* OpenReach partners with PartnerTEL to connect customer sites to the 'Net
OpenReach, which provides downloads of IPSec software and management tools to customers who want to make and manage their own VPN gateways, is teaming up with another service provider to make VPNs easier to set up and manage.
The company will coordinate with PartnerTEL to connect customer sites to the Internet as customers migrate to VPNs from whatever WAN technology they had been using.
PartnerTEL in turn works with regional service providers to acquire broadband links that connect customers to the Internet.
OpenReach customers may find themselves looking for additional Internet connectivity for several reasons. First, the price of OpenReach’s service may enable companies to put more sites onto the WAN than they could afford with alternatives such as frame relay. These sites may not have had dedicated Internet access before.
Second, as sites that already have a WAN link via frame relay or a point-to-point T-1 are shifted to the VPN, they will need Internet lines. And third, even sites that maintain a frame or private line network may also want an Internet link and use the VPN as a backup, at least to start.
Being able to get VPN services and Internet access via the same vendor is a convenience. Rather than dealing with many local ISPs in different regions, and then dealing with a VPN vendor, customers can go to OpenReach for a complete package. The PartnerTEL relationship is similar to one it has with MegaPath Networks.
OpenReach services bundled with dedicated PartnerTEL Internet access starts at $110 per site, per month.
This could be attractive to businesses that want VPNs but want to set them up quickly and manage them with few hassles. Because OpenReach’s management is in the network and maintenance of the gateways is part of the deal, this may be just what some staff-starved businesses need to start a VPN.
