Now hiring: Network Engineer

Avid Communications has nearly doubled in size this year and now serves thousands of people in the KC Metro area. To help us keep pace we are looking for a Network Engineer who has the following qualifications. If you or someone you know is a fit, please email a resume to

jobs@avidphone.com

Network Engineer

As a network engineer for Avid, you will work with the Avid team to deliver voice and data services to Avid’s growing base of business customers.

Responsibilities:

v    Configuration and change management of core ip network elements as directed by the network team including planning, testing, implementing and maintaining.

v    Development internal systems and processes for administration and management of systems and servers.

v    Configuration and change management of end user networks including firewalls, routers and switches.

v    Tier 2/3 support of operations group for troubleshooting and problem resolution for failures and outages.

v    Provide project documentation, project tracking and management reporting.

v    Plan and implement changes during off hour maintenance windows.

v    Lead small projects.

v    On-Call Rotation.

Qualifications:

v    Demonstrated knowledge of Voice and Data communications networks including BGP, QoS strategies, IPv6, VoIP (SIP protocol) and firewall management.

v    Familiar with commonly-used concepts, practices, and procedures within telecommunications field.

v    Ability to review, utilize, and create guidelines and instructions to perform functions of the job.

v    Rely on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.

v    Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills.

v    Proven experience with service provider class routers, switches and firewalls.

v    Ability to respond to emergency service calls at any time outside of normally assigned work hours.

v    1-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area.

v    Experience with Adtran, Juniper, Acme Packet and/or Metaswitch networking equipment preferred.

v    CCNA certification preferred.

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My setup–getting the most from IP phones

Does anyone really need 9 phone lines at home? Maybe not, but here’s how I have used Avid’s IP phone service in my own setup.

1. My office line also rings in my home office.

2. Avid’s service line rings in my home office.

3. I have a number that I use for accounts, but doesn’t ring anywhere. It does roll to voicemail, which I get as an email, in the off-chance that I ever get an important call on that line. It’s mainly to siphon off telemarketers.

4. We have a family line. Its voicemail is forwarded to my wife as an email.

5. I have a cell phone. If I don’t answer, it goes to my universal voicemail. All my lines go to this single voicemail account, and all are forwarded to me as emails.

6. I have a line that rings my office, my home line and my cellphone at the same time. My wife uses this one to track me down without having to call a bunch of numbers.

7. She has a line like that too.

8. We have a line for our security system

9. We have a line set up to ring all of my wife’s lines and my lines. This is essentially an emergency line that the babysitter can use.

It was a bit complex to set up, but it simplifies communications for the family.

High Speed Fixed Wireless

I’m afraid of heights but yesterday I again found myself on the roof of a tall building. With a very low wall around the edge.

This is happening more often as Avid delivers high-speed bandwidth to more of its clients using fixed wireless connections. Initially we were reluctant to use wireless, fearful that it would not meet our standards for reliability. But after two years of experience with wireless, we’ve completely changed our mind and now recommend wireless whenever possible.

It is quite reliable. And it is one of the fastest and cheapest ways of delivering high-speed bandwidth to commercial users. Our most common link is a 10 Mbps symmetrical link, which can be delivered wirelessly for a lot less than a fiber connection.

Each client is different, and we’ve learned not to try to shoehorn everyone into the same type of connection. But these days, the shoe that fits most comfortably is increasingly the wireless one.

Since Day One with the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Several years ago we started providing service to a small office for a brand new organization. Tomorrow that organization opens its $400 million jewel, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts–a venue of international significance.

The center’s magnificence is obvious, but its behind-the-scenes infrastructure is impressive as well. Phone services are provided via Avid’s Cloud-based network–and they are tailored to serve the wide variety of demands of the Kauffman operation. The connection is a high speed fiber ring. The daily needs of the center are managed by Avid, relieving the staff of the work associated with the telecom needs of a fast-growing, ever-changing operation.

While the center’s investment in excellence for the performing arts is tremendous, its investment in a state-of-the-art telecommunication setup is a tiny, tiny fraction of the budget. Avid’s ability to instantly reconfigure the service has been important through the ever-changing development stage of this organization.

At Avid, we are so proud of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the transformational effect it will have on our city!

