The Mistakes You Are Probably Making With Your Business Telephone System

Telephone systems are still widely used by businesses amidst technological advancements. Due to their flexibility and dependability, they remain to be the mainstay of communication in businesses, especially in larger enterprises. Like many aspects of business however, they are sometimes neglected or their potential isn’t fully utilized. What this does is create missed opportunities where there could have been improvements.

If you use business telephony in the workplace, below are the 6 most common mistakes you could be making.

 

Mistake #1 – You haven’t updated your hardware

It’s no secret that communication systems evolved quickly over the past decade. Given this fast pace, there’s a huge chance you were unable to keep up with trends in the business milieu. Your telephone system’s hardware is likely one of them.

If you integrated telephony into your business setting somewhere in the last 5 to 10 years and haven’t changed its system, then you are guilty of committing this mistake. Another clue is if you never opted for a managed business telephone system. Because if you did,  your provider would have updated your telephones and made sure their hardware was adapted to the times.

 

Mistake #2 – You settled for limited features

Failure to upgrade your telephone’s hardware could only mean that you missed out on a lot of cool features. Newer systems are no longer plagued by the limitations of their predecessors. They would have helped with better productivity and communication in the workplace. And in turn, your business could have benefitted from more efficient business processes.

 

Mistake #3 – Poor communication infrastructure

Outdated telephone systems such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) are usually expensive and difficult to set up. Both may have prevented your company from installing telephone systems in various locations. This causes inconsistencies in communicative infrastructure, which in turn leads to operational interruptions.

 

Mistake #4 – You haven’t trained your staff

Updating your business telephone system is not enough. You have to invest some time and money in training them on its use. It ensures that the system’s full range of features are put to good use, and that business operations are smooth and effective.

 

Mistake #5 – Bad customer service

A lackluster telephone system doesn’t just affect the operational aspects of business. Customers also take the brunt of it. The combination of outdated hardware, feature limitations, poor structuring, and untrained staff can negatively impact your customers’ experience. As a business, losing customers is the last thing you’d want to happen.

 

Mistake #6 – You’re paying too much

Business telephones don’t come free. You do have to pay bills to keep them afloat. Unfortunately, older systems are usually expensive to maintain.

 

Solving Your Business Telephone System Dilemma

You may have made mistakes, but it’s not too late to make changes in your business telephony. The two most viable solutions include opting for a managed system and upgrading to VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).

A managed business telephone system provides the assurance of up-to-date phone hardware with the latest features. The right provider can help establish an infrastructure that meets your needs. Choosing VoIP over other systems will also enhance business operations at a friendly cost.

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Is Your Business Email Safe?

Emails are helpful for communicating. In a business setting, you use it to go back and forth with employees, colleagues, customers, potential clients, suppliers, and other key individuals. However, it’s not just a means to communicate within and outside the business structure but a valuable asset.

Due to its importance, it’s only natural to ask whether or not your business email is safe. Below, we’ll share five actionable tips on how you can protect it.

 

How To Keep Your Business Email Safe

 

Step #1 – Have a damn good password

Don’t settle for any password, especially one that’s easy to figure out. Examples of “easy passwords” are those which have your name or a family member’s, birthdates, or personal interests which everyone knows about. In general, you want a password that’s impossible for hackers to crack. It should be unique, complex, and have at least 8 characters.

We strongly recommend an alphanumeric password which combines letters and numbers. Business emails that allow the use of symbols and distinguish between upper and lower case characters allow for more variation and better security.

 

Step #2 – Install antivirus software on your computer

Antivirus programs remain relevant in this day and age. They are well-equipped against cyberattacks directed to computer systems. From a larger scope, they are capable of detecting, preventing, and removing select cyber threats. If you install one in your computer, it can perform a number of features including:

  • Scan incoming emails and attachments
  • Block spam and suspicious content (i.e. phishing)
  • Send detailed reports on actual and potential threats

Antivirus software also removes malware from infected computers. Some common malware are viruses, spyware, adware, rootkits, trojan horses, worms, ransomware, keyloggers, and botnets. For this step to work, the antivirus has to be installed in all business computers.

