XO Colo – Empowering Small Businesses

Having a multi-themed restaurant chain all over the globe is somewhat of a hassle had it not for my trusted master solution provider, XO Communication. I have subscribed to the suite package of XO Colo, the division of XO Communication which is dedicated to handling MPLS VPN or virtual private networks. With my restaurant chain having a total of 23 branches all over the world, each of them is connected to a T1 connection. And I’m totally impressed with XO Communication because they also have branches overseas and are manned by Americans. It surely is comforting to know someone who speaks just like you for I come from Texas although I have embraced the culture here in Abu Dhabi where my first restaurant is located.

But as soon as profits from my first restaurant have started coming in, I decided to open various branches around the globe. The first branch I opened is located in Laredo, Texas. With suppliers coming from six continents, it really is a challenge had it not for the performance of my master solution provider. With small business phone service, I can easily connect with my suppliers from all over. I initially introduced Chinese cuisine in my Laredo restaurant. And I don’t want to obtain Chinese supplies from Texas. I want them to be real Chinese authentic shipped by plane. So I use small business phone service to contact with my suppliers. Small business phone service is nice because it runs through the computer, producing crisp voice from the other end even if whoever you’re negotiating or speaking to doesn’t have any American accent. I have dealt with foreign suppliers anywhere – Chinese for my Chinese cuisine, Saudi Arabians for my Abu Dhabi flavour and Italians for my Italian gourmet. Isn’t that cool?

But since my restaurants are running on a daily business, this kind of endeavour must be serious. So it’s a no nonsense day to day grind and fortunately enough, my master solution provider has never failed me whether I’m in Monaco or I’m resting in Palma de Mallorca. With MPLS VPN, I can always get connected to any computer in any of my collocation the globe over. With enterprise hosting, I will never worry on the whereabouts of my data and the secrets of my recipes. They are all kept in a huge storage area somewhere in London that is owned by XO Colo.

Kitchen Appliance Placement Advice

It is very easy to become ‘institutionalised’ around kitchen appliance placement and to put them where everybody else does – but with a little more creative thinking you can redesign your kitchen to be right for you, rather than the masses, and here’s how.

It is all too easy to simply place you luxury kitchen appliances where they have always stood but with a little extra knowledge you can move beyond predictable placement without going massively over your kitchen budget.

Stainless steel is the obvious choice but instead think about a dramatic color change and ask for appliance swatches to match your gadgets to your kitchen cabinets Think about a sculpted kitchen extractor too, rather than a simple pull out wooden-cladded design, as this can create a real showpiece.

Kitchen Appliances Placement Advice

  • Why should a dishwasher have to sit at floor height? Why not elevate it to a mid-height location around 60-70 inches off the floor and then house your microwave above it. You will find these placements suit the usage of the appliances more than by simply having them in their normal positions, lower to the ground.
  • Place built-in ovens side by side rather than one above the other, at the right height so you can see easily into them both.
  • Well designed ‘statement’ extractor hoods from the like of elica are becoming very fashionable and think about the design of your extractor before plumping for one that simply ‘does the job’.
  • Think about housing your small kitchen appliances in a mid height kitchen cabinet that sits around 40 inches off the floor, as this will make it easier to get at them – and that means you will use them more:)
  • Don’t just plump for a floor standing refrigerator. Why not consider using drawer-style fridge units that look like kitchen draws. They are easier to use and take up less space.
  • Place a small food preparation sink within your kitchen island as you will find most of your food prep will be done from there and it saves making a mess all over your kitchen.
  • Look at housing a foldable lcd TV under one of your wall cabinets so it can be folded into view whenever it is needed but will not take up valuable space. Think too about turning it into a multi-media centre or a kitchen PC, allowing you to go online, watch movies, listen to the radio or the TV from one unit.