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  • The Best Email Service for Business: 7 Must-Have Features in 2023

    It’s easy to take email for granted because it’s been around for so long that you expect it to always work. However, like other vital business functions, having the best email service can improve your operations by helping you close deals and retain valuable customers. 

    As well, without a reliable provider, you might be more likely to suffer a disastrous data breach through email. Recent figures show that the average cost of breaches for small and medium-sized businesses is $2.98 million.

    To get the most out of your email communications, review the top features your organization must have when choosing (or switching to) an email provider.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Your email service can improve or impair the quality of your business.
    • Use an email service that offers sufficient storage, gives you a custom domain, and integrates with your other business applications.
    • Your email service should offer exceptional security, reliable backup and recovery, archiving capabilities, and round-the-clock support.

     

    More Reasons Why You Need To Find the Best Email Service 

    If you’re still not convinced that you need to invest in the best email service you can get, keep the following five points in mind:

    1. Over half of the world’s population uses email to communicate.
    2. Over three-quarters of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement.
    3. Customers prefer brand communications through email.
    4. Business professionals prefer to communicate through email.
    5. Email marketing has one of the highest returns on investment of all marketing techniques.

     

    Since email remains vital, you don’t want problems with attachments, campaigns, or spam to become issues that interrupt your activities. Take full advantage of all email can offer by selecting a service with the following features.

    1. Abundant Storage Capacity

    When you’re serious about client outreach, you’re going to be emailing a lot. The best email service will provide more storage than you can use. 

    As images and video become more important to communication, you don’t want overly restrictive limits on file sizes to get in the way of getting your message across. Check that available plans have sufficient storage for your company’s needs.

    2. Custom Domain Names

    Messages from the domain of a free email provider like Gmail or Yahoo do not look professional, and recipients may send them straight to the Spam folder. One of the best email service features is the ability to use one of your websites as the domain for your email.

    Custom domains demonstrate that you’re serious about your business. Plus, personalized domains give you another way to get your branding out there.

    3. Integration With Productivity Apps

    A wealth of information flows through your email communications. Your team needs to access and transfer that information into your other software that facilitates your operations, such as Microsoft 365.

    Minutes your team spends toggling between apps for data entry turn into hours of lost time that your people could use for more important activities. That’s why the best email service integrates with your communications tools for seamless collaboration and productivity. 

    One dashboard lets workers handle email, voice calls, video conferencing, and chat. Putting all of your communications tools into one interface saves time and alleviates the frustration of constantly switching screens.

    4. Full-Time Security

    Email still remains a heavy conduit for cyberattacks and threats. The best email service providers will protect you from data breaches with secure encryption, whether your messages are at rest or in transit.

    Also, continual reports about system hacks show that passwords can be the easiest thing to steal. This means security should start at login. 

    A provider with two-factor authentication requires more than a password to enter an account. The system verifies users through another device, so your precious data remains guarded behind another wall of protection.

    Security services can scan your email traffic to prevent confidential information from falling into the wrong hands. Language-powered detection checks for irregularities and potential threats to stop malicious attacks.

    5. Reliable Backup

    Personal and professional email users have become more reliant on the cloud. That cloud is only as good as the provider maintaining it, though. You may just assume that your information will always be there when you need it, until it isn’t.

    The best email service protects you from data loss with server redundancies so that outages, malfunctions, and disasters do not erase valuable information.

    6. Email Archiving

    You need to be able to access your emails later for numerous reasons. Quick message retrieval can resolve service issues and legal complications.

    For example, when a worker makes an egregious mistake, that person may take great pains to erase the trail of what happened. Archiving keeps all information that occurs on your servers and gives you full access to it.

    Further, companies in industries with strict regulations can have the reassurance that they have the necessary emails on hand to meet compliance standards. If a legal issue arises and electronic discovery is necessary, your legal team doesn’t have to worry about losing precious data or evidence.

    7. Customer Support

    You might think, “What could go wrong with email?” However, a little downtime on your server can snowball into a mountain of problems, whether you’re dealing with a technological issue, security threat, or human error.

