GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — To support continued growth, McLaren Health Care of Michigan is rolling out a system-wide conversion of its information technology supporting both clinical and financial functions. As part of the process, the sprawling health network is enhancing its integrated network capabilities through US Signal, a leading provider of network infrastructure. McLaren Health Care operates over 200 medical facilities in Michigan and employs 17,400 health care professionals.

“McLaren is growing rapidly and wanted to partner with a service provider that could deliver a solution to support its current technology needs and provide products and services to support future network and infrastructure enhancements,” says Brett Alexander, vice president of sales with US Signal.

US Signal’s Virtual Ethernet Service (VES) will provide McLaren the following benefits:

• Reduce the amount of hardware needed at each McLaren facility
• Improve disaster recovery, ensuring adequate back up and system support
• Provide better connectivity throughout the McLaren system, integrating all facilities
• Support technologies such as VoIP and video
• Offer secured guest Internet access

The Virtual Ethernet Service enables long-haul Ethernet traffic to be transported across a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) backbone, providing flexible bandwidth options to McLaren’s Wide Area Network (WAN). “Utilizing these services will enhance our connectivity and technological infrastructure while decreasing our hardware investments,” says Vince Levi, enterprise network services manager of Anthelio Healthcare Solutions Inc., IT Partners for McLaren Health Care. “This plan fits perfectly with our growth strategy of better functions and investments.”

Drew Stewart, a master agent at Telegration, a provider of integrated telecommunications solutions, introduced McLaren to US Signal. “My job is to find the perfect telecommunications carrier for the customer,” Stewart says.“McLaren needed more than just a carrier. As the strongest data provider with the best network operations center in the Midwest, US Signal was the right solution for McLaren’s growth strategy.”

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — US Signal, a leading provider of network infrastructure in the Midwest, today announced that it has joined the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), an operator-led organization driving the next generation Wi-Fi experience. “As a member of the WBA, US Signal will help to address the growing needs of additional bandwidth for mobile devices and smartphones by increasing access options in the markets we serve,” says Trevor Bidle, vice president of engineering, US Signal.

The WBA is comprised of 71 companies which include major fixed operators such as BT, Comcast and Time Warner Cable; and seven of the top 10 mobile operator groups (by revenue) as well as leading technology companies such as Cisco, Google and Intel. It recently welcomed seven new members including BSG, BSkyB, DOCOMO interTouch, SK Telecom, US Signal, Trustive and TeliaSonera Mobile Networks.

The mission and vision of the WBA is fitting to that of US Signal. The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) is an operator-led industry organization focused on driving the next generation Wi-Fi experience through technology innovation, interoperability and robust security. Its Next Generation Hotspot program will drastically simplify public Wi-Fi access for local users and those traveling abroad, eliminating manual login authentication procedures, and improving mobile broadband services by intelligently offloading data traffic from cellular networks. This initiative will fuel the next generation of Wi-Fi service offerings which are designed to provide a cellular-style experience.

“The WBA is delighted to welcome US Signal to our unique industry group representing leading fixed and mobile operators from around the world. We are driving the next generation of Wi-Fi and transform the user experience by marrying seamless connectivity, security and speed. We are excited about the strengths and capabilities that US Signal has in enabling this experience for its customers around the United States,” said Shrikant Shenwai, CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance.

To learn more about WBA, visit www.wballiance.com.

SAN JOSE, Calif., November 17, 2011 – Cisco and US Signal, a leading provider of regional transport, data center and Internet Protocol (IP) services, today announced the successful completion of the first 100 Gigabit (100G) coherent dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) trial based on the industry-leading performance of the Cisco ONS 15454 Multiservice Transport Platform (MSTP) system.

The 100G coherent trial was performed over an in-service 10G-engineered network between Chicago, Ill. and Kalamazoo, Mich. The successful trial confirmed that US Signal will deploy in-service, 100G coherent technology on networks originally designed for 10G transmission without any re-engineering, thereby extending the value and return on investment of the company’s existing fiber network. This is analogous to a rail operator being able to deploy high speed services merely by purchasing faster rail cars and without the need to upgrade the track infrastructure as is typically required. With customers increasing demand for intuitive, faster and more efficient networks to help them deliver next-generation services, such as data center virtualization, infrastructure-as-a-service (IAAS) and Business Process Management (BPM), US Signal needed a next-generation 100G network to accommodate explosive high bandwidth traffic growth.   To address this, the company is also leveraging the Cisco Aggregation Services Router (ASR) 9000, Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches and the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) to scale its IP backbone and service capability.

