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Are Cocky Developers Worth It? Eric Spiegel
[October 13, 2008] Sure, he can code circles around the other developers, but that attitude…

Delivering Telephony Services Alex Goldman
[October 3, 2008] A new partnership to ease the provisioning and management of enterprise phone services provides lessons at every level for ISPs.

Dealing With AT&T Best of ISP-Lists
[September 23, 2008] It's not just end users who find it tough to use AT&T—even partner ISPs have a rough ride.

Alianza Opens Channel, Hopes to Reach Smaller ISPs Alex Goldman
[July 3, 2008] The hosted VoIP provider is working with some other companies you know well—Powercode and ServerPlus—to provide a complete VoIP control package.

Error In Your Favor Gerry Blackwell
[June 27, 2008] This company claims to deliver free money to ISPs. But its service has seen only limited adoption.

FTTH Specialist Says Private Beats Public Alex Goldman
[June 13, 2008] When we heard that Broadweave Networks had purchased the hyped but troubled iProvo network, we called to learn more about the company.

Perimeter eSecurity Adds Services Alex Goldman
[June 12, 2008] Doug Howard is the acquisition guy, so he was able to explain not only what services the company has added, but also why and how.

ISPCON: How Providing Services Has Made My Life Easier Alex Goldman
[June 10, 2008] Most ISPs assume that if you're just offering the pipe, you've got it easy, and that adding services will make life tougher. But Alan Jacubenta said that after revising his business plan, his life improved.

Look At You! Brock Henderson
[May 20, 2008] The vast majority of ISPs have faced down problems that would have destroyed most businesses.

Practical Asterisk Alex Goldman
[March 4, 2008] We learned a few common sense lessons from a business-focused VoIP provider.

WSTA Threat Seminar: Insider Threat Detection and Response Alex Goldman
[February 21, 2008] At the Wall Street Technology Association seminar on threat management, one speaker spoke about that most insidious of threats and said that technology can help you thwart it.

WSTA Threat Seminar: Cybercrime Alex Goldman
[February 19, 2008] "I'm working to identify the people who might attack you," he said, before telling how he does it and who they are.

Wall Street Technology Association: Threat Management Overview Alex Goldman
[February 14, 2008] Cultures may be very different around the world, but the role of the security professional is changing in every nation in response to threats that are evolving even faster.

Mbit Pricing in 2008 Best of ISP-Lists
[December 10, 2007] The experts on our ISP-Lists discuss the future price of bandwidth. Of course everyone expects the price to drop, but few agree on how much or why.

ATM for ISPs or Spy in a Box? Jim Thompson
[December 7, 2007] Amid controversy over the ethical and privacy concerns of targeted advertising, NebuAd hopes to rise above the fray by offering ISPs a slice of the revenue pie. But will tracking user habits bring more headaches than revenue to the ISP?

Editorial: Big Ideas to Chew On Alex Goldman
[November 21, 2007] ISPs are not implementing some interesting technologies. We recommend giving them a second look to see if they might fit in your operation.

From VAR to VoIP Provider Alex Goldman
[November 16, 2007] This company has parlayed its skill with Cisco and Microsoft products into a new VoIP-based business.

The 50 Minute ISPCON MBA Alex Goldman
[November 2, 2007] Few ISPCON speakers challenged themselves to offer so many ideas in so short a time.

Editorial: State of the ISP Industry Alex Goldman
[October 12, 2007] ISPs are examing all options as they try to raise Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), a fundamental metric of ISP success.

What SLAs (Wired and Wireless) Mean Best of ISP-Lists
[October 8, 2007] If you're building SLAs, don't try to get away with the games the monopolies play.

Covad's Survival Tactics Alex Goldman
[October 5, 2007] Its rivals were shut down, NorthPoint by AT&T and Verizon, but Covad has survived. The company's survival tactics can and should be imitated by independent ISPs.

Editorial: Don't Be Like EarthLink Alex Goldman
[October 4, 2007] EarthLink's in a lot of trouble right now, and provides valuable lessons to all independent ISPs.

The Office Park Best of ISP-Lists
[September 11, 2007] This company wants to connect a few customers within the building, making money by reselling a fat pipe. But even in Taiwan, the nation that's the source of so much of our hardware, the telco and other big providers are not friendly to potential competition.

Solving Those Upstream Issues Best of ISP-Lists
[September 4, 2007] We see various RBOC problems crop up regularly on our ISP-Lists. These are not easy to solve, but the responses to this particular post were so useful they're timeless advice.

