Communications

The maritime industry has evolved over recent years with the launch of new communication systems such as global VSAT, mini-VSAT, regional VSAT, Iridium Pilot, Fleet Broadband and roaming GSM 3G. These new communication platforms open up new opportunities never seen before allowing your remote sites to be connected beyond the capabilities of traditional voice and e-mail.

Your remote sites no longer need to be “out of sync” with office based systems such as asset management, purchasing, personnel and intranet sites.  With the new age of IP based communication systems, it is now possible for your remote sites to access real-time office data and even the Internet for business use, and to improve staff welfare and morale.

There are a multitude of communication solutions in the market place all of which vary on cost, often with difficult to understand tariffs (per megabit vs. per second vs. always on) with varying degrees of performance.

When choosing a solution it is important to understand your business requirements and usage patterns in order to select the best solution.  For instance, if you choose a solution with integrated voice functionality have you looked at the cost savings you will make when making calls both to the remote and from the remote? These savings can make a big difference to your total ownership costs.

IT@Sea can help you evaluate your requirements to ensure you make the right decision.
Once the decision has been made, we can make further recommendations on what hardware to use such as voice over IP (VoIP), link acceleration, content filtering, security, firewalls VPNs etc.  Furthermore, we can provide assistance with the implementation and testing of your chosen solution.

Many companies want to embrace this new technology but are worried about the cost implications. Stories are common about companies receiving huge airtime bills because the PC connected to the equipment decided to download the latest software updates automatically or crew members surfing the web and downloading inappropriate material.

These issues are real but with the right knowledge and solution these worries are removed giving you peace of mind that your equipment is only being used activities you control.