v
An Assessment and Feasibility Study of Key Communications Current Business Communication’s Enterprises .
v.
Eric R. Ganz
Cortex Computing Ltd
Copyright 08/22/99
Table of Contents
Part
Background Page 3Part
Executive Summary Page 3Part
Introduction Page 43a
Statement of Problem/Need Page 43b
Project Scope and Objectives Page 4Part
Action Plan Page 54a
Activity One Page 54b
Activity Two Page 54c
Activity Three Page 5Part
Management Plan Page 65a
Project Organization Page 65b
Costs Page 65c
Schedule Page 6Part Results
Page 7Part
Evaluation Page 7Part
Qualifications Page 7Part Conclusions/Next Steps
Page 8Appendices
BACKGROUND
The scope and utility of this document is to serve as an assessment tool and evaluation of Key Communications current internal communication’s structure and outline the objectives of Key Communications business plans of mass market communications, networking and service based enterprises.
Recommendations and strategies for the assemblage of a centralized comprehensive corporate entity to consolidate and optimize managerial operations of Key Communications products, services, corporate information, investment information and all relevant data relating to Key Comm. Corp. proper and all peripheral corporate projects.
Key Communications current business objectives are as follows
Establish 3 Internet Service Provider
(ISP) enterprises,vertical growth, mass market and commercial oriented.
Provide corporate networking services to include, VPN (Virtual Private Networking) Corporate Data Services, Corporate Wireless Data Services, Software design, Custom data applications design, Full Service HTML Web-Site design and maintenance. Data-Centric Web Applications. Consumer oriented web applications.Merchant and consumer transaction services. Mail,messaging and data relay/forwarding services to include cellular and remote applications.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
An Assessment of Communication’s Structure and Strategy
The scope and utility of this document is to serve as an assessment tool and evaluation off Key Communications current in-house communications infrastructure and feasibility of mass market communications services.Key Communications current hardware audit shows in excess of $174.560 in communications hardware. The full audit can be found in appendix 1AThe core utility of this missive is to asses the current structural integrity , viability and operant capacities of current communications hardware. Communications defined as but not limited too ;Voice, Data, Video, Information and file sharing.The spectrum of scrutiny will also asses the current internal communications structure and it’s ability to mate with external intelligence. External intelligence defined as teledata systems and communications between all Key Communications entities and all relevant assemblies .
Recommendations and options for the fusion of in-house communications and gateway options to external telecom conduits. External communication resources to include teledata, wireless or radio communication protocols and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network T-1 and T-3 conduits. Current in-house communications protocol consists of telecom and audition , with data and electronic media using the traditional analog telecom bandwidth/path. Limitations of standard telephonic transfers with emphasis on data and information sharing are mainly due too the limited bandwidth afforded by twisted pair lines. The limitations witnessed are not inherent in the bandwidth or telephonic assemblage, but in the current functional usage of said. The advantageous use of telephony is best witnessed in the fusion of telephony and digitization employed on the Internet. The operant and functional capacities of traditional telephonic communications have been optimized to full use of available bandwidth with the assistance and marriage of software and hardware. Bandwidth monopoly of analog signal is reinterpreted to digital or binarian intelligence.
Traditional analog signals are now digitized, manipulated and extruded of all capacities with the interfacement of computer information technologies. As in auditory communications, voice or phonetic data transfer works in " real time" , or without impediment. With the advent of bandwidth extrusion, video, voice and all information and data communications are potentialized for "real time" or unimpeded transfer. The implications of said magnify the operability of telecommunications to embrace communication devices such as , video teleconferencing , data-conferencing, where spreadsheets , documents and all projects can be manipulated by teams without geographic constraints. This creates an engine of powerful expediency and efficiency. The incorporation of these telecommunication strategies for in-house communications will be catalogued and accompanied with appropriate structural and economic feasibility.
C
orporate and commercial Internet sites have taken a mercurious leap as a vehicle for marketing exposure within the last 3 years. The explosion of corporate presence on the Internet in the context of market share and audience capture has created a new and dynamic forum of media exposure.The scope and purpose of this missive is to asses the current structure of Key Communications Internet sites and evaluate the operant capacities of said as an aggressive marketing and information engine. The assemblage of this document will also serve as a tactical tool and strategy template for telecommunication objectives. Objectives and goals will be summated in this document, engineering specifics will be appendicised.
