Bob Taylor

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Bob Taylor Chairman CEO
2
Focal Communications

• Local phone data company
• 23 markets (NFL cities)
• Serving communications-intensive customers

• Facilities-based carrier
• Own switches in every market
• Own or lease fiber
• Interconnect with all ILEC tandems, and vast
  majority of ILEC central offices in all markets

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Products Services

• Voice
• Local phone, long-distance, international
• Conference calling
• Toll free

• Data
• Managed Internet Access
• Virtual office
• Colocation

• Integrated Voice and Data (IVAD)
• Scalable, flexible voice and data T1

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E-Homeland Security

• Phone companies are traditional brick and mortar
  businesses
• E-Business requires phone lines!
• Everything e has to go over a phone line
• On-line shopping, banking, airline reservations,
  etc.
• Businesses have to protect their voice and data
  networks to protect their businesses
• Dont put all your eggs in one basket!

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Events of Concern

• Terrorism
• Sept 11
• Oklahoma City
• WTC 93
• Weather
• Hurricanes
• Earthquakes
• Seattle
• San Francisco
• Fire
• Hinsdale 87

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FOCAL COs
2 in Jersey City
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9-11

• Verizon Central Office

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Focal 9-11 Issues

• Getting to 32 Old Slip
• Power/Cooling
• No power in Lower Manhattan
• Battery backup couldnt last
• Switch area overheating
• Security

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Customer Issues

• September 11
• Lost service at two critical reservation centers
  just after 9/11
• Using one carrier for 100 of local service
• A search for diversity redundancy...

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Solution

• NOW
• Two working reservation centers
• Redundancy with multiple carriers
• Network Security
• Basic business continuance
• Peace of mind

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What can providers do?

• Telephone companies must provide businesses with
  diverse and redundant networks
• Voice multiple fiber carriers, direct
  connections with ILEC central offices, multiple
  SONET ring architecture
• Data multiple Tier 1 backbone providers,
  colocation space

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What can users do?

• Businesses must help themselves
• Choose the right service provider
• Dont put all your eggs in one basket!!!
• Plan ahead
• Where are you going to move your facilities?
• Can you get to your records?
• How do you communicate with your customers?