LightBound News

 That's right, I'm one of LightBound's newest employees, and I'm here to make sure our social media and marketing efforts are in tip-top shape. It's already been an amazing three weeks here in the office, and I'm so excited to be working alongside some of the top-noch professionals and innovative technologies in the industry. My job here also includes managing the administrative duties of the data center, so I get to interact with our customers every day (and we have some pretty great customers!).

 As a Butler University graduate (GoDawgs!), I started my career interning with  two local SaaS (Software as a Service) companies, where I found a love for all things marketing, social media and technology. I'm very thankful for the oportunity to expand my knowledge in these fields here at LightBound, as well as be a part of the emerging technology community within Indianapolis.


So stick aroud, because you're going to see some awesome changes here at LightBound (if you haven't already...Hint: check out our Facebook and Twitter page for some latest news!)

Event Information

Date: Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012

Time: 11:30am-1pm

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse (formerly Conseco Fieldhouse) 125 S. Pennsylvania St. Indianapolis, IN 46204    **Parking is available in the attached Virginia Square garage located between Alabama and Delaware St. Guests can enter by using the west side entrance on Pennsylvania St. or by the east side of Delaware St.

Register Here

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

• Is the complexity of running enterprise hardware infrastructure slowing your business?
• Do you need an IT infrastructure that was built and designed for the Cloud?
• Are you weary of a public Cloud solution, but can't afford a private model?

Backup as a Solution

• Is your current backup solution inefficient, complex, or costly?
• Do you still use tapes that can require expensive software to manage backup catalogs and rotation schedules?
• Do you need a scalable backup solution that can grow as fast as your production data?

Do you need Scalable, Fault-Tolerant, Affordable storage Built for Growth?

• Do you find yourself constantly moving data or managing multiple storage pools?
• Is your organization battling the challenges of data explosion?
• Do your budget limits restrict you from purchasing a NAS?
• Do modern storage solutions seem complex or difficult to manage?
• Are you planning a virtualization project but are being held back because of the cost of infrastructure?
• Are you wondering what will happen to your data in a disaster?

Join LightBound and Scale Computing for this February 29 "Leap & Learn" to learn about the simplicities of the Cloud, the efficiency of disk-based backup solutions, and the magic of a scale-out storage system! For more information please contact Brittany Briggs at bbriggs@lightbound.net.

Steve is very happy he only has to wear this outfit once every 4 years! Watch Steve's Video Now>>

 

 Beginning January 28^th, downtown Indianapolis will have several routes blocked, which will restrict access into LightBound’s entrance using streets you may usually take. Please look at our suggested routes and see the full list of Indianapolis road closures throughout the Super Bowl season.  

Find our suggestions here.

It's that time of year again where winter is upon us, and the chances of severe snow and ice storms are a high probability. Planning for these types of conditions within your business aren't always a priority, but if there is bad weather, would you be able to access any resources from home or be able to manage the outcome of a power outage that causes access to critical servers in the office? 

Natural disasters do happen to businesses and it's important to be prepared. In cases of bad weather, business continuity is vital to your business success. Any amount of downtime can mean lost productivity, lost revenue, lost customers, and lost opportunities. To avoid the loss of your core infrastructure, it's essential to implement a data disaster recovery plan.


Below are a few crucial elements to creating a successful disaster recovery plan:

• Utilizing an off site data backup service: It's always good to have a backup, and in the case of your company data, it's easier to sleep at night knowing that you would be covered in getting the best practices back in place with little or no disruption.
• Experienced and seasoned IT professionals: If disaster strikes, you don't want your business in the hands of a rookie. You need professionals that are available at any time of day to aide in all emergency processes.
• A reliable, technologically advanced data center: The purpose of putting servers and other important IT equipment in a secure off site location is to guarantee that in the case of extremities (even those caused from within the data center), your business will not be put at risk. 
• Choosing an automated disaster recovery plan: By turning away from the traditional process and implementing recovery into an integrated part of your virtual infrastructure management system, there are better chances of eliminating error-prone manual steps. Also, this ensures that the recovery procedures will be consistently executed as intended, without worry.

