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A Review of DSL Internet Service

Everyone wants DSL Internret service these days. Dial-up is just too slow for the way we use the Internet today. We want our DSL service fast and we want it for a reasonable price. There are many companies that now offer broadband DSL service. There are plenty of advantages with using DSL.

The standard package for most DSL service includes things like a choice of online services, such as Yahoo and MSN. They offer technical service that is live all the time, they usually have a standard 30 day guarantee for services, so that if you are not happy with them as your ISP, you can ask for a full refund if it is within thirty days. Many also offer you the option of having multiple email addresses, so that everyone in the family can have their own. They also give you 10 MB of web space for you to use. All this can be yours for a fairly reasonable price if you choose to sign up for a one-year contract. If you prefer to have a monthly service, it will cost you more per month.

Make sure that you compare the various facets of DSL Internet service. These areas are all important and complile a composite image of how good the Internet service is. Overall cost is one area. This is measured by how competitive the prices really are, and that your bill is accurate. How quickly they respond to and fix any billing problems or changes are also part of that category.

Another area that is measured includes image. You want to go with a company that appears to have a good reputation among ISPs, and represents their services and prices honestly. Their performance and reliability is also considered to be very good. As for customer service, which rates how quickly problems are solved, how friendly and helpful their customer service reps are and the satisfaction of customers, they are considered to be as good as other ISP providers. They are also comparable in their email services, which measures how quickly you can send and receive email.

Overall, you want to choose a DSL Internet service that appears to be working to provide a good service to their customers and seems to care about making sure that service is one of the best available.

The key is to find the plan that best suits your needs for a price that you can afford. If you think that you have the right DSL service for you, check out their website and find out if they offer DSL service in your area. However, it always makes sense to comparison shop before making a final decision.

Bob Hett has extensively covered the Internet Service Provider industry as an analyst and has researched the various companies for factors based on price, reliability, support and overall quality. Learn more at DSL Internet Service.

posted by www-u87719 @ 8:35 PM 0 comments

Challenges And Solutions For Medical Imaging Bandwidth Requirements

A Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) is integral to the smooth, timely, and quality delivery of health care in every medical setting today. Not only are they integral but they are crucial to the clinical and business aspects of radiology practice as we know it. However, PACS have long faced challenges in delivering this digital imaging support to such diagnostic modalities as X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and Teleradiology. The main issue has always been the availability of sufficient bandwidth (load and speed).....at a reasonable cost.....to support the growing demand for quick easy web-based access by medical providers. As Medical Imagery becomes more and more digitalized....with bandwidth improvements, communication will be faster and easier, and it will be possible to transmit heavier studies in less time and with high quality.

An internal (facility owned) PACS leverages a common infrastructure for all the digital imaging modalities and provides image storage and archiving....with recall as needed....for an entire medical facility or campus. By instituting a web enabled distribution system a facility PACS is able to provide ready image access to the immediate radiology department as well as the full range of clinicians and specialists, especially surgeons and referring physicians. To ensure functionality at the high level required means facing the heavy bandwidth appetite of the modalities supported.

Even an Application Service Provider (ASP) company that hosts applications, manages them and rents access to images from a centrally managed facility is not immune to the bandwidth concern. ASP providers allow an institution to outsource information technology applications infrastructure, management, support and maintenance. As defined by the ASP Industry Consortium, ASP service is designed to deliver and manage applications and computer services from remote data centres to multiple users via the Internet or a private network.? therein lies they're challenge....a high bandwidth requirement delivered over often a subtantial difference on an on-demand basis.

PACS manufacturers have developed numerous solutions to get around the bandwidth problem. They've compressed images, supported standard network interfaces and protocols such as Ethernet and TCP/IP, and deployed local area networks (LANs) with high bandwidths to link hospitals or referring physicians in a contained environment. But how do they handle bandwidth when institutions are separated by tens or hundreds of miles, especially since images have become larger and more complicated?

Some PACS vendors rely on the communications infrastructure in an area, which varies with the bandwidth that is available from the local telephone company and the price a hospital is willing to pay, said Frederick Wagner, manager of PACS for Toshiba. Other PACS providers offer streaming technology that transports high-quality images in real time over any bandwidth, including telephone lines and enterprise-wide LANs.

