It is our goal to deliver a frictionless customer experience for you during the onboarding process.  As part of this you will be assigned a dedicated Managed Service Delivery Specialist.  This individual will be a single point of contact to manage the onboarding process and coordinate the other TPx experts that are part of your onboarding team. In addition, TPx will create a “Runbook” that will house all important documentation regarding your service and systems.  This Runbook will be maintained as your systems and/or service changes over time.

Onboarding deliverables

Service Onboarding includes the following major tasks/milestones:

1. Engineering resource request

• • Your dedicated Managed Service Delivery Specialist will request and schedule an engineering resource to lead the technical onboarding process.

2. Welcome / Kickoff Call

• • Your dedicated Managed Service Delivery Specialist will schedule the initial welcome call.
  • An overview of the provisioning process will be provided.
  • Contracted services will be reviewed.
  • General project timelines, activities, and responsibilities will be discussed and confirmed.
  • A review of the information collected to date will be performed.
  • The customer Runbook will be updated.

3. Technical Call

• • Your dedicated Managed Services Delivery Specialist will schedule the technical call.
  • Product/Service information will be confirmed
  • Any existing configurations will be discussed..
  • Escalation contacts, maintenance windows, and procedures will be confirmed.
  • The customer Runbook will be updated.

4. Initial Configuration

• • Adjust OS version to comply with standards
  • Port Configuration

• • • Descriptions to match hardware for inventory purposes
    • Logical setup to match network requirements
    • Speed/duplex
    • Port shut
  • Traffic Filtering Configuration

• • • IP Addresses and Ports to open
    • Network and Port Address Translation as required
    • Higher-level URL and application rulesets
    • ACLs
  • VLAN Configuration
  • IP Addressing
    • Public addresses
    • Private (RFC1918) addresses
  • IP Routing

• • • Includes both static and DHCP connections for both WAN and LAN
    • Includes complex routing involving BGP and other routing protocols
  • Administrative and Guest Access
  • Unified Threat Management Security Settings

• • • Advanced Malware Protection
    • Web Filtering
    • Application Controls
    • Intrusion Detection – Intrusion Preventions (IDS/IPS)
  • SDWAN Settings

• • • Failover
    • Auto Tunneling
    • WAN Link Load Balancing
  • VPN Tunnels

• • • IPSec site to site
    • SSL VPN for remote user access
  • Active Directory Integration
  • Traffic Shaping
  • Wifi SSIDs and Splash screens

5. Service Installation

• • Remote Installation – The preconfigured network device will be shipped to the specified customer location and the customer is responsible for connecting the device to transport/power/other network devices and contact the TPx onboarding team for turn up.
  • Professional Installation – TPx Technicians are available to assist with your service installation. If you choose to use TPx Professional Services for your installation we will preschedule a time for a Qualified Professional to arrive at your install address and perform the following tasks:

• • • Mount all equipment in a secure and safe manner according to manufacturer guidelines and recommendations if applicable. This includes mounting on walls or in data racks and cabinets (mounting hardware sold separately).
    • Confirm power requirements are met and adequate for the equipment being installed.
    • Power on all devices and confirm programming.
    • Locate and tag any TPx provided WAN circuits on both ends of the DMARC extension if applicable.
    • Plug all circuits into TPx equipment and test connectivity and performance.
    • Assist customer in plugging their equipment into the TPx device and perform tests to confirm successful equipment installation.
    • Troubleshoot any issues and provide a corrective course of action to TPx Support and the customer for any identified issues.
    • Work with TPx Support to confirm all customer ordered services are connected and performing as expected. Any deficiencies discovered will be remedied and re-tested until the system functionality is verified.

6. Support Handoff

• • Onboarding project completion will be confirmed.
  • Managed Service Delivery Specialist will schedule a closing call.
  • At this point the support relationship will be handed off from our Onboarding Team to our Support Team.
  • The TPx Support Representative will review final runbook details and services.
  • Support active confirmation email sent to the customer.
  • The managed service , including all associated hardware and software, are monitored by TPx. Should any issues or anomalies be detected, a member of the network support team will take corrective action and notify the customer.

Onboarding Timeline

Service Onboarding generally takes about 32 business days to complete and is contingent on customer and technical detail availability.  Onboarding can be expedited as needed for an additional fee.

The MSx Networks Service will provide installation, configuration and 24×7 management of a customer’s network-based equipment.  The service combines human expertise with today’s most powerful technology to create a better and more secure user experience across the entire network. TPx can complement your team and deliver an end-to-end management of your network infrastructure, giving you peace of mind that comes from knowing you have a reliable, high-performing, modern network backed 24/7 by the experts at TPx.

Successful companies need reliable and powerful networks that boost business performance and provide essential security for the entire organization. However, many businesses struggle with network management and security due to lack of time, resources, expertise, and training. Outdated or misconfigured network components can cause bottlenecking as well as costly downtime and open up vulnerabilities for hackers.