 

Step #3 – Encrypt your business emails

Simply put, encryption is a process that protects emails by disguising them. What it does is prevent unauthorized recipients from reading the content of an encrypted email. There are various ways to encrypt a business email. But three of the most commonly used methods are:

  • GPG (GNU Privacy Guard)
  • PGP (Pretty Good Privacy)
  • S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)

 

Step #4 – Create an email policy in the workplace

Everyone in your company will have business emails of their own. So it’s not only your email that needs protecting but also theirs. That’s why you should have a workplace policy that promotes best practices in email safety.

Employees should be regularly updated with actual threats faced by your company. They must also be informed of potential threats based on trends in cybersecurity.

 

Step #5 – Set up a firewall

One of the best ways to keep your business email safe is to set up a firewall. Unlike antivirus which is limited to a computer, a firewall can defend an entire network of computing hardware and software. The latest technology available is a Next Generation Firewall or NGFW. It combines the protective features of a traditional firewall with that of a network device filter.

As long as you follow these 5 steps, you’d be able to keep your business email safe. Consider hiring an IT support company who can assist you through the process.

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How Business Owners Can Spot Phishing Emails

You may have heard about phishing emails. As a business owner, you need to be more wary of them. A phishing email poses a greater danger to you since it could lead to losses and place your customers at risk.

 

What Is A Phishing Email?

The term ‘phishing’ essentially combines the meanings of two words – password and fishing. Phishing emails (pronounced as fishing) are emails that are sent out with malicious intent. The sender (a.k.a. scammer) uses them to intentionally trick recipients into doing what they want.

But what do they want, exactly? It could be a number of things. A few examples include:

  • Getting your account and password information
  • Access to your credit/debit card and other payment details
  • Acquiring your personal information

Phishing emails are usually designed to get you to click on ‘bad’ links. These links may be infected or lead straight to malicious websites which they use to get information from unsuspecting victims.

 

The Real Price of Phishing Emails for Businesses

Research shows that business owners receive more phishing emails than the typical online user. Some scammers are known to target businesses for their large funds and customer base. Needless to say, you really have to be more careful. Otherwise, you risk losing money. Mind you, businesses have already lost up to five figures to this scamming strategy.

Phishing emails can also bust open your online security. Your customers’ personal and payment information might be available to phishers. And you might end up losing these customers and the reputation you’ve worked hard to build.

 

Don’t Be A Victim: 5 Ways To Spot Phishing Emails

Phishing emails are becoming more and more difficult to identify. Scammers are finding better ways to fool business owners. They are designing phishing emails and websites to look as authentic as possible so they can lure potential victims. Identifying them is not impossible, however.

Here is a list of 5 foolproof ways to spot phishing emails.

 

1. It just doesn’t make sense

You check your inbox and suddenly find an email that makes you stop and wonder… “Why did I get this?” If it just doesn’t make sense or if the offer is too good to be true, then you’re probably looking at a phishing email.

 

2. Mismatched sender address

Keep in mind that phishing emails are trying to look authentic and will attempt to copy a legitimate company or business. Now carefully inspect the sender of a suspicious email. If the domain has missing letters, or if the sender address contains a string of strange characters, don’t engage.

 

3. The message is unprofessional

Review the content of the email. If the message has issues with spelling or grammar, the credibility of the sender is questionable. Alternatively, emails requesting personal details and other sensitive information should never be trusted upfront.

 

4. It has fishy links

Phishing emails tend to have fishy-looking URLs. When you first receive an email, do not click on any link. Instead, use your mouse to hover over it. If it links to a page with a URL that is different from what is advertised, something is definitely up.

 

5. Contains unexpected attachments

Some scammers will try to infect your computer with malware. They might attach downloadable software and make it appear like a regular document.

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Busting Small Business Cyber Security Myths

Large scale businesses are almost always up-to-date with the best practices in cybersecurity. They take adequate measures in protecting their data against hackers and an assortment of cybercriminals. It makes sense. Given their size and customer base, they have plenty to lose.

It’s a different story for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Many have yet to catch up. There are myths downplaying the importance of cybersecurity and they are getting in the way. Below, we will bust these myths with hard truths and solutions on how to address each issue.