    With the best email service providers, you have constant support. Lesser providers might only have customer assistance as an add-on feature. Other services limit how many calls you can make for help. When you have any issues, you should be able to count on world-class support at all times. 

    Additionally, you can’t get the most out of your productivity tools without someone guiding you on which options meet your unique needs and showing you how to use them. Support services should also offer complimentary expert migration and onboarding.

    Your Source for the Best Email Service Features

    The quality of your business cloud applications can be the deciding factor in the success of your organization. To ensure you’re using the best email service, contact NTELogic for solutions that maximize your productivity and minimize your headaches.

  • OneNote Being Used to Spread Malware

     

    With Microsoft disabling macros by default on Office documents, cybercriminals are left needing another means to launch malware that’s victim-supported by default.

    We should expect nothing less of threat actors; when pushed up against a wall with their most powerful asset – Office macros – taken away from them, the most cunning of them will find alternative methods. The challenge for the most sophisticated of cybercriminals is to ensure that the greatest number of potential victims have the application needed that acts as the launcher.

    According to a recent tweet from email security company Prevention Point, a new method involving weaponized OneNote attachments has been spotted in the wild. The initial phish looks relatively standard for a socially-engineered email.

    With the OneNote execution looking somewhere between unexpected (after all, who ever needs to double-click a button within an application to see a supported document?) and sort of brilliant (I would assume that most knowledge workers haven’t interacted frequently with OneNote, so, “maybe this is how it works?”).

    And to boot, the default installation of Office 365 (that is, the software installed on a Windows endpoint) includes OneNote.

    The takeaway here is this is downright dangerous – threat actors have found yet another new way to engage with users in a way that helps move their attack forward with a double-click. This example of the constant evolution of the phish perfectly justifies why organizations need to keep users continually enrolled in security awareness training so that Joe User is always kept up on their toes with security top of mind.

  • Tame the Meeting Monster

    Meetings are what happens when people aren’t working Elon Musk famously said.

    Several recent articles have highlighted Elon’s advice on making meetings more efficient. While the outspoken Tesla CEO has no shortage of advice, his three rules for meetings are spot-on.

    Most meetings are scheduled without ever thinking about their actual “cost”.  Even small, weekly check-ins can cost organizations $30K or more per year. Large, all-hands meetings can run into the mid-6 figures.

    Meetings are actually one of the largest expenses and largest productivity drains in most organizations. In fact, workers expend more than 129 hours per year in meetings that were entirely unnecessary.

    Elon’s Three Rules for Meetings
    • Get rid of all large meetings, unless you’re certain they are providing value to the whole audience, in which case keep them very short.
    • Get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter. Meeting frequency should drop rapidly once the urgent matter is resolved.
    • Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren’t adding value. It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time.

    Some have said walking out of a meeting can be career suicide. Perhaps… but excusing yourself when leaving early the right way fends this off.

    Reducing the Cost of Meetings

    How to reduce the cost of meetings? Simply put, eliminate and reduce. 

    Eliminate the meeting entirely.

    Eliminating a meeting can be done by canceling it or conducting it asynchronously. That means using communication tools like Online Meeting, email, or video/audio recordings instead of holding a meeting. This saves time, frees up people’s schedules, and has many other benefits that come with real-time communication.

    Reduce the number of people.

    Strongly considering who needs to be there in the first place. Remember, you can always pull someone in for a portion of the meeting or send out meeting notes afterward to keep people in the loop.

    Reduce its duration.

    Cut all your recurring meetings by 15 minutes and see what happens. You can always add time back into a meeting.

    Reduce its frequency.

    If the meeting is recurring, try cutting its cadence in half. Moving a weekly meeting to biweekly often has very few negative consequences — but it halves the cost of the meeting.

  • U.S Government Issues Advisory on Texting Scams

    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued an advisory about a substantial increase in Robotext scams via automated smishing attacks.

    These attacks involve unsolicited and automated text messages impersonating entities such as government agencies or familiar businesses.