Hosted VoIP Partner Program Alex Goldman
[August 31, 2007] There are several companies like this one—hosted VoIP providers, aggressive and focused—but this is the only one we know of that works with VARs and ISPs.

Contingency Planning Brock Henderson
[August 20, 2007] Although we cannot foretell the future, we need to plan for it. Plan for things that could go wrong, and for things that could go exceptionally right.

ISPs Move Forward Brock Henderson
[August 6, 2007] While some ISPs may be shrinking, others are growing, and to those we asked the question: what are you doing that helps you grow?

Internet Service Providers' Association of South Africa Alex Goldman
[July 26, 2007] Competition is tough in the U.S., but in South Africa, Wi-Fi LANs were, until recently, illegal.

ISPCON Keynote: Focus on Voice Alex Goldman
[July 10, 2007] Dan Hoffman of M5 said that if you've identified a great business opportunity, you can ignore other opportunities that are merely good.

ISPCON Keynote Speaker Offers to Monetize Search for ISPs Alex Goldman
[July 3, 2007] Former Army major turned CEO Clarence E. Briggs III told ISPCON that the payment structure of the billion dollar search advertising market encourages theft, and offered his solution.

ISPCON: Growing Your Hosted Business Messaging Service Alex Goldman
[July 2, 2007] Want to make money from business customers? In order to profit, you must get this service right.

Merit Network, Inc. Gerry Blackwell
[June 26, 2007] Up in Michigan there's a piece of NSFnet history working hard for universities in ways that might benefit commercial ISPs.

Sonopia Jeff Goldman
[June 20, 2007] Sonopia allows any ISP—or any other organization, regardless of size—to become an MVNO, for free.

Hoffman's M5nifesto Alex Goldman
[May 9, 2007] The founder of the largest VoIP provider in the Northeast showed how to take VoIP to the next level.

Spamming Our Lists Alex Goldman
[April 19, 2007] A company that is spamming our lists is hurting itself, and polluting the internet.

Bandwidth Keeps Getting Cheaper Best of ISP-Lists
[April 3, 2007] Yes, demand may be rising, but the per-megabit price is going down, if you're paying for the fat pipes and looking in the right places.

PacketExchange's Private Internet Alex Goldman
[March 29, 2007] Need uncontested bandwidth? This company has it all connected.

The Right Way to Let Go Brock Henderson
[March 19, 2007] Every business will eventually need to fire someone. Small business owners find it particularly difficult, even when it's necessary.

Editorial: You Are Your Business Alex Goldman
[March 5, 2007] A business that you own and run is work that never ends. But this work that is always with you should free you to do what you want, not be a chore you hate.

An Association for Small Telephone Companies Jeff Goldman
[February 7, 2007] Founded over 40 years ago, the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telephone Companies (OPASTCO) is focused on helping rural providers succeed.

Editorial: Know Your Local VARs Alex Goldman
[January 22, 2007] Business services are being touted as the biggest opportunity for ISPs in 2007. You should do this, but you don't have to go it alone, although you may choose to do so.

Editorial: Anticipating 2007 Alex Goldman
[January 10, 2007] We cannot tell you what will happen in the future, but we can show you where we're looking for the year's big stories.

Five Signs That It's Time to Become a Virtual ISP Todd Grannis
[January 4, 2007] It's the new year and it's time to ask yourself some tough questions about the business you run.

ISPCON Keynote: Who Do You Want To Be? Alex Goldman
[December 1, 2006] In this keynote panel, ISPCON delved into the challenges of four leading ISP business models, moderated by a banker who judges the resulting balance sheets every day.

ISPCON Keynote: The Noss and Searls Show Alex Goldman
[November 30, 2006] Get two people who have been involved with the web since its creation, put them on stage, and stir. Serves: one keynote.

Telework Part 2: What You Need Alex Goldman
[September 1, 2006] ISPs choosing to offer telework need to understand the needs of their new, valuable customers.

Telework Part 1: What it is and Why it Sells Alex Goldman
[August 31, 2006] Advocates see telework as the solution to a variety of problems, from congestion and environmental issues to employment for disabled veterans.

Wave Broadband Buys Alex Goldman
[July 25, 2006] A cable company based in Washington state might be the biggest ISP you haven't heard of. As it grows, it's buying equipment you'll be looking at soon, if you're on the same path of success.

StartUps Embracing Amazon S3 GigaOM
[July 13, 2006] Amazon currently charges $0.15 per gigabyte of storage per month and $0.20 per gigabyte of data transferred.