Evaluating In -House or Intranet Technology
Anyone that has perused or journeyed on the Internet has experienced the encyclopedic depth and dynamics of this communications phenomenon. The analog signal ceiling has been raised to cathedral heights, whose bell tower is alighted with the luminescence of a technology in perpetual evolution and incalculable growth. The mercurian technology of the Internet has already established itself as the standardized and uncontested communications protocol. Economic and investment implications , at present considered in genesis , have already made impressive , if not meteoric bounds. A quick survey of Microsoft and it’s fell swoop to monopolization and seizure of this market illustrates the viability and potential of this industry.
Users Norteastern United States in Millions
The establishment of 3 Internet
Service Provider facilities. Current demographic data shows a consumer base of 3.5 million
new subscribers per year as defined to the geographic area of , the Greater Lehigh Valley,
points west to Reading, and the populated fertile markets south to the greater
Philadelphia metro area. A 3 phase plan would begin with a localized ISP serving the
Lehigh Valley, a single T-1 Internet feed will cost $800 to $2,000 per T1 worth of
Internet access per month. Assuming an 8:1 user-to-modem ratio on our dialup ports, a
single T1 will be enough to feed 200 concurrent connections or about our first 1,600
customers. The Server network proper, at minumum can consist of 4 seperate dedicated
PC’s whose services provide all primary functions, which include DNS, mail, Web (both
regular: httpd and secure: https), athentication, and news. The following illustration
shows a typical single server, 4 workstation internet server.
If you will notice the NT Remote Access Server (RAS) works within the same protocol as a broadband or Wide Area Network (WAN) thus enabling the server for multiple IP networks, accomodation of Cable Modem and Satellite Gateway.
A simple Point to Point protocol can than be established wich effectivley doubles the
bandwidth and increases the user capacity to 3200 clients. Hardware costs for this scenario are typically $7,000. With a client base of 3200 users at 9.95 per month net profit is $31,840 per month. Current goals would be to acquire a market share of %6 by the 4th quarter of project launch bringing the client base to 28,000 users at $278,600 net-per month.
Broadband , Cable and Satellite Services
A recent qoute from the trade journal Communications Engineer "According to a recent study by Pioneer Consulting (), the broadband access market will gain over 136 million users in the next decade.
Pioneer’s somewhat grandiosely titled report, "Global Broadband Access Markets: xDSL, Cable Modems and the Threat from Broadband Satellite, Wireless and All-Optical Solutions," predicts no clear technological winner.
Broadband represents, "— an important emerging market to be addressed by a variety of technologies, each occupying its own niche. No one technology is a clear leader, though broadband satellites fared quite well versus the competing technologies because of its unique ability to address the goals of the Internet and a global information infrastructure," wrote Pioneer representatives in a December press release.
Global Broadband Access Subscriber Summary, 1998-2007 (Millions)
According to Pioneer, "satellites provide service on a global or continental basis, they are well-positioned to address the access market with unique advantages. Satellites have the ability to create uniformity tomorrow where heterogeneity rules today....Broadband satellite constellations will effectively create space-borne Internets that will improve on the current terrestrial Internet and provide a global broadband backbone and access infrastructure."
Key Communications is currently
involved in wireless research, current holdings include:
1) 40 foot
Cellular Tower with accommodations for wireless data. Satellite Internet services and
fiber-optic access will be a major marketing tool for Key Comm. 2)Pre-License for 50,000
watt FM broadcast station in NH. Key Communications long range objectives are to offer
wireless services of an approximate radius of 348 miles.
Centralization and fusion of Key Communications Internet sites will serve as an audience capture device.Localization of all Key Comm products and services into a unified catalogue will function as a singular "point of presence" , this is the core structure of the marketing machinery with objectives to mate with Merchant/Storefront consumer based online transaction/shopping services.
ACTION PLAN
Activity One:
At present all current resources needed for entire project from genesis to completion are available with Key-MIS hardware. A single standing server is available and satisfies all necessary needs for this operation. The server also fulfills requirements to execute Phase-1 of Key Communications-ISP aspirations. Objective purpose of ISP enterprising at present is the potential to generate passive income. Small localized Internet Service Providers can realize 16-100K in monthly revenues. Modesty aside, the deployment of ISP enterprising at this juncture is for strategic setup and establishment of Internet services, as too secure Key Communications anchorage for future involvement in ISP investiture. Securement of Domain name Servers, IP addresses and DNS allotment are crucial at this juncture, the FCC
and it’s involvement in DNS allocation appears to be taking an aggressive turn. Finding room on the internet may prove to be a formidable task in the next year as regulatory bodies are slowly siezing more power and authority. As stated by John Dvorack in a recent interview in ISP World "get your bandwith now before it’s too late".