    Verizon’s 2022 Mobile Threat Index reports 45% of organizations have suffered a mobile compromise in 2022. That number increased 50% from 2021, and users using mobile devices in 53% of organizations have access to more sensitive data than a year ago.

    It shouldn’t come to any surprise that the FCC has put out an advisory warning about the increased use of robotexting-based phishing scams targeting mobile users, commonly called smishing. The FCC noted that unwanted text messages include false but believable claims about unpaid bills, package delivery snafus, bank account problems, or law enforcement actions.

    According to the Federal Trade Commission, Amazon is the most impersonated brand in smishing attacks. Apple, Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo are also common in robotext scams.

    Some malicious SMS’s may also contain links aimed at stealing personal information for use in subsequent attacks or sale to other threat actors. Cybercriminals such as FluBot operators also leveraged smishing attacks to spread malware.

    Warning signs of malicious robotexts or smishing messages include:

    • Unknown numbers
    • Misleading information
    • Misspellings to avoid blocking/filtering tools
    • 10-digit or longer phone numbers
    • Mysterious links
    • Sales pitches
    • Incomplete information

     

    Being proactive is key

    Here are some simple steps you can use to combat smishing attacks:

    • Avoid responding to unsolicited text messages even with the word “STOP” or “NO.”
    • Do not click on any links included in such SMSs. If your contact sends a link via text, confirm that they have not been hacked.
    • Avoid sending sensitive information via text messages
    • Report texting scam messages to SPAM (7726) and file a complaint with the FCC
    • Check for misspellings and text messages from email addresses
    • Delete all malicious texts from your phone
    • Update your device’s operating system and security apps

     

    Knowledge is power

    NTELogic has partnered with KnowBe4, the world’s leading provider of cybersecurity training, to bring organizations like yours a tailored security awareness training platform without the hassles of doing it yourself. Contact us today to learn more or to register for our free phishing test offer.

  • 4 Clever Ways to Reduce Costs with Unified Communications

    4 Clever Ways to Reduce Costs with Unified Communications

     

    Because of the cost of unified communications (UC) and the opportunity for financial savings that it brings, using UC is a smart decision for most organizations. The reality is that switching to a cloud communications system and adopting UC costs less than using a traditional telephony system.

    According to Jose Pastor, former senior vice president of product management at RingCentral, organizations can save tens of thousands of dollars with unified communications.

    If you’re thinking of investing in unified communications, you’ll probably save a lot of money, especially in the long term.

    But before you invest, you should do your research and perform a cost-benefit analysis for your business. That’s the only way you can assess the value that it can bring to your organization.

    You also want to know what strategies you can use to minimize your costs so you can maximize your benefits.

    Let’s look at the ways your business can save with UC so you have the information you need to perform a unified communications cost-benefit analysis and make an informed purchasing decision.

    The Case for Unified Communications

    Businesses of all sizes are implementing unified communications, most of which are either using the cloud or are planning on moving to the cloud soon. The global market for UC is expected to exceed $234 billion in 2028 with a compound annual growth rate of nearly 20 percent over the next few years.

    Why the massive growth?

    UC is a necessary communications tool for hybrid work, which is becoming the norm post-pandemic. It also offers tools that empower businesses to enhance the customer experience.

    But one of the biggest drivers of adoption is the ability to save money.

    4 Ways to Save Money with Unified Communications

    With a cloud-based unified communications solution, you can minimize your IT and operating costs, simplify your technology stack, and save on your phone bill.

    Here are the ways you can reduce costs when you invest in unified communications and clever ways to optimize those savings.

    1. Lower Upfront Costs

    With unified communications, you can use a cloud phone system, which means voice data transmits over the internet rather than phone lines. Instead of paying for all the hardware and maintenance costs of a traditional PBX phone system, you can get started with a mobile app downloaded onto your devices and a subscription licensing fee.

    How to reduce your costs: Don’t purchase cloud phones for all your users. Pre-configured desktop phones are useful because they offer the same features as modern business phones. But, with UC, you already have a lot of functionality within your software.