Another contributing solution is a technology called Pixels-on-Demand by Real Time Media. This technology speeds processing by capturing images from archives or PACS storage without waiting for preprocessing, immediately streams data from selected regions of interest, and delivers the most visually important features of an image to the viewer first.

The underlying solution to the bandwidth issue goes beyond even system technologies, network interfaces, image compression, and infrastructure protocols. It lies with the provision of the appropriate bandwidth capacity (circuits)....at a reasonable cost....via leveraging the fiber-optic infrastructure available throughout the United States. Enabling direct fiber-optic connectivity internally, or between hospitals and distant data centers, is the most cost-effective application of bandwidth. Use of Optical Carrier (Sonet Ring) bandwidth (likely OC3 or OC48) or Gigabit Ethernet allows a medical facility to optimize it's Local Area Network (LAN). While ASP organizations can scale their application service provider (ASP) service to small imaging centers as well as large, far-flung health systems.

To find a fiber optic infrastructure provider which can deliver the right bandwidth solution for your medical imaging application.....I strongly recommend that you take advantage of the free consultation available from an independent bandwidth broker such as DS3-Bandwidth.com.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

posted by www-u87719 @ 9:14 AM 0 comments

Internet Security - 10 Ways to Improve your Personal Privacy on the Internet

Are you wondering how you can keep your private life offline? Here are ten tips for personal privacy on the Internet.

1. Set the Ground Rules:

Make protecting your privacy a regular and important part of the online habits for your entire family. If you spend even a little bit of time thinking about the best ways to protect your personal privacy online, then it only requires a small amount of effort for you to prevent large problems from occurring. Create a written use agreement for the Internet and have your entire family sign it, so there will be less debate about what family members can and cannot do online.

2. Use Security Features:

Make use of the security features that your wireless network affords you. By taking advantage of these built-in security features, you can better control who has access to your Internet connection and when.

3. Control Pop-Ups:

Use the capabilities of your web browser to control the pop-ups and cookies that you are exposed to. Pop-ups may not be capable of causing harm by themselves, but they tend to also be associated with aggressive forms of advertising that can fraudulently attempt to obtain your financial and personal information. Use your browser capabilities to control what pop-ups and cookies you deal with while browsing the Internet.

4. Use Security Software:

Use privacy protection software applications, including anti-spyware, anti-virus and firewall programs. These kinds of programs are often bundled in when you purchase a brand new computer. Some are even offered by your Internet service provider for free. If you do not already have them, they are well worth the investment if it means protecting your privacy online.

5. Schedule Regular Updates:

Update your operating system and your privacy protection applications on a regular basis. These updates tend to be free to download, and can mean a lot for increased protection on your computer.

6. Use Strong Passwords:

Learn how to create the right types of passwords. Passwords should not be dictionary words, and should combine letters, numbers and special characters as well in order to be the most effective.

7. Keep Passwords Safe:

Keep a private record of the passwords, usernames and other vital information for every member of your family. Keep this information away from your computer, rather than storing it online where other people can potentially get a hold of it. I recommend using RoboForm, a password management software program - not only does it generate passwords for you but it will store them all in one place that you can access with a master password.

8. Don't Share Personal Information:

Do not volunteer any personal information for any reason. If it is not required of you, simply do not provide it.

9. Use an Alias:

Use online aliases and nicknames whenever you can. Unless inputting your name is legally required, there is no reason to use it. Do not give out your true name, your phone number or your address to someone online unless you absolutely must.

10. Keep Family Internet Use Transparent:

Review the activities of your family as often as you can. If you find out that a family member is practicing bad habits for online security and privacy, set them straight and change those habits before a problem is born. You do not want the wrong people to find out important information about you or your family, so act accordingly when you spend your time online.

Jeff Wilson writes extensively about computer related issues like how to protect your personal privacy on the Internet, fixing those annoying Windows errors, and speeding up your PC. To get a free download of Jeff's favorite Internet Privacy tool go to http://www.pcdatakiller.com

posted by www-u87719 @ 2:10 AM 0 comments