Vision Net’s Ethernet services move your business forward

Reliable and efficient access to data has become an important asset for businesses to gain a competitive advantage. File cabinets and mountains of papers have migrated to computers that store and manage information electronically. Coworkers 10 feet or hundreds of miles apart can share information seamlessly and securely, while workers in a single location can simultaneously review and send data online. All this is due to the strength and reliability of Ethernet.

Vision Net’s Ethernet solutions offer fiber-based connectivity to deliver fast and secure performance for your business; today, and into the future. Vision Net’s system engineers can design a complete solution for your business that includes bandwidth of up to 10Gbps. For 25 years, Vision Net has built our network to be Montana’s largest, providing businesses around the nation with secure access to Ethernet services supported by our world-class Network Operations Center.

Spanning nearly 5,000 miles to serve both small and large businesses, our networks allow us to provide a diverse, robust, and cost-effective service to our clients. We have secured our network through major wire centers, providing a higher level of service than most of our competitors. With ties to major areas throughout the United States and Canada, Vision Net can meet regional, national, and international circuit needs.

Vision Net provides more than support to our customers, we deliver solutions through quality service, operational excellence, and exceptional customer service. Using standards-based testing and certification methodologies such as Y.1731 we assure our clients will get the most out of their network.

No matter how many locations you have or where they are located, Vision Net can design, install, monitor, and support a state-of-the-art Network for your business. Our networks allow us to provide a wide range of wholesale and network services with proven technologies such as Ethernet transport, Direct Internet Access, point-to-point, and multipoint wireless connections with one of the most robust networks in the region. Our multi-vendor, multi-location Tier 1 connections guarantee high speed, ultra-reliable network connections, and unprecedented flexibility in building and maintaining your network.

Benefit from Vision Net’s flexible and manageable Ethernet services that can scale as your business’ needs change. You can rely on the guaranteed performance and reliability of Vision Net’s fiber network backed by end-to-end SLAs and delivered by one of Montana’s largest Ethernet providers. Benefit from Vision Net’s flexible and manageable Ethernet services.

The Competitive Advantages of IoT Connectivity

The Internet of Things (IoT) has changed how businesses operate and function, allowing for seamless use between devices and operations. What once required multiple networks, bulky cables, or cumbersome wires, now requires just one secure network.

Business advantages

Employers are increasingly seeing the benefits of incorporating IoT into their business model; as IoT becomes more integrated into workflow, additional remote working opportunities will be available for tasks that used to require staff to be on-site to complete. The industrial applications are vast and efficient, and according to Roy Alexander, Vision Net’s Senior Account Manager, “eventually, everything will be connected to the internet, so businesses that develop or expand IoT into their operations will realize a significant competitive advantage.”

Data leverage

The IoT’s multi-industry functionality provides small and large businesses with improved efficiency, increased productivity, and enhanced employee engagement. Companies can leverage the data created by their connected devices to improve efficiency across operations. For example, Vision Net monitors and supports the secured network of a business that utilizes IoT for multiple users on multiple connected devices. Vision Net’s support staff provides real-time reports and proactive monitoring to ensure connected devices remain secure. By leveraging the data these reports provide, our client knows they are giving their customers the best service and experience. This forward-thinking business, and others who embrace the IoT, understand the value of technology adoption and are better-positioned to survive into the future.

Predict and act

A key advantage of IoT connectivity is the ability to predict needs before they arise, letting you guide your business with precision based on analytics and insights. Using your data, you can analyze historical trends to help you proactively predict client needs before they arise. In today’s connected world, businesses that predict and plan for client needs will stay ahead of their competition, and you owe it to your business to invest in the tools that will keep you well-positioned; IoT connectivity gives you that advantage.

Improved client messaging

IoT connectivity gives your business the opportunity to interact and engage with clients, both existing and potential, like never before. Using data from your secured network, you can analyze the information clients have sought from you and anticipate what they will need from you in the future. You’ve seen this example every month when you get your utility bill; your provider shows past use and predicts future use, giving you an idea of what you will pay in the future. This model can be applied to your business, giving your clients the information they need, before they know they need it! Businesses of all sizes use IoT connectivity to fine tune their client messaging. Before IoT connectivity, businesses would have to guess what their clients needed, when they needed it, and how they would deliver it. Today, you don’t have to guess! Data-driven insights will guide your message and how you deliver client care.

