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Welcome to your network's edge, where innovation meets connectivity.
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This podcast explores IoT,
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5G,
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the network edge, and AI-powered networking.
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RAD solutions are empowering communication service providers and critical network operators
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to stay ahead in a connected world.
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Let's dive into the insights that drive modern connectivity.
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Welcome back,
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today, we're going to be taking a deep dive into the future of IoT connectivity. Okay. But—and this is a big but—you know, we're not just talking about connecting more and more devices, right? We're really talking about connections that are so robust, that they can withstand
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Yeah. Pretty much anything you throw at them. Yeah. Like we're talking power outages. Yeah. You know, network hiccups like you. Yeah. And, you know, when you start thinking about the applications for that level of reliability. Oh yeah. Especially when you think about critical infrastructure. Right. And all these increasingly complex IoT use cases that are emerging. Yeah. And that's exactly what we're going to be focusing on.
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Okay. And this deep dive. Okay. You know, our source material for this is a fascinating webinar by Moshe Shimon. And Eric Kotek. Okay. Who are experts at Rad, a company that's been in the telecommunications game for over 40 years. And they really painted a picture of how the industry is evolving to keep up with all these, you know, these demands of the new technologies that are coming out.
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Yeah. And I think one of the things that really stood out to me was just this fundamental shift. Yeah, that we're seeing from simple data collection to much more demanding application. And so you think about things like remote surgery. Oh, wow. You know, self-driving vehicles, factories full of robots, all these sorts of things, right, that require like, you know, yeah, a whole new level of dependability.
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Totally. And the stakes are so high now. Oh, yeah. Like, can you imagine a self-driving car losing its connection in the middle of, you know. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Going down a highway or, you know, a power grid going down because a sensor failed to report a critical issue. And that's really where this whole concept of ultra resiliency comes in.
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Okay. Right. It's about designing these networks that can, you know, withstand pretty much anything. Okay. So what does that look like? Right. In practice? You know, the webinar folks mentioned a couple key markets that are driving this need for just rock solid connectivity. Yeah. And you know, critical infrastructure is a big one. And you think about power grids, water systems, transportation networks, all these things just absolutely cannot afford to go offline.
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The stakes are super high. Yeah, exactly. The stakes are incredibly high. Yeah. But then they also talked about industry 4.0, which is all about smart factories and automation. Yeah. And and when you think about that you've got robots working alongside humans. Machines are communicating with each other in real time. Right. There's huge amounts of data flowing back and forth.
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And any sort of disruption in that connectivity could really bring the whole operation to a screeching halt. Yeah, yeah. It's amazing to think about how far we've come from the days of just, you know, collecting basic data with sensors. Now we're talking about controlling, like, critical systems remotely and relying on data for split second decisions. Yeah. And that's really where things start to get interesting because the old way of doing things, you know, relying on a single sim card or a single modem, right, just doesn't cut it anymore.
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Yeah. So what's the solution? Like how do you build a network that can handle this kind of pressure? Well, it's all about layers, right? Right, right. Both in terms of the hardware and the software okay. You need backups for your backups, right? Multiple ways to keep that data flowing. I'm intrigued. Give me the details. Okay. What kind of hardware are we talking about here.
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So you know, in terms of the hardware backups we're talking about dual SIM cards okay. Dual modems okay. Even redundant gateways. So if one component fails, the other one is ready to take over like immediately immediately. Okay. So if one connection goes down, the system like automatically switches over to the backup. Exactly.
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And then on the software side yeah. Like what are we looking at there. So on the software side there are these solutions that constantly monitor the network. And they can make decisions about like the best path for the data. Okay. And this is what's called policy based failover. But it's like having an autopilot for your network. You know, making sure everything stays on course even in turbulent conditions.
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This sounds incredibly sophisticated. This is this all part of what they call software defined IoT or IoT? Yeah. Stewart is a key part of this evolution. Okay? You know, it allows you to create this kind of overlay network that enhances the reliability and efficiency of the underlying infrastructure. So Stewart is like a smart layer that sits on top of the existing network.
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And makes it more intelligent. Exactly. Gives you much more control over how the network operates and allows you to build in those layers of redundancy. We were talking about. Now, one of the big challenges that they mentioned in the webinar is integrating older devices. Right? But they call brownfield devices into these modern networks. Yeah, especially with the rise of private 5G networks.
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Yeah. And especially on these industrial campuses where you've got all this legacy equipment, right. Like how do you get that rotary phone? Yeah, work with a smartphone app. Yeah, exactly. That's a huge hurdle. Yeah. You know, you've got this legacy equipment that might be using outdated technology. Yeah. And you need to find a way to connect it to these, you know, these modern, high speed modern networks.