Proposed Service Area
The global ISP equipment market will triple by 2003, when one-third of all residential users choose high-speed Internet access, according to a report by .
According to "Powering the Internet Revolution: 1999-2003," the total number of residential broadband subscribers (cable modems and ADSL) reached 700,000 globally in 1998. The report also forecasts that the number of Internet accounts (95 million in 1999) will increase more than fivefold over the next five years. By 2003, Datamonitor predicts there will be nearly 545 million Internet user accounts globally, even surpassing the number of PCs installed globally.
The proposed area of
service of Key Communications comprises a potential market share of 2.5 million users.
Aggressive marketing via press, radio and print can expect a 4th quarter return of 6% or
150,000 subscribers for a return of 2,992,500 per month at 19.95 per subscriber. These are
conservative estimates based on current demographic data and market trends. Key
Communications quarterly goals are .5% or 7500 new subscribers per month for a capital
growth trend of 149,625 per month.
Datamonitor also predicts the total market for Internet access and value-added services (valued at $25.5 billion in 1998) will increase to $154.5 billion by 2003. The dramatic expansion in the ISP market will be driven by domestic subscriber revenues and business subscribers.
Domestic subscriber revenues will continue to increase, although at a more moderate rate. Although the price for dial-up access seems to have settled at $19.95, the emergence of broadband access devices in the home will enable a new access revenue opportunity for ISPs.
Business subscribers will continue to drive service revenue growth. ISPs will enjoy a steady influx of revenues as Internet penetration in the workplace improves globally. There are currently more offline businesses in the world than online, the report found.
In addition to revenues derived from the accumulation of new business subscribers, Datamonitor found ISPs also have the opportunity to augment existing corporate contracts with premium access levels and costly value-added services that will further drive growth.
All of this growth will spur the market for ISP service equipment to more than quadruple between 1998 and 2003, reaching a value of $6.2 billion in 2003. The total market for ISP equipment will approach $15 billion in 2003.
According to Datamonitor, key areas for growth in the service equipment markets include:
Customer care tools: New levels of competition within the ISP market place new imperative on the effective management of customer relationships.
Network security tools: The adoption of next generation bandwidth-intensive Internet applications can only take place if ISPs can guarantee the full security of their networks.
Server hardware: ISPs will scale up their expenditure on server hardware in order to accommodate an expanding range of service offerings.
Server software: As ISPs aim to roll out next-generation applications and sophisticated service offerings, spending on server software will grow more dramatically than that for any service equipment market.
Caching engines: The result of more subscribers on the Internet and the broadening of subscribers' bandwidth needs will be greater levels of congestion along all parts of an ISP's network.
Key Communications ambitions and
objectives are to provide essential service needs to established ISP’s coupled with
Key Communications diverse ISP enterprises.
Key Communications is currently involved in wireless research, current holdings include 1) 40 foot Cellular Tower with accommodations for wireless data. Satellite Internet services and fiber-optic access will be a major marketing tool for Key Comm. 2)Pre-License for 50,000 watt FM broadcast station in NH. Key Communications long range objectives are to offer wireless services of an approximate radius of 348 miles.
