for someone who fits our company’s culture. That’s because I spend so much time and dedicate so much to this business that it’s very important to me to spend my energy the right way. And I’m nothing without people.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 21

21

3/30/15 10:11 AM

FIELD REPORT

POLARIS PRESIDENT SCOTT COOKE

Polaris Automation: When Security Needs Meet Speed How one engineering firm provides fast and safe service for manufacturing clients worldwide THE CHALLENGE:

[TWCBC] is adept and well trained in understanding the security issues we’re up against.

–Scott Cooke

22

In a way, it was a good problem to have—the industrial automation control systems engineered by Columbus, Ohio–based Polaris Automation and its sister company, Industrial Solutions, Inc. (ISI), drove such rapid growth that they outgrew their shared office space.

The company’s servers remained at Polaris while ISI engineers moved to a nearby location.

However, its previous provider’s wireless Ethernet point-to-point connection, which linked the two offices, soon began to cost the company latency, and cause downtime and communication gaps. Data-sharing ate up so much bandwidth that Internet protocol (IP) phones were rendered useless. Polaris, an

engineering firm specializing in the design of industrial automation control systems, needed a better connection to support its two locations. It also needed to scale bandwidth to securely support clients worldwide.

THE SOLUTION: The answer was found in a TWCBC fiber network that allows for capacity, scalability, and control. Polaris and ISI often control a customer’s business systems remotely, or stream video from closed-circuit TVs for remote troubleshooting. Accordingly, the companies require enhanced bandwidth for dedicated virtual private network (VPN) connections. They also need it for encryption, authentication, and other

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 22

3/30/15 10:11 AM

safeguards, including those necessary to meet Homeland Security requirements.

In 2011, Polaris president Scott Cooke chose Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC) to implement a 10 Mbps Ethernet Private Line (EPL) circuit to create reliable and low-latency connectivity between Polaris and ISI. Using 10 Mbps Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) provides symmetrical, high-bandwidth upload and download connectivity.

when you can see inside your network, it takes the guesswork out.

THE RESULT: Polaris and ISI now operate as though they were under one roof. “We realized how much money we were losing [with the previous provider] in latency issues and downtime,” Cooke says. “Now, if I’m at the ISI location, the technology acts just as it does if I’m at the Polaris location.”

TWCBC services have also allowed Polaris to keep abreast of evolving security needs and the added bandwidth they require. Further, Polaris and ISI actually take remote control of client systems, requiring even more bandwidth—and highlighting the need for a strong and collaborative relationship between provider and client.

“Time Warner Cable Business Class not only provides us with service, but they are adept and trained in understanding the security issues we’re up against,” Cooke says.

A good partner helps a client stay ahead not only of emerging challenges, but of new business opportunities.

Scalability is key. “If we need more bandwidth to do something, we can just make a call,” Cooke says. “So in terms of opportunities for continued growth, there really are no boundaries.”

Gain data intelligence and 24/7 network visibility with the Ethernet Services Portal from Time Warner Cable Business Class.

Monitor and manage your network’s performance around the clock with our intuitive, user-friendly Ethernet Services Portal. Get access to valuable data intelligence and help ensure your network – and your business – are running as efficiently as possible.

Want to help optimize your network performance?

Contact a local, dedicated Time Warner Cable Business Class Account Executive today to schedule a free Technology Audit!

Visit

BUSINESS.TWC.COM/ETHERNET or call

877.857.0727

Passwordprotected web access 24/7

Display of circuit-level metrics including circuit locations and characteristics

Performance statistics available by service type and time intervals

Exportable reports including technology, statistical and trending, and security

SHARE YOUR STORY!

How did you partner with TWCBC to SOLVE your technology issues? Tell us about it for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of SOLVE. Visit business.twc.com/nomination to share your story.

Products and services not available in all areas. Some restrictions apply. Subject to change without notice. Time Warner Cable Business Class is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. Used under license. ©2015 Time Warner Enterprises LLC. All rights reserved.

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 23

3/30/15 10:11 AM

GUIDE TO GO

TECH JARGON

DECODING A down-to-earth guide to the cloud B Y M I C H A E L H AY E S

Over the past few years, “the cloud” has been the most overloaded term in business, with different meanings for different people depending on the context. Here’s a basic vocabulary that will be helpful as you make decisions about which aspects of the cloud will have the biggest payoff for your company.

PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND HYBRID: A private cloud is a dedicated cloud ecosystem for a single customer, hosted in a customer’s own data center or a service provider’s facilities. It typically has a dedicated network connection. A public cloud is like the Amazon model, where virtual resources are shared; as an analogy, if the private cloud is a house, the public cloud is an apartment building. A hybrid cloud blends private and public clouds, e.g. a company may keep intellectual property in a private cloud and commercial applications in a public cloud.

SSAE 16 COMPLIANCE: Short for Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements, this is an audit standard referring to how service companies report on compliance controls. Such providers need to prove they can be good stewards of other people’s intellectual property by having precautions like redundant network connectivity; diverse paths for power supplies; huge banks of batteries; generators with days of available fuel; physical and logistical access protection; and so on. These security measures are more than a typical company would

24

provide for its own servers, making cloud services from a reputable provider more secure than self-hosting data.