 

Myth #1 – Cybercriminals don’t target small businesses

Fact: Everyone is fair play for cybercriminals. No business, regardless of its size, is safe from security breaches. In fact, small businesses are easier targets. They often lack the budget to implement a security system, making them attractive prey. And it doesn’t help that they constantly deny the need for one.

Hiscox released a Cyber Readiness Report in 2018 to highlight the preparedness of UK businesses against cyber threats. Based on their findings, 78% of SMBs with less than 250 employees fall short on cybersecurity readiness.

Solution: The threat to small businesses far from being imagined. It’s time for business owners to own up to this reality, rather than continue to risk the safety of their data.

 

Myth #2 – Employees are capable of handling cyber threats on their own

Fact: Leaving the security of your business to its employees is a terrible idea. Many of them lack the knowledge and training for best practices in cybersecurity. A lack of know-how makes them the biggest threat to your security, and you don’t even know it.

According to Ultima, 65% of companies don’t have cybersecurity measures for their mobile devices. Their surveys also revealed that 68% of businesses don’t have awareness programs on cybersecurity. Cybercriminals can easily take advantage of these security holes.

Solution: Small businesses should invest in cybersecurity solutions and train employees on their proper use. Employees must likewise be kept abreast with the latest strategies and threats to cybersecurity.

 

Myth #3 – You can always recover from a cybersecurity breach

Fact: Most businesses that suffer data losses never recover. Studies conducted by Diffusion show that 60% of small businesses shut down within 6 months of data loss. Within 2 years, this number increases to 72% which means that only 28% of affected businesses have a shot at recovery.

With less than half of small businesses backing up their data on a weekly basis, a security breach is a serious threat. Data loss can lead to your business site’s downtime and significant losses in sales and income. However, the biggest blow will be on your reputation as customers lose trust in your brand.

Solution: When it comes to possible data loss, preparedness is the best approach. It is advised to regularly perform data backups so you can easily recover from a breach. You should also set up a step-by-step continuity plan for your business so you’ll know what to do in the event of data loss.

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5 Advantages Of Cloud Computing For Businesses

Cloud computing was first developed for small and mid-sized businesses that needed the tech, but lacked the budget. Back then, massive data storage was limited to enterprises who could afford it. Cloud technology gave SMBs access to larger storage options at a time when they normally couldn’t. Today, it’s become a standard across businesses of any size.

In this article, we’ll explore the advantages of cloud computing and how your business could benefit from it.

 

How Your Business Can Benefit From Cloud Computing

1. Improves business at a lower cost

Businesses that cut costs on technology usually struggle with several limitations. Among these are slowed performance, difficulty scaling, and the inability to compete. Cloud computing is somewhat an exception to this rule. While you end up spending less on infrastructure, you get to have access to the cloud and its wealth of benefits.

Opting for cloud also eliminates the need to hire and maintain a high-trained staff. Your cloud service will be responsible for providing back-end solutions such as maintenance and security.

 

2. Flexibility to scale and work from any location

Cloud enables you to store and manage data over the internet. Meaning, you could be anywhere in the world and still have access to your business data. All you need is a secure internet connection and a compatible device. It breaks the boundaries of geography and gives you the freedom to expand your business to any location. Thus, you’d be able to scale your business far more quickly than a traditional business setting.

Setting up an office isn’t even necessary. You can have staff work from home, a co-working space, or any remote location of their choice. This significantly reduces the cost of operating a business and makes for more productive workers. Flexjobs reported that 82 percent of employees said they would be more loyal to employers if given flexible work choices.

 

3. A safe and secure way to store data

The first step to keeping your business data safe is to ensure the safety of the hardware in which they are stored in. Any physical damage and compromise to these storage devices such as flood, fire, earthquakes, and theft can lead to data loss. Another way to ensure their safety is to protect them from cyber attacks. Your business data is a goldmine for cybercriminals who will try to find ways to gain unauthorized access.

Cloud technology enables you to store and backup data in locations other than your office. You can recover them anytime after an unexpected data loss. A cloud service provider can further protect your data against cyber threats through data encryption, firewall, and other cybersecurity measures.