Highlights/Key Facts:

• Internet Protocol backbones use high-speed fiber-optics to connect the major routers across the Internet, enabling different networks to talk to each other.   100G rates are needed for these backbones to accommodate the explosion in video and data traffic, enabling service providers to deliver a new generation of video and multimedia services to their customers. As Cisco stated in its recent Visual Networking Index, IP traffic growth is expected to increase four- fold to 966 Exabytes a year by 2015.
• The positive results of this trial, which employed the industry’s highest optical performance and density 100G solution, has motivated US Signal to enable its 12,200 miles of fiber for 100G services in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.  When completed, US Signal will enable its largest high bandwidth customers, including cable operators and wireless telecommunication carriers to deliver new and enhanced services with higher speeds and lower latency.
• Cisco has delivered the industry’s leading 100G coherent optical solution through key innovations acquired with its 2010 purchase of CoreOptics. As a result, service providers can deliver cost-effective ultra-long haul transport solutions while re-using existing fiber plants.
• The Cisco ONS 15454 MSTP is a leading Packet Optical Transport System (P-OTS) that allows network operators to deploy DWDM, Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) and Ethernet on a single platform. The Cisco ONS 15454 is the industry’s most widely deployed ROADM.

Supporting Quotes:

Dan Olrich, chief operating officer, US Signal

“ We have utilized Cisco technology for almost a decade, and many of our customers also deploy Cisco solutions.  Cisco has established itself as the industry leader in enabling 100G capabilities.  Working with Cisco allows us to seamlessly scale from 10G to 100G services with the flip of a switch.  The trial has shown us how easily we can enhance our network so our customers worry less about bandwidth, reliability and speed, and spend more time focusing on new services.”

Surya Panditi, senior vice president and general manager, Core Technology Group, Cisco

“ With key partners like US Signal, Cisco is continuing to architect the next-generation Internet, which will easily deliver advanced video, cloud, and mobile services to consumers and businesses.  The demand for next-generation services requires a more robust network capable of 100G services.  We expect a large percentage of networks will evolve to 100G services in the coming years. US Signal is positioning itself well to capitalize on this opportunity. It is ensuring it can meet the needs of its current customers while opening the door to deliver enhanced offerings that can expand its subscriber base”

In June of 2011, US Signal introduced a comprehensive cloud-based solution through its Managed Data Center private Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering. The Managed Data Center is built with dedicated resource pools designed to rapidly provision and host virtual private servers accessible through US Signal’s Dedicated Internet, MPLS, and Ethernet wide-area network solutions.

How Cloud Based Advanced Security Works
The new Cloud Based Advanced Security provides cloud users with an additional level of security through a virtual firewall. The virtual firewall is placed in a highly redundant carrier-grade cloud and provides a robust feature set, including a state-of-the-art firewall; content filtering; anti-spyware, anti-malware, virus protection, web proxy, intrusion detection and prevention.

Virtual private cloud environments are designed to allow customers to augment or replace legacy computer infrastructures without ongoing capital investment in equipment. Customers receive the additional benefit of a virtual installation with the resulting ability to add supplementary servers in a timely fashion. US Signal’s Cloud Based Advanced Security offering makes working via the cloud safe and secure, creating a trustworthy virtual infrastructure.

“Cloud Based Advanced Security is an extremely economical solution when coupled with US Signal’s Internet and private WAN services (like MPLS and VES) to provide seamless networking solutions,” says Trevor Bidle, vice president of engineering. “With the recent advancements in cloud-based computing and security technologies, we offer carrier-grade performance at a fraction of an enterprise IT budget.”

The Benefits of Cloud Based Advanced Security
Moving a network firewall into US Signal’s Cloud Based Advanced Security offering saves money by reducing the cost for last-mile bandwidth. Using Internet security such as IPsec and SSL VPN, remote locations are able to access a private network, using any public Internet connection.

Overall, US Signal’s Managed Data Center reduces customer capital expenditures by replacing large physical server deployments with rapidly scalable virtual environments. In addition, the Managed Data Center increases customer data security by placing data behind US Signal’s carrier-grade firewalls. US Signal’s Managed Data Center is built on Cisco and HP platforms using 3PAR storage arrays.

Background on Virtual Private Clouds
Virtual private clouds are created with customized virtual private servers featuring dedicated CPU, memory, and storage resources. They offer customers a redundant computing environment with unparalleled security and storage not available in the public cloud.

Customers can access their cloud and storage environments in the Managed Data Center using US Signal’s data products like MPLS and Virtual Ethernet or by using IPsec VPN in conjunction with Managed Security and Dedicated Internet Access.

