Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The first thing that anyone might think of when they think of wiring a building for broadband is copper, fiber, or perhaps twisted pair.  But first, you have to think of access.  Will they hang overhead, or be buried deep below?  Both have their pros and cons, but what some retailers find is that sometimes nether will suit.  Whether it's the complications of zoning or the shear cost of access, sometimes wires aren't a viable option. 

For example, as commercial real estate becomes scarce, many new edifices can be found corners of what used to be parking lots for major shopping centers.  Will you trench through the asphalt?  Not likely.  And, simple as it may sound, with the popularity of buried fiber, piggy-backing your broadband connection on the poles overhead still begs the question: how do we go from underground to overhead? 

Bud Morgan, Director of Technology for Romulus, Inc. is a 20-year veteran of the IT industry keeping the company's ever-expanding IHOP franchise base (now up to 35 locations across 3 states) connected and online. In February 2007, however, he found himself navigating such a "concrete jungle" as he called it.  When wires weren't an option, he considered satellite.  But, thankfully he discovered fixed wireless broadband and Accel Networks' solutions.  Today, Bud trusts Accel more and more because of their ease-of-deployment, uptime, and PCI compliance. 

When your company plots to build in a concrete jungle, you don't have to worry about the cost to connect.  Consider Accel Networks' fixed wireless broadband and compare the costs.  You might be surprised.

Labels: Fixed Wireless Broadband, Retail

posted by Unknown at 2:08 PM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Monday, February 28, 2011
One of the things that I have been privileged to speak on many times is starting a business.  More and more in our changing economy, people are itching to get their hands on sound advice for starting their own company, creating their own revenue, and deciding their own fate.  It's a great change, I believe, from the corporate mentality of the 80's and 90's.  Accel Networks itself is a relatively small upstart compared to the typical TCom giants, and both our customers and employees are better served for it.

So, what's the most important thing I can share with a new startup?  Simple: start.  Go.  Sell something.  Take all obstacles to opening your doors out of the way.  You cannot afford to plan and re-plan for months.  You cannot afford to wait on vendors who demand weeks or months of lead-time.  You need to go.

What's this mean for broadband?  If you're a retail store, you cannot start until you can swipe.  And often times, you need even more connectivity than a simple modem, you may need catalogue access or online POS.  But wire-line broadband services such as DSL or Cable can take over a week to get installed, or months in new construction.  Accel Networks, on the other hand, can have you online and swiping in as little as 1 day with our quick start program.  That means you can charge cards today for the idea you had yesterday thanks to the speed of fixed wireless broadband.

Of course, this will also demand a processing service.  Authorize.net is fast becoming the processor of choice for many small businesses, especially startups, because of their fast-start program as well.  You can begin charging cards before your PCI audit and all funds will be escrowed, waiting for your eligibility for release.  No need to wait.  Go. Sell. Make money. The Square is also making waves, but its equipment might prove impractical for the average retail volume.

Whatever stands between you and your revenue, find a shortcut.  Find a way around it.  Speed is the name of the game in startup business, and the most vital parts of your infrastructure--your network and your payment system--can be the worst culprits.  Find an alternative.  Go. Start.

Labels: Broadband, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Retail, Startup

posted by Unknown at 8:47 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The blizzard conditions that have hammered over one third of the U.S. have most grade-schoolers thinking about days and weeks of no school and tons of sledding. But the execs of many retail outlets, convenience store chains, and even the representatives on Capitol Hill have a little bit more bleak outlook. While sales of bread, milk, and of course sledding gear are likely sky-rocketing, on the whole, snow days are not good for the economy.

First of all, travel is down for obvious reasons. So, of course fuel sales are down, but in fact c-stores don't make most of their money on fuel sales. It's the peripheral items that make their businesses float. And, while fewer people are driving, that means less Little Debby's, 36 oz. slushies, fountain sodas, and the like.

Other retail is feeling the same strain--especially in the midst of one of the year's biggest shopping holidays: Valentine's Day. When a blizzard struck Indianapolis on Valentine's Day two years ago, hospitals prepared for a baby boom in November. Do the math. And, while that may seem like a splendid way to spend Valentine's Day to the consumer, the retailers aren't so pleased. Most of the common Valentine stock is perishable--flowers, chocolates, cakes, etc.--cannot be stocked away for next season.

There are other economic indicators that dip during a blizzard, too. New home construction hits a stand-still. Home sales are postponed due to the inability to show, list, and even perform inspections for closings. Countless businesses lose days and weeks of valuable productivity. And, as Reuters reported, local and state municipalities are asking for federal aid to cover the cost of digging out.

But this is common to any snow storm. The phenomenon with this most recent onslaught of snow is how widespread it is. We're not talking about one mall, one city, or on region seeing a slow-down for a few days. This blizzard has affected over a third of the nation, and 8 of the 10 most populous states in the Union.

The snow may be melted by March, but it will be 3rd quarter before the full economic impact can be measured.

Labels: C-store, Convenience Stores, Economy, Retail, Snow Storm

posted by Unknown at 4:53 AM Link to this Article  1 Comments

Thursday, February 4, 2010
When the average consumer thinks of wireless broadband, they consider it synonymous with mobile broadband. Wireless and Mobile devices are so tightly interwoven in our day-to-day lives, we naturally assume that anything wireless implies that it is mobile and vice-versa. In fact, I had to be corrected on numerous occasions when I first joined the Accel Networks team. I had to change the way I thought about wireless broadband.

Or did I? The truth about fixed wireless broadband is that it still shares much of the same benefits associated with so-called "mobile" broadband. Of course, as the name clearly says, it is fixed. It is provisioned for one location and, although the last-mile connection is serviced wirelessly, it functions within the c-store, retail store, kiosk, or what-have-you in much the same way as wired broadband solutions do.

So why not drop the mobile connotations altogether? Well, consider for a moment what mobile broadband effectively accomplishes. I'm at home, pull out my smart phone, pop open a browser. Instantly, I'm assigned an IP address (if one isn't already assigned) and routed to the internet via the nearest cell tower. I slide it into my pocket and drive to my in-laws for dinner, pull it out, and repeat. What's happening? I'm effectively provisioning a connection all over again, and in real-time.

Ask yourself this: how many times does a small business move locations? Tier-2 office spaces offer 1 or 3 year lease options because of the agility that growing businesses need. Even retail is always vying for the better location, and if a high-traffic corner can be had you'll break the most costly lease to get there. Or consider expanding businesses entering new markets, new locations, new strip-malls, emerging communities, etc.

How long does it take to get these new locations online and running when copper cable has to hit the d-box, then the punch panel, before finally getting the POS system onto the company network.

Perhaps "mobility" is not the right term, but the business concepts that come to mind are very reminiscent of mobile applications: agility, flexibility, speed of transition, and of course (as Verizon and AT&T are warring over in advertising today) the ubiquitous nature of the network.

So, the next time you get corrected over the jargon -- mobile vs. fixed wireless -- consider this: fixed wireless broadband is anything but immobilized.

Labels: C-store, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Retail

posted by Unknown at 8:37 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments