Windstream Announces Continuity Solution for Cloud-Dependent Companies
Cloud communications and "the cloud" as an entity are not considered trends anymore in the voice space. Cloud communications and the cloud are staples for business communications, helping companies to effectively manage their internal and external communications in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Since the introduction of the cloud, businesses have been taking advantage of its flexibility, scalability, and easy-access to make for fluid communication across a multitude of channels. The cloud has created seamless communication for business phone systems, unified communications, and even contact centers. But the cloud goes beyond simple communication methods: it has redefined how businesses operate.
Because of how widely accessible and how highly dependent most businesses are on the cloud and their cloud solutions, it's important that their services are up and running at all points in time. So in lieu of this overall need, Windstream (NASDAQ: WIN) recently announced a business continuity solution entitled Diverse Connect to help support these businesses and their cloud applications.
First: What is Diverse Connect?
"Diverse Connect keeps a customer’s network endpoints connected and ensures the performance of functions even in the event of a serious network issue," said Windstream in a statement. In essence, Diverse Connect combines a number of connectivity methods and managed routers with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) and thus acts as a failsafe for the cloud, delivering 99.999 percent uptime and helping to eliminate all points of failure that could lead to any downtime or an interruption in service. This is important for businesses in all industries (especially healthcare and financial) have applications and real-time analytics that they rely upon heavily to ensure the success of their company. “As a healthcare provider, downtime is never an option,” shared Kim Rose, the Chief Information Officer at Crouse Health. “Windstream’s Diverse Connect solution offers us a thoughtful design which eliminated common network pinch-points, providing us with a robust SLA.”
How Does Diverse Connect Compare to Other Continuity Solutions?
In the past, service providers and partners needed to hastily piece together a number of different connectivity options in order to ensure that their users could enjoy a reliable network and the best uptime. This could be a challenge and would require a carefully constructed network from multiple providers. But with the introduction of Diverse Connect, everything is packaged into one, making it easy for Windstream partners to distribute. Plus, Diverse Connect allows for customization in the sense that it will work with various connection types (fiber, fixed wireless, etc.). Customers also receive performance tools with Diverse Connect, allowing them to monitor and validate their continuity.
"The goal of this offering is its a simplified and concise [offering] that lets customers consume it in an effective way," said Mike Kozlowski, the Vice President of Product Management for Windstream, to CRN.
What Are Some of the Highlights of Diverse Connect?
Diverse Connect offers a lot of benefits to businesses who want a reliable cloud solution that exceeds their uptime needs. Highlights include:
- Business Continuity - businesses will stay up and running despite any network issues (power outage, fiber cut, etc.)
- High Uptime - under Windstream's SLA, businesses can enjoy 99.999 percent uptime and can have piece of mind knowing that they have a reliable connection
- Service Guarantee - a "five-nines" end-to-end service agreement that also includes the last mile of service (between Windstream's service and a business' internal network) for optimal connectivity
- Diversity - Diverse Connect uses multiple, differing backup paths with no shared points of failure to seamlessly connect all endpoints
Overall, Windstream believes that the Diverse Connect solution will give businesses and companies peace of mind, knowing that their network is in good hands. "By providing this high-availability, managed access solution, we will capture a unique position in the marketplace by delivering easy-to-order, easy-to-deploy, SLA-backed diversity that provides peace of mind to mid-market IT decision makers and ensures the most reliable connectivity to key customer locations," echoed Joseph Harding, the EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Windstream.
Diverse Connect is currently available to all customers in Windstream's nationwide service area. It is offered as part of Windstream's solution of voice, data, Unified Communications (UC) and security options.
About Windstream
Windstream (Windstream Holdings, Inc., NASDAQ: WIN: $4.84) is a FORTUNE 500 company, providing advanced network communications and technology solutions. They cater to businesses, enterprise organizations, as well as wholesale customers across the U.S. The company’s data, cloud solutions, unified communications and managed services are designed to meet the growing, unique needs of businesses of every size.