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So it's a huge challenge. Yeah. And it sounds like Scott might be the answer. Okay. You know, to making this integration smoother. Yeah Scott offers solutions that can kind of bridge that gap. Yeah. Right. Allowing you to connect even the most outdated equipment. Wow. So these cutting edge networks. That's awesome. And it's a fascinating challenge. Yeah. And I think it really speaks to this larger issue of ensuring interoperability as the IoT landscape continues to evolve.
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Yeah, I'm really starting to see how these advancements are about so much more than just adding more devices. Yeah, it's really about creating this like intelligent, adaptable network that can support the next generation of technology. And it's about making sure that those connections are rock solid, right, reliable and secure. Totally. Because, you know, as we move towards a more connected world, the consequences of these disruptions become that much greater.
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Absolutely right. Yeah, it's high stakes. It is high stakes. All right. Well we are going to take a quick break okay. And when we come back, we'll dig deeper into how all of this works in practice. Sounds good. So, you know, before we, jump into society, it's worth revisiting that need for serious reliability, especially in critical infrastructure.
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Like we were talking about these power grids. And, you know, yeah, the webinar gives some really concrete examples of how this all works. Oh, yeah. In practice, I remember them describing like the typical setup for a power grid with all these like remote terminal units R2 yeah. Intelligent electronic devices, IEDs. Yeah. Scattered across like this huge area. Yeah.
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It's mind boggling to think about. Yeah. How much data is constantly there going back and forth. Huge amounts of data. Huge. Yeah. It's all mission critical too. Yeah, absolutely. It's basically and keeping the lights off, keeping the lights on for every three one. Yeah. So how do they make sure that this data flow never gets interrupted even for a second.
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Yeah. Because like a small blip could have a huge impact. Well, let's start with that layered approach we were talking about earlier. So imagine each of those remote devices is connected to an IoT gateway okay. That has dual SIM cards and dual modems okay. So that's like the first line of defense, right? Yeah. Like if one connection fails, the other one picks in, the other one kicks in.
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Okay. Right. But what about security. Yeah we're talking it's like really sensitive data here. Oh absolutely. That's where secure tunnels come in okay. They use a technology called IPsec to create these encrypted pathways for the data to travel through. So it's like sending your most confidential documents in a locked briefcase. Exactly. So even if someone were to intercept that data, they wouldn't be able to read it without the key.
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That's reassuring. Yeah, especially with all the talk about, you know, cyber attacks and all that. Absolutely. But it doesn't stop there. Okay. There's also this system called IP link monitoring okay. That constantly keeps an eye on these secure tunnels. Right. So if one of those tunnels goes down for any reason, it can immediately reroute the traffic through a backup tunnel.
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It's like having a backup route planned out. Yeah, if there's, like, an accident on the highway. Exactly. You know, you just seamlessly switch over and keep going. Precisely. But what if the problem isn't with the tunnel itself? Okay, but with the entire cellular network, what happens then? Right. Because like, each SIM card would be registered with a different carrier, right?
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So if one network goes down, the system can automatically switch to the other one. It's like having a backup generator. Exactly. For your internet connection. Right. And you know, we can even take this redundancy a step further, right? We can have a backup modem using a completely different technology like fiber optic cable or even satellite ready to take over if the primary modem fails.
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So it's like a chain of backups. Yeah, each one ready to step in exactly if the previous one fails. Wow, that's pretty impressive. Yeah. But you also mentioned this idea of like, dual gateway redundancy, right. Because even the physical hardware can fail. Oh, right. Of course. So using something called VPI we can essentially create a clone of the primary gateway.
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Okay. So if that primary gateway experiences a hardware failure right. The backup just steps in seamlessly. So it's like having an identical twin. Exactly. Standing by. Yeah. Ready to take over at a moment's notice. It's incredible how much thought goes into this. It is making sure these systems never go offline. And remember, you know, this level of redundancy.
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Yeah, might seem excessive for some applications, sure. But for critical infrastructure it's absolutely essential. Right? Right. Because even a brief interruption in service could have these like massive consequences. Right. Okay. So we talked about the hardware this overall, you know, system architecture. But what about those specific IoT services that you mentioned earlier. Right. Like how do they how do they fit into all of this.
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Yeah. How do they contribute to this ultra resiliency. Well let's start with packet duplication okay. Remember it's like sending two identical letters through different couriers right. Just a guaranteed delivery. So even if one letter gets lost the other one's probably going arrive. Exactly okay. Yeah. But how does that actually work in the context of like a network. So essentially the IoT client, which is typically integrated into that IoT gateway, okay, makes a copy of every data packet, okay.
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And sends it through two different links. So even if there's packet loss on one link, right, the other copy of the packet has a good chance of making it through. It's pretty clever. Yeah. And then on the receiving end, the IoT hub. Okay. Intelligent reassembles that data, eliminates any duplicate packets or any out-of-order packets. Right. So the end result is a complete and accurate data stream.