 

4. Helps grow your business

Cloud computing promotes efficiency across different departments of your company. From collaborating with staff to meeting customer demands, cloud boosts your most important business operations and assist in its growth.

 

5. Gives you an edge against competitors

All in all, cloud computing gives you the leverage to compete with businesses from the same industry. You get to have an advantage over SMBs that haven’t adopted cloud and stand toe-to-toe with larger companies.

 

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Cloud

5 Signs You Could Benefit from a vCIO

Business owners have an unending list of tasks on their plate – and technology, especially strategic IT planning, usually gets pushed to the back burner. But, a virtual CIO (also known as a vCIO) can take on your high-level technology responsibilities, giving you systems that perform seamlessly and support your business rather than hindering it.

 

Here are five signs that you could benefit from virtual CIO services:

 

  1. You struggle to meet compliance standards.

If your business is subject to PCI, SOX, HIPAA or other regulations, you know how much work it is to consistently meet compliance and stay on top of changes. A virtual CIO evaluates your systems and implements processes to ensure that you’re compliant each and every time – saving you the hassle of noncompliance fines, a damaged reputation and broken customer trust.

 

  1. Your technology costs are all over the place.

If downtime, break/fix calls and unreliable vendors make your monthly IT bill anything but predictable, enlist the services of a virtual CIO. They recommend the best solutions to boost your uptime and minimize disruptions to your workflow, negotiate with vendors on your behalf and manage projects within your budget. Plus, vCIOs themselves operate at a standard monthly cost that’s a fraction of what you would pay an in-house CIO in salary, benefits and bonuses.

 

  1. You lack a strategy for the future.

We get it, the future is a long way off – except it isn’t. If you don’t have a strategy for your technology, you’ll waste time and money on solutions that don’t ultimately align with your business goals. Virtual CIOs work with you to develop a roadmap that outlines your plan for growth and recommends solutions that will help you achieve that outcome – giving you the confidence to make better investment decisions.

 

  1. You’re missing a solid business continuity plan.

Natural disasters, power outages and human error affect every business – the question is, do you know how to recover? A vCIO implements a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery plan so you can protect your data and access it quickly. More than 40 percent of SMBs close their doors permanently after a disaster; instituting a plan now stops you from becoming a statistic.

 

  1. You aren’t getting actionable insights from your data.

Almost every interaction with your customers can offer insight into what they want and how you can better serve them – but, that only works if you know how to read the data. Virtual CIOs help you sort and analyze your data to make smart decisions that improve your business.

If some or all of these describe you, it’s time to get your technology in order. Contact us today to learn how a vCIO can resolve your challenges.

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Think IoT Doesn’t Affect Your Industry? Think Again

“The Internet of Things is just a fancy term in the tech industry, right?” Well… yes. But IoT’s broad reach (people used 8.4 billion IoT devices in 2017) means the Internet of Things is already changing the way your industry operates, whether you’re aware of it or not.

IoT is a network of physical devices or sensors that collect data, send it to the cloud to be processed and receive back insights via a user interface. This helps workers in any sector become more productive and make quicker, more informed decisions.

Here are five industries that are being transformed by IoT:

Government

Sensors monitoring everything from infrastructure wear to intersections gather the data that government officials need to optimize neighborhoods, towns – even entire cities. They use aggregated data to optimize traffic flow, improve emergency response efforts and monitor air quality and water systems (in Dubuque, Iowa, residents reduced water usage by 6.6 percent after gaining the ability to view their consumption). Planned future projects include self-driving shuttles that communicate with traffic signals and drones equipped to fight forest fires.

Energy

 We all (hopefully) try to turn off the lights when we leave a room – but what if that concept could be applied to an entire building, or thousands of them? Officials in New York rely on sensors and analytics software to monitor usage and predict system failures. Eventually, they plan to connect to 20,000 public buildings by 2020 to regulate the temperature remotely based on factors like occupancy and times of low use. Other cities – such as Copenhagen – are dimming and brightening LED street lights to conserve energy while also protecting residents.