US Signal’s Managed Data Center offering is supported by the company’s Network Operations Center. “Bringing together network and data center services provides an end-to-end service level agreement unavailable with public cloud offerings,” says Steve Vander Pol, product manager. “As technology evolves, US Signal continues to be the industry leader in the Midwest by providing comprehensive solutions for our customers that result in simplifying and streamlining their business network needs.”

To learn more about US Signal’s Managed Data Center, visit www.ussignalcom.com.

US Signal was selected from nearly 250 nominees comprised of carriers, resellers, master agencies, and hardware and software vendors.

Read the full article here.

SAN JOSE, Calif., – US Signal is upgrading its Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) to support faster virtual Carrier Ethernet services and increase the adoption of its new Managed Data Center service, also known as Infrastructure-as-a-Service, by its enterprise customers.

Driven by increased customer demand for greater bandwidth to handle video, cloud and advanced collaboration services, the new IP NGN will enable US Signal to offer virtual Ethernet services up to 100 Gbps and grow its data center customer base. Integral to this growth will be the deployment of the Cisco® ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers for enhanced capacity, high resiliency and robust IPv6 support.

Highlights/Key Facts

• The US Signal fiber optic network is one of the largest in the Midwest of the United States. With over 12,000 fiber route miles metro rings in 23 strategic markets, the US Signal optical backbone features advanced Cisco Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology in a highly resilient architecture. All of US Signal’s services are delivered over this protected IP NGN.
• The US Signal Managed Data Center service is built with dedicated resource pools designed to rapidly provision and host Virtual Private Servers accessible through the upgraded US Signal IP NGN. Adding Managed Data Center service makes US Signal one of the first service providers in the Midwest to offer customers the opportunity to build Virtual Private Cloud environments.
• The Cisco ASR 9000 Series utilizes the modular Cisco IOS® XR software operating system, simplifying network operations while enabling comprehensive system redundancy and intelligent routing for cloud computing-based services.
• Cisco predicts that the number of network-connected devices will be more than 15 billion, twice the world’s population, by 2015. In the fifth annual Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast (2010-2015) released June 1, the company also said the total amount of global Internet traffic will quadruple by 2015 and reach 966 exabytes per year.

Supporting Quotes

Aaron Shaver, director of product engineering, US Signal
“The Cisco ASR 9000 platform has enabled US Signal to rapidly scale out our next-generation network to meet growing customer bandwidth requirements. Our collaboration with Cisco helps us maintain our industry-leading reputation, reduce infrastructure costs and is integral to our continued success.”

Surya Panditi, senior vice president and general manager, core technology group, Cisco
“We are pleased that US Signal has chosen the Cisco ASR 9000 Series as the foundation of its business and network. US Signal and Cisco have collaborated on this advanced, service-enabled IP Next-Generation Network that will help US Signal further its innovation of next-generation experiences for their customers.”

About US Signal
The US Signal network, one of the largest in the Midwest, includes more than 1,200 route miles of fiber optic metro rings in 23 markets and over 11,000 route miles of long-haul fiber connecting more than 150 on-off ramps, comprising major carrier hotel locations, incumbent telephone company central offices, and other lit buildings. To learn more about US Signal, visit www.ussignalcom.com.

About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

US Signal Adds Comprehensive CLOUD Offering for Midwest Companies

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — US Signal, a leading service provider of network infrastructure in the Midwest, today announced that its Managed Data Center, an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), cloud offering, is now available. US Signal’s Managed Data Center is built with dedicated resource pools designed to rapidly provision and host Virtual Private Servers accessible through US Signal provided Wide Area Networks (WAN). Adding Managed Data Center to its Managed Services product suite makes US Signal one of the first service providers in the Midwest to offer customers the opportunity to build Virtual Private Cloud environments.

“US Signal is the first carrier to deliver an end-to-end, ubiquitous, Ethernet solution to compliment a secure, highly functional Virtual Private Cloud offering,” says Dan Olrich, chief operating officer.  “Because we have mastered these network technologies, US Signal’s Managed Data Center is literally an extension of our customers Local Area Network (LAN), data center, and applications.  The result is saving our customers time and money while improving their network and data center reliability.”

How it works

Virtual Private Clouds are created with customized Virtual Private Servers built with dedicated CPU, memory, and storage resources, offering customers a redundant computing environment with unparalleled security and storage not available in the public cloud.

Customers can access their cloud and storage environments in the Managed Data Center using US Signal’s data products like MPLS and Virtual Ethernet or by using IPsec VPN in conjunction with Managed Security and Dedicated Internet Access.