Tower Climbers Are Worth Every Dollar, As Is Insurance Best of ISP-Lists
[July 11, 2006] While new WISPs may be surprised at how much tower climbers charge, veterans say they're worth the money. Climbing is a risk that requires insurance.

The Brotherhood of ISPs Best of ISP-Lists
[July 3, 2006] On the ISP-lists, veterans mix with new businesses, sharing startup advice and lessons learned.

As Retailers Move from Dialup to Broadband, ISPs Move With Them Alex Goldman
[June 30, 2006] It's not just the big companies. Even local retail and fast food businesses are moving up from dialup to broadband, driven by the most basic retail need of all: credit card payment processing.

Book Review: The Change Function: Why Some Technologies Take Off and Others Crash and Burn Alex Goldman
[June 6, 2006] A Wall Street analyst says that the culture of technology companies needs to change in order to fix the problems that drive away potential buyers.

Like eBay for Bandwidth Jim Thompson
[May 23, 2006] Of course your marketing operation is vital to the ISP business, but if you had an opportunity to get a database to do some selling for you, you would at the very least look into the possibility.

Preparing for Disaster: The Katrina Lessons Alex Goldman
[May 22, 2006] Sigmond Solares and Donny Simonton shared with ISPCON attendees the lessons they learned from running a data center in New Orleans during Katrina.

VoIP is Truly a Service Alex Goldman
[April 21, 2006] Providing VoIP service brings the ISP closer to the customer, and if you're prepared for this, it's a good thing.

Connecting With Real Estate Alex Goldman
[April 20, 2006] ISPs hate trying to deal with landlords, so we talked to one ISP that is working with several of the biggest.

Be Ambitious Alex Goldman
[February 24, 2006] You're a member of several local organizations, and you are prominent in charities. But you can take your networking a step farther than you ever thought possible.

Rudy Yakym, President, Cyberlink International Alex Goldman
[February 3, 2006] To close E-Myth week at ISP-Planet, we interview the founder of a WISP and ask him how Christiantiy, E-Myth, and business work together.

Jon Price, founder of The Golden Group Alex Goldman
[February 2, 2006] It's E-Myth week at ISP-Planet, and today we interview the guy in charge of ISPCON to learn how implementing the E-Myth system is changing his business and his understanding of it.

John McKown, President and Founder, Delaware.Net Alex Goldman
[January 31, 2006] It's E-Myth week at ISP-Planet, and today we interview the founder and president of a medium sized regional ISP and webhost.

Book Review: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It Alex Goldman
[January 30, 2006] Michael Gerber writes that most small business owners fail to understand why they got into the business in the first place, but that if they take the time to work on their business, not in it, they can rise above the tyranny of work to find freedom and joy.

Making a Business from Collaboration Alex Goldman
[January 12, 2006] This integrator uses open source solutions to deliver unique products to unusual customers, building a collaborative business by peeling an onion in reverse, serving customers that others had abandoned.

ISPs Wary of Peering Crossfire Jim Thompson
[December 16, 2005] ISPs cannot control backbone disagreements, but understanding the cause of the problem empowers each ISP develop their own solution.

Follow SonicWALL To A Professional Internet Industry Alex Goldman
[December 12, 2005] Service Providers rely on partners, and as internet partnerships become more complex, vendors and resellers are working together. We talked to a vendor about their award winning partnership program in an attempt to understand what the ideal relationship would be.

Licensing Content for the Internet Alex Goldman
[November 4, 2005] With IPTV music licensing conditions still undecided, we asked a cable industry content entrepreneur and pioneer how the last round of agreements were negotiated, and learned that the future may be nothing like the past.

ISPCON Mike Cassidy
[October 14, 2005] An ISPCON regular since 1996 writes about what to look for and whom to learn from at the Fall show in Santa Clara.

The Cogent-Level 3 Dispute Alex Goldman
[October 7, 2005] Even though peering has ended and links remain severed, the peering agreement was not violated by either side. The dispute pits a restructured, low-debt Ethernet provider against a more traditional, debt laden provider in a fight that's unlikely to end soon.

Thinking About Skype and eBay Alex Goldman
[October 6, 2005] We spoke to a company that's already offering voice services to eBay users to learn more about the Skype buy specifically and about VoIP opportunities in general.

VoIP Consolidation Alex Goldman
[October 3, 2005] One VoIP acquires another and the combined package enables even more services. But are businesses ready to take advantage of what's on offer?