    Decide which employees need a desk phone – everyone else can enjoy all the features and security benefits of your unified communications solution through the app. They can place calls, host or join a video conference, share files, and more from their laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

    2. Fewer Communications Apps

    Because you have voice, video conferencing, chat messaging, and file sharing all rolled up into one platform, you aren’t paying multiple vendors. This can lead to significant cost savings. One study found that using a single vendor results in a 56 percent lower total cost of ownership versus using a multi-vendor approach.

    How to reduce your costs: When choosing a unified communications provider, look for a vendor that offers all the communications tools your business will need so you aren’t paying multiple vendors. If you want contact center functionality, make sure your vendor has Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS). You should also be able to integrate your tools so your data updates across platforms. That will make using your software seamless for users, which can boost productivity and lead to even greater benefits.

    3. Smaller Phone Bill

    You’ll also see lower costs with unified communications through a better rate per line and reduced long-distance calling costs.

    Businesses that use cloud phone systems save money each month on their phone bill. When NTELogic compared what other phone companies were charging, we found that most of our customers were paying about 50 percent less with us. Other phone companies charge about $67 per line, while NTELogic’s hosted phone users pay a fraction of that.

    How to reduce your costs: Choose a cloud-based unified communications system instead of an on-premises solution. That way you can take advantage of the immense savings that come with a cloud phone system. You’ll have a smaller phone bill and never have to worry about downtime for app updates – your cloud provider automatically updates the software.

    4. Increased Productivity and Less Employee Recruitment

    When you empower your teams with user-friendly, full-featured software, they have the tools they need to work more efficiently. Additionally, with UCaaS, your staff can be productive from anywhere.

    Your employees are going to be more productive and more satisfied with their job when they have technology that makes work more flexible and seamless, which means your company will probably spend less on recruitment and training over time.

    How to reduce your costs: Choose a provider with excellent customer support and reliability. That way your employees will have the best experience possible, technical support will be there when you need it for fast problem-solving, and you don’t have to worry about issues with downtime.

    Optimize Your Unified Communications Costs by Choosing the Right Provider

    Cloud communications is a popular business tool because businesses end up saving money when they switch from their legacy phone systems. But, you can optimize those savings if you choose the right cloud provider.

    Contact us today to learn how easy it is to make the move to UCaaS.

  • Does Your Organization Need Cybersecurity Awareness Training?

    Cybercriminals are getting smarter and more savvy with their attacks nowadays. Even the best security solutions in the world would not do any good if users are not cyber-aware and know what to do when they encounter suspected cyberthreats.

    Most cybercrime incidents begin on a smaller scale and do not become a full-blown data breach until it’s too late. 95% of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error, and firewalls cannot keep a staff member from succumbing to a phishing email.

    According to data collected by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, phishing attacks accounted for over half of all reported cybercrimes in 2021, and losses from phishing attacks topped $2.4 billion. In fact, phishing attacks increased by 280% in 2020 alone, and human-caused data breaches topped 82%.

    Email attacks almost always involve some sort of phishing. Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails posing as a legitimate source to compel victims to reveal sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. You may have seen phishing emails before, offering you a free TV or asking you to change your password. While an email spam filter will catch many of these, some will still occasionally make it through to your inbox.

    Defending against phishing and social engineering attacks ultimately comes down to knowing what you’re up against. These can come in several forms, but the most common cyber-attacks are phishing emails that ask you for usernames, passwords, and personally identifiable information (PII). A good rule of thumb is to have healthy skepticism whenever an email asks for personal information—especially emails from an unexpected sender.

    FREE Phishing Test Offer

    Register today for your free phishing security test and find out how many of your employees are phish-prone.

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    This can sound like quite the daunting task for any company, let alone a small business. The reality is that the opportunity cost of not training your employees is too high to ignore. According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach last year was $4.24 million. Thirty-eight percent of companies lost business because of a breach, which accounted for over half of the total financial losses.

    While cybersecurity awareness is the first step, employees must willingly embrace and proactively use cyber-secure practices both professionally and personally for it to truly be effective. This is known as a culture of security or security culture. Security culture is defined as an organization’s collective awareness, attitudes, and behaviors toward security.