Consumer Goods

 Smart sensors and tags are making shipping, inventory management and reordering more intuitive than ever. Business owners and employees can track packages in real time, instantly update inventory logs as products are sold and receive notifications when it’s time to restock an item. In addition to increasing efficiency, companies such as jewelry brand Alex and Ani are using IoT to attract passersby to physical locations, make recommendations and study the movements of shoppers to optimize store layouts.

Agriculture

When you think about the practical applications of IoT, agricultural production might be the last thing that comes to mind. But, smart technology is helping farmers control unpredictable factors such as light, temperature and moisture. By automating irrigation systems and analyzing data to determine things like optimal humidity and pH levels, farmers can expect healthier, more stable crop yields – and easily share that information with other producers.

Healthcare

As the elderly population booms – the U.S. Census Bureau projects the population of people age 65 and older to reach 98.2 million by 2020 – healthcare professionals need advanced techniques to monitor elderly and ill patients, even in their own homes. IoT sensors can tell when patients fall or forget to take medication. Caretakers can also monitor seniors via live video and audio streaming and analyze real-time vital signs.

The Internet of Things is just getting started – the International Data Corporation predicts that worldwide spending on IoT will reach $1 trillion in 2020. Interested in seeing how IoT can make your business more innovative, more efficient and more profitable? Contact us today to take your technology to the next level.

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How Prepared Are You? What 2017 Taught Us About Disaster Recovery

Natural disasters, breaches and hackers, oh my! What will happen to your business if tragedy strikes? If your answer is a long silence and a shrug, it’s time to think seriously about an IT disaster recovery plan. Are you prepared for the following scenarios?

  • Flooding swamps your computers and servers, leaving your critical data irretrievable
  • A breach compromises your consumers’ critical data – and goes undetected for months
  • A negligent employee makes an error that shuts down dozens of your servers
  • Hackers lock your computers with ransomware and demand money to release your files

Do these events sound unlikely? The companies affected by them in 2017 would disagree. Businesses of all sizes are vulnerable to disasters – and 30 percent of them have no disaster recovery strategy in place. Fortunately, you can protect your business with these four lessons:

  • Give Your Data a Home in the Cloud – Your hardware can be ruined in a natural disaster, destroying an untold amount of critical data. Ensure that employees and customers alike maintain uninterrupted access by migrating data to a public, private or hybrid cloud.
  • Shield Yourself Against Breaches – Discovering a breach months after it starts is a surefire way to lose customer trust and tank your reputation. Institute proactive monitoring for data breaches so you can handle them quickly and minimize the damage.
  • Look Inward at Your Team – Data breaches start with external attacks, right? Wrong. The leading cause of breaches at small and medium-sized businesses is employee negligence. While you can’t program your team to follow procedure every time, you can train them to make security a priority end-to-end – and implement redundancies to avoid those “oops” moments.
  • Don’t Let Your Software Lapse – Developers offer updates and patches for a reason – cyber criminals can use vulnerabilities in software to wreak havoc on your systems. Fight ransomware and other attacks by installing updates as soon as they become available. And make sure that your vital data and applications can still be accessed elsewhere, even if your computers are targeted by hackers.

 In the event of a disaster, 90 percent of businesses without a recovery plan fail. But you can survive the unexpected with a comprehensive IT disaster recovery plan tailored to your needs. Ready to get serious about protecting your business? Contact us  to talk to our experts about IT disaster recovery.

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Why Aren’t You Using Cloud Computing to Future-Proof Your Business?

You already know that cloud computing isn’t just another tech industry fad. The cloud is turning 10 this year, and it has become a business standard. If you’re not taking full advantage of cloud services to future-proof your business in this economy, you are making a potentially expensive mistake.

