Telecommunications Technologies for Small Businesses

Amazon.com Review Telecommunications Technologies for Small Businesses serves as a sort of cheat sheet for anyone shopping around for voice and (especially) data links for business applications. Frank Panzarino defines terms, explains concepts, and highlights the relative merits of different ways of getting signals from point A to point B. A lot of this is academic--rare is the business owner who needs to know about television scan rates in order to make a buying decision--but other aspects of his coverage, such as billing metrics for different kinds of networks, will prove valuable.A few of Panzarino's descriptions and explanations are inaccurate (a favorite: "Recently, there have been several attempts to standardize on suffixes such as .com, .net, .edu, etc., without much success") and more than a few tread the narrow line between concise and oversimplified, particularly when they have to do with applications of telecommunications links (such as Internet connectivity). Still, his definitions of terms and explanations of concepts are generally broadly accurate, and Panzarino's expertise in the design and marketing of telecommunications products overshadows his relative inexperience with Internet applications. The reader is left wishing for a second edition of this book in which the simple, scattershot coverage of random details--do we really need a picture of the Energy Star logo, or a section on what a data projector does?--is cut out, and the enlightening explanations of telecoms are given more space. --David WallTopics covered: Lots of stuff, including everything from basic electric circuit theory and the history of telephone service to broadband data channels and virtual private networks (VPNs). Coverage is oriented more toward defining terms and explaining concepts; highly technical details get left for other resources. Product Description Intended for nontechnical managers and entrepreneurs who must make decisions regarding the use of telecommunications networks in small businesses. Early chapters review basics of electronics theory and examine analog and digital telecommunications networks and standard telephone network technologies, as well as cable and satellite transmission systems and high-speed broadband Internet access. Later chapters describe equipment and services needed for a standard office installation and software needed to create a home office or small business environment. Final chapters look at emerging technologies. Panzarino is an engineer in the private sector and teaches at Stevens Institute of Technology. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) From the Back Cover The complete telecom briefing for entrepreneurs and managersThe complete telecom guide for nontechnical entrepreneurs and managersNetworks, equipment, and services from the basics to the cutting edge!Choosing the right high-speed Internet services: xDSL, cable, satellite, and beyondToday's telecommunications networks offer small businesses powerful new ways to extend their reach and maximize their profits. Now, there's a book that cuts through the jargon, helping nontechnical managers and entrepreneurs to make more intelligent, profitable decisions. Telecommunications Technologies for Small Business gives you a rock-solid foundation in telecommunications for evaluating and managing any voice, data, and Internet technology—not just today, but for years to come. Frank Panzarino covers all this, and more: How telecommunications works: the basics, from the ground upThe benefits and limitations of the traditional telephone networkNext-generation networks for the small business and home officeComparing high-speed Internet access alternatives: xDSL, cable modems, and satelliteTelecommunications for audio and video: next-generation multimedia and beyondThe role of regulation in today's telecommunications marketplaceWhat's on the horizon—and how to plan for it Frank Panzarino illuminates telecommunication