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| See also: PDF version |
| After the U.S. government deregulated telecommunications in 1996, there was
a large emergence of new service providers. One of the success stories is
Internap Network Services. This case study explores how Internap chose the
Transition Networks Point System™ media conversion platform to help
deliver quality data services to their customers. |
| Internap Network Services
Corporation is the leading provider of fast, reliable and centrally managed
internet connectivity services targeted at businesses seeking to maximize the
performance of mission-critical internet-based applications. Internap has
created a platform to intelligently route data over the internet’s
major backbones from a single connection to one of Internap’s service
points. They achieve this by connecting directly to each of the major
backbones, thereby avoiding the congested traffic exchange process, while
using their intelligent routing technology to find the most direct path
across the public infrastructure. |
| The company began selling
internet connectivity services from its first Private Network Access Point
(P-NAP) facility, located in Seattle, in October 1996. Internap has deployed
P-NAP facilities in most major U.S. cities, as well as an international
presence in London, Amsterdam, and Japan. |
| Major e-commerce companies
and networks served by Internap include Datek Online, Go2Net, ITXC,
MindSpring, The NASDAQ, TheStreet.com and many others—including many
local and regional ISPs. Internap’s customers are primarily businesses
desiring high-performance internet connectivity services in order to run
mission-critical internet-based applications. Internap believes customers
will continue to demand the highest quality of service as their Internet
connectivity needs grow and become more complex. |
| Internap has created an
innovative way of using the existing internet network infrastructure to route
data and avoid the internet’s points of congestion. They have built an
Overlay Network armed with intelligent routing technology to get your data
from point A to point B in the fastest, most reliable and least-congested
path possible. |
| Unlike some internet
access providers who randomly choose public NAPs or private peering points,
Internap’s routing technology sends customer data out along the correct
internet backbone immediately, through their Private Network Access Point
(P-NAP) facilities. For Internap customers, the optimizing effects of their
proprietary network architecture and advanced routing technologies
dramatically boosts performance. |
| Internap offers a wide
array of data services for remote connectivity, Ethernet connectivity, and
collocation. These services utilize T1, DS3, OC3, OC12, Ethernet and Fast
Ethernet technologies. |
| Transition Networks |
| Transition Networks is the market share leader of conversion technology.
Offering a wide array of media converters, Transition Networks had the
solution for Internap. Internap chose the Transition Networks Point
System™ platform. This next generation product offers enhanced
management, greater density, and much more. The Point System™ offers
flexibility with its modular design to serve the needs of multi-protocol and
multi-media users. |
| Internap needed a reliable
method of connecting the customer to their Point of Presence (POP). Several
issues were vital to Internap, but knowing about trouble at the customer site
was critical. "The passing of far-end link status was the most important
feature for us. This allows us to monitor the customer connection and give
them the best possible proactive support", says Dean Varton National
Facilities Project Manager, Internap Networks. |
| The products selected by
Internap include Transition Networks 18-slot Point System™ chassis,
Ethernet and Fast Ethernet converters which offer both multimode and
single-mode optics depending on the distance to the customer location. At the
customer’s site, standalone media converters were used to interface
with the customer’s equipment. To maintain the integrity of the
network, Internap required hot-swappable cards and redundant power supplies
with an option for AC or DC power. |
 |
| Why Internap Chose Transition Networks |
| According to Dean Varton, Internap selects products based on three key
points: customer service, availability, and price. "I try to find
manufacturers/distributors who give us the best possible service the industry
has to offer. Since Internap strives to have the best customer support and
service in the industry, we also look for these same qualities in the
manufacturers and distributors. If you have the best product in the industry
but cannot support it, what good is it to me?" |
| Dean also says, "Like
other companies, Internap has to meet the customer expectations and
deadlines. If you have the greatest product and provide the best service, but
I cannot get the product, what good is it to me? The products we evaluate
need to be price competitive with other manufacturers in the same arena.
Although price is important, it is the last consideration in this list.
Internap chose Transition Networks primarily based on the first two points.
However, their pricing was very competitive with the industry." |
| Customer Service is King |
| "Internap chose Transition Networks because of several reasons. The
fantastic service they provided us proved to be invaluable. I could not have
asked for better service then we have and continue to receive from
Transition. Other manufacturers were given the chance to be included in our
evaluation of media converters, but their poor service or lack of responding
to our request for product evaluation put them out of the race. Not only did
Transition win us over with customer service, but also the products we
evaluated met or exceeded all of our requirements. The products performed as
indicated by the documentation without failure. Other manufacturers’
converters we tested did not even compare to the level of features of the
Transition gear. One feature in particular that we were looking for was the
passing of far-end link status. Transition Networks equipment was able to
perform this feature without flaw, while other manufactures claimed the
feature was available, making it work was another story," according to Dean. |
| Transition Networks Solutions for Service Providers |
| Transition Networks offers a wide array solutions for service providers. Not
only from a technical standpoint, but also from a customer service
standpoint. Whether you are providing Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit
Ethernet, T1/E1, DS3, ATM, or other data service, Transition Networks has a
solution. Transition Networks’ media converter products can provide
technical solutions, deliver them in a cost-effective manner and back them by
outstanding customer service. |
| To learn more about
Transition Networks or Internap Network Services please visit these web sites
at www.transition.com and
www.internap.com |