    For security culture to be most effective, it’s important to make security training not only engaging but also relevant to employees so they understand how cybersecurity impacts them in and outside of work. The best part about cybersecurity training is that it can be customized to your organization’s needs. From a formal security awareness training program to a monthly email with cybersecurity tips and tricks, any cybersecurity awareness and training can significantly impact employee behavior.

    Our training platform consists of built-in phishing training and comes with the option of letting your organization create its own training courses and upload/deploy them internally. This can include, but is not limited to, employee safety, conduct (anti-harassment) and more. It could even be used for human resources (HR) training such as employee onboarding, policy training, etc.

    Contact us today to learn more or to register for our a free demonstration.

  • What Is Email Security, and Why Should You Care?

    Email is one of the most often used communication channels in business. It’s a fundamental part of modern communications. Email is also a medium that’s “always-on,” and people have access to it from anywhere. While it’s a necessity, it’s also a channel ripe with risk. That’s why email security is so critical.

    In this post, we’ll define what email security is, discuss the risks it presents, and provide you with best practices.

    What Is Email Security?

    Email security describes a variety of tactics, including:

    • Applying technology tools to inspect incoming emails for potential malicious threats
    • Encrypting or securing outbound email traffic to protect inboxes, data, users, and organizations from cybersecurity threats.

    Both inbound and outbound email are subject to security measures. Security measures can also relate to compliance checks for regulated data exchanges.

    Since the massive adoption of cloud-based email, the ecosystem has become more complex. As such, security tools and protocols have become more advanced to ensure the integrity of every message.

    So, what are the biggest threats to email security?

    Email Security Threats

    Email represents a means for cybercriminals to infiltrate a network. The most common way they do that is with phishing attacks. Phishing attacks are the practice of sending communications that are fraudulent but look like they’re coming from a reputable, known source. Phishing can lead to several adverse events.

    Recipients may click on a link and reveal sensitive information like credentials, allowing unauthorized persons to breach a network and gain access to confidential data.

    Phishing emails can also be carriers of malware or ransomware, which can also cause breaches or other failures.

    While phishing has been part of the hacker’s playbook for some time, it’s still a leading cause of cyber incidents, with 36 percent of all breaches tied to phishing. And email is the favorite option, with 96 percent of them arriving via email.

    In addition to phishing, access to a business email account by anyone outside of the owner could result in the compromise of proprietary information or intellectual property.

    Protecting email accounts is paramount to any company’s data security policies. The risk of breaches or other losses can be significant, financially and reputationally.

    To prevent as much of this as possible, you’ll want to follow best practices regarding email security.

    Email Security Best Practices

    Creating a robust email security posture is critical for your business. You’ll want your provider to offer multiple layers of protection, including monitoring and encryption. Training and educating staff is important as well.

    Here are the best practices that provide the most protection.

    Use multi-factor authentication

    Should a password be stolen, you can still keep unauthorized persons out with multi-factor authentication. Legitimate users will need more than just their password to “authenticate.”

    Add link protection tools

    Unfortunately, some phishing emails will still get through filters. If they do, the last thing you want is for a user to click that link. Link protection prevents users from accessing sites blacklisted as known phishing sites or having malicious code. Should someone click on it, the technology gauges the page’s reputation. If it’s unknown, a scan of it occurs in real time. If it’s not above board, a warning message appears.

    Deploy targeted attack protection

    The ecosystem of targeted attacks is growing, especially those that involve social engineering. In such cases, the email seems legitimate because the recipient was expecting it. It could be a receipt or a confirmation of a meeting. These can even include employee impersonation. With AI tools, email security rises to a new level. Such functionality flags suspicious emails, delivers insights into threat signals, and automatically remediates based on actions you’ve preconfigured.

    Protect outbound emails

    It’s not just emails your employees receive that need security; outbound emails also do. In many cases, you may be sending confidential attachments intended only for the actual recipient. That’s especially true for communication that’s subject to regulations like HIPAA. To adhere to these rules, you’ll need compliance templates with preconfigured code sets, keywords, and policies when sending PHI.

