Customer Stories

Covad Helps Small Consulting Company Resemble Big Business

“With the remote DSL connection I have from Covad, I can give my clients a much faster response time. I’m much more productive because I don’t have to drive around town.”
—Ian Williams, Owner
Ian Williams Consulting, LLC

Denver-based Ian Williams Consulting consists of just one person, but like many small businesses, the network-consulting company required the bandwidth of a much larger operation. Owner Ian Williams needed a reliable remote connection to manage the computer networks of large clients-such as the City of Denver. At the same time, he couldn’t afford to splurge for corporate-size pipes.

Williams found his solution in the Covad® DSL service, which offers him big-business speeds at small-business prices. As a result of Covad’s reliability, Williams now saves precious time by serving his customers more efficiently from his home office.

Remote connection speeds response times

Before Williams had DSL, he responded to client calls the old-fashioned way: he drove to and worked from the client’s site-hardly an efficient scenario. Without a reliable way to tap into his clients’ networks remotely, Williams had to rush around the crowded metropolitan area whenever he was needed.

“I had to be there within the hour whenever I was called,” says Williams. “All that travel time interrupted the business I was working on at home and wasted time I could have spent helping the client.”

Covad DSL has happily eliminated those harried “house calls.” Williams can use his home-office computers to set up, administer, and troubleshoot his clients’ networks.

“With the remote DSL connection from Covad, I can give my clients a much faster response time,” he says. “I’m much more productive because I don’t have to drive around town. I’m also much more relaxed.”

Covad DSL service saves money

Covad broadband has not only saved Williams money by boosting his productivity, but the service itself is quite affordable. Prior to Covad, Williams relied on a DSL service that cost three times more than his Covad connection-which, at less than $100 per month, falls right in line with Williams’ budget.

Williams realizes yet another cost efficiency from the dial-up service included in his service, which gives him an alternative connection option that his former DSL service lacked. “I can set up my equipment to automatically switch over to dial-up if necessary,” he says. “What that means to me is that Covad offers a free backup service if my main connection goes down.”

Reliable broadband helps bring in new business

The Covad service also includes a static IP address, which has enabled Williams to offer his clients a new service: virtual private networks (VPNs). He explains: “A VPN allows customers to use part of the Internet as if it were a piece of their office network. Using VPNs, my customers are able to securely extend their offices’ local area networks (LANs) into their own homes.” A security server at Williams’ home office authenticates users with the same credentials they would use on the LAN at their offices.

Williams also maintains email servers for his clients-a service requiring a broadband connection with the highest standards of reliability. Williams had tried offering this service before he used Covad DSL, but his previous DSL provider frequently changed its offerings, resulting in awkward migrations and weeks of downtime.

“My customers’ email service would completely disappear when my Internet connection disappeared,” says Williams, “but Covad’s service minimizes downtime, and the static IP address gives me the flexibility to offer services that grow my business.”