APPENDICES
Key Communications Current |
Asset Audit as of 08-01-99 |
||
Make |
Model |
Serial# |
Value |
Proteon |
Series-90 Network Concentrator |
$ 6,200.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-90 Network Concentrator |
$ 6,200.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-90 Network Concentrator |
$ 6,200.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-90 Network Concentrator |
$ 6,200.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Series-70 Network Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
|
Proteon |
Pro-Net-Fiber Optic Backbone |
$ 2,700.00 |
|
Proteon |
Pro-Net-Fiber Optic Backbone |
$ 2,700.00 |
|
Proteon |
Pro-Net-Fiber Optic Backbone |
$ 2,700.00 |
|
Proteon |
P1392- 16/4 |
31-457401-00 |
$ 35.00 |
Proteon |
P1392- 16/4 |
Total-35 Cards |
$ 1,225.00 |
Proteon/IBM |
Cordus-Fiber Optic NIC-835C1 |
Total-14 Cards |
$ 1,720.00 |
Synoptics |
R-10 Rack Mount Server |
$ 2,200.00 |
|
Artisoft |
10-Base-T Peer Hub |
$ 340.00 |
|
Artisoft |
AE-3 Network Interface Cards |
Total 37 cards |
$ 1,295.00 |
Artisoft |
Central Station 8 port Hub |
$ 425.00 |
|
Artisoft |
Central Station 8 port Hub |
$ 425.00 |
|
Castelle |
Lanpress Hub/Repeater |
$ 320.00 |
|
Castelle |
Lanpress Hub/Repeater |
$ 320.00 |
|
U.S. Robotics |
HST High Speed Rack Modem |
200 Ports |
$ 5,300.00 |
Intel |
10-Base-T Network Interface Cards |
Total 47 Cards |
$ 1,645.00 |
IBM |
Aptiva-S-CD Rom Server |
$ 3,200.00 |
|
Compaq |
Prolinea-Workstation-Server |
$ 1,500.00 |
|
Dell |
625-D Workstation-Server |
$ 825.00 |
|
Dell |
625-D Workstation-Server |
$ 825.00 |
|
Dell |
625-D Workstation-Server |
$ 825.00 |
|
Pure Data |
ArcNet-20 Port Server |
$ 2,300.00 |
|
Pure Data |
ArcNet-20 Interface Cards |
Total 26 Cards |
$ 910.00 |
Monitors |
|||
Compaq |
1024-17 inch |
$ 120.00 |
|
Compaq |
1024-17 inch |
$ 120.00 |
|
Compaq |
1024-17 inch |
$ 120.00 |
|
Taxan |
E-80-26 inch |
$ 220.00 |
|
Packard Bell |
Model 14015-15 inch |
$ 85.00 |
|
Packard Bell |
Model 14015-15 inch |
$ 85.00 |
|
Packard Bell |
Model 14015-15 inch |
$ 85.00 |
|
Packard Bell |
Model 14015-15 inch |
$ 85.00 |
|
Packard Bell |
Model 14015-15 inch |
$ 85.00 |
|
Packard Bell |
Model 14015-15 inch |
$ 85.00 |
|
Mitsumi |
Model ES-20-17 inch |
$ 120.00 |
|
Mitsumi |
Model ES-20-17 inch |
$ 120.00 |
|
Mitsumi |
Model ES-20-17 inch |
$ 120.00 |
|
Hewlett Packard |
Jet Direct Network Interface Cards |
Total 40 Cards |
$ 3,600.00 |
Misc |
Cables-Hardware-Telephony- |
$ 1,200.00 |
|
Total Assets |
$ 81,550.00 |
Internet Service Providers PA Area Code -610 |
|||
Provider |
Location |
Phone |
Domain Name |
1USA.COM |
West Lawn, PA |
610-678-2300 |
1USA.COM |
1USA.COM |
West Lawn, PA |
610--67-8-23 |
1usa.com |
Access 2000 |
West Chester, PA |
610-692-9205 |
AXS2000.NET |
BrandywineNet |
Oxford, PA |
610-932-6590 |
BRANDYWINE.NET |
CCIS- Chester County Internet Srvs |
Downingtown, PA |
610-518-5700 |
CHESCO.COM |
Chester County World Access |
Downingtown, PA |
610--87-3-35 |
WORLDAXES.COM |
CrafTech Computer Solutions |
Media, PA |
610-566-0980 |
CRAFTECH.COM |
Data Matrix Incorporated |
West Chester, PA |
610-701-5814 |
DMATRIX.COM |
Delaware Valley On Line |
Drexel Hill, PA |
610-394-0900 |
DVOL.COM |
Deniz Corp |
Norristown, PA |
610--23-9-72 |
DENIZ.COM |
Eagle Computer Management |
Exton, PA |
610-363-8981 |
CHESTNET.COM |
Early Access |