    Further, you also need safety nets in place should an employee inadvertently or negligently release sensitive data. With email encryption, you have a safe, secure, and reliable way to share this type of data and prevent data leakage.

    Keep software up to date

    Make sure that your administrator or provider auto-updates your email exchange. Failure to do this could leave you open to attacks. With auto-updates, every account or device gets the upgrades needed.

    Run phishing attack simulations

    Employees and their ability to respond correctly to phishing are critical in your defense posture. In addition to regular training and education on email and data security, you should also deploy phishing exercises. This helps them build awareness and be more cognizant of possible threats.

    Give administrators full visibility

    The final piece of the email security puzzle is providing administrators control and visibility across the entire enterprise. Security controls should be easy to understand and change as required. Administrators will have the necessary access to settings that ensure the safest email environment.

    How Secure Is Your Email Exchange?

    Does your current email exchange offer you all these protections? Are you concerned about what could happen without more rigorous features? Then you’ll want to know all about NTELogic Email Protection. Explore all it can do and why so many businesses trust it and us today!

  • 3 Lessons Learned About Remote Work In 2020

    One of the most impactful shifts of the pandemic was the widespread adoption of remote work. More people than ever started working from home, which taught us all a lot about what’s possible for the future. Business leaders, managers, and employees learned several important lessons from remote work, and as a result, new, more flexible work models are emerging.

    Looking at the lessons learned, we can gain perspective on where work models are headed and what to expect for the future.

    Lesson #1: Remote Work Does Work

    Before the pandemic, only about six percent of Americans were primarily work-from-home workers. Naturally, a lot of companies weren’t sure if it could even work.

    So, does working remotely work?

    When you look at the number of people still working remotely today along with projections for the future, it’s clear that remote work is effective.

    By the last quarter of 2021, about 45 percent were still working from home at least part-time (down from nearly 70 percent in 2020), and surveys are showing that a sizable chunk of the workforce will be remote permanently. A Gartner survey found that 74 percent of CFOs expect to transition at least five percent of their employees to remote work on a permanent basis. And, according to research conducted by Global Workplace Analytics, anywhere from 25 to 30 percent of the U.S. workforce will be remote even after the pandemic is history.

    During the COVID crisis, we learned that remote models do indeed work for many businesses – 83 percent of employers say the shift to remote work was a success for their business.

    And most workers prefer it. Of the 2,050 full-time workers surveyed by Owl Labs for the State of Remote Work 2021 study, 84 percent said working remotely post-pandemic would make them happy, and many would take a pay cut if it meant being able to work from home.

    Lesson #2: Going Remote Offers Benefits Across the Board

    Employees, managers, and business owners have uncovered some incredible benefits to remote work.

    The cost-savings potential is huge

    • One report found that, if the roughly 48 million employees who have a remote-compatible job worked from home at least once per week, employers in the U.S. could save as much as $500 billion per year.
    • When you factor in not having to pay for commuting costs, eating out, and maintaining a work wardrobe, remote workers themselves can save about $4,000 a year.

    Productivity actually increases

    • According to a survey conducted by Upwork on the future of work, hiring managers say that fewer non-essential meetings, less time commuting, and increased schedule flexibility have helped to boost time spent working.
    • Also, once organizations implement cloud technology and processes to facilitate remote work, the infrastructure is in place, and working remotely can feel seamless – 68 percent of hiring managers believed that remote work was much smoother several months after making the shift.
    • Workers themselves say they are, for the most part, getting more done. Ninety percent of respondents in the Owl Labs survey said they are more productive working from home.

    Remote work can boost your workforce

    • Employers can hire from a wider pool of applicants, making top talent more accessible.
    • They also become more attractive to skilled employees – the reality is, few employees prefer an office-only workplace. According to a PwC survey, only eight percent don’t want to work remotely at all. Over half want to work from home at least three days a week.
    • And finally, remote employees tend to be happier than their in-office counterparts. They stay in their jobs for longer and, for customer-facing teams, they’re more likely to provide top-notch customer service.

