Network Monitoring & the Importance of Technician Mobility

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technician-mobilityAs a busy professional, the security, efficiency and stability of the network that keeps business running is a priority. But as busy professionals know, technology doesn’t always work the way you want or need it to. That’s where the help of a trusted network monitoring service comes in. You shouldn’t have to worry about the issues that cause network downtime and you need to know that the company you choose to manage it can correct problems quickly and completely. Read more

Ensuring Quality Conference Calls

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Businesspeople in MeetingHolding conference calls is one of the biggest necessary evils in the business world. Clients tell us all the time how much they dislike the starts, stops and connectivity issues that go along with teleconferencing and how they wish there was a way to communicate effectively from afar.

However, there are some tips and tricks you can take advantage of to ensure that your conference call is perfectly productive.

  1. Make sure your staff knows the objective. This includes knowing details pertinent to the goal of the call, and making sure everyone knows that time is money and chit chat is wasting it. A short meeting before the call, or simply a whiteboard in the room with objectives and information displayed within eyesight can help. An informed team can effectively work together to achieve any goal.
  2. Test your equipment beforehand. Anyone in the technology sector will understand that equipment doesn’t always work properly. Screens can stay black, microphones can die, speakers can emit high-pitch interference, and internet can drop completely at times in any office building. But testing your setup a day or more beforehand can give you time to fix the minor problems you may encounter BEFORE the call with a prospective client.
  3. Find a quiet place. And we aren’t talking about meditation… a conference call that sounds like it is is coming from a coffee shop is never a good thing. It is unprofessional, and can lead to drastic miscommunication or instances of over-clarification. A secluded space, or even just a room with a door can make all the difference when trying to impress someone over the phone.
  4. State your name before speaking. Since the conference call attendees are not all in the same room, it is important for others on the line to know who is speaking so that they can better understand the context of your comments. In some cases you may also want to state your role, company, or location after your name; this is most relevant when your conference call includes people from other groups or organizations that have never met you face-to-face.
  5. Define a clear leader. Every conference call should have a clear, defined leader. The leader should be the ones that emails out the agenda ahead of the call, directs the conversation, makes sure everyone sticks to the agenda, pays attention to time, and sends any follow up action item emails or additional meeting invites.

Windows Server 2003 Support is Ending

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Microsoft is shuttering its Windows Server 2003 support on July 14, 2015. This gives business owners, entrepreneurs, and IT professionals just a few months to replace their systems and migrate to new platforms.

And trust us, you will want to migrate. The end of support from Microsoft means that the 2003 version of Windows Server will not receive any more security updates, will not receive patches for any remaining software bugs, and may not interact well with other (newer) products that companies may integrate with. The software will become a cancer of security risk and outdated technology that will limit the potential growth of your computer systems.

Many business will ultimately have to upgrade, and there are several “next steps” in the migration process that BCS can assist with:

  • The first step is to discover how much of your infrastructure relies on Microsoft Server 2003. This includes applications, workloads, documents, and more. A business that heavily relies on the antiquated service will need to invest more time and more money in their upgrade process, but that business may also stand the most to gain in a well-facilitated upgrade with new opportunity and competitive advantage.
  • In the upgrade process you are likely to find that more than just Microsoft Server 2003 is out of date. Prioritizing all of your applications and workloads that rely on the service will give you a larger picture of your network strengths and vulnerabilities.
  • After researching and prioritizing your current situation and pitfalls (or lack thereof) its time to determine the best migration path for you. This may include transferring to cloud computing and off-site data-centers. Virtualization using the Windows Cloud OS network or Microsoft Azure could be the next big step for your business, but any transition you make will require research and planning.
  • The final step is to build a detailed migration plan that meets the requirements that you have set forth in the steps above. They will give you a detailed list of what you need and help define where your business fits in the growing digital landscape.

The change can be daunting but it also allows for new opportunity and a time to upgrade. BCS can help facilitate the transition to new platforms and ensure that your business reacts in a way that fits your budget and your needs.

Structured Cabling for the Smart Office

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You’ve likely seen news stories about the “smart home” of the future.  You may even have a smart home feature like the Nest thermostat installed already. But what about your office? Established office and retail spaces should have the structured cabling in place to take advantage of many of the new automation technologies coming to market. Sometimes retrofitting of the existing cabling is needed to take full advantage of the new systems.

