Blog & Tools

For some businesses, a temporary stop in internet service might not be a big deal. However, for others maintaining a good internet connectivity might be extremely important. Businesses in the Sioux Falls region can reduce the likelihood of losing connectivity by having two, separately based and maintained connections to the internet.

SDN Communications’ sales representatives often talk to business clients about their companies’ cybersecurity needs. When the discussion turns to the technical aspects of cyber risks and the products and services to combat them, the sales rep is likely to call Bill Tetrault or Mike Klein into the conversation.

The new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai recently made a multistate tour of rural America which included a few stops in South Dakota.

New switching equipment being phased into use at SDN Communications will significantly enhance the quality and flexibility of telecommunications services that member companies in the region and national carriers can provide their clients.

SDN Communications detected more than 540 DDoS attacks – an average of six per day - on clients’ networks during the first quarter of 2017. The average attack size was 1.27 gigabits per second, which is potentially enough to temporarily take down most online services.

The expanded SDN network can tie deals together with a minimum of nonaffiliated facilities in the southern Minnesota market, which reduces possible points of failure in network transmissions.

The development of a robust, wireless broadband network for America’s first responders is expected to reach a significant milestone in June. The First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet, is developing the first high-speed, nationwide, broadband network dedicated to public safety.

Ransomware has become the single largest cybersecurity threat facing most businesses, and risks continue to rise. Other forms of malware remain significant threats, especially to small businesses. But other malware appears to have hit a wall, at least temporarily, in terms of growth, according to national security experts.

Every parent experiences moments where pride and fear can collide. I felt one of those potentially explosive moments at Sen. John Thune’s packed event at Dakota State University last week. When the senator opened for student questions, I looked back and saw my son, Michael, at the microphone.

Jamie Arens and her staff take pride in the first-year achievements of the Avera Cancer Institute Navigation Center. During its first year of operation, the center addressed 511 barriers to health care.

Caitlin Uthe credits her internship at SDN Communications for helping prepare her for a full-time job in the telecommunications industry.

Four more SDN Communications employees have earned a the Metro Ethernet Forum's Carrier Ethernet Professional Certification. That brings the number of certified engineers at SDN to 12 - the most of any broadband provider in the Sioux Falls area.

Craig Teveldal didn’t think he could afford to promote his business with TV advertising. Then he became familiar with ICAN Advertising and realized his assumption was wrong.

Jodi Schwan uncovers the biggest business news in Sioux Falls. She covers it prolifically, from bar openings to multi-million dollar deals, and she delivers the news first, accurately and without sensation.

During the past several years, SDN Communications has really built up its internship program for college students. Sioux Falls-based SDN’s internship program is more than a good corporate deed. It helps the company attract and groom good future employees.

Trends in phone use are striking and underscore the need for improvements to relieve the region’s increasingly strained telecommunications infrastructure.

The most difficult barriers that confront people with disabilities are attitudinal, Vicki Kerkvliet says. Some people with disabilities are wrongly considered second-class citizens rather than recognized for their abilities.

Encouraging news for businesses: slightly more than half of all Distributed Denial of Service attacks are gamers attacking other gamers to get a competitive edge. The more troubling reality: the overall number of DDoS attacks on computing systems is rising, and attacks are getting larger and more frequent.

Our infographic of the month explains how small cell poles fit into the cellular phone network as the future of moving data.

The underlying message of the ads is especially refreshing and increasingly accurate: IT pros are heroes in the workplace, not nerds who operate invisibly in back rooms. IT pros have enormous responsibilities, and their jobs keep getting bigger.