BRI’s Ralf Mann says “IX was the next business complex in our path. We’re giving tenants at IX Internet-only high speed data options like they’ve never seen before.” BRI offers it’s high speed fiber network to more than 50 locations in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

BRI is currently extending it’s fiber network through Belmont to the Carlton Business Park . “We’re building to fill a growing need”, says Mann. “Businesses need reliable high bandwidth connectivity to the Internet, between sites, or to the region’s robust data centers in Ashburn or Culpeper. We are seeing huge demand for these services as long as the price is right. With our own network we are able to provide services at much lower prices than before.”

One very happy IX tenant, Gerhard Schoenthal of Virginia Diodes, says “BRI’s fiber connection is unbelievably fast and reliable.  We have had zero problems since installation.  The only way to go in Charlottesville if you need a VPN back to your office.”

For more information contact Ralf Mann: ralf@briworks.com, 434-531-4002.

Where 10/1 was a good plan for smaller office networks with limited Internet use, they will now be able to do more for the same $59.95/month.  This move by BRI has once again raised the bar for other access technologies and set the standard for SOHO Internet access in Charlottesville. If you are interested in High-Speed BRI Fiber is available in your area, please call our Fiber office at 434-951-7989.

Check out our Fiber Map.

Because BRI is upgrading the service, Belmont lofts customers will be able to stream high definition movies , their favorite TV shows, and sporting events directly to their televisions with no interruptions or “re-buffering”   pauses.  Downloading those emailed family pictures will be a breeze now.  This is truly a revolutionary service.

It used to be that DSL and Cable were the slow links in the bandwidth chain.  High-Speed BRI Fiber is changing the playing field to the point where online content providers will have to stay on their toes to keep up. This service is raising the bar for local Internet service providers in Charlottesville, too.  Traditional copper circuits just  aren’t fast enough. BRI is making the investment in fiber to bring the best possible Internet Service to their customers so they can enjoy the future today.

If you are interested in High-Speed BRI Fiber is available in your area, please call our Fiber office at 434-951-7989.

Are we in your neighborhood? We have a map of the buildings we already service here. If we’re not in your building already, give us a call at 434-817-0707. We’re adding new buildings all the time!

Fiber MapNeed to learn more about our service? Check here or call us at 434-817-0707.

Parallels Small Business Panel is the ultimate solution for all of your online business needs.  It offers simple control for businesses that will give employees powerful tools and save you money on training and software costs. Intuitive interfaces and role based access to functionality appeals to users of any skill level. Managers can choose from a wide variety of commercial and open source applications and install them with a click of a button. With Web-enabled access, file sharing and email management, employees will be able to collaborate with each other and market to customers in an efficient and productive environment.

A simple but powerful control panel that saves you money!

Parallels Small Business Panel is a simple control panel for businesses to quickly and easily manage their IT needs. With its intuitive interface, Parallels Small Business Panel gives employees powerful productivity tools and saves your business money on training and software costs.

Simple - Anyone Can Use It!

Offer a Great User Experience

The super-intuitive interface design is easy for all employees. All daily functions are presented in a logical and obvious layout and hover-over contextual instructions give quick tips on how to use a specific feature or tool.

Easily Manage Websites

Set-up wizards and content editors make complicated tasks easy. Register domain names, manage content and view visitor statistics in a simple point-and-click interface. Employees can use the free site builder tool to create and update professional-looking websites in minutes – no technical skills required.

Powerful - Grows With Your Business!

Be More Competitive Online

Get hundreds of the latest business applications at your fingertips! Browse a wide variety of apps designed to help you stay in step with technology and to compete online. Single-click downloads let you install or use web-based apps without any special training or technical knowledge.

Control Critical Access

Roles-based setup allows individual users to see only the tools designated for them, and online apps bring the right information to the right employees when they need it. Collaboration tools allow your employees to store and share files for improved work flow management.

Saves Money - Contains IT Expenses

Increase Employee Productivity

Productivity tools include time tracking, email management, marketing, CRM, file sharing, blogs, and more. Plus one-click access to open source applications allows you to freely download many of the best open-source software solutions available for small to medium business needs.

Reduce IT Training Costs

Parallels Small Business Panel can be operated with little or no knowledge of servers. Your IT staff can train any employee on how to add users, setup e-mail, grant access, etc. The super-intuitive interface reduces the need for employee training and frees your IT staff for more complicated technical issues.

achieving these certifications Mr. Karst has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft’s products and platforms including Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. More information regarding the requirements for these highly-regarded IT certifications can be found at microsoft.com.BRI is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, Networking Infrastructure Solutions, and Security Solutions competencies. For more information abbout how BRI can help your business contact info@briworks.com.

Blue Ridge InternetWorks (BRI) will launch gigabit connectivity to the world’s largest Internet peering point this month, giving it’s customers improved access and hosting performance. “The demand for bandwidth continues to grow, and with the core of the Internet located 100 miles away we knew there had to be a solution”, stated Baylor Fooks of BRI. BRI’s new connectivity will involve a leased fiber optic connection to Equinix’s Ashburn, VA campus. It is estimated that as much as 80% of the world’s Internet traffic is exchanged at the Equinix facility each day. “This opens up a new world to us”, explained Fooks. “With more than 150 network providers present at Equinix we can peer with tier one Internet carriers at much better terms. Previously we were locked into deals for years at a time. The arrangement also allows us to offer excellent Disaster Recovery options to Charlottesville-based businesses.”

Contact Baylor Fooks for additional information.

The hype surrounding “telecommuting” has been around for years, but with gas at $4 per gallon it’s time to take a closer look at how small businesses can help employees and themselves by working remotely.

First, the technologies required to enable remote working are stable and easy to use. We’ve grown up from modem banks and complicated client-based VPNs to easy-to-use technologies like DSL and SSL VPNs. If both your remote worker and your office are served by high speed Internet connections you are almost there, but giving the employee secure remote access by setting up VPNs used to be pretty difficult. Juniper Network’s basic SSL VPN device install in minutes and requires no software on the remote client. What I like most about the Juniper device is the ease of use. The remote user launches their web browser, goes to the the designated URL, logs on, and is presented a landing page of short cuts to common things you want them to have access to like remote desktop sessions and intranet or Sharepoint links. Juniper has hit a home run.

Secondly, small business can and should make use of hosted applications. This reduces dependency on the “HQ” facility, it’s Internet connection, and can often result in immediate deployment of tools vital to growing your business. Too often small businesses start down a path of building an IT empire like their big brethren, only to find out owning software and servers is a big commitment. A great solution is to use best-of-breed hosted services and get back to running your business. Do you require Quickbooks? Consider Freshbooks. Need a file server? Consider a hosted Sharepoint server. Have you outgrown your ISP’s basic email and think you need Exchange? Consider hosted Exchange. Need a CRM? Salesforce.com works for fortune 100 companies. It is hard to change one’s mindset from building an empire at the main office, but a growing number of companies are enabling workers to be more productive working from home or the office by leveraging hosted applications.

But what about phone calls? There are solutions, and some are reaching the mature, easy-to-use state aforementioned technologies have reached. Cisco offers two IP telephony options for small businesses: the UC500 and Unified CallManager “Business Edition” both offer tons of remote worker friendly features and lower the number of servers from what was once required to run a VoIP phone system. There are outsourced options as well. Many telephone companies are offering “IP Centrex” services and many businesses have employed popular Internet calling networks like Skype to keep workers in communication with customers wherever they might be sitting.

Enabling telecommuting is easier than ever and might be a great morale booster with gas prices continuing to rise. It takes a leap of faith, but ask yourself “Do I get more work done at home or the office?”