While WiFi is great for many applications, when it comes to high quality AV applications, hard wiring is still superior.  In areas where you have projectors or monitors meant for display it’s important to have both Cat5 and coax cable run.  Likewise, alarm systems for security, smoke, and carbon monoxide are best hardwired with a cellular backup feature. There are numerous options for automating functions like lighting and surveillance cameras that involve a combination of structured cabling and wireless technologies.  

You may also want to rewire if you have suspicions of unsafe wiring. You should have your wiring inspected at least once every five years to ensure that your equipment stays in good working order. If at any time you notice any scorch marks on plugs or sockets, hear the sound of arcing (buzzing or cracking), or anything unusual you should have your wiring inspected or repaired immediately.

If you’re interested in wiring or rewiring your business to handle all your security and automation needs, call BCS at (757) 497-3100 to talk to one of our structured cabling specialists.

 

Hospital and Medical Practice Telephone Systems

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Do you handle IT and telecommunications for a hospital or a multi-location medical or dental practice?  Mitel offers solutions that work for almost every healthcare organization. Watch the video for a brief overview, and then call BCS Voice and Data Solutions and talk to one of our specialists about how we can help you make internal and external communications easier.

Streamline Cloud Communications and Lower TCO with MiCloud

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Mitel helps service providers streamline cloud communications and lower TCO with MiCloud

New features expand on Mitel’s ‘speed-to-market’ advantages.

Mitel has added new features to its MiCloud portfolio aimed at helping service providers quickly deliver cloud communications to their customers. Additionally, the latest release of the MiCloud solution contains a number of enhancements to help service providers lower total cost of ownership (TCO) even further.

This coincides with news from Synergy Research Group that Mitel is the global market share leader for cloud business communications based on subscribers and seats, with nearly 20% worldwide.

“Customer interest in our Mitel-powered cloud communications solution has been growing as customers seek flexible, affordable communications solutions that fit their unique business needs. MiCloud’s new features further strengthen our offering increasing our scale up into large enterprises while adding even more mobility for our SMB customers,” said Bertrand Laurioz, Telecom BU Director, Hub One.

A comprehensive cloud communications solution, MiCloud powers Mitel’s own cloud services as well as providing the platform for a growing number of service providers. MiCloud enables service providers to customize solutions to reach their target audience, from small-to-medium size businesses up to large enterprises. New features enhance mobility, increase scalability for enterprise customers and further tighten integration with popular applications including Salesforce.com and Google Business Applications.

Lower TCO

With more features now included in Mitel’s licence bundles, MiCloud offers even more functionality at a lower cost. These include features aimed at supporting an increasingly mobile workforce. Additionally, Mitel has streamlined the provisioning, management and support of Mitel users to further lower the TCO.

Flexibility and speed to market

New features for MiCloud simplify provisioning of new services, helping service providers to quickly configure, upgrade or downgrade service bundles. Not only does this accelerate the on boarding of new customers, it also allows service providers to easily provide attractive new ‘try and buy’ promotional offerings.

To help service providers quickly deploy a new MiCloud solution, or to help optimize existing services, Mitel has introduced standardized and tested solution blueprints and an expanded suite of professional services.

“Mitel now offers what we believe is not only the most compelling cloud communications solution for service providers, but also the most price-competitive offering for their customers,” said Andy Bull, managing director of Mitel South Africa. “This lowers initial costs, and more importantly, the long-term total cost of ownership.”

MiCloud powers more than 33 million cloud connections per day. Solutions include applications for unified communications, audio and video collaboration, and contact centers.

For more information please visit Mitel.

Provided by Mitel.

Is a Cloud CRM Right for Your Business?

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cloud storage servicesBenefits of a Cloud CRM

Cloud computing has changed many aspects of business.  Some studies indicate that cloud platforms will dominate IT spending by next year, and half of all businesses will be using cloud-based software by 2017.

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is frequently the first platform businesses move to the cloud.  Like traditional CRM software, these platforms track sales interactions and identify patterns.  Using a cloud-based platform has some particular advantages.

1) Cost

Many cloud solutions mean upfront costs are significantly lower. Cloud based CRMs are usually subscription-based and paid monthly.  There’s no upfront licensing or installation fees.