Security solution

One of the keys to ensure businesses continue to realize the potential of the IoT is to consider the security of the network that supports the business’ connected devices. Through state-of-the art patch management, Vision Net acquires, tests, and installs multiple patches on existing applications and software tools, enabling systems to stay updated on existing patches and determining which patches are the appropriate ones.

Vision Support

IoT connectivity gives your business the power to collect your network’s data and with the capabilities of analytics, lets you discover insights that will help you run your business better, maximizing productivity. Vision Support, designed with each client and business in mind, supports IoT device connectivity, allowing for the complete management of the health and status, and our technicians proactively monitor your network to prevent malware attacks and phishing attempts that can corrupt your device’s security. Vision Net’s Vision Support package includes our managed ACS that allows for the seamless management of remote devices. Any device, any protocol, any service, any time, anything, can be managed by our platform. Vision Net’s professionals can design an IoT solution for your business so your connected devices will utilize the full advantage the IoT today and into the future.

Connect with Vision Net’s Business Development team today to learn how your business can benefit from a secure platform for your devices!

Vision Net featured on KRTV

Vision Net well-equipped for COVID-19 internet traffic increase.

Read the article here.

How AI Improves Cybersecurity for Businesses

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most promising technologies and has earned a lot of buzz in recent years. What was imagined as Science Fiction 60 years ago, AI now has practical applications that businesses embrace to increase employee productivity and overall output, and none are as important as the implementation of AI for your business’ Cybersecurity.

AI compliments the expertise of Vision Net’s IT professionals by analyzing massive quantities of risk data to speed response times and strengthen our security operations. Cyberattacks cost small businesses more than $2.2 million/year and over the last year, there was a 424% increase in small business cyber breaches.

Vision Net’s Cybersecurity experts reiterate 3 components of a robust cybersecurity package; accuracy, requirement, and correlation.

Accuracy | important because humans make mistakes, machines make fewer. At the hyper-scale of incoming attacks, humans cannot interpret potential causality.

Requirement | AI-powered tech is a requirement today due to the speed at which variants of threats can mutate in the wild.

Correlation | any one security product on its own only provides a small layer of protection. Multiple stacked technologies together, such as Vision Secure, complement and share data for a stronger defense, where AI can fast-track correlation.

Roy Alexander, Vision Net’s Senior Account Manager clarifies why his team is passionate about creating security solutions that incorporate AI. "We appreciate our clients’ need for cybersecurity advice, which is why we spend an enormous amount of effort, time, and resources to ensure we are prepared to mitigate cyber risk on their behalf.”

As cyberattacks grow in volume and complexity, AI curates threat intelligence from millions of sources and provides instant insights. By combining the AI accomplishes a deeper level of network security by combining the strengths of artificial intelligence and human intelligence.

“The number of businesses that are impacted by a cyber breach is shocking, and we have a responsibility to our clients to offer the best level of protection while staying within budgetary lines. Vision Net has achieved that with Vision Secure, our security suite of products. Incorporating next-generation platforms and leveraging AI has allowed us to design a best in class product to protect our clients from an increasingly dangerous cyber environment."

Find out how Vision Net can design an AI-assisted Cybersecurity system for your business’ needs.

Vision Net Celebrates 25 Years

Vision Net is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year. The company was founded to provide advanced, cutting-edge distance learning and Internet services to rural Montana schools. Today, Vision Net is one of Montana’s leading technology companies delivering a wide range of technical professional services that includes broadband network wholesale, Internet services, design and management of customized wide area network (WAN) solutions including SD-WAN, endpoint and network security products, and more.

Most recently, the company funded and delivered critical broadband fiber infrastructure to Helena and Billings, two cities experiencing—yet struggling to meet—increased Internet demand.

Vision Net is built on rural values of cooperation, accountability and commitment, and boasts a culture that is “Montana-friendly” while inspiring creativity, passion and accountability. The company provides ongoing professional training for employees, competitive benefit packages, and flexible scheduling to help employees achieve a better work-life balance. The recently-renovated Billings office was designed with employee comfort in mind, and Great Falls employees enjoy summer BBQs in the renovated breakrooms and outdoor areas as that office undergoes renovations and upgrades.

Vision Net is highly committed to local communities and organizations. For example, it has been a three-year sponsor of the Special Olympics – not just financially, but with Vision Net employees volunteering at the games. Additionally, the company has long partnered with Billings TrailNet and is the 2020 title sponsor for the annual Ales for Trails fundraiser.