Solution Benefits

MSx Managed Networks delivers significant benefits to organizations of all sizes and in all industries.    By combining leading support, management, and technologies, with expert resources available 24x7x365, our customers can:

Increase Security and Compliance – Our security experts provide a properly designed and configured edge device/firewall, allowing you to take advantage of technology that makes your business less prone to cyber-attacks. TPx can help you with your compliance needs as well.  Our MSx Security Council meets continually to discuss how to best protect our customers and respond to any potential new threats. New code is evaluated, and configurations are reviewed before they are implemented. This brain trust then integrates its findings into the service making it proactive rather than reactive.

Increased Performance and Productivity – A high-performance network helps ensure everyday operations run with better speed and efficiency. Greater network uptime with prioritized traffic and reduced IT costs means employees are more productive and can spend more time on strategic business goals.

Provide Peace of mind and always-on — 24/7/36 – A network slowdown or outage can stop a business in its tracks. TPx monitors your network 24×7 to make sure it is running properly and troubleshoots and resolves issues quickly, even overnight.

Reduce IT Costs – Many customers struggle with limited budgets, a lack of support technology, and staffing challenges.  This often results in poor service delivery and inflated costs because they lack the support tools to help them manage and support systems and users efficiently, or don’t have enough staff to handle the workload.  Many large enterprises have dedicated security teams and systems in place to help them. These teams and systems are expensive, putting them out of reach for most small and mid-sized businesses.  TPx’s highly-qualified team becomes, in effect, your team — and at a price you can afford.  We invest in technology and support personnel to meet the needs of our customers and as those needs change and grow, we can change and grow with them.  TPx augments your existing IT staff for a fraction of the cost and frees them up to focus on revenue-generating projects instead.

Simplify Management and Billing – All of your IT issues and billing across multiple sites, multiple ISPs and multiple devices is handled with a single phone call or email and a single bill. Replace that costly legacy MPLS network with secure networking devices managed by TPx.

Expert Network Specialists – Finding and hiring a staff of trained and certified network specialists is a challenge for businesses. Because of this, IT staff is often asked to perform a variety of functions from desktop support to network security, which doesn’t allow them to focus on any one area. Our Managed Service team is made up of experts in all areas that we support so we can provide the in-depth attention your network requires.

Provide Multiple Service Levels – You choose the level of support that fits your needs. You can leverage full Optimum support where we handle everything or Core support where TPx configures, deploys, and licenses the solution and you manage it and call us if you need help.

Available Service Levels

MSx Managed Networks is available in two different service levels to meet a variety of customer use cases.

CORE – Customer Administrative Responsibility  –  Once provisioned and deployed by TPx, the customer is provided Read/Write Access to the management portal to make changes to configurations, view status and manage the device. In the event the customer requires assistance with making changes or troubleshooting, the customer may submit a trouble ticket and be billed for the work.

OPTIMUM – TPx Administrative Responsibility – Customers will receive Read access to the management portal to give them visibility into their network performance and activity.  Customers may submit a ticket via Dash or call support to request any equipment changes and troubleshooting at no cost. ​ Read/Write access may be requested by the customer and provided at the sole discretion of TPx and may be removed at any time.

In addition, both service levels are available in high availability when applicable.  The service can be provided on new hardware or TPx can manage existing hardware.

All service is delivered by TPx’s U.S.-based support personnel and, should a problem arise, our MSx support team is immediately notified and will begin working to address the issue.  With MSx Networks service, customers can contact MSx support personnel directly 24×7 to request service.

Product Description

The MSx Networks Service will provide installation, configuration and 24×7 management of a customer’s network-based equipment.  The service combines human expertise with today’s most powerful technology to create a better and more secure user experience across the entire network. TPx can complement your team and deliver an end-to-end management of your network infrastructure, giving you peace of mind that comes from knowing you have a reliable, high-performing, modern network backed 24/7 by the experts at TPx.  The CORE Support level allows customers to manage their TPx provisioned and installed devices using a web-based interface.  MSx Networks OPTIMUM provides full management of the device by TPx.  Refer to MSx Networks Product Description for more details.

Service Onboarding

The first step in the service relationship is Onboarding. Onboarding includes the start-up activities necessary to ensure that the ongoing service meets your specific technical and customer-service requirements.  This includes provisioning and installing network hardware to your specific needs, setting up monitoring, and establishing communications processes. The onboarding process is led by the TPx team and with your engagement is typically completed within 32 business days.  Refer to What to expect during MSx Networks Onboarding for more details.

Ongoing Support

Once the Onboarding project is complete, Our Onboarding team will update all documentation in the customer runbook and transfer responsibility for supporting your MSx Networks service to the MSx Support Team. You have access to the support team any time 24x7x365 via phone and online service request. To learn more about placing support tickets or contacting TPx visit https://www.tpx.com/contact-us/contact-support/

Account, Billing & Service Management

We recognize that your needs may change, and you may have questions that are not technical support related.  We’re here to help!  As a valued customer, you will be assigned a dedicated Account Manager to help you manage these changes, answer your questions, and facilitate access to additional TPx resources as needed to ensure your complete satisfaction.  You can also access the support department directly to get help with all your MSx Networks questions and change requests.  Billing inquiries can be directed to our finance department as needed.