The Google Fiber Series Part One: 30 years of fiber optics

David Scott, founder of Kansas City FiberNet, Birch Telecom and Avid Communications, has been following the development of fiber-optic communications for 30 years. In a series of articles, he interprets the significance of the Google’s announcement that Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. will be the first locations for its gigabit-fiber-to-the-home network.

Part one of this series provides a brief history of fiber optic communications. Click Here

How did your operations weather the Blizzard of 2011?

If you’re an Avid client, you have many tools and services at your disposal for minimizing disruptions to your organization’s operations during blizzards and other events that make it difficult for your staff to get to your offices. Here are some techniques Avid clients used this week, allowing them to keep running while keeping their employees safe: 

–Took their office phone home (for those with Avid IP Cloud-based service)
Anticipating difficulty getting into the office, many customers took their office phones home and used their home Internet connections for business calls. With a minor configuration change (which either the user or Avid can do through a browser), the IP phone will function at home exactly as it does in the office. That includes phones that are a part of sales or service groups, where a main number rings multiple phones.

–Forwarded main number to a cell phone
All Avid customers can easily and quickly forward their main numbers to any other phone. Many of our clients forwarded their main number to their cellphone.

–Set up a special Automated Attendant announcement
Many of our clients use an Automated Attendant on their main numbers, either to initially answer all calls or to pick up if a person doesn’t answer. Many of these clients either had Avid change announcements or did so themselves  to announce changes in hours, closings, and staff bulletins (such as whether to report to work or not).

–Rerouted to offices not affected by the weather
Some clients asked Avid to change call routing to offices that were still open or at full staff. Some were able to bring in additional staff in other locations to handle the increased call volume.

–Used Sim-Ring feature to ring cellphones and home phones when main numbers were called
Here, clients continued to have calls go to the existing groups set up to handle incoming calls (such as a customer-service or sales group), but they used the simultaneous ringing (Sim-Ring) function to temporarily include cell phones and home phones in the call groups.

–Used the Find-Me feature to ring several cell phones in succession
For calls that were critical, one client set up a whole series of cell phones to ring in succession using the Find-Me feature.

–Implement holiday- or after-hours Automated Attendant
Many clients used their existing after-hours or holiday Automated Attendant menus and announcements to answer calls when they closed their offices.

–Change press-offs to other numbers (such as home or cell numbers)
Automated Attendant menus allow press-offs to reach individuals or groups. Normally, most of the press-offs are to office phones or groups of phones. Several clients changed the destination of the press-off to home phones or cell phones. This way, the change was transparent to the caller, and individuals could be reached without giving out private cell phone numbers.

–Used a conference bridge for board meeting

One client needed to set up a conference bridge for 15 users so that a scheduled board meeting could go forward without forcing people to travel under hazardous conditions.

–Used Avid’s fax server to get incoming faxes to people

Normally, the faxes come in to a fax machine, but during the storm the faxes were rerouted to Avid’s fax server that can automatically send the faxes via email. 

THIS WAS ALL ACCOMPLISHED AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO OUR CLIENTS. These changes were made quickly, either by the customer from their office or home, or by Avid instantly with the customer on the line or within a few minutes of the request.

If your operations were disrupted by the storm, contact Avid for advise on preparing for the next one. We’re happy to help!

Eleven High Speed Networks

Without even really noticing it until recently, Avid has put together quite a portfolio of high-speed network options for our clients in Kansas City. Eleven of them in total.

Why so many? Well, one size definitely does not fit all. Some clients need very fast bandwidth–and are willing to pay for it. Some need asymmetrical bandwidth and are more budget minded. Some need network redundancy for the ultimate in reliability.

One by one, we’ve incorporated a variety of wired and wireless options into our network mix. All are delivered with the same speed and reliability that we’re known for.

Business incentives in Kansas City, MO

I’ve been on a mission lately to figure out what economic development incentives are available to small and mid-sized businesses in Kansas City, Missouri. Because the agencies are generally geared to go after larger companies, I find they don’t do a great job of publicizing what’s available for everyone else.

After several meetings, I think I have a handle on the various programs and when they can be applied. For instance, if I had known about the Enhanced Enterprise Zone program when we started Avid, we would have been eligible for over $100,000 in incentives so far. Not a vast sum of money, but certainly worth filling out the forms to become eligible.

If you’re a business owner and interested, give me a call at 816-994-7073 and we can discuss this.