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This article will allow consumers to educate themselves on the best deals possible for bundled services. In the ever changing and ultra competitive world of telecom many consumers can be confused with the many different bundled plans and services most phone companies now offer. With the implementation of bundled services consumers can now have most all telecom products (phone, tv, internet, wireless) and services provided by the same company at a lower rate than having multiple service providers. This article will categorically break down plans provided by most major telecom service providers available in th US. Each provider will be rated based on blanket availability, services offered, and cost effectiveness. These are comprehensive reviews based on research and not personal experience. Phone Companies Beware this article is designed to educate consumers and provide the best possible options for telecom services.

First up AT&T The monopolizing entity of the Big 3 phone companies few can compete with the blanket availability of AT&T’s products and services worldwide. Being one of only three telecom companies that also offer wireless phone service as a part of its residential bundle which also includes its unlimited calling plan phone service, satellite TV Through Dish Network and of course the world famous ATT Yahoo DSL. Few companies can compete, but there are cheaper bundled service plans out there especially for the consumer that is not interested in cellular phone service. Here is an example of the services offered and billing for the AT&T Residential bundled services plan.

Phone Service- Order AT&T All Distance Online Select(SM) online and get unlimited local and domestic direct-dialed long distance plus great calling features.

TV Service- AT&T | DISH Network entertainment package with over 60 of America’s favorite channels. Includes local channels Plus Free DVR.

High Speed Internet- Yahoo DSL ATT,Plus, order Express online and receive 1 month FREE! (New residential DSL customers only. Bill credit applied after three months paid service. See offer details.)

Wireless Cell Phone- Cingular Nation 450 anytime minutes Cingular Wireless

I love getting a great deal! So many industries are entirely based on getting you the best product and service for the cheapest price and many can lead to an enormous amount of savings. Especially in this economy, it seems that the businesses booming the most are the ones that will get you or at least claim to get you the most or best for your money. I’m all for getting a good quality item or service for cheapest price and often find fantastic deals on what I’m looking for and am proud and pleased with many of my ‘finds”. In some scenarios though, I’ve regretted wasting money on what turned out to be not such a great deal and spent more money trying to getting what I was really looking for in the first place. Can’t tell you how often I’ve worked with clients and friends that have gone down the road of bargain hunting for their design/development projects. Each time they went for the cheapest design and web work they ended up being disappointed, wasting their time, and/or left with unfinished work. Eventually, they ending up having to go back out and pay for “real design” on their project.

Additionally, I believe people forget that a website is more than a one time product purchase, instead of realizing it is a continuously evolving online presence that importantly represents their company, organization, message, or brand. Your web project will need maintenance and updating. If you hire a professional to design your website, you will already have the connection you need to make changes and updates to your site from the person who originally put it together and who is already invested in your success. This relationship is key to providing you with a professional and informative web presence that is cost effective and stress-free.

All of that said, here are some helpful strategies on what to look out for and things to consider when looking to hire someone for your web and interactive projects.

Things to Consider & Recommendations on What to Look Out For:
Flash Builder Websites – These templates will lock you into a site design and structure that allows little to no flexibility, you’ll find yourself looking to add something that isn’t doable. Additionally, these templates will not allow viewing by iPhone, iPad users as they may not provide a default or html option for non-flash web browsing.
Off the Shelf or Online Builder Template Websites – These will allow for more flexibility but are often implemented by IT groups or developers alone and will leave your site functional but much to be desired with design and a custom look & feel. You may also come across another site that uses your exact same template, YIKES!
Trying to develop your own WordPress, and the like, website with purchased templates can lead to stress by trying to work in an environment that isn’t within your expertise. Additionally many paid templates do not cover everything you’ve set out to accomplish and can lead to broken links and layout structures.
Do your research on what design styles appeal to you, look at other sites on the web that are attractive and well laid out and don’t be afraid to look at websites outside your industry. Providing your designer with these are a helpful tool for them to design something with your sense of style and desired functionality.
Don’t be afraid to get an estimate from a good designer or group, they are be more affordable that you think and well worth the investment.
Hire a designer/developer you really like… you will be building a relationship with them and are always willing to give you a deal for future work and add-on features.
Consider hiring a designer or team that is local, as they will be more flexible and reliable when working with someone in their own community.
If you have a large or multi-tiered project, consider working with a small design team or individual designer who has work that appeals to you instead of going with the large agency, as they will have a network of creative associates that they can bring in to work on aspects of your project that may be outside of their specific expertise and coordinate the efforts for you. Additionally this choice will save you a bundle!
Hire a web designer who is also a developer, as they can minimize outsourcing and bring the time and work savings to your project cost.
Make sure you get who you pay for – sometimes firms will sell you with their best designs and then either assign your project to the most junior person on staff, or you will find out the person who did all their best work moved on to another company. A small firm or individual designer will work directly with to achieve your project goals.
A professional designer will design with an eye toward the future – give you a look/feel that will stand the test of time, and an open architecture to expand your web presence over time.

Concerns over data security, particularly in the financial and medical services industries, have led to the development of new standards and regulations that govern how information is secured. As businesses move their data and applications to the cloud, managed hosting services can provide a cost-effective way to comply with heightened security requirements imposed by standards such as PCI DSS, HIPAA/HITECH and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Companies that store, process or transmit cardholder data, for instance, are governed by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This is a worldwide security standard created to help businesses that handle cardholder data to enhance security measures and protect customers from credit card fraud. In order to achieve compliance, businesses must be able to meet 12 stringent requirements and more than 200 security controls. Compliance is essential, however, since failure to follow the standard can result in heavy financial penalties.

Data security is also essential for the medical services industry. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires healthcare organizations to protect the privacy of individually identifiable health information. Organizations found in violation of HIPAA standards are liable for a maximum penalty of up to $1.5 million, as dictated by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

Achieving compliance, however, can be challenging even for established businesses, since it’s necessary to allocate a considerable amount of time and resources into building a secure, standards-compliant IT infrastructure. By utilizing the services of managed hosting providers with extensive experience in compliance management, companies can take advantage of the service providers’ secure infrastructure and the expertise of personnel who are well-versed in the intricacies of industry/regulatory standards.

Preparing an organization’s IT infrastructure for compliance requires a number of essential steps, which covers everything from installing anti-virus software and firewalls, to implementing strong access control measures and maintaining an information systems security policy. Regular log analysis, audits and host vulnerability scans are also implemented as part of a provider’s compliance solution to spot potential security issues.

By entrusting mission-critical and sensitive client data to a managed hosting service provider, companies can rest assured that their database is housed in a secure network with enhanced security protocols and the constant care of IT professionals.

Considering the cost of running and maintaining a dedicated server, utilizing the services of a managed hosting service provider makes good business sense. By offloading server management and administration tasks to the experts, companies can focus on their core business competencies.