| The Wall St. Journal has defined the term | | | | and unwanted DDOS attacks from affecting or |
| "micro-multinational" to mean "a company that from | | | | infecting traffic flow. |
| its inception is based in the US but maintains a | | | | Going through these questions in detail allows |
| less-costly skilled workforce abroad." According to | | | | micro-multinationals to design and negotiate |
| the Journal, such companies are the darlings of | | | | comprehensive bundled solutions with a provider for |
| venture investors, not only because of their lower | | | | a competitive price point. In addition to evaluating |
| labor costs but also because of the increased | | | | their current environment, micro-multinationals need |
| productivity resulting from 24-hour networking and | | | | to consider their growth potential; they tend to grow |
| operations. Micro-multinationals base their | | | | rapidly and generally do not have or want to have |
| headquarters in the U.S. and efficiently leverage key | | | | staff to focus on managing their networked locations. |
| resources around the globe for specific talents and | | | | Therefore, deciding on a fully managed solution is a |
| tasks, such as development in India and | | | | strategic decision that can save organizations |
| manufacturing in China. | | | | countless hours per day and ensure that network |
| Since multinationals are geographically and nationally | | | | performance reaches optimal potential. When |
| diverse, a key driver in making them efficient and | | | | selecting a managed solution, having visibility into and |
| effective is the choice of the communication method | | | | being able to monitor the network environment |
| used to seamlessly link their various locations | | | | should be part of the comprehensive solution. |
| together. Thus one of the first things on their to-do | | | | Managed Services or Do-It-Yourself? |
| lists is to design and implement an effective and | | | | A managed solution provides key advantages over |
| secure network that can do everything from sharing | | | | the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) model. The managed model |
| data and sending emails to leveraging the network | | | | can alleviate key pain-points such as the design, |
| for VoIP calls or video conferencing. | | | | implementation, ongoing management, and growth of |
| Executing a global networking solution requires | | | | the network solution. Because there are so many |
| in-depth knowledge of access options in a broad | | | | factors to consider in building and maintaining a |
| range of locations, the ability to troubleshoot and | | | | high-performance network, an organization often |
| service these locations, and the flexibility to connect | | | | employs dedicated staff to deal with various issues |
| offices in Asia-Pac, South America, Europe, and the | | | | that come up during implementation and |
| U.S. Evaluating the network, from country coverage | | | | management. This team must determine and |
| to access options, security integration, and pricing | | | | coordinate installation times with an on-site contact |
| could make for a very lengthy selection and | | | | who may be 15 time zones away, perform |
| implementation process. To help facilitate and | | | | troubleshooting in the middle of the night, and also |
| expedite this process, a Virtual Network Operator | | | | overcome possible language barriers. |
| (VNO) provides end-to-end managed services, | | | | Micro-multinationals need to consider all of these |
| working with network providers around the world | | | | things when choosing a provider. |
| that offer best-of-breed last-mile infrastructure and | | | | A VNO has developed best practices to help |
| implementing end-to-end QoS consistency. These | | | | micro-multinationals with their specific networking |
| VNOs can assess and plan for a complete, secure, | | | | needs and specializes in providing global network and |
| and flexible network solution that is able to grow | | | | security solutions to many of these fast-growing |
| with the needs of micro-multinationals. By working | | | | companies. The VNO model embraces the fact that |
| closely with these organizations from a global | | | | no single carrier network infrastructure can serve all |
| network implementation perspective, a VNO is ideally | | | | locations while providing the best price and |
| positioned to help guide them through the maze of | | | | performance around the world. While other carriers |
| network performance, access, redundancy, and | | | | try to build out infrastructure to cover more |
| design options. | | | | locations, the VNO model aggregates and integrates |
| Security and reliability of the network infrastructure | | | | the best access and backbone infrastructures around |
| are also important factors for micro-multinationals. | | | | the world. In addition, the VNO integration model not |
| Because these organizations have "departments" | | | | only provides broad reach but also leverages its |
| scattered around the globe, they need to have a | | | | infrastructure to select primary and alternate routes |
| WAN that acts very similarly to a LAN, with secure | | | | to allow for failover of the traffic. |
| networking services such as network VPNs or MPLS | | | | VNOs use a consultative approach that allows them |
| solutions augmented by firewalls and Intrusion | | | | to work with micro-multinationals to select the |
| Prevention Services (IPS). In addition, companies will | | | | appropriate network solution for the needs of a |
| likely need to securely integrate some employees | | | | specific office location. For example, a customer can |
| who need to access this network from remote | | | | choose to use DSL at some of its remote sales |
| locations as they travel or work from home. As | | | | offices, an E1 line at larger offices, and Ethernet |
| organizations grow, they might leverage more | | | | access at manufacturing facilities that require a lot |
| real-time data applications, video conferencing, and | | | | more bandwidth. Unlike VNOs, most of these |
| VoIP services to cut costs. All these services need | | | | customers have little or no time to research various |
| the same secure network infrastructure with the | | | | network design options, select access providers, |
| ability to grow to meet demand and expand to add | | | | develop and negotiate contracts, and ensure all the |
| new types of services. | | | | locations can reach each other around the world. The |
| Micro-multinationals have a broad choice of network | | | | VNO will also relieve the customer of the task of |
| solutions and solution providers in the market today. | | | | establishing local onsite contacts and following up with |
| Selecting the right alternative requires a strategic and | | | | them when issues arise. Since micro-multinationals |
| a consultative planning approach by organizations and | | | | typically staff their organizations to focus on their |
| their network providers. | | | | business and not to manage their networks, they are |
| As part of consultative planning, the network | | | | open to having a network provider manage all of |
| provider should outline - and follow - key networking | | | | their networking and management needs around the |
| criteria to deliver a complete, secure and reliable | | | | world and provide a single comprehensive bill for all |
| solution. | | | | solutions and services. |
| In evaluating network options, it is important for the | | | | As micro-multinationals define their strategic directions |
| company to review the nuances of each network by | | | | and grow their organizations, they need to consider |
| location and determine how critical each site is to the | | | | the key underpinning of their global economic model: |
| overall corporation. Both the types of applications and | | | | their network and their network provider. Choosing a |
| the number of people at each location are factors | | | | network provider based on sound criteria early on in |
| that will determine the bandwidth type, speed, and | | | | the process will alleviate a lot of frustration and allow |
| upgradeability as well as future growth opportunities. | | | | micro-multinationals to focus on their businesses. The |
| Knowing these things will allow the network provider | | | | relationships that they build with their network |
| to design the network with the optimal redundancy | | | | providers is not only critical to the success of their |
| or fail-over required in the event the primary | | | | companies but also allows them to operate and grow |
| connection goes down. Another factor, one that is | | | | without geographic constraints and to leverage the |
| often overlooked, is the need for security solutions | | | | essence of their business model, globalization. |
| to augment the overall network and keep viruses | | | | |