Monday, February 2, 2009

Is It Time To Outsource? What Your Business Coach Thinks

There are 24 hours in the day, and you can't change that no matter who you are. Most executives simply try to work more in order to accomplish more. That's a dangerous way to get more done, and a slippery slope, eventually you'll run out of hours to work in the day, and you'll find yourself burnt out when it happens. "Give me a lever long enough, and I can move the world," said Archimedes. Well, outsourcing is a way of leveraging your time and manpower for maximum efficiency. Perhaps it's time to consider outsourcing as a way of managing your own resources.

What's your business's most valuable asset? You are. The first thing is you have to figure out is where in your organization you're doing the most important work. Where are you needed most? Prioritize that job; you should be spending most of your time focused on your most valued skill. Take a look at areas where you're spending time that could be better used elsewhere bookkeeping and payroll? Public relations? Advertising? These are all jobs that could be outsourced. Yes, it'll cost money but how valuable is the time that you're losing by splitting your focus on jobs that could be done elsewhere?

Basically, if a job is keeping you from doing your most important tasks, think about outsourcing. The same holds true for jobs that are so important that, if done wrong, they could have a negative impact on your business. Hire a tax professional rather than doing your own taxes and payroll. If you're managing the mailing labels for your catalogs when you should be on the phone with customers, hire someone else to do that. If you're crawling under the desk fixing a computer instead of meeting a client, it's time to hire someone else to do your IT work. Even hiring a janitor can save you hundreds of valuable work hours each year if you find yourself restocking toilet paper and emptying wastebaskets!

When looking to outsource, look for vendors who have a good track record in their field you won't save money in the long run if you hire someone cheap who does a lousy job. One of the main reasons you're considering outsourcing, after all, is to allow your business to focus on what you do best, so make sure the vendors you hire are just as good at what they do, whether it's taxes or PR. Make sure that you trust them before you hire them learn as much as you can about your outsourcing vendor before signing the contract.

When outsourcing, also remember that customer service is key. You'll be depending on them to provide an important service that your company needs so that it can run efficiently. Make sure that they understand your needs, but have realistic expectations of what they can do, including what services they can provide and what their schedule will be. Hiring a good vendor to handle your business needs will make your work much easier but fighting on the phone with a vendor who isn't delivering what you require will make your job even more difficult than it was before.

Even the smallest businesses can benefit from well-considered outsourcing, whether it's a local payroll operation, coffee delivery or a janitorial service. Look at your budget, think about where you're spending time that would be better used elsewhere, and pick a reliable, experienced vendor who can pick up the slack so you can do the valuable work that you need to do.

Article Source: PrimeScrolls

Sunday, February 1, 2009

What is UMA Technology ??

UMA is the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) global standard for subscriber access to mobile circuit, packet and IMS-based services over any IP-based access network, including the Internet. With UMA, mobile operators can now leverage the cost and performance advantages of IP access technologies (DSL, Cable, Wi-Fi...) to deliver high-quality, low-cost mobile voice and data services in the locations where subscribers spend most of their time - the home and office.


To enable access to the mobile service core via IP-based networks, the UMA standard defines a new core network element (the UMA Network Controller (UNC)) and associated protocols that provide for the secure transport of mobile signaling and user plane traffic over IP. The UNC interfaces into the core network via existing 3GPP specified interfaces.

Fundamentally, UMA provides a standard, scalable, secure IP interface into the core service network of mobile operators. By deploying a UMA Network Controller (UNC), mobile operators can extend all existing and future circuit, packet and IMS-based services over any IP-based access network, including the Internet. While initially developed to enable dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi handset services, the UMA standard can be leveraged to deliver a number of compelling new fixed-mobile convergence services.

Below is the history of UMA technology development :


The 3GPP UMA standard was born from the requirements of mobile and integrated operators to deliver high-performance, low-cost mobile voice and data services to subscribers at home and the office. UMA has proven to be the ideal standard for mobile and integrated operators to extend circuit, packet and IMS services over the public Internet and continues to evolve to meet the needs of mobile and integrated operators worldwide.

New Portable Base Station Emulator from Andrew Makes Indoor Coverage Easier

Andrew, the CommScope, Inc. division that is a global leader in wireless communication systems and products, is going indoors with its Invex.NxG™ wireless drive-test system, offering new equipment that makes designing and testing indoor wireless coverage systems easier.

The i.Send™ portable transmitter imitates wireless base station signals by broadcasting radio frequency (RF) signals that allow for coverage measurements indoors. Network designers can use the i.Send transmitter to verify optimal antenna positioning for indoor distributed antenna systems (DAS) and as a low power source for testing the design and functionality of RF repeaters and base stations.

“The i.Send transmitter is a unique tool for verifying in-building coverage, DAS and repeater system design,” said John Baker, vice president and general manager, Network Solutions, Andrew. “Such a device should help operator engineers maximize the performance of their indoor networks prior to final installation.”

The portable Invex.NxG i.Send offers over 20 dBm of transmit power for up to four hours between battery charges and supports GSM, CDMA, UMTS and W-CDMA frequency bands with user-settable channel and message parameters. Users can configure i.Send via a Wi-Fi connection, selecting the desired frequency and modulation schemes, with the ability to set the parameters within the scheme. For ease of operation, the unit is placed in transmit or standby mode via the Wi-Fi connection.

Andrew’s Invex.NxG wireless drive-test system enables wireless operators to view their own and their competitors’ wireless voice and data services from the perspective of the subscriber by providing critical quality-of-service (QoS) measurements. Invex.NxG identifies failed originations, abnormal ends, call setup time, and call quality for improving voice service levels. It also performs packet data testing for analyzing upload/download throughput speeds for data services and can be used by field personnel for independently checking network signal strength and identifying base station locations and sectors, assisting them in their jobs.

When UMA meet LTE

By Steve Shaw, Kineto Wireless

Long Term Evolution (LTE) may be closer than we think. LTE, the name for the mobile community’s next-generation broadband IP access network, evokes images of a distant, foreign land. Yet a report released by ABI Research in June 2008 projected 32 million subscribers will be using the technology by 2013, a mere five years from now.

As an access network, LTE holds the promise of a true ‘mobile internet’, a native packet access network with peak data rates in excess of 100 mbps. In an all-IP mobile world, what is the role dual-mode Wi-Fi handset services based on UMA technology?

As a backdrop, UMA is about delivery of mobile services provided by the core network (circuit, packet, IMS) over broadband IP access networks and Wi-Fi. It enables mobile operators to leverage the cost and performance advantages of the Internet to make mobile services work better and cost less where subscribers spend most of their time, at home and in the office.

When considering whether UMA is competitive or complementary to an LTE macro network, it is important to understand the underlying benefits of UMA in dual-mode handset services. From an operator’s perspective, there are three clear benefits:
  • Offload the macro RAN (Radio Access Network)
  • Improve the performance of mobile services indoors
  • Create new ‘home zone’ services

The macro mobile network offers unbelievable opportunity for service delivery. But there are practical economic and service advantages in leveraging an in-building radio network in conjunction with an LTE deployment.

The ability to offload traffic to a broadband network, improve the performance of mobile services indoors, and create new, differentiated home zone services is even more important given the characteristics of LTE.

UMA-based home zone services, is a pragmatic, proven mechanism for mobile operators to extend their circuit, packet and IMS services onto the fixed broadband IP network. It’s clear that UMA provides the perfect complement to tomorrow’s LTE networks.