United Direct Solutions Got A New Look And A Modernized Network

A rebrand can be a fresh start for any business, and the rebrand for United Direct Solutions was “long overdue,” according to Connie Burns, Chief Technology Officer at United Direct Solutions.

“We were put into a bucket of only providing traditional print and mail services, and rebranding changed the look of United Direct Solutions to be more of a total solutions provider that can also offer electronic delivery for different types of communications,” she explained.

With this brand expansion came business opportunities.

This was a chance for United Direct Solutions to modernize their network and upgrade the way clients shared information. Clients regularly send large data batches that take considerable bandwidth to process, slowing their network and preventing them from moving quickly.

On top of wanting more reliable service and additional bandwidth, new business lines required United Direct Solutions to increase redundancy and resiliency, bolster their network security, and prepare their network to support their new direction and focus.

To address these pressing demands, United Direct Solutions needed a partner that could help revolutionize their network.

Rebuilding Reliable Infrastructure With Lumen

To tackle the expansion hurdles, Lumen presented the following solutions to directly enhance their networking and security experience:

• Fiber optic cables laid directly into plants, providing two facilities with fast and reliable connectivity through Lumen^® Business Fiber and Lumen^® Dedicated Internet Access
• A dual, in-house ISP configuration to produce more uptime and create flexibility in data transmissions and management
• Greater network control and security with Lumen^® SD-WAN

Using dedicated fiber connectivity meant United Direct Solutions could be on the same network in both locations. “We didn’t have to worry about traversing some kind of weird digital connection between two different companies,” said Bob Ackerman, VP of Technical Services. “[Lumen] came straight into our server closets, they put in all the equipment. They made it easy.”

Watch Connie Burns and Bob Ackerman talk about what it was like to work with Lumen.

United Direct Solutions also moved into two Lumen data centers to improve their redundancy and resiliency.

While they explored many other options, including cloud hosting and installing multiple servers, the Lumen colocation spaces gave United Direct Solutions and their clients greater peace of mind.

“It provided the assurance that our servers are going to be available with power regardless of an outage,” Burns said. “It’s going to align well with our future and give us that 24/7 availability that we could not quite get at our own facilities.”

A Modern Network Delivers Impressive Uptime

United Direct Solutions saw the benefits right away.

Data transfers that used to take hours were completed in minutes, thanks to increased bandwidth. They’re seeing fewer outages, too. Since completing the project, United Direct Solutions has maintained near-100% uptime. These improvements have created happier customers and led to consistent revenue growth.

“The service itself has been very, very dependable. It’s reliable, robust and able to be upgraded as we expand our business,” Burns said.

The Lumen team continues to support United Direct Solutions, providing the right technology as they explore new opportunities.

“It would be very risky for us to have a provider that offered anything less than what Lumen has been delivering,” Ackerman said. “We really count on it to keep ourselves in business.”

To hear more about how Lumen customers made their businesses more robust and secure, check out our customer success stories.

Current Lumen customer compensated for their endorsement.

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