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Okay. As if the packet loss never even happened. So it's like having a built in safety net. Exactly. For your data I like that. Yeah, but what about efficiency? Doesn't sending two copies of everything use up a lot of bandwidth? That's a valid concern. You know, packet duplication offers the highest level of protection against data loss. But it does come at the cost of efficiency.
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Right. So there's like a trade off there. There is a trade off between reliability and bandwidth usage. Exactly. And that's where our next stop service comes in. Load balancing okay. Right. Load balancing tries to strike a balance between these two factors okay. Tell me more about load balancing. How does it work. So instead of sending duplicate packets, load balancing distributes the data traffic okay across multiple links based on these predefined weights.
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Right? Or even dynamic network conditions. So it's not just sending everything through both connections all the time. Yeah. It's like intelligently picking the best path exactly for each piece of data. Exactly. So imagine like a remote health care facility that needs to send patient data to a central server, right? So they might have a fiber optic connection as their primary link.
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Okay. Which offers that really high bandwidth. Right. But also a cellular connection as a backup data. So most of the time they would be using that faster fiber connection. Right. But if it experiences any issues, yeah, the system can seamlessly shift that traffic over to the cellular backup. That's pretty cool. And the system can even adjust those weights dynamically based on those real time network conditions.
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So it's like having a smart traffic cop directing the flow of data to make sure everything runs smoothly. Yeah, even during rush hour. Even during rush hour. Yeah. So it seems like load balancing is a really great way to like, optimize performance and cost. Yeah, depending on what the situation calls for. Absolutely. And remember our self-driving car example?
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Oh yeah. Load balancing is crucial there too. You know, enabling the vehicle to transition seamlessly between 5G and Wi-Fi right as it moves through different areas, as it's going through different zones. So if it's in an area with strong Wi-Fi, it might prioritize that connection to save on data costs, right. But then as it moves out of range, yeah, it can seamlessly shift over to that 5G network, okay.
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Ensuring that uninterrupted communication for navigation and all those safety features okay. That makes sense. Yeah. So we've covered packet duplication. We've covered load balancing. Right. What about that third IoT service. Yeah. Layer two over layer three tunneling. That ones that are a little more technical. It is a bit more specialized, but it addresses a really crucial need, especially when we're talking about integrating that legacy equipment.
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Oh, so this is like bringing in those brownfield devices. Exactly. A lot of these critical infrastructure systems like power substations or manufacturing plants. Right. Rely on these specialized communication protocols, okay, that were designed to work within like a local area network. Okay, a land land. Okay. And these protocols operate at what's called layer two of the network stack.
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Okay. But like the internet. Right. And all these other like wide area networks operate at layer three. They do. So there's a mismatch for the mismatch okay. Right. And as these systems become more interconnected yeah we need a way to transport that layer to traffic over those long distance layer three networks okay. And that's where layer two over layer three tunneling comes in.
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So it's like creating a virtual tunnel that encapsulates the layer two traffic. Exactly. And allows it to travel securely over that layer three network. Precisely. It's kind of like putting a letter inside a special envelope that has the correct address and postage for that long distance postal system. Okay, that makes sense. Yeah. So how does this apply to like a power substation?
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Okay. So imagine a substation that needs to communicate with another substation that's miles away. But they might have a dedicated fiber optic connection between them. Right. Which is great for layer two communication okay. But what if that connection goes down. That could be a major problem. It could be a major problem. But with layer two over layer three tunneling, they could use a cellular network as a backup.
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Okay. They essentially create that virtual tunnel over the cellular network, right. Allowing that layer two traffic to continue flowing even though the primary connections down, even though that primary connection is down. That's a pretty elegant solution. Yeah. So even if there's like a major network outage, those substations can still talk to each other. Yeah. And, you know, keep things running smoothly.
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Keep things running smoothly. Yeah. And it's really like it's like a toolbox. Yeah. Full of different ways to ensure connectivity no matter what challenges arise. That's a great way to put it. Yeah. It's about having the right tools for the job and being able to adapt to different situations. Yeah. And you know what's really exciting is that these solutions have implications.
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Yeah. Far beyond just critical infrastructure. Totally. And that's what I was thinking about too. Like, yeah, we've been focusing on these like power grids and substations. But this technology could be applied to so many different industries. Oh, absolutely. Health care, manufacturing, transportation. Yeah. Like anywhere you need this rock solid connectivity and the ability to like, integrate these legacy systems.
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Right. It seems like SDOT could play a huge role. Absolutely. And that brings us to the next part of our deep dive, where we'll explore some of those broader applications. I'm excited. Yeah. And what they might mean for the future of this, you know, increasingly connected world. Let's do it. Welcome back to the deep dive. It's really kind of amazing to think about all the ground we've covered.