2) Productivity

Cloud-based CRMs are very helpful for employee productivity, especially for sales people that are working off-site, at conferences, or from a customer’s location.  The ability to access the CRM from anywhere is exceptionally helpful when a team is spread out. Additionally, it scales easily for businesses in a major phase of growth.

3) Advanced Data and Analytics

Many CRMs offer excellent business intelligence without the need for manual uploading and backups.  Because cloud-based softwares sync in real time, executives can always have a current picture of customer data, sales, and invoices.

 

While there are many advantages to Cloud CRMs, it’s important to ask the right questions when choosing a provider.  As many companies learned during the recent Verizon cloud outage, not all clouds are the same. Before committing to a platform, ask about up-time, back-ups, and security.  If you want help choosing the right cloud provider, give us a call. We’d be happy to help you find the right solution for your business.

 

 

 

How Secure is Your Company’s Network?

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computer_structured_cabling_va_beachNetwork security issues have been in the news a lot lately, from major consumer data breaches at retailers to the recent debacle at Sony.  Sadly, many small and mid-size businesses fail to have even the most basic security in place to protect their employees, their customers, and themselves.  Here are some of the most common problems we find.

1) Unsecure WiFi networks.
While it’s great to provide WiFi for your customers, it’s vital that any open WiFi network is not used for business purposes.  The network that’s used by employees should be secure and the SSID should be hidden.  The password should be changed from whatever the default was.

2) Out-of-date and/or poor quality virus protection software.
There is a lot of confusion about virus and malware protection.  For example, it’s not uncommon to see people install two different anti-virus programs, which can cause additional problems.  Also, many free programs come with a host of problems (like endless pop-ups) which end up distracting users from real potential threats.

3) Out-of-date software.
Do you have some computers on Windows 7 and some on Windows 8 in your office?  Or heaven forbid, still have a machine in the corner running Windows XP?  A mix of operating systems is fine, as long as they’re all up-to-date with the most recent security patches available.  However, if you have anything running XP, it’s time to get a new machine.  XP hasn’t been supported (i.e., there are no more security updates) since April, 2014.

If you want to make sure your network is secure, give us a call.  We can help whether your network is 10 computers or 500 at five different sites.

Is Your Network Ready for VoIP?

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If you’re considering switching your office phone system to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), you need to be sure your network is ready for the traffic.  Voice packets, unlike data packets, are large and require high quality connections.  When you introduce voice packets to an existing network, bandwidth can suffer.  Lost data packets can cause glitches in programs, but lost voice packets mean interrupted (or poor sound quality) conversations.

Obviously, poor call quality is unacceptable in a business environment, so it’s critical that your network provide adequate bandwidth for voice and data applications.

Before You Switch

Prior to implementing VoIP technology on your existing network, your IT staff and your VoIP provider need to fully understand your company’s voice and data requirements. Priority should be given to voice traffic so that call quality does not suffer.  If your existing network does not have the capacity (bandwidth) to support voice and data, don’t try to force it.  VoIP implementations where the network was inadequate at the outset can end up costing a business much more in the long run.

If you have questions about whether or not your network is ready for VoIP, call us today at 757-497-3100.

 

Our Office Phones are Down. Now What?

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It doesn’t matter if you run a law office, a medical practice, or a toy store, having office phones go down is a major problem for any business. Sometimes it takes time to realize that the phones have stopped ringing because calls within the building are still working. Other times, you may find out very quickly when someone tries to dial out. Regardless of how long the phones have been down, there’s always a bit of panic to get them back up as quickly as possible.

If you have VoIP, check that you have internet connectivity.  If the internet is not working, the phones will not work.  If the internet is working normally but you can’t call out or receive calls, resetting your router(s) or integrated access device may solve the problem.  If that isn’t feasible, or doesn’t work, it’s time to call your VoIP provider via a personal cell phone.

While there are many “DIY” VoIP office phones on the market, the support for such an installation may be almost non-existent.  BCS Voice & Data is a local company based in Virginia Beach with a fleet of vehicles and trained technicians that can be onsite anywhere from Richmond to Suffolk to Virginia Beach in short order (depending on Hampton Roads traffic of course).

If you find yourself in a situation where your office phones are down and you’re unable to resolve the problem, call us at 757-497-3100 and we’ll see if we can help your reach a solution.