You don't want your business to be effected by any snow or ice storms this winter. LightBound offers a variety of disaster recovery services to put your mind at ease, including all the essential elements mentioned above. For more information on our business recovery services click here.

If you haven't figured it out already, the IT world is full of acronyms. Here at LightBound we work with several acronyms on a daily basis like WAN, VPN, and PBX. You may not be the IT person at your company, but there is a good chance you come across terms like these. One of the latest technologies that can help your business is VoIP. 


Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a relatively newer tool that has been developed (like so many other recent services) from the digital era. This technology allows you to make telephone calls over a data network. The VoIP converts the voice signal from your telephone into a digital signal that travels over the data network, and then converts itself back at the other end so you can speak to anyone with a regular phone number.  

What does this mean?
Simply put- your computer, along with your data network, acts as your voice service provider.

Why choose a VoIP?

• Lower cost- No more dealing with multiple providers for separate voice and Internet access services. If you have a T1 circuit or higher bandwidth Internet connection, you don't need to maintain separate lines and to pay more to do so.
• Increased functionality- Because VoIP is digital, it can offer features and services that are not available with a traditional phone.
• No limitations- You can call anyone who has a telephone number, including local, long distance, mobile, 411 operating assistance, and international numbers.
• Total solution- More functionality at a lower price allows organizations to focus personnel and budget on core business activity. 

LightBound offers VoIP services that allow for all of these benefits, along with the convenience of integrating with (most) current phone systems without the hassle of changing phone numbers, direct inward dial (DID) numbers, or toll-free numbers. To learn more about how your business could value from LightBound's VoIP services click here. 

 LightBound will be hosting a Lunch and Learn with our partner, Scale Computing, on Wednesday, December 7 at 11:30a-1:00p. Lunch will be provided while you learn about several types of storage solutions, disaster recovery, virtualization, and shared storage solutions to help your business. Also, Scale Computing will be introducing a new M-series storage nodes that offer additional hardware choices to maxamize performance. 

For more information or to register for the event, click here.

We hope to see you there!

Finding an Internet Service Provider (ISP), or more importantly the right ISP for your business can be challenging. With all the choices, companies, and important key features to look for, you could end up choosing a provider that isn't necessarily right for your business. You don't have to be a tech guru, but it is important to be educated and to be exposed to the different options and crucial elements involved in selecting an ISP.

Below are several tips to include within your search for the perfect ISP for your business.

•  Know what you're really buying. Generally, a low priced ISP will result in a low quality service. While a strong network infrastructure is important, it is equally as important to have great support. 
• Look for the best coverage area. Most ISP's can offer T1 or higher service anywhere within the U.S. at a reasonable cost. However, an ISP that matches up well with your company footprint can save you thousands of telecom WAN costs.
• Ask about the Network Operations Center (NOC). The NOC should be staffed by networking personnel who proactively monitor your connection 24/7 for 365 day of the year, as well as work directly with the telecommunications vendors in case of an outage to personally troubleshoot any problems immediately.  
• Check the peering agreements. It's important to look for an ISP who has agreements with more than one upstream provider, as those with only one are at risk of losing all connectivity-should their upstream provider have a Point of Presence (POP) problem.
• Verify utilization of a SAS 70 Type II certified data center. It's critical to your business that the ISP houses their equipment in a facility that is protected from high winds, power failures, fires, etc., as well as perfoms documented processes and procedures that are audited annually. 
• Ensure there is adequate upstream bandwidth. You need an ISP with enough bandwidth to support your needs. Therefore, look for a provider with at least an OC-3 level connections to guarantee adequte service.
• Check for multiple points of entry. Look for an ISP that delivers circuits over a self-healing SONET network with dual entrances. Without this, your business could be at risk of unwanted downtime. 

By understanding a few key features to look for (like the suggestions above), you can feel more knowledable and less stressed when choosing an ISP for your business. To learn more specifics regarding LightBound's Internet services, click here.