Kutztown, PA |
610-683-8901 |
EARLY.COM |
EarthStation Inter.net |
Conshohocken, PA |
610-825-9800 |
EARTHSTATION.NET |
Enter.net Inc |
Allentown, PA |
610-437-2221 |
ENTER.NET |
Father and Son Information Service |
Allentown, PA |
610-776-8045 |
FSI.NET |
FishNet |
King of Prussia, PA |
610-337-9994 |
POND.COM |
Global Internet Management |
Bala Cynwyd, PA |
610-617-4515 |
GIM.NET |
InterNet Connect |
Broomall, PA |
610-690-2197 |
ICDC.COM |
Internet Tidal Wave |
Bethlehem, PA |
610--33-2-42 |
ITW.COM |
Kennett Internet Services |
Kennett Square, PA |
610-444-9008 |
KENNETT.NET |
KeyStone Network |
West Chester, PA |
610-431-1995 |
KEYSTONENET.COM |
Net-Thing, Inc |
Norristown, PA |
610--63-1-84 |
NET-THING.NET |
Network Analysis |
Allentown, PA |
610-391-1434 |
FREEDOM.NET |
NuNet Inc |
Bethlehem, PA |
610-882-5600 |
NNI.COM |
Oasis Telecommunications Inc |
Whitehall, PA |
610-439-8560 |
OT.COM |
OpNet |
Bryn Mawr, PA |
610-520-2880 |
OP.NET |
PlanetMessage Mexicana S.A. de C.V. |
Conshohocken, PA |
610--94-0-38 |
www.planetmessage.com |
Palmerton, PA |
610-826-6130 |
PTD.NET |
|
Talon Network Services, Inc |
West Lawn, PA |
610-670-4923 |
TALON.NET |
Company |
Product Name/Model |
List Price |
Operating System |
WAN and ISP Protocols |
Protocol by e-mail server |
File service protocols supported |
Host Management |
Illimite |
Internet-Link |
$1,500 - $4,500 |
Unix |
PPP over serial, dial-on-demand, 56K leased line, T1, PPP over onboard ISDN, PPP via onboard modem, fractional T1 |
POP 3, SMTP |
HTTP, FTP, CIFS (NetBIOS over TCP/IP), AppleShare Filing Protocol |
DNS server, DHCP |
Lotus Development Corp. |
Netfinity 3000 |
Starts at $1,769 |
Win Nt, NetWare, Unix, OS/2 |
PPP over serial, dial-on-demand, Multilink PPP, 56K leased line, T1, ATM, frame relay, fractional T1, N by T1, X.25 |
IMAP, MAPI, POP 3, proprietary, SMTP |
HTTP, FTP, CIFS (NetBIOS over TCP/IP) |
web browser configurable |
Lotus Development Corp. |
Netfinity 3500 |
Starts at $1,769 |
Win Nt, NetWare, Unix, OS/2 |
PPP over serial, dial-on-demand, Multilink PPP, 56K leased line, T1, ATM, frame relay, fractional T1, N by T1, X.25 |
IMAP, MAPI, POP 3, proprietary, SMTP |
HTTP, FTP, CIFS (NetBIOS over TCP/IP) |
web browser configurable |
Meridian Systems |
Internet Appliance Platform MD-100 |
Starts at $2,995 |
Unix |
PPP over serial, dial-on-demand, Multilink PPP, 56K leased line, T1, ATM, PPP over onboard ISDN, PPP via onboard modem, frame relay, fractional T1, N by T1, X.25 |
IMAP, POP 3, SMTP |
HTTP, NFS, FTP |
DNS server, BOOTP, DHCP |
UMAX Technologies |
SOHO Connect |
$1,649.95 |
Unix |
PPP over serial, dial-on-demand, 56K leased line |
POP 3, SMTP |
HTTP, NFS, FTP, CIFS (NetBIOS over TCP/IP) |
DHCP, web browser configurable |
UMAX Technologies |
U GATE II |
$299 - $399 |
proprietary |
PPP over serial, dial-on-demand, 56K leased line |
POP 3, SMTP |
HTTP, FTP |
DHCP, web browser configurable |
UMAX Technologies |
U GATE |
proprietary |
PPP over serial, dial-on-demand, 56K leased line |
POP 3, SMTP |
HTTP, FTP |
DHCP, web browser configurable |
|
Whistle Communications Corp. |
InterJet |
$1,995 - $3,495 |
Unix |
PPP over serial, dial-on-demand, Multilink PPP, 56K leased line, T1, PPP over onboard ISDN, PPP via onboard modem, frame relay, fractional T1 |
IMAP, POP 3, SMTP |
HTTP, FTP, AppleShare Filing Protocol |
web browser configurable |