Most companies with more than one office have some type of IP-based interoffice communications method. Common connectivity solutions include legacy frame relay lines, private T1 circuits, managed VPN, private IP, and unmanaged Internet VPNs. Communications failures for these interoffice links can significantly downgrade  business productivity.

Loss of interoffice connectivity means that users in remote offices are cut-off from key central systems and can be left without the ability to perform even the most basic day-to-day functions required to carry out critical business transactions. As a result, customers are disappointed, orders are delayed, and the afflicted business pays for workers to wait for the network to come back online.

The vast majority of small business interoffice communications infrastructures have virtually no fault tolerance. A single downed communications line or a single router failure can bring vital business processes to a halt. All too often, single-point failures can take hours, and occasionally days, to repair. Progent’s Cisco-certified CCIE engineers have the knowledge and experience to design and implement sophisticated fault-tolerant architectures for interoffice connectivity. Progent's consultants are expert at fault-tolerant Cisco router configuration based on Interior Gateway Protocols including OSPF, or Open Shortest Path First, and EIGRP, or Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol.

The explosion of low-cost Internet connectivity options provides new opportunities to create affordable, truly fault-tolerant, fully redundant interoffice connections that seamlessly failover in the event of a single-point breakdown. In the past, the high cost of private T1 lines often exceeded reasonable cost/risk assessments for small businesses. But with the diverse selection of low-cost DSL, cable modem, and wireless ISP connections now available, companies can craft cost-effective solutions that offer protection from single points of failure. By utilizing the advanced fault-tolerant features available in Cisco’s IOS operating system, critical failures can be made invisible to users. With proper alert mechanisms, in-house IT resources or outside consultants can work efficiently to restore primary communications links without working under the intense pressure associated with crippling outages.

The business case for implementing fault-tolerant interoffice connectivity has never been more compelling. Low-cost DSL links can be configured as a backup to expensive T1 private lines for as little as 1/20th of the monthly operating cost of the primary link. The availability of business-class wireless links makes it possible to create a fault-tolerant communications architecture that completely eliminates the risk of rare but debilitating wired network failures, such as fiber cuts caused by construction work, or traffic accidents that take down utility poles or telephone wiring junction boxes. These solutions are affordably priced and offer acceptable performance in failover situations.

Additional High Availability Technologies Offered by Progent's Experts
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco engineers can assist your business implement an efficient, fault-tolerant system that addresses major issues covering a broad range of infrastructure solutions and processes such as:

Fault Tolerant Internet Access Solutions
Progent's Cisco-certified network professionals can help you build an economical, fault tolerant Internet connection solution that can achieve non-stop Internet access via a wide range of high availability Internet access solutions including fault tolerant BGP, automatic fail-over, and multiple ISPs. Progent offers Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert engineers to show you how to utilize the latest techniques for fault tolerant Internet access to create an affordable, fully redundant Internet network with automatic failover and other capabilities to create non-stop Internet availability. To read more, visit Fault Tolerant Internet Access Architecture

Windows Cluster Server
Progent provides Microsoft Windows Cluster Server support to help your business utilize non-stop clustered servers that can deliver 100% operation. Windows cluster servers for fault-tolerant networks include Windows 2003 Cluster Server, Microsoft SQL Server Cluster, and Microsoft Exchange Server Cluster. By assisting you to design fault-tolerant clustered server solutions around Windows Server 2003 Cluster, Progent’s certified Windows engineers make sure that your fault-tolerant clustered servers are configured to maximize the competitive value of your information system. To find out more, see Microsoft Server Cluster Support.

Fault Tolerant Load Balancing
Progent provides high availability load balancing support that addresses network load balancing, load balanced programs, network backbone routing, and content delivery products such as F5 Networks 3DNS. Fault tolerant load balancing vendors for which Progent can provide consulting expertise include Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Access Gateway, Cisco CSS, Cisco Content Distribution Manager and LocalDirector 400 series, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. For more information, go to Non-stop Load Balancing.

Fault Tolerant Internet Data Centers
Progent's Data Center engineers can help you identify fault-tolerant data centers that meet the specific needs of your business. High availability Internet Data Centers are especially attractive to small businesses due to of their low cost and convenience compared to taking a do-it-yourself strategy. Trying to build an on-site data center that offers even a basic level of fault tolerance is too expensive for the majority of small businesses. Progent can show you how to reap all the advantages of non-stop data centers and 24x7 colo sites by offering a complete array of engineering and maintenance services. For more information, go to High-Availability Colocation Consulting.

Disaster Recovery Consulting and Business Continuity Consulting
Progent's disaster recovery support and business continuity consultants can help you design a disaster recovery strategy in case of an IT system catastrophe. Progent can help you develop a complete disaster recovery strategy that incorporates scheduled disaster recovery assessments and drills. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized engineers can also help you build an affordable, fault-tolerant network solution that takes into account reliability issues covering a broad array of infrastructure technologies and processes. For details, go to Disaster Recovery Consulting.

System Center Data Protection Manager Backup and Restore Consulting
Progent's certified System Center Data Protection Manager consultants can assist you to create a practical business continuity plan, design an affordable high-availability IT infrastructure, deploy a Microsoft DPM-based backup and recovery solution, comprehensively validate your DPM system, train your administrative personnel or local consultants how to maintain DPM, or handle extensive information technology outsourcing services including remote hosting of Data Protection Manager servers in Progent's data center facility. To read more, see Microsoft DPM Expertise.

Why You Should Choose Progent
Because Progent is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and offers professional application expertise for a wide variety of small business software programs, Progent is able to help customers to arrive at complete IT solutions that maximize the business value of your information system. As a Registered Partner for Cisco, Progent offers the support of certified consultants and specialists with experience in architecting, deploying and maintaining infrastructure solutions based on Cisco Systems products. The extent of Progent's technical know-how and Progent's familiarity with the needs of small and midsize companies make Progent the perfect resource for building and maintaining an affordable, dependable information system.

How to Get Help from Progent's Engineers for Fault Tolerant Network Support
If you wish to ask Progent about professional support for non-stop architecture, phone 1-800-993-9400 or e-mail fault-tolerant-help@progent.com.