How To Grow, How To Change Alex Goldman
[September 29, 2005] One ISP that made the transition from selling basic dialup to selling advanced business services tells a story that contains important lessons for ISPs who seek business customers.

Editorial: ISPs Can Survive Alex Goldman
[September 8, 2005] While the FCC seems determined to eliminate independent DSL, survival strategies exist for ISPs willing and able to adapt. We identify three key skills and two elements of local geography that could be vital to your success.

CLECs See No Future in Residential Service Best of ISP-Lists
[August 19, 2005] CLECs will focus on business services, now that the FCC has decided that broadband deployment will speed up if the cable and phone companies are handed a duopoly.

Knowledge of the Network is Power Alex Goldman
[August 15, 2005] An ISP planning to deliver the services of the future needs to understand and control its network.

ISPCON: Notes from the Show Floor Alex Goldman
[July 11, 2005] The ISPCON show floor is the place to find out what's happening.

Pricing to Survive Tim Sanders
[June 14, 2005] If you have only one price for your service, you're not offering enough. Premium pricing and services are essential to WISP survival.

Rich Webmail for Everyone Alex Goldman
[June 6, 2005] The largest non-facilities based ISP in North America rolls out a new webmail product that's nifty whether you're on dialup or broadband.

Malware Returns Jim Thompson
[May 27, 2005] Just when you think you've got spam beaten, something far worse starts to appear on customers' computers. For ISPs, this new nuisance means headaches and a serious drain on resources and revenues.

At F2C, ISPs and VoIPs Have Similar Concerns Alex Goldman
[May 10, 2005] The prospect of a network dominated by a single short sighted company threatens the freedom to connect—and innovate—of small businesses everywhere.

Be a Service Innovator Alex Goldman
[May 6, 2005] A software developer from Sweden challenges ISPs to offer services not bandwidth, and says he can prove that it works. Service innovation is necessary because the triple play is boring.

The Freedom To Connect Alex Goldman
[May 3, 2005] Bell Labs rebel David Isenberg gathered a cross-disciplinary group to discuss the intersection of politics and the internet.

AOL Mail on the Web Alex Goldman
[April 25, 2005] We chatted (by phone) with the largest ISP in the U.S. about the company's webmail product.

The Adzilla Project Alex Goldman
[April 18, 2005] It sends ads, blocks ads, kills viruses, and even plans to change the way ads are bought and sold on the internet. But will ISPs take to this ambitious project?

A Simple Strategy Alex Goldman
[March 31, 2005] This VoIP provider claims it's the simplest. Any ISP with a billing system is welcome to join for an up front prepayment for services of $250.

Planning for Broadband Ubiquity Alex Goldman
[March 28, 2005] As legacy businesses around the world lobby their governments to prevent the deployment of technologies like wireless broadband and VoIP, one of the largest corporate research programs in the world is already planning for everything they're trying to prevent.

The Insurance Agent Who Grew Like You Alex Goldman
[March 18, 2005] If you're trying to find insurance, consider a company that, though national now, started out as a strong regional player in Southern California.

A Cat in a Basement in Oregon Alex Goldman
[March 11, 2005] A big name local ISP owes its success, its founder says, to the teamwork of everyone who works there and, of course, to Cleo the cat.

The Backbone That Grows Alex Goldman
[January 25, 2005] This company has yet to see a profit, but that hasn't stopped it from growing rapidly. It's the low cost provider many in the industry love to loathe. We talked to the CEO.

Vonage Where You Want To Alex Goldman
[December 17, 2004] If you're roaming around the world, you can take your Vonage with you. Vonage CEO Jeffrey Citron says everything's going well at his company.

No Doubt: ISPCON is Cool Again Mike Cassidy
[October 28, 2004] One insider says there's plenty to see this year at ISPCON—and, more importantly, much to talk about in a fast changing ISP industry.

Large ISPs Missing From VoIP Race Max Smetannikov
[September 24, 2004] The race is on. Major companies are preparing an ad blitz. But one group of communications companies is suspiciously missing from the ranks of VoIP contenders—the largest ISPs.

Making Work for Idle Hands is Practical Best of ISP-Lists
[September 8, 2004] ISP principals discuss methods of making use of those times when tech support staff has nothing specific to do.

A Competing TV Provider Gerry Blackwell
[August 27, 2004] It uses broadcast TV infrastructure to compete with TV stations. It's not an ISP, but its business model is unique, fascinating, and strangely familiar.

