WarpSpeed Introduces Hands-off T-1 Provisioning

PLEASANTON, CALIF. (02/04/2000) - WarpSpeed Imagineering Inc. next week is announcing that its customers won't have to lift a finger when their networks need extra bandwidth.

Instead, within seconds the firm's Bandwidth@WarpSpeed service will respond automatically to requests for additional T-1 lines as the requests are generated by servers, routers and policy management software in customer nets.

The automation of Bandwidth@WarpSpeed makes the service suitable for disaster recovery, says Joseph Baylock, group vice president at Gartner Group Inc. If a site's main circuit goes down, WarpSpeed can back it up before a network administrator has the chance to intervene, he says.

In addition to supporting backup, the service makes low-use applications such as videoconferencing affordable, says Larry Bridges, CEO of Red Car, a film editing company.

Much of Red Car's editing is done in Los Angeles, but clients in Dallas often want to see and hear editing changes before signing off on projects. Using a Bandwidth@WarpSpeed T-1 only as needed makes it possible for editors and clients to collaborate without flying back and forth, Bridges says. A dedicated T-1 from Dallas to Los Angeles was too expensive.

To set up the service, WarpSpeed installs a T-1 circuit to a customer site. The line is idle until a customer calls on it. Then messages sent from devices in the customer's network bring up the line.

To use this automatic feature, customers must install XML scripts in their policy applications. When policies determine network conditions require an additional T-1, the XML script sets up a Web connection to the provisioning platform in WarpSpeed's network. WarpSpeed then sets up the requested connection within seconds, the company says.

For example, if a policy calls for an extra T-1 whenever the primary T-1 reaches 90% capacity, router congestion will cause the network policy manager to execute the XML script that sets up the backup T-1. A policy that reverts to one T-1 when total congestion drops below 45% will prompt a script to cancel the backup.

Customers can download sample scripts from WarpSpeed's network to simplify the process. They pay a flat $500 fee per month plus $1 per minute when a T-1 is being used 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 50 cents per minute at all other times.

WarpSpeed bills are based on the time zone from which the request is generated.

In addition to being on-demand, a Bandwidth@WarpSpeed T-1 network can be meshed using fewer access lines than a conventional T-1 network. With WarpSpeed, each customer site can be connected to WarpSpeed's network via a single T-1, and can reach any other customer site. In a conventional network, each site would require a separate T-1 to connect with each other site.

WarpSpeed: www.warpspeed.com.