Looking ahead, Vision Net CEO Corey Jensen said the company will continue to innovate to stay ahead of the rapidly-changing IT curve while meeting the needs of employees, customers and communities.

“Knowing we are delivering meaningful, impactful solutions to our customers and our communities is why we’re all here,” Jensen said. “I look forward to Vision Net’s next 25 years and the many relationships, challenges and opportunities that will come along with it.”

Employee Spotlight: Andrew Nedens

For this month’s Employee Spotlight, we spoke to Andrew Nedens, a Sales Engineer with Vision Net. Andrew has been a valued Vision Net employee for over 8 years and during that time, has helped our clients build a network for their needs. Learn more about Andrew and his work with Vision Net's Business Development team.

What is your position at Vision Net and what do you do?

I am a Sales Engineer, which means that I meet with customers to understand their network needs and goals, then recommend Vision Net services to meet those needs/goals.

What made you choose Vision Net?

I chose Vision Net for the opportunities to grow in my career.

What 3 words describe Vision Net?

Innovative, Friendly, Fast-paced.

What is your favorite Vision Net perk?

Health Insurance.

What is your favorite thing you have learned at Vision Net?

Hands down, my favorite thing is advanced network routing.

What challenges do you enjoy at Vision Net?

I enjoy joining Vision Net’s solutions to our clients’ needs. No two customer networks are exactly the same, and it’s never boring to engineer the perfect solution for them.

Are there any projects you have worked on that you’re proud of?

Yes, definitely. I’ve been most pleased with helping clients make the change to SDWAN.

What have you learned during your career at Vision Net?

I’ve learned many things, but here are the biggest lessons: (1) almost all problems are solved through great teamwork, (2) learn from your mistakes (or better yet, learn from the mistakes of others), (3) try new things.

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the Business Development team?

The teamwork. We’re always kicking around new ideas, looking for ways to help, or things we can do to improve each other.

What advice do you have for prospective Vision Net candidates?

Be eager to learn, quick to listen, and ask for help!

With the changes in technology, how has your job changed?

The solutions that I recommend today are frequently not the same as the solutions that I recommended just a couple of years ago. In almost all cases, they are more complex.

What is the greatest innovation you have seen in your lifetime?

The phone. Can you believe that some people no longer know why we say “hang up” to end a call?

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

Play sports with my kids or go for a walk.

What is your favorite movie?

I have too many to pick just one. Top Gun, maybe?

What is your favorite food?

Lasagna

Do you have any talents or hobbies?

I have kids…Does that count?

How do you define success?

Success is what happens when you are too stubborn to quit.

CEO Corey Jensen joined Hello Montana to discuss Ales for Trails sponsorship

Kristi Drake from Billings TrailNet and our CEO Corey Jensen joined Hello Montana to discuss the upcoming Ales for Trails and how the event is going to operate this year. Vision Net is proud to partner with them in investing in the Billings community. Watch the full interview below:

You can support Ales for Trails 2020 by purchasing a punch card, and enjoy a virtual tour of our great state here.

Fiber Optics History

Vision Net is a leader in Fiber installation throughout Montana, and this important technology is helping businesses innovate and thrive in Montana and beyond. Telecommunication technology used to be driven by copper wiring that were great for the lines needed by Alexander Graham Bell over 100 years ago. And even though Fiber is the future, it is not a new technology; historians can trace Fiber optic technology to the Roman era when they drew glass into fibers.

Metro fiber offers several advantages over outdated copper wiring:

Digital signals | Optical fibers are ideally suited for carrying digital information, which is especially useful in computer networks
Less expensive | Several miles of fiber cable can be made cheaper than equivalent lengths of copper wire
Thinner | Optical fibers can be drawn to smaller diameters than copper wire
Higher carrying capacity | Since optical fibers are thinner than copper wires, more fibers can be bundled than copper wires
Low power | Since signals in optical fibers degrade less, lower-power transmitters are used instead of the high-voltage electrical transmitters needed for copper wires

To fully appreciate the technology that is powering remote work, innovation, and productivity, let’s look back on the important milestones that brought us reliable fiber optic technology.

In 1840, Daniel Collodon and Jaques Babinet, both physicists, proved that light can be directed along a jet of water in fountain displays. 14 years later, John Tyndall, also a physicist, took it one step further by proving that light could travel through a curved stream of water; therefore, a light signal could be tilted.

