CV_SepOct_22

Touchstone Technologies is in the business of selling confidence. Each day, its technology works to help organizations – whether they’re a service provider, enterprise or developer – get a handle on their critical network communications. Armed with its carrier-grade-level toolset, Touchstone provides value through the complex features and functionality built into its software. This tech, it should be noted, has been under development for a long time coming. “We were part of another company, and I worked for my father back in the 1990s when we really got started building the world’s first standards-based videoconferencing tester,” reminisced Neil Urban, Touchstone’s president. “It was an extension of the video emulation that we had at the company I worked for that built information systems.” After starting Touchstone in 2004, Urban and his team dived deep into building and testing emulators and analyzers for video and audio conferencing. “Early on, I was always interested in the testing and measurement area,” he continued. “An electrical engineer for audio and high fidelity, I focused on what made a good reproduction sound system. What were the parameters that made the audio sound like, ‘Wow, that’s like really high quality’? What made – from the amplification it empowered – the frequency response and distortion. The tester business was a natural one for me. I really liked the idea of how to quantify a network and see what makes it perform best.” Today, Touchstone takes pride in its carrier-grade-level toolset, which has been tested and used on carrier networks. Touchstone provides value from its software’s complex features and functions, as well as its unique versatility and scalability. “We pride ourselves in our support for our customers,” said Urban. “What really sets us apart? Our dedication and our response time. We can respond to customer needs, providing them with much-needed questions and help as far as building custom things for them.” There are components for performance, paired with what Urban calls a “reasonably priced” cost structure. “We provide what’s akin to a hardware-based solution,” he noted. “It’s less expensive but has the functionality that you need. And what sets us apart is our dedication and response time.” Touchstone provides the capabilities to its customers and partners to truly evaluate communications systems, offering a tool to go live with confidence that a deployment will work as it is designed. There are options to build your own solution, from the ground up, and promote success in those deployments. Then, there are the reporting capabilities, which have been continuously refined, even compared to one year ago. “Our reporting functions are very precise,” said Urban. “They give you a view of your network or system performance over time, and across a variety of metrics.” Rather than strictly offering information in table form, Touchstone does the analysis for its customers, offering unique, customizable graphics presentations that help to better understand what is going on, and analytics, along with other elements, to better understand and better manage and promote quality. Plus, Touchstone’s performance metrics are designed to help, for example, sample network voice quality and any corresponding metrics. As the world’s tech landscape continues to shift with time, Urban believes there will be newer and stronger demand than ever on today’s communications network. For example, reliance on video streaming will likely only grow – and stress the network – as more employees work from home. “We’re pretty excited about these developments,” smiled Urban, “as we look at these and other areas with the potential for growth. How the technology is deployed and increased – and helping our customers to do that more effectively – is what it’s all about.” After all, it’s been Touchstone’s mantra since day one. o For more information on Touchstone Technologies and its testing capabilities, visit www.touchstone-inc.com, or call (267) 222-8687. PROFILE Touchstone Technologies Takes Testing, Reporting to the Next Level CORE COMMUNICATIONS Touchstone Technologies’ Neil Urban By Brady Hicks 68 CHANNELV ISION | SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2022

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