John Linton
.....some might say unkindly, the only trouble that ever happens on a network is when/just after a network engineer changes something to "improve" it.
I suppose it's a sign of the times that we are in the last few days of the planned transition from 2 x 1 gbps IP links to Verizon/SX to 3 x 1 gbps links to Optus/SX which will increase the 'pure' IP connectivity for our NSW users from the current 1.9 gbps to 2.4 gbps by next Saturday. Steve told me that the links were now in place and he would start the transition, very slowly, late yesterday afternoon. It isn't a particularly remarkable scenario for larger ISPs but it is for us in a few aspects:
- it's the first time we've planned a complete cut over from one to supplier to another
- its a big increase in IP to a single State - 25% upgrade in one hit
- it is the first major upgrade in IP we've accomplished at a net reduction in cost to us/our users - 25% more at a net 10% cost reduction.
......and a few other minor 'firsts' for our network group. Later this month/early next month we will also add 'pure' IP feeds into the PoPs in Adelaide and Canberra as well as direct feeds to those PoPs and the Perth PoP for our ADSL2 customers in those States. Then there is the commissioning of the Hobart PoP scheduled for late June/early July. We will also add more 'pure' IP connectivity to each of the other PoPs in a similar time frame. So over something like 2 - 3 weeks we will dramatically change the topology and capabilities of our 'National' network....3.6 gbps of 'pure' IP feeds and another 1 gbps of caching feeds for Australian users with every State's customers connected directly to local IP and peering where that's available.
We have come a long way from the 10 mbps IP feed (or was it 20 mbps - I can no longer remember) to our single Sydney PoP with its 2 x 7206s and 4 IBM X series servers in late January 2004. When I look back at the last five or so years of continual network build out and evolution I remain amazed at the skill and knowledge employed that has made it all happen without any interruption to any service over so many iterations of development. Steve and the still very small networking group have a great deal to be proud of....even I don't call it a "small network" any longer. The logical next step, which we very seriously considered this time, is to buy direct from SX or, perhaps, from some new carrier who provides fibre to the world should that eventuate as it was 'hinted' to us some months ago. We will look at doing that towards the end of this calendar year.
We also finished making the changes to the HSPA plans yesterday in preparation for the rural/regional advertising planned to start in mid July. We signed off on the contract for the campaign yesterday and are now committed to a significant expenditure as well as an unbelievable amount of work on putting all of the agent support processes and logistics in place (and our antennae still haven't shipped which is an issue we have no control over). We are slightly more rapidly finding agents in rural areas where we have had no representation to date but there is a long way to go to make that happen in the brief amount of time left to us now. However, I feel relaxed about what we are attempting and think that it is going to be worthwhile in several different ways irrespective of how successful this first 'raw' attempt by a company with zero knowledge of advertising is.
We are also getting closer to finalising the new ADSL plans for the start of the new financial year but it is tough going in terms of coming up with something truly innovative as our current ADSL offerings, irrespective of how anyone outside the company or its users may regard them, have taken five years to develop and I really am having problems moving away from that long term development now it is "almost perfect". I wish I had the courage to really do what is required but I'm simply not brave enough in the face of the glutinous mass of 'me tooism' that is today's ADSL market. Perhaps a small company can never actually meet the objective of offering the really essential elements of broadband in ways and prices that need to be put in place? It may prove to be the case despite all of the efforts we have made over the past few years and all of the risks we have taken.
Then to fill up what are clearly empty spaces in the working day in the June dog days (a friend of mine yesterday called me up and, among other things, asked me how I filled in the 'empty' days in June commercial life when there was seldom anything to do) there is the remaining work on next year's business plan and the personnel allocation and reviews that are required. While we pretty much operate on a 'rolling review' process (as I assume most companies in 'dynamic' environments are required to do) there is the statutory and fiduciary reporting aspects of the end of each financial year which have to be accommodated. We have had a pretty good year in those respects and Krudd's Krazy Tax Incentives are a bonus as we have had to spend over $250,000 on our new office fit outs which, so I'm told, qualify for the KK incentives in terms of tax rebates (as we paid cash for those improvements as we still maintain our no leasing/borrowing policies) which gives us a surprise extra 'profit'.
While I do realise that there is no particular real significance attached to arbitary dates such as June 30th or December 31st I always seem to become physically and mentally exhausted at those times of year and 2009 is no exception. Dog days schmog days - I seem to be unable to find no spare minutes let alone days/weeks at this "dog days" time of year - I can't wait for this "quiet time of year" to end.