The Best, the Better, and ... the Ugly!
Wireless network. That is the aspect I have been working on for some time. We already have two access points in our school (Belkin Pre-N system) but since the board wants the network to cover nearly the whole school, a more professional approach via outsourcing was necessary.
So I contacted three firms, let's call them B, D and F, completely independent from each other, but with the same question: we want a wireless network to cover the whole school. It should be built in two to three years time and in different steps. The system should be flexible so that in the future more computers can log in, and that speed is optimal.
I first contacted firm B who claimed it was necessary to do a "site survey" to be sure how many access points should be necessary. The site survey would cost 75€. In good faith I said that this site survey could be done.
The CEO of firm D appeared to be a former student of mine. It was very nice to meet him again after all these years. We talked about the network and in no time at all, he detected a few weaknesses in the system. Things that firm B hadn't noticed at all...
Finally I had an appointment with two people from firm F, a commercial and a technical representative. I immediately felt the professionality in both sales and technical aspects. The optional offer of Cisco controllers that make V-lans possible and the physical detection of portables on the system was very tempting...
In the end I waited for the offers. B was the last one - I even had to mail them to get the offer in time before I was going to Vietnam for the English and ICT workshop.
During my stay in Vietnam, the school board took the brave decision to invest in the best!
Back in school, I mailed firms D and B that we had decided to take the offer of firm F.
D was a good sport. He sent me a nice mail, hoping we had made a good choice and that we might meet and do business again. I'm sure we will!
B, however, was utterly frustrated and accused me blindly of transferring the results of their site survey to firm F!!! He also claimed more costs for the site survey!!
I have never seen such unprofessional reaction in my life! Apart from the fact that I received the results of the site survey days after I had received the offers of firms D and F, these other firms did not need a site survey of 75€ to get to more or less the same results!!! All they needed was their professional experience...
This was really a case of the Best, the Better, and the Ugly! ;-)
So I contacted three firms, let's call them B, D and F, completely independent from each other, but with the same question: we want a wireless network to cover the whole school. It should be built in two to three years time and in different steps. The system should be flexible so that in the future more computers can log in, and that speed is optimal.
I first contacted firm B who claimed it was necessary to do a "site survey" to be sure how many access points should be necessary. The site survey would cost 75€. In good faith I said that this site survey could be done.
The CEO of firm D appeared to be a former student of mine. It was very nice to meet him again after all these years. We talked about the network and in no time at all, he detected a few weaknesses in the system. Things that firm B hadn't noticed at all...
Finally I had an appointment with two people from firm F, a commercial and a technical representative. I immediately felt the professionality in both sales and technical aspects. The optional offer of Cisco controllers that make V-lans possible and the physical detection of portables on the system was very tempting...
In the end I waited for the offers. B was the last one - I even had to mail them to get the offer in time before I was going to Vietnam for the English and ICT workshop.
During my stay in Vietnam, the school board took the brave decision to invest in the best!
Back in school, I mailed firms D and B that we had decided to take the offer of firm F.
D was a good sport. He sent me a nice mail, hoping we had made a good choice and that we might meet and do business again. I'm sure we will!
B, however, was utterly frustrated and accused me blindly of transferring the results of their site survey to firm F!!! He also claimed more costs for the site survey!!
I have never seen such unprofessional reaction in my life! Apart from the fact that I received the results of the site survey days after I had received the offers of firms D and F, these other firms did not need a site survey of 75€ to get to more or less the same results!!! All they needed was their professional experience...
This was really a case of the Best, the Better, and the Ugly! ;-)
Labels: collaboration, hardware, ICT, network, services, technique, wireless
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