The Benefits

Virtual Private Cloud environments are particularly valuable in helping companies optimize application performance, increase data security, and reduce network and server costs. Pairing Managed Data Center with US Signal’s Private WAN services, customers can take advantage of all the benefits of cloud computing without exposing themselves to the security risks caused by transporting data over the Internet.   US Signal’s Managed Data Center reduces customer capital expenditures by replacing large physical server deployments with rapidly scalable virtual environments.  These cloud environments are created by equipment housed and maintained in the Midwest, keeping data close to the end user and improving application performance.

To learn more about US Signal’s Managed Data Center, visit www.ussignalcom.com.

What exactly is Managed Data Center?

Virtual Private Cloud environments allow customers the ability to augment or replace legacy computer hardware infrastructures without investing capital in equipment that may be insufficient or obsolete in a short time.  Customers get the additional benefits of a virtual installation with the ability to add supplementary servers quickly.

“Our new Managed Data Center and security offerings provide customers with the performance, availability, and quality they have come to expect from US Signal at a price point that will help them address ever-increasing budget pressures,” says Aaron Shaver, director of product development. “With the recent advancements in cloud-based computing and security technologies, we are able to offer carrier-grade performance at a fraction of an enterprise IT budget.”

How it works

Virtual Private Clouds are created with customized Virtual Private Servers built with dedicated CPU, memory, and storage resources, offering customers a redundant computing environment with unparalleled security and storage not available in the public cloud.

Customers can access their cloud and storage environments in the Managed Data Center using US Signal’s data products like MPLS and Virtual Ethernet or by using IPsec VPN in conjunction with Managed Security and Dedicated Internet Access.

US Signal’s Managed Data Center offering is supported by the company’s Network Operations Center. “Bringing together network and data center services provides an end-to-end Service Level Agreement unavailable with public cloud offerings,” says Steve Vander Pol, product manager. “As technology evolves, US Signal continues to push the envelope of unified communications by providing comprehensive solutions for our customers that result in simplifying and streamlining their business network needs.”

The Benefits

Virtual Private Cloud environments are particularly valuable in helping companies reduce costs while increasing data security. US Signal’s Managed Data Center reduces customer capital expenditures by replacing large physical server deployments with rapidly scalable virtual environments. In addition, the Managed Data Center also increases customer data security by placing data behind US Signal’s carrier-grade firewalls. US Signal’s Managed Data Center is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) built on Cisco and HP platforms utilizing 3PAR Storage Arrays.

To learn more about US Signal’s Managed Data Center, visit www.ussignalcom.com.

“By adding more access points to increase our extensive network reach and also providing multiple network access options including fiber, copper, and switched Ethernet, US Signal continues to deliver high quality bandwidth and managed services where customers demand it,” said Trevor Bidle, vice president of engineering.

The expansion is part of US Signal’s commitment to being the most dependable, flexible, and reliable provider of data bandwidth in the Midwest. Increasing US Signal’s market density is critical to the company’s strategy to connect growing small- and medium-size markets to larger cities.  The expansion includes adding network access in the following cities:

The expansion will increase US Signal’s footprint to more than 9,000 route miles of long-haul fiber and more than 1,100 miles of fiber optic metro rings in 24 markets connecting regions in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri. The US Signal network provides on-off ramps comprised of major carrier hotel locations, incumbent telephone company central offices, and other lit buildings.

“Increasing network density in Ohio and Indiana is critical to addressing the increased demand for US Signal’s state-of-the-art networking services,” said Kirk Dombek, director of business development.  “As US Signal adds network access points, more customers will have cost-effective, reliable access to next generation data networking products and managed services.”

The expansion is part of US Signal’s commitment to being the most dependable, flexible and reliable provider of data bandwidth in the Midwest. Increasing US Signal’s market density is critical to the company’s strategy to connect growing small and medium-size markets to larger cities.  The addition of Data Center BZ allows US Signal access to a hub in Ohio that is quickly becoming a leader in technology and connectivity providers. The expansion includes central offices in:

• Warsaw, IN  (WRSWINXA)
• Lima, OH  (LIMAOHXA)
• Akron, OH  (AKRNOH25)
• Cleveland, OH  (CLEVOH64)
• Columbus, OH  (WOTNOH88)
• Worthington, OH  (DCBZOH00) (data center)

The new US Signal data center is located at 535 Scherers in Worthington, Ohio. The addition of this data center will continue to strengthen US Signal’s network presence throughout the Midwest. To learn more, visit http://www.datacenter.bz/.

US Signal’s network now includes more than 9000 route miles of long-haul fiber and more than 1100 miles of fiber optic metro rings in 23 markets connecting regions in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. The US Signal network provides on-off ramps comprised of major carrier hotel locations, incumbent telephone company central offices and other lit buildings.