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Yeah. From like, you know, the nitty gritty of dual SIM cards to like this almost sci fi idea of load balancing data traffic. Yeah, like a futuristic traffic cop. It really highlights how much the whole world of IoT connectivity has evolved. Yeah. You know, we're not just connecting devices anywhere. We're building these systems that are designed to be incredibly resilient, right?
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Adaptable. Yeah. And while we've been focusing on like, you know, the critical role that these technologies play in keeping essential infrastructure running smoothly, Ryan, it's got me think about all these other areas where this level of connectivity could really be a game changer. You're absolutely right. Yeah. The applications go far beyond just power grids and substation. Like, you know, you briefly mentioned health care in the last part.
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Right. And I can imagine these SDOT solutions being absolutely crucial in hospitals and health care settings where reliable communication is literally a matter of life or death. Absolutely. You think about things like remote patient monitoring, where doctors need that real time data from sensors and wearable devices to track vital signs and make critical decisions. Wow. Or even tell a surgery?
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Oh wow, we're a surgeon in one location. Could be remotely controlling robotics surgical instruments in another. That's incredible. But it seems like those applications would require a level of security. Yeah, that goes even beyond what we've discussed so far. You're absolutely right. Data privacy and security are paramount in health care. Yeah, but the good news is that a lot of the same principles we've talked about, you know, encryption, secure tunnels, multilayered security, right.
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All those things can be applied to protect this sensitive patient data. Okay. So it's not just about keeping the connection reliable, right? It's about ensuring the data itself is protected at every step. At every step. Okay. Yeah. And it's not just about health care either. Right. You think about the possibilities in manufacturing. Yeah. Where factories are becoming increasingly automated.
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Right. Reliant on data. Yeah. We touched on industry 4.0 a little bit earlier. But I'd love to hear more about how SD IoT fits into that picture. Well, you know, in a smart factory you might have hundreds or even thousands of machines and robots all communicating with each other, coordinating production processes, optimizing efficiency. Like this perfectly synchronized symphony that's a great analogy of machines, but even a small disruption in that connectivity could throw off the entire orchestra, right?
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So it's like, what is the conductor exactly? Making sure everybody's in sync keeps everyone in sync, even if a few instruments drop out, even if a few instruments drop out. And remember, a lot of these factories still rely on that legacy equipment. So that ability to integrate older devices into a modern network is just absolutely crucial, right? We don't want those old machines holding back the whole production line so society can act as that bridge again, bringing the old and the new together.
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It allows you to create this unified network that can accommodate both legacy and cutting edge technology. That's really cool. So it's not just about keeping the factory running smoothly, right? It's also about gathering data. Yeah. Analyzing it, using it to like improve efficiency. Absolutely. Optimize production processes. It's all about data driven decision making. Wow. So it sounds like CRT is really at the heart of this whole industry 4.0 revolution.
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It plays a key role that's for sure. Yeah. And, you know, the applications go far beyond manufacturing and health care okay. I mean, think about transportation, right where we're already seeing the rise of autonomous vehicles. Yeah. Smart traffic management system. Right. Self-Driving cars were one of the first examples that we talked about. But how does IoT fit into this bigger picture of transportation.
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Well for starters those autonomous vehicles need a constant stream of data right to navigate safely, communicate with other vehicles, make decisions in real time. So a reliable connection is absolutely crucial. It's essential. Yeah, but Stewart can go even further. Okay. Imagine a city. Yeah. Where the traffic lights, the sensors and the vehicles are all interconnected by sharing data, coordinating their movements, right.
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To optimize traffic flow. Okay. Reduce congestion. It's like the city's breathing, you know, jesting to the changing needs of the people. Exactly. And it's not just about efficiency either. Okay? I mean, imagine the potential for improving safety. Yeah. By detecting and responding to potential hazards in real time. It's like having a guardian angel. Yeah. Watching over the entire transportation system.
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It's a powerful vision. Yeah. And it's one that's becoming increasingly achievable. Right. Thanks to these advancements in IoT connectivity, it's really mind blowing to think about all the possibilities it is that we've talked about today. You know, for keeping the lights on for revolutionizing health care, transportation. And remember, this is just the beginning, right? As this technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative applications emerge in the years to come.
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We'll. Listener. We've reached the end of our deep dive into the future of IoT connectivity. Yeah, it's been an amazing journey. It has exploring these advancements that are making our world more connected, more resilient, more intelligent, more intelligent. Yeah, we're moving towards this truly interconnected ecosystem that can support, you know, the next generation of technology and solve some of the world's most pressing challenges.
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Thanks for listening to your network's edge.
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Stay ahead in the world of connectivity.
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Be sure to subscribe, share and explore Rad solutions@rad.com.
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Until next time,
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stay connected and inspired.