Connectivity to the Internet has emerged as a mission-critical capability for many small businesses. The use of the Internet to distribute information has mushroomed to the point that many organizations are unable to perform day-to-day functions without Internet connectivity.

Traditional applications such as internal email clearly lose much of their value when they can’t be used to communicate with customers or vendors, but as organizations increasingly adopt Internet-based information delivery for line-of-business applications, even core functions can grind to a halt when Internet access becomes unavailable.

Until recently, only large organizations could afford to build fully redundant and transparent Internet connections that could survive a failed Internet link or router. Such seamless fault tolerance requires T1-class Internet lines, an option that in the past overstretched the budgets of most small businesses. As T1 prices have dropped to as low as a few $100 per month, and as alternative connections have become available, the opportunity for small businesses to achieve enterprise-class fault tolerance has become economically feasible. But even though the cost for lines has become affordable, the complexity of implementing these solutions has not.

Few small businesses have the in-house expertise required to work effectively with multiple ISPs, coordinate the necessary configuration steps with Internet numbering authority organizations, and implement advanced routing protocols such as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP). Progent offers Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) consulting to help you apply the latest connectivity technology to implement a cost-effective fault-tolerant solution.

Today multiple options exist for building automatic and semi-automatic failover solutions. These can involve a mix of T1, DSL and wireless Internet connections. The viability of high-speed fixed-wireless links has recently opened up new alternatives for achieving transparent fault tolerance. By establishing diverse physical paths to the Internet, small businesses gain insurance against costly outages caused by events out of their control, such as a construction crew accidentally digging up phone lines.

As companies rush to deploy VoIP solutions, the potential productivity loss that could result from an interruption in Internet access increases dramatically. This creates another strong incentive to configure a fault-tolerant architecture. Current technologies from Cisco and other networking companies make it possible to build high-availability voice and data solution that have even better uptime potential than conventional voice and data services.

For small business with extremely limited budgets, fault-tolerant failover solutions are possible by utilizing redundant, low-cost DSL services. While not providing all the transparency of more complex and expensive solutions, this alternative can provide significant functionality and avoid costly productivity loss in the event of line failure.

As companies have shifted away from dedicated leased T1 and frame relay lines to Internet-based VPN connections, the demand for fault-tolerant Internet connectivity has accelerated. Businesses can apply the cost savings from retiring legacy leased circuits to upgrading their Internet infrastructure so that they will not only protect their connectivity to remote offices but also the Internet connectivity of office users. Absent those cost savings, many small companies are reluctant to invest in fault-tolerant Internet configurations.

Other Fault Tolerant Solutions Provided by Progent's Consultants
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco consulting experts can help your company build an affordable, high-availability IT architecture that resolves critical problems encompassing a wide range of infrastructure solutions and operations such as:

Microsoft Windows Cluster Server
Progent provides Windows Cluster Server expertise to help your organization implement non-stop clustered servers that can provide 24x7 operation. Clustered Windows servers for high-availability systems include Windows 2003 Cluster Server, Microsoft SQL Cluster Server, and Exchange Cluster Server. By showing you how to create fault-tolerant server clustering solutions around Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Cluster, Progent’s certified Windows professionals make sure that your fault-tolerant clustered servers are set up to optimize the business advantage of your IT system. To find out more, go to Microsoft Cluster Server Expertise.

Non-stop Load Balancing
Progent offers high availability load balancing support covering system load balancing, load balanced programs, LAN/WAN backbone routing, and content dispatching products such as F5 Networks 3DNS. Non-stop load balancing providers for which Progent offers consulting expertise include Windows 2003 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Presentation Server, Cisco Content Services Switch, Cisco Content Distribution Manager and LocalDirector 400 series, and F5 Networks BIG-IP. To find out more, go to Fault Tolerant Load Balancing.

Non-stop Data Centers
Progent's Data Center professionals can help you select fault-tolerant data centers that match the specific needs of your company. High availability Internet Data Centers are particularly appealing to small companies because of their affordability and simplified logistics compared to taking a do-it-yourself strategy. Attempting to create an in-house data center that offers even a minimum level of fault tolerance is too expensive for the majority of small organizations. Progent is ready to help you reap all the benefits of non-stop data centers and 24x7 colo sites by offering a full array of engineering and maintenance services. To find out more, visit Fault Tolerant Colocation Solutions.

Fault Tolerant Interoffice Networking
Progent’s high availability interoffice connectivity and 24x7 network connection consultants can help small organizations achieve non-stop Interoffice connectivity via fully redundant networks with transparent failover. Progent’s Cisco-certified CCIE engineers can plan and deploy ultra-reliable Inter-office networks based on non-stop EIGRP routers or non-stop OSPF deployment of Cisco routers. Progent can show you how redundant connections and transparent fail-over can provide economical non-stop interoffice networking. For more information, see Non-stop Inter-office Networking.

Disaster Recovery Consulting and Support Services
Progent's disaster recovery support and business continuity engineers can show you how to design a disaster recovery plan in case of an IT system disaster. Progent can show you how to develop a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that incorporates scheduled disaster recovery assessments and drills. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized professionals can also help you build an affordable, non-stop system solution that addresses reliability issues involving a wide range of infrastructure technologies and procedures. For details, go to Business Continuity Consulting Services.

Microsoft Data Protection Manager Data Recovery Consulting Experts
Progent's certified Data Protection Manager (DPM) consultants can help your company to create an effective disaster recovery strategy, design a cost-effective non-stop IT infrastructure, deploy a Microsoft Data Protection Manager-powered backup and recovery solution, thoroughly validate your DPM system, educate your administrative personnel or regular consultants how to maintain Microsoft Data Protection Manager, or handle complete IT support outsourcing including off-site housing of Microsoft Data Protection Manager machines in Progent's world-class data center facility. To find out more, see Data Protection Manager Consulting and Support Services.

Why Companies Choose Progent
Since Progent is a Microsoft Gold Partner and offers specialized application expertise for a wide range of small business software programs, Progent can help clients to arrive at complete IT solutions that optimize the business value of your information system. As a Registered Partner with Cisco Systems, Progent can provide the support of certified engineers and specialists with expertise in architecting, deploying and maintaining infrastructure environments built on Cisco products. The breadth of Progent's IT know-how and Progent's familiarity with the requirements of small and midsize companies make Progent the ideal partner for building and maintaining an affordable, high-availability information system.

How You Can Get Help from Progent's Experts for Fault Tolerant System Support
In order to get in touch with Progent about engineering help for fault tolerant LAN design, phone 1-800-993-9400 or email fault-tolerant-help@progent.com.