“AAS” TERMS. This stands for “as a Service” and is used to describe a vast range of rentable resources available for companies. Key terms are: • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), a base layer for the cloud providing generic computer, storage, and network resources; • Platform as a Service (PaaS), a purpose built environment providing the middleware for an application infrastructure; • Software as a Service (SaaS), in which a provider essentially rents out access to an application such as e-mail (for example, Microsoft Exchange) or CRM (for example, Salesforce.com); • Network as a Service (NaaS), a new refinement of IaaS in which a company can access network capacity that’s more elastic and on-demand than a fixed pipe; and • Desktop as a Service (DaaS), also known as “virtual desktop infrastructure.” Essentially, you’re renting desktop computer resources.

The operating system and all the

programs and data your employees use are hosted in a cloud system instead of on the local physical computer. DaaS has obvious security benefits and doesn’t require high-end hardware—you can use it on a fiveyear-old computer or even a tablet.

MANAGED CONTINUITY: Business continuity and disaster recovery can be greatly enhanced by cloud technologies.

In the old days, when companies ran their own data centers and computing resources, the prudent ones performed regular backups and maintained redundant resources in offsite locations.

In case of need, however, it could take days or longer to get a company back up and running. In the cloud, a business can have fully redundant facilities that could failover from primary to backup, with no perceptible interruption to regular business operations.

CHECKLIST:

4 key elements for your cloud service

S

B S p o m m

It offers robust authenticated access from anywhere.

n

It’s elastic; resources can grow or shrink as your needs warrant.

n

Billing is consumption-based.

C

It’s hosted by an SSAE 16 compliant provider.

Michael Hayes is a product manager at NaviSite, a Time Warner Cable company that is a leading worldwide provider of enterprise-class, cloud-enabled hosting, managed applications, and services.

Spring 2015

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 24

M

3/30/15 10:11 AM

y

t

A S v d E a T

ExPENSE REPORT

EffiCiENCy + PROduCTiviTy – ExPENSES =

TCO $AviNgS Managed Router Service can bring big benefits to your business.

See how with some simple calculations.

Businesses of all sizes are turning to Managed Router Service (MRS) to simplify network management, enhance performance and free up IT resources, as well as reducing operating and capital expenses. So what does it all really mean for your business and its bottom line? Find out in minutes with the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator. n Learn about required resources and personnel needs associated with a self-managed network. n Calculate your TCO savings over three years, along with potential productivity gains.

Calculate now to find out what

your TCO savings could be!

tco.network-needs.com

Self-Managed Network vs. MRS $25,000

Non-Recurring Costs (NRC)

Annual Recurring Costs (RC)

$20,000

$15,000

$10,000

$5,000

$0

Self Managed

MRS

Self Managed

MRS

*Sample Calculation

Self-Managed NRC

Self-Managed RC

Planning & Procurement: Labor

Operations & Maintenance: Labor

Hardware & Software:CAPEX

Software Upgrades: Labor & License Fees Training: Labor & Course Fees

All prices and savings claims based on industry averages as featured in Managed Network Services: The TCO Payoff white paper published by ACG Research. Actual savings amount will vary depending on customer’s current operating expense inputs. Prices and savings claims for demonstration only and do not constitute offers from TWCBC. Contact your dedicated Account Executive to learn more. Products and services not available in all areas. Some restrictions apply. Subject to change without notice. Time Warner Cable Business Class is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. Used under license. ©2015 Time Warner Enterprises LLC. All rights reserved.

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 25

3/30/15 10:11 AM

High Performing Businesses Select NaviSite

NaviSite’s network of 10 data centers means less IT downtime, higher IT performance.

Data center infrastructure can make or break a big data strategy.

NaviSite offers a network of 10 secure, high-performance data centers that provide uninterrupted world-class hosting infrastructure for internal IT or commercial cloud enablement.

We invite you to take a tour of one of our Tier 3, SSAE-16 data centers: NaviSite.com/andover-datacenter

Looking for space?

Call us at 888-298-8222 or email us at: webinfo@navisite.com

NaviSite Data Centers: • Andover, Massachusetts • Charlotte, North Carolina • New York, New York • Oak Brook, Illinois • Redhill, United Kingdom • San Jose, California • Santa Clara, California • Syracuse, New York • Wilmington, Massachusetts • Woking, United Kingdom

Product and services not available in all areas. Some restrictions may apply. Time Warner Cable Business Class is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. used under license. © 2015 Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC. All rights Reserved. © 2015 NaviSite, Inc. 400 Minuteman Road, Andover, MA 01810. All Rights Reserved.

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 26

3/30/15 10:11 AM

High Performing Businesses Select NaviSite

NaviSite’s network of 10 data centers means less IT downtime, higher IT performance.

Data center infrastructure can make or break a big data strategy.

NaviSite offers a network of 10 secure, high-performance data centers that provide uninterrupted world-class hosting infrastructure for internal IT or commercial cloud enablement.

We invite you to take a tour of one of our Tier 3, SSAE-16 data centers: NaviSite.com/andover-datacenter

Looking for space?

Call us at 888-298-8222 or email us at: webinfo@navisite.com

NaviSite Data Centers: • Andover, Massachusetts • Charlotte, North Carolina • New York, New York • Oak Brook, Illinois • Redhill, United Kingdom • San Jose, California • Santa Clara, California • Syracuse, New York • Wilmington, Massachusetts • Woking, United Kingdom

Product and services not available in all areas. Some restrictions may apply. Time Warner Cable Business Class is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. used under license. © 2015 Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC. All rights Reserved. © 2015 NaviSite, Inc. 400 Minuteman Road, Andover, MA 01810. All Rights Reserved.

solve magazine q2 2015R.indd 27

3/30/15 10:11 AM