American Foundation for the Blind's sharp IT vision in action

HONOLULU, US: LiveAction Software has selected to help the American Foundation for the Blind monitor and manage network quality of service and to enhance Internet and network access for its blind employees.

ActionPacked! Networks announced that the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has selected the company’s LiveAction software to monitor and manage the configuration and quality of service (QoS) of the foundation’s nationwide Cisco-based network. AFB chose LiveAction as part of its strategy to manage its entire network in-house in order to provide more responsive service for its employees and web site visitors, especially those who are blind or visually impaired.

We used to outsource all of our network management, but our service providers could not keep up with our needs,” said AFB Systems Engineer Roberto Hernandez. “In addition to providing basic network services, we evaluate and test many new technologies for the blind and this requires very frequent and accurate adjustments of our network. Because service-provider change orders often took weeks to implement, it became very clear that we needed the ability to make these changes ourselves, even though we have a very small IT staff.

Hernandez selected LiveAction software from ActionPacked! Networks for its live visual modeling of the network topology and traffic, and because it was the only tool available for creating, editing, and implementing QoS policies on demand. The AFB currently uses LiveAction to troubleshoot its Voice-over-IP (VoIP) service, monitor network performance, and to ensure reliable network accessibility for all users including a large percentage of remote employees and telecommuters.

“AFB absolutely did the right thing for their network users even though it was not an easy approach,” said ActionPacked! Founder Nelson Kanemoto. “We’re pleased to provide them with a tool that makes even the most difficult features of their Cisco network easy to use and apply with confidence.”

Many of AFB’s primary network applications such as Internet access, VoIP, file sharing, and office applications are much like those found in a typical business network. Where AFB’s network differs significantly is its extensive use and support of assistive technologies and remote desktop applications for the blind.

“AFB has always been on the leading edge of technology advancements for people who are blind and our networks are no exception,” said AFB IT Director Kelly Bleach. “Many of our employees, including our CEO Carl R. Augusto, are blind, so among the services we provide are access to text-to-speech applications and voice-over-IP services that provide them with unfettered access to their computers and the Internet.”