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Spring Tide Networks Leverages Turnkey Internet Access Solution
With FreeGate's OneGate Internet Access ServerWhen you are in the fast-paced world of today's small business, to be competitive, you must hit the ground running. You can't risk having any part of your
data communications infrastructure falter. And today, reliable, secure and feature-rich Internet connectivity is an integral part of that business critical data communications infrastructure. Small businesses
must be able to operate on-line, as well as, or better than, the proverbial "big guys." That is why when Spring Tide Networks, a Boxborough, Massachusetts start-up company that is developing carrier
class network equipment for Internet Service Providers, opened up shop, they chose FreeGate's OneGate 1000 Internet Access System to get their 35 member team on the Internet. No Hassle Installation
"We have put together a talented group of engineers to bring products to market, not spend their time installing and maintaining an elaborate Internet access system," said Stephen Collins president and
co-founder of Spring Tide Network. "The OneGate product provided us with exactly what we needed--turnkey Internet access right out of the box -without the hassle, time commitments, or expense of piecing
together multiple hardware and software components." In fact, FreeGate's OneGate solution consolidates all of the key Internet features which start-up or small businesses like Spring Tide need to compete
in today's cyber world, in a single compact box. This fault-tolerant hardware/software offering provides IP routing, a firewall, a DNS server, a DHCP server, an SMTP/POP3 e-mail server, an FTP server, and a
Web server in a simple-to-use system. The OneGate solution also includes robust remote management capabilities. This makes it simple to configure, diagnose and troubleshoot the OneGate system, as well as load
software upgrades, from almost anywhere with a phone line. Full Feature Set Key For Spring Tide Networks The most important feature that the OneGate solution offered was instant Internet access. The
company wanted to get to the wealth of information the Internet held for their development team and they wanted to get there "yesterday." According to Bob Power, Spring Tide Networks director of
software development and the designer of the internal network, the ability to get up and running instantly, combined with OneGate's utter simplicity and affordability, made the company's decision to use the
product easy. "We looked at a number of alternatives," said Power. "In the end, we liked the carrier class features of the FreeGate solution, as well as the speed with which it could be deployed
and ease with which it can be maintained." Internet Access Lifeblood of Business The Internet is at the heart of a huge portion of the work that Spring Tide Networks does everyday. Because the
company is developing a suite of Internet products, the company's engineers are continually accessing everything from partner specifications to competitive information on-line. E-mail with outside vendors and
partners is the primary mode of communication. Any down-time in the company's Internet access would make a heavy hit on daily productivity. According to Powers, that is why OneGate's extensive fault tolerant
features such as mirrored disk drives, built-in uninterruptible power supply (UPS), ECC memory and dual cooling fans were important to the company. "When you look at what is available on the market today,
OneGate is really the only solution that offers best of breed Internet services in a single consolidated box, as well as extensive fault-tolerant features. With OneGate, we are confident that our Internet access
will be a sure thing day in and day out." The Spring Tide Network includes approximately 40 PCs operating on a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network. The company leverages many of the advanced features of the
OneGate throughout their network. This includes the mail server, a built-in router, the DNS and DHCP servers, the firewall, and virtual private network (VPN) capabilities, along with some of the Web server
features. Consolidated Solution Delivers Bottom Line Savings Had Spring Tide pieced together multiple vendors' component solutions to achieve this level of functionality, the cost could have been
anywhere from $10kUSD to $15kUSD. However, the OneGate 1000 was thousands less - substantially reducing the company's initial investment, as well as the ongoing expenses that would have ensued in maintaining and
supporting multiple vendors' products. One of the reasons FreeGate can effectively consolidate so much functionality into a single box is its advanced thin server implementation. This combines highly efficient
hardware with thin versions of software that do not compromise functionality. For small businesses like Spring Tide Networks, which are looking for industrial-strength Internet capabilities and other product
features that were once only available to large businesses, the OneGate solution from FreeGate delivers in spades. "The FreeGate solution had everything we needed to get up and running quickly, the right
features, easy installation, and virtually no maintenance, all at a very affordable price," concluded Power. "TheOneGate Internet Access solution has definitely contributed to our overall increased
productivity." |