The benefits of cloud computing are practically limitless. For example:

  1. The cloud grows with you. You may think that your old standby servers and network are adequate enough for day to day operations. If you want to future-proof your business, then you need to take advantage of cloud computing. The cloud is fully flexible and scalable. The infrastructure and applications are leased, ensuring you are using the fastest and latest technology. Plus, you buy only the services you need and pay for only what you use. This means you can dynamically increase or decrease your cloud services as your needs change.
  2. It helps protect your data. The cloud’s security architecture is multi-layered, and has safeguards against cyber attacks. There are different types of security controls employed and all of them work to protect your sensitive information and intellectual property, especially where federal compliance regulations are an issue (like HIPAA, SOX, PCI).
  3. Save money – put it back into your business. There’s no better way to pad your future business endeavors than cutting costs. Cloud computing helps you do just that. Cloud services can replace expensive infrastructure and outdated software. Cloud-hosted applications give your staff the ability to have virtual desktops and access their projects no matter where they are. Apps, data and documents come together into one constantly updated platform.
  4. Real-time collaboration and unlimited mobility for your staff. Cloud computing gives end users access to the data they need from any device, increasing productivity. Your staff could be anywhere in the world and still collaborate in real-time on projects, allowing your business to work faster for clients and increase your profit margin. Take Microsoft Office 365 for example. Microsoft has always been a familiar face in business productivity. Now, with O365, they’ve raised the performance standard. O365 is just one of the applications bringing together all of your people, processes and technology through cloud computing, and giving you the ability to manage all of that productivity seamlessly.

The time spent maintaining your hardware and its performance are costing you both production and dollars. Lost hours are a killer when you’re trying to migrate data from one network to another. Firms that handle their own migration on average take 2 months to complete the move and can spend up to $3,000 trying to finish it. Your best bet? Partnering with a managed IT services provider (MSP) to handle your move to the cloud. An MSP reduces/eliminates downtime, gives you seamless migration and implementation, and manages your data with new, integrated technology.

That’s where we come in. To get the most out of your cloud services, you need to partner up with a great MSP. Not sure which cloud computing services are right for your company’s needs? Our team of experts will evaluate your servers and network and consult with you to come up with the perfect plan for cloud migration minus the worry.

Give us a call and we’ll help you take that leap into the future. Come join us in the cloud – life is better is up here.

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4 Statistics that will Have You Rethinking Office 365

Moving to the cloud can be a big decision for any business. And it makes sense to take every precaution for your employees and your customers. Office 365 has been gaining a lot of recognition for its simplicity and big benefits. So what’s keeping you from making the move? Don’t let your own reservations hold your team back. If you’re not already using Office 365, read on to see a few statistics that might sway your decision.

 

According to Global Business Travel Association 1.3 Million Business Trips Occur Each Day in the U.S

The mobile workforce is on the rise and Office 365 is the solution that keeps everyone connected – from virtually anywhere. So, whether your team is in and out of meetings, traveling for a business trip or posted up at a local coffee shop, they’ll still have access to everything they need to keep up with their workload.

 

According to Project Management Institute Approximately 33% of Projects Fail Completely Because of Poor Communication

Miscommunication and working in silos creates an environment that’s anything but successful.

With Office 365, gone are the days where one person makes edits to a document, and then emails it to another person so they can make changes too. This process is messy and leaves too much room for mistakes. Instead, take advantage of Microsoft’s collaborative capabilities, so you can have your whole team editing the same document and see the changes happening in real time.

 

According to Contingency Planning and Strategic Research Corporation 96% of All Business Workstations are Not Backed Up Regularly

What happens when your data isn’t backed up? It goes missing, and now you’re in big trouble. Storing your information safely in the cloud is the easiest way to protect it. So, whenever you change a document, update an Excel spreadsheet or basically do anything in Office 365, everything is automatically saved. You’ll always know where your data is and can easily access it – no matter what.

 

Companies can save up to 60% on Licensing Fees with Office 365

Office 365 is extremely appealing for small businesses who don’t want to deal with high upfront costs. Instead, you get a flexible monthly bill that allows you to add or decrease the number of users based on your needs. Plus, you’re not locked into a contract and you can change plans at any time to suit your growing business.

 

Office 365 is an obvious choice for businesses that want to encourage communication and collaboration, have the ability to access their information no matter what and want lower technology costs. If you don’t want to do accomplish these goals, then yes, stay away from Office 365. Otherwise, it might be a smart decision to give us a call. We can help you with Office 365 migration and make sure you’re set up for success.

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