EarthLink Thinks About Cutting Loose Alex Goldman
[August 12, 2004] EarthLink has always embraced new value-added services and new forms of broadband as they became available, but its next foray into unexplored territory may be its biggest ever.

I Wish They Could All Be CISPA Alex Goldman
[August 5, 2004] The largest state in the union provides the perfect ecosystem for its state association, which is thriving.

A Big Voice For New Hampshire Alex Goldman
[July 30, 2004] The ISPs of northern New Hampshire have been involved in public affairs since 1999. If they can do it, surely you can too!

That Old Time Internet Religion Alex Goldman
[July 8, 2004] During the boom, the prophets said the Internet would change the world. Steve Stroh reminds us that it's happening, but not at the pace they predicted, nor by the companies that the bankers and venture capitalists bet on.

MX Logic Sees Success in Corporate Markets Alex Goldman
[July 7, 2004] The anti-spam provider is confident that it—and its ISP clients—will be able to charge corporate customers for anti-spam as the service is recognized as a key element of security.

Practical Plans for the Ends of the Earth Dave Hughes
[July 2, 2004] The man who brought the wireless Internet to the slopes of Mt. Everest tells us what challenges he has lined up next.

NFIB: The Voice of Small Business Loren Simonds
[June 25, 2004] The National Federation of Independent Business, a national advocacy group, gives small businesses big clout in Washington.

How the Wireless Frontier Will Be Won Alex Goldman
[June 8, 2004] An experienced venture capitalist describes his view of the wireless future, and says that the CFO stuff is much more important than the CTO stuff, even for WISPs.

Book Review: FutureWealth Alex Goldman
[June 7, 2004] IT does not matter, but how a company handles information determines whether it succeeds or fails. It's all in a prescient book written four years ago.

The Telecoms Future Alex Goldman
[June 7, 2004] Francis McInerney, VC and author, describes the future of the wired Internet, a future vastly different than the one most are expecting.

Big Plans for Small ISPs in North Carolina Alex Goldman
[April 22, 2004] A group of ISPs has found a way around the rules that the BOCs wrote specifically to keep them out of the broadband game.

Some Ideas from ISPCON Alex Goldman
[April 19, 2004] So much happened at ISPCON that we'll be writing about it for weeks. But first, here are the key issues affecting ISPs today.

ISPCON ISP-CEO Session, Spring 2004 Alex Goldman
[April 15, 2004] The ISPCON ISP-CEO session covered a wide range of topics. We summarize most of the key points of the session here—but nothing beats actually being there.

The Time is ISPCON Mike Cassidy
[April 14, 2004] As ISPCON time comes around again, the trade show reflects the industry, with some things old and some things new.

A Real ISP Association Alex Goldman
[March 5, 2004] With four years to prove itself, this small association with a significant ISP membership shows it's concerned about all aspects of running an ISP.

When a Customer's a Suctomer Best of ISP-Lists
[March 3, 2004] Members of the ISP-Tech list discuss the profit and potential headaches of helping solve customers' problems with their hardware.

The Benefit Of Their Experience Gerry Blackwell
[Febraury 24, 2004] It's a sign of maturity in the WISP industry: one of the oldest WISPs is building a WISP management software product.

Broadband Over Powerline is For Real Alex Goldman
[February 23, 2004] Every year for the past three years, you've heard that broadband over power line is coming this year. Now, in 2004, Amperion says it's really ready to deliver.

STSN's Hotspots Alex Goldman
[Febraury 20, 2004] STSN distinguishes its hotspots from those of the competition in numerous ways including security, flexibility, scalability, and adaptability.

AOL, Feeble Giant Alex Goldman
[February 19, 2004] With AOL advertising on the Superbowl and mailing out so many free CDs, perhaps you've wondered how it can afford to throw so much money away. Maybe it can't.

Is The Phone Company Overcharging You? Alex Goldman
[Febraury 9, 2004] A company that is running some CLECs of its own now offers its billing resolution solution to fellow CLECs who may also be victims of the telco billing process.

A Simple Business Opportunity Alex Goldman
[January 8, 2004] Clean, reliable, useful e-mail will sell, as the experience of UK Web veteran Easyspace proves in its new Easypost offering, powered by Everyone.net. Full service e-mail is especially valuable to less-savvy customers.

Manufacturer Seeks ISPs With SMB Clients ISP-Planet Staff
[January 5, 2004] EmergeCore, whose IT-100 sells for $1,395, understands that ISPs can be valuable channel partners in the small business tech market.