Managed Connectivity Services to Optimize Application Performance

Managed connectivity services include design, installation, and ongoing monitoring of Internet connection at customer business locations. The service also includes liaisoning with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to manage service contracts and setting up wireless WAN services for redundancy. Consumer-facing, multi-site businesses can simplify their network operations, improve uptime, and reduce network operating costs by leveraging Interface’s managed connectivity services.

Wireless WAN enables a business to access the internet through cellular networks such as 5G and 4G LTE. It can be used as a primary or backup connection for terrestrial WAN services. Wireless WAN allows for quick deployments as they do not require cumbersome construction work to set up last-mile connectivity at every business location. Problems associated with wired connectivity solutions such as fiber cuts and greater lead time to “go live” can be addressed by implementing wireless WAN. Typical business applications for Wireless WN include pop-up stores, store within a store, curbside or drive-thru connectivity, day-one connectivity, fleet connectivity, IoT connectivity.

Contract termination with existing ISPs will depend on the terms of the contract and any associated penalties for early termination.

Yes, multi-site businesses can choose to rely exclusively on wireless WAN. However, there are pros and cons with this approach.

Advantages of Wireless WAN:

1. Mobility: With wireless WAN, businesses can easily set up new locations without worrying about wired connections.
2. Cost-effective: Wireless WAN is cheaper than installing wired connectivity solutions.
3. Quick deployment: Setting up wireless WAN is faster and easier than installing wired connections. This means businesses can quickly set up their operations in new locations.

Disadvantages of Wireless WAN as an exclusive connectivity option:

1. Limited bandwidth: Wireless WAN has relatively limited bandwidth compared to wired connections. This means that businesses may experience slower internet speeds, especially if they have high-bandwidth applications running on the cloud.
2. Security: Wireless WAN connections are relatively more vulnerable to security threats than wired connections. Businesses must ensure that they have robust security measures in place to protect their data.
3. Reliability: Wireless WAN is subject to interference from other wireless networks, weather conditions, and other environmental factors, which can affect connectivity.
4. Coverage: Wireless WAN may not be available in all locations, so businesses must ensure that they have coverage in all the locations they need to set up operations.

Our recommendation would be to deploy wireless WAN as a backup solution for a wired connectivity solution.

Interface will handle the entire ISP contract lifecycle for all customer business locations. We will evaluate the performance of the current ISP providers, review alternative service providers, place orders or renew contracts, supervise connectivity installation at new sites, order required network hardware, test network QoS, track SLA compliance, and escalate and resolve connectivity issues - all on behalf of our customers and manage renewals.

Interface takes over the ongoing ISP vendor management tasks through a “letter of authorization” issued by the customer. The customer will continue to have a direct contractual and billing relationship with the existing ISP.

The ISP will be responsible for installing cables and network hardware needed at the new location to go live. Interface will take responsibility for supervising the connectivity installation and ensuring that the ISP completes all the tasks as required by the service contract.

This depends on the contract terms with the ISP and Interface. Typically, the ISP is responsible for installing the cabling up to the location. Interface will be responsible for procuring and installing network devices and cabling inside the location.

Interface will design a connectivity solution that takes into consideration the uptime requirements of the business at various locations. We will choose ISPs or work with existing ISPs to ensure uptime guarantees are enforced as per the contract.

Interface will also monitor the network 24/7X365 to identify network issues or respond to outages promptly. We have the ability to remotely diagnose network issues, apply software updates, and reboot network hardware to resolve issues. Our goal is to minimize the involvement of customer employees in troubleshooting network issues and let them focus on running the business.