Welcome Guest. | Log In| Register | Membership Benefits

News

January 31, 2000

Printer ready
Printer ready
Network Service Offerings Aim To Lighten IT Load
AT&T, BellSouth, and MCI WorldCom services speed circuit setup, ease network migration

By Bob Wallace

Related links:
  • Convergence Culture Shock
    • And from our sister publications:
  • tele.com Party Lines

  • tele.com Trapped in the Past

    • Send Us Your Feedback
    Three carriers are trying to lighten the load on IT staffs. All three last week unveiled services that speed circuit setup time, manage hardware and software, and help customers migrate to advanced networks.

    MCI WorldCom's Smart Bandwidth on Command lets IT staff use Web browsers to order asynchronous transfer mode circuits or change the bandwidth on existing ones. Web Digital Reconfiguration Service does the same for 64-Kbps and T1 private lines. Customers don't have to track down sales reps, place orders over the phone, and wait days for them to take effect.

    The services also let customers install backup circuits to improve reliability. "Instead of having two always-on links, you call up the second just when needed, which means you cut your costs by about half," says Tom Jenkins, a senior consultant with telecom market-research firm TeleChoice.

    Separately, AT&T unveiled several offerings: Networked Messaging Management Service, which manages and consolidates disparate E-mail systems; Networked Server Monitoring Service, which monitors servers; Managed LAN Utility, under which AT&T acquires, monitors, manages, and upgrades LAN internetworks; and Advanced IP Professional Service, under which AT&T consults customers on migrating to IP networks. Where AT&T lacks expertise, it will partner with vendors while working to bring talent in-house. It has already set up a partnership with Cabletron Systems Inc. for LAN expertise.

    "Managed services can help companies, including us, better control costs because we're buying a service instead of buying equipment and hiring skilled staff," says Jerry Trillo, VP of global data networks at J.P. Morgan & Co. The New York bank relies on such services from AT&T to research and implement emerging technologies.

    Also last week, BellSouth Corp. said it has teamed with Internet Security Systems to offer services for managed firewalls; intrusion detection, response, and antivirus filtering; and Web-site blocking. BellSouth will configure and bundle the pieces of the offering.

    The carriers refused to detail performance guarantees and pricing. "Before getting serious about using these new managed services, IT executives must first press providers for details on what types of service-level agreements are offered," says Kitty Weldon, a program manager for the Yankee Group. "They at least need to give users ranges for what they can expect to pay."

    AT&T's ASP Program May Appeal to Businesses
    AT&T's application service provider program, unveiled last week, gives more value to business customers than they may realize. A content-delivery service developed for ASPs is being offered to businesses as well. AT&T's EcoSystems for ASPs provides facilities, bandwidth, and support services for vendors to become ASPs. But for IT staffs, the more-interesting element is AT&T's Intelligent Content Distribution Service, developed with InfoLibria, Inktomi, and Novell.

    AT&T has been quietly selling the service, which improves Web-site performance and will compete with similar offerings from Adero, Akamai Technologies, and Digital Island, as part of a controlled introduction that precedes unspecified general availability. AT&T says the service starts at $12,000 a month for 10 Mbps of bandwidth used to deliver Web content cached in AT&T's network.

    "Although AT&T's ASP strategy is robust and will attract interest because of its completeness, the content-delivery service is the hidden part of this plan that translates into something customers will be able to benefit from first,'' says Daniel Briere, president of market-research firm TeleChoice.

    AT&T is spending $250 million on infrastructure to address the ASP market, but it doesn't have any plans to become an ASP. "We want all ASPs to use our infrastructure," says Kathleen Earley, president of AT&T's data and Internet services.

    AT&T also reported fourth-quarter revenue of $16.33 billion, up 21% from the same period last year. Earnings were down 42%.


    Back to This Week's Issue
    Send Us Your Feedback
    Top of the Page