Sprint Frame Relay Applications

Overview | Product Details | Applications | Business Advantages | Service Level Agreements

Applications

Businesses with geographically dispersed locations need data transmission solutions that provides fast, cost-efficient connectivity that supports disparate protocols and is suitable for mission-critical applications. Sprint Frame Relay Service meets your needs, and with classes of service designed specifically for systems network architecture (SNA), local area network (LAN) and voice, supports the applications your business relies on most.

Types of Applications

LAN Applications
SNA Applications
Voice Applications
Electronic Mail Applications
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Applications
Computer-Aided Design/Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) Applications
Imaging Applications

Application Examples

Manufacturing Application Example
Financial Services Application Example
Health Care Application Example
Retail Application Example
Wholesale Application Example
Insurance Application Example
Real Estate Application Example

LAN Applications

Effective LAN applications for Sprint Frame Relay can be found in virtually every industry. This service is a cost-effective alternative to private lines that allows your business to link LANs and enable application sharing and high-speed data transmission.

SNA Applications

Businesses that use IBM platforms, such as mainframes and AS/400s have traditionally used private lines for interconnectivity and data transfer, but with the introduction of Sprint Frame Relay for SNA, you now have an alternative that is more cost-effective and reliable. Companies that could benefit from Sprint Frame Relay for SNA can be found in all types of industries. A key benefit is how Sprint Frame Relay for SNA enables companies to gain more from their legacy technologies.

Voice Applications

Sprint Frame Relay for Voice enables you to consolidate voice traffic on your existing frame relay network and realize significant cost savings. Businesses that use frame relay for data interconnectivity and have casual voice applications such as branch office to home communications may benefit by consolidating voice and data traffic with frame relay. Businesses with high volume toll charges for internal communications can also benefit.

Electronic Mail Applications

All industries use e-mail to improve communications among employees and clientele. You can use frame relay as a cost-efficient, reliable and fast means of transmitting e-mail and memory-intensive attachments such as graphics, WAV files and images.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Applications

EDI is used typically for transmitting standard documents such as invoices, purchase orders and shipping orders. Frame relay is viewed as a cost-efficient alternative to private lines, while providing high-speed transmission of these documents.

Computer-Aided Design/Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) Applications

CAD/CAM computer applications are used by companies involved with engineering, architecture and manufacturing. Frame relay is seen as a cost-effective alternative to private lines, which enables your business to share these mission-critical applications and efficiently transfer the memory-intensive files you create.

Imaging Applications

Many companies are discovering the advantages of transmitting images over frame relay. It has the bandwidth and transmission speed to make it an effective and economical medium for image processing. Any company with dispersed locations that needs to transfer photographs, X-rays, technical drawings, forms, signatures or other visuals may benefit from frame relay.

Typical Business Applications

The versatility of frame relay allows it to serve many different industries. Across all markets, frame relay provides reliable,cost-effective data transport.

Manufacturing Application Example

A Virginia plywood manufacturer headquartered in Charlottesville has two mills, one in Fork Union and one in Front Royal. It maintains two additional marketing offices and storage facilities in Luray and Palmyra.

The company chooses frame relay to link their remote sites and give every user access to the latest product information, design and management applications. This enables them to:

Track billing arrangements and orders across all sites more effectively.
Improve internal communications and coordination via e-mail.
Advance projects faster by using EDI to make designs and documentation instantly available to all team members.
Make product specifications and drawings more precise through CAD applications.
Automate labor-intensive or exacting manufacturing processes via shared CAM applications.

Financial Services Application Example

A regional bank based in Virginia acquired smaller banks in neighboring regions to increase its geographic reach and customer base. In addition to its headquarters, it has eight branch offices in Virginia, four in North Carolina, and two in Tennessee.

The bank employs frame relay to:

Provide automated transaction processes coordinated between all sites for customers, tellers, customer service agents and traders via EDI.
Improve internal communications through the use of e-mail.
Enhance security and speed up check processing by using imaging technologies to view signatures.

Health Care Application Example

A hospital in Tampa maintains three neighborhood satellite offices, as well as a staff of physicians who work mostly out of private offices throughout the metropolitan area. The satellite offices and off-site doctors use the main facility for lab work and for surgical procedures.

By using frame relay, the hospital is able to:

Transfer medical records electronically to provide up-to-date patient information to every user in a timely fashion, regardless of location.
Improve the quality of patient care and diagnosis while controllingcosts by using imaging technologies to provide convenient access to X-rays and other images.
Improve internal communications between offices, departments, management, physicians, specialists and other personnel via e-mail.

Retail Application Example

A regional clothing retailer based in Greenville, N.C., has 15 retail outlets across eastern North Carolina. It also maintains distribution centers in Fayetteville and Kernersville.

The retailer chose frame relay as its data transport solution because it enabled them to:

Improve customer service by making product and customer information available to all stores.
Speed credit processing by linking each store directly to credit bureau databases for as-you-wait credit approval.
Reduce paperwork and improve order processing by using EDI to link point-of-sale systems, bar-coded ticketing of merchandise and datacommunications.
Improve internal communications and coordination between offices, departments and regional stores through e-mail.

Wholesale Application Example

An auto parts distributor in Jefferson City has two warehouses serving six marketing offices in the Midwest. Each warehouse uses a separate inventory control system.

The distributor implemented a frame relay solution that enabled them to:

Improve and expedite order processing by using EDI to place and ship orders and receive confirmations.
Automate operations by using EDI to eliminate labor-intensive, paper-based transaction processing among wholesalers, agents, distributors and customers.
Improve internal communication between offices departments and regional stores via e-mail.
Enhance customer service by making product and customer information more readily available to all stores.

Insurance Application Example

An insurance company has independent agents throughout the East Coast. The office in Leesburg, Fla., processes claims and consults with claims adjusters based in Winter Park, Fla. Each of the groups needs access to the latest reports, account numbers and policy information to provide the best possible services.

The insurance company found frame relay had a positive impact on their business by enabling them to:

Reduce the amount of paperwork by submitting claims electronically.
Improve customer service by using high-speed transmission capabilities to transfer medical images or photographs of accident damage between healthcare providers, claims assessors and agents.
Improve internal communications and coordination between claims processors, adjusters, agents and customer service representatives.
Share applications and data between remote offices so every user has access to the latest information.

Real Estate Application Example

A real estate agency based in Kansas has agents in local offices throughout central Missouri in Warrensburg, Jefferson City, Rolla and Maryville. Agents need access to the latest home listing information throughout the region.

The real estate company used frame relay to:

Provide up-to-date listing information to all branch office and agents.
Improve its service level by making customer information available to all agents and branch offices.
Make the most of imaging technologies to transmit photos of properties, and to scan and store important documents.
Improve internal communication between offices, agents and management.