By the 1920s, John Logie Baird patented using transparent stems to transmit images for television and in the 1930s, Heinrich Lamm was the first person to transmit an image through optical fibers. Fast forward another 40 years, and by 1961, Elias Snitzer published a theoretical description of single-mode fibers, with a core small enough to carry light with one waveguide mode, demonstrating a laser directed through a thin glass fiber.

Fiber’s modern use dates to the 1970s when a series of lights were placed on towers to transmit messages from a place to another, thus creating the optical telegraph. In 1973, Bell Laboratories developed and patented vapor deposition process that can be mass-produced into a low-loss optical fiber that to this day, remains the standard for fiber optic cabling manufacturing. Thereafter, fiber technology took off, supporting the Information Revolution that has dominated the last 25 years of business and commerce.

Today, fiber optic technology continues to be innovated, and Vision Net has invested in Metro fiber in Billings and Helena, giving our state’s small, medium, and large businesses fast and secure connectivity options. Vision Net invests locally in Montana without government or federal assistance to ensure that Montana businesses stays online and secure.

Learn about Vision Net’s fiber options that can accelerate your business' productivity with improved speed and security.

Vision Net keeps your business secure

Your business’ security is one of your smartest investments; a data breach, hack, or phishing scam can wreak havoc on your ability to provide the level of service your customers expect. 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses, costing small businesses more than $2.2 million/year and in 2019, there was a 424% increase in small business cyber breaches. How can you know your system is secure?

Ransomware attacks are on the rise and the impact on businesses is significant. With an average downtime of 15 days, an attack can negatively affect your bottom line, employee productivity, and company morale. Ransomware attacks proliferate as an effective cybersecurity threat because it works; hackers get paid.

To proactively prevent attacks, Vision Net offers a variety of security services, including

Network and wireless penetration testing | Simulated cyber-attack to check for exploitable vulnerabilities. Our specialists attempt to breach your systems to uncover weaknesses. Insights provided by the penetration test fine tunes your security posture by demonstrating the real-world business impact of network and/or wireless exploitation.
Web app penetration testing | Evaluating your website and other web-based applications for potential vulnerabilities in either pre-production or post-production.
Phishing testing | Vision Net will generate deceptive emails to your staff to gauge their response to phishing and similar email attacks. The emails are often a form of training, but such testing is normally done in conjunction with prior training and often followed up with more training elements. This is especially the case for those who "fail" by opening any email attachments, clicking on attached weblinks, or if they were tricked into entering credentials. Detailed reporting is included to help you determine where your security awareness training may need to place greater focus as well as determine what progress is being made by your employees.
Physical Penetration Testing | Vision Net will assess and test the physical security controls of your organization such as badge systems, door locks, man-traps, alarm systems, and camera systems to identify weaknesses. You cannot have information security without physical security.
Security Awareness Training | Vision Net will tailor a program to your specific organization and/or industry to train employees on best practices to keep your company’s data safe and secure.
Complete security program development or review | Vision Net will work with you to build a complete security program from the ground up, including policy development and best practices for all facets of information security as it pertains to your organization and industry. Vision Net can review your existing security program to help identify gaps that may exist.

Ben Mayo, a Network Engineer with Vision Net, discusses network security strategies

The Vision Net team works with companies to review security weak spots and vulnerabilities to ensure systems remain safe and steps ahead of ransomware and other cyber-attacks. Beginning with the security of the physical space that houses your data center to the network you’ve built, Vision Net can provide a complete overview of weaknesses, threats, and opportunities for improvements to ensure your business remains ahead of the next threat.

Protect what you’ve built with Vision Net’s security technology and services.

Vision Net employees apply newly acquired skills from Fiber Optic Training

Wholesale Engineer Koery Nelson and Network Technician Mark Christensen used their new skills and training to splice a 288-strand fiber optic cable in Helena MT.

Both employees earned their Fiber Optic Association (FOA) certification at the Fiber Optic Specialist, Splicing and Testing (CFOS/S/T) training in February 2020. They also used this opportunity to share their knowledge and skills with Vision Net technicians Ed Pengilly and Jimi Gilles.

What would normally be a task contracted out can now be performed by our own employees. The newly spliced fiber optic cable will be a critical piece to our Helena Metro network.

“We are excited to have this resource and expertise available from our own employees. Not only will this be a great benefit for Vision Net, but it provides an opportunity for our technicians to expand their skills and talents. Great work gentlemen!” - Lee Kimmet, Wholesale Services Manager.