Thread regarding Windstream Corp. layoffs

"We're stuck with the ILEC hardware for transport whether we use OfficeSuite or Zoom.

How about the dedicated hardware Windstream uses for OfficeSuite - is it any better ?"

Accedian still makes the MetroNids. We install them almost everyday. We have transitioned away from the TE model and gone to the GT's. GT's have alarm reporting capabilities that the older TE's didn't have.

There is no dedicated OS equipment. It is either Mitel phones, Polycom phones or Allworx phones that have had the firmware upgraded to automatically look for the Broadview server once connected to the internet. It's such a great product, that the local techs that will come out and install it, don't even have access to the OS portal to help make any changes you might need made. The techs will have to call the OS support group, be transferred several times and finally get a "support" tech that might be able to help and make the changes that need to be made, if you can get past the language barrier .

And wait until you have an issue after the install and after your 30 day "free support trail". You will have to make a trouble ticket through the portal, which will get you a 10-14 day response time. Or wiat for an hour to get someone on the phone and then wait 14 or more days for it to be resolved.

We had a customer call in multiple times a day, everyday, for over a month. Their only 2 OS phones were dead in the water, and due to an issue with their shipping address in "the system", support refused to ship them new phones instead of trying to fix the issue. It took a local tech and a manger getting involved to get the problem corrected and 2 new phones shipped to the customer. And even that took an additional week and a half of having the tech and manager pulling ever string they could.

@5bcg+17RBfsCg wrote:

"While Officesuite could be said it's a rebrand of Zoom the software and hardware is not housed within Zoom's infrastructure. That is entirely within Windstream's network and hardware platforms and if you're company is on the Windstream network then your speed should be faster than having to traverse across the internet to Zoom."

Windstream's hardware in our ILEC area is old and tends to fail. After multiple outages (for 1000+ employees) they put "new" equipment in our basement. It's an Accedian MetroNID released in 2012. I searched Accedian’s web site for “MetroNID” and and got zero hits, so I guess Accedian doesn’t support them anymore.

(The good news: eBay still supports them. If this one c-aps out, Windstream can get a replacement for $69.99)

We're stuck with the ILEC hardware for transport whether we use OfficeSuite or Zoom.

How about the dedicated hardware Windstream uses for OfficeSuite - is it any better ?

Thanks

@4ssr+17RBfsCg and @5bcg+17RBfsCg:
Thanks for the explanations.

@5kzt+17RBfsCg:
We're on the ILEC so we're stuck with Windstream.

5bcg+17RBfsCg
Apparently your one of the bozos that troll this site!! LOL

@5bcg+17RBfsCg

Thanks for the response HR / Social media drone.

While you are correct about the infrastructure being internal to WIN most customers chose a transport other than the WIN network. Therefore anyone using OfficeSuite still has to traverse the Internet.

The functionality of OfficeSuite and Zoom are the same. Pricing will be the decision of the potential customer.

While Officesuite could be said it's a rebrand of Zoom the software and hardware is not housed within Zoom's infrastructure. That is entirely within Windstream's network and hardware platforms and if you're company is on the Windstream network then your speed should be faster than having to traverse across the internet to Zoom.

Security in a network is multi-tiered rather than a single point of failure. The previous security issue was unrelated to Officesuite. However, in response to the previous issue there has been a push from the board and a lot of efforts in correcting the previous issues that did occur; handled at a level most of the bozos that troll this site have any knowledge or awareness about.

OfficeSuite security has alot of issues. All work is outsourced to the Phillipines and India and those groups used shared logins to access the network and equipment. They violate many SOC and Hippa laws. They bought their certs, their network and customer data is wide open. They also outsource their IT. They are getting to a point where you will sign on with a channel partner and your PM and all repair depts are outsourced. They outsourced their NOC. Their customers will never talk to an actual Windatream employee unless its a field tech at your door.

Thanks for all the love.

Not a troll post.

Just a worried captive customer looking for a straight answer on Office Suite security.

This is nothing short of a troll post...lol

First off I don’t believe a customer made a post on this website.

I'm the original poster.

Still interested in the security question.

I'm not sure I trust the marketing stuff about Windstream's security expertise.

Why all the thumbs down from someone speaking the truth? Is it or is it not Zoom rebranded?

So to answer your question, you’re paying Windstream to use zoom

The Broadview team has worked closely with the Zoom developers to create an extremely customized version of the platform for OfficeSuite HD Meeting. In fact, as one of Zooms closest partners (and due to Broadview’s size and influence) several of Zoom’s leading and well received features can be traced to Broadview requests. Talk about a win-win for the marketplace, in the course of customizing Zoom for Broadview, we also get a constantly improving Zoom!

Source
https://letsdovideo.com/new-cloud-video-service-leverages-powerful-existing-voip-network/