    Lesson #3: There’s Still a Place for the Traditional Office

    Companies can operate effectively with remote teams, and there are plenty of benefits to having remote flexibility. However, we’ve also learned another lesson – 100% remote work isn’t the best option for every company.

    • There’s still value in expecting employees to come into the office. That’s something that both employers and employees agree upon. Employees appreciate the ability to collaborate with team members in person and to build relationships. Employers and managers see the office as a space to meet with clients, enable collaboration, and ensure productivity stays high.
    • Also, there are problems with the remote work lifestyle – some employees say they have trouble maintaining a work-life balance, and others feel burned out by excessive video meetings.

    The bottom line is that a fully remote model isn’t a good fit for every company, job role, or individual. But the option to work from wherever is something that almost every worker wants.

    Because of the Benefits and Lessons Learned, the Future of Work Will Be Hybrid

    There’s no question that remote work is here to stay. Companies of all sizes and from all industries have learned how practical it can be. But, it’s not all positive. There are advantages to having some employees in the office, at least some of the time.

    That’s why so many companies are shifting to a work-from-wherever model. If your company is considering a hybrid model, or if you are looking for ways to improve your hybrid workplace, NTELogic can help your company make hybrid work work better.

  • Mandatory 11-Digit Dialing Starts October 24, 2021

    Key Information

    Beginning October 24, 2021, you must dial 11 digits (1 + area code + telephone number) for all local calls. On and after this date, local calls dialed with only 7 digits may not be completed, and a recording will inform you that your call cannot be completed as dialed.

     

    Why Is This Change Happening?

    In preparation for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) adoption of 988 as the new three-digit number to be used nationwide to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline, starting July 16, 2022, 11-digit dialing is being implemented. However, customers must continue to dial 1-800-273-TALK to reach the Mental Health Crisis Lifeline until July 16, 2022.

    In order for 988 to work in the 209 area code, mandatory 11-digit local dialing will begin on October 24, 2021. At that time, everyone in the 209 area code will need to change the way they dial local calls.

     

    What will be the new dialing procedure?

    To complete all local calls, you will need to dial 1 + area code + telephone number. This applies to all calls within your area code that are currently dialed with seven digits, including to your neighbors. For example, you will dial 1-209-790-4560 to reach NTELogic.

     

    Who can I contact with questions?

    If you receive your voice telephone services from NTELogic and have questions about this change, please call our office at 1-209-790-4560 or via email to info@ntelogic.com. Otherwise, please contact your voice telephone services provider. You can also visit the FCC website at https://www.fcc.gov/suicide-prevention-hotline.

     

  • How Does Email Archiving Work?

    Email is likely a critical communication channel for your business, both internally and externally. However, you may have concerns about security, accessibility, and storage. The best solution to address all of these is email archiving. In this post, we’ll explain what it is, how it works, and why it should be part of your email system.

    What Is Email Archiving?

    Email archiving is the practice of preserving these communications through cloud-based storage. It enables users to index, search, and retrieve old emails.

    Why Would an Organization Archive Emails?

    There are several business reasons to deploy an archiving solution, including:

    • Business continuity and disaster recovery
    • Internal audits, investigations, and eDiscovery for litigation (especially true for highly regulated industries)
    • Regulatory compliance mandates
    • Following security best practices
    • Record management
    • Protection of intellectual property (IP)
    • Minimizing the need to increase bandwidth while retaining the data

    Your need to archive may fall into multiple categories. It delivers benefits that can help you in various ways, from compliance requirements to cost savings.

    How Does the Archiving Process Work?

    The email archiving process captures 100% of inbound and outbound emails. The system then places these in a secured, cloud environment that’s accessible.

    It’s not the same as email backup. The difference is that a backup only backs up data for a limited time period to restore if necessary. Simply backing up your email doesn’t consider compliance requirements, nor does it help prevent data loss.

    If you’re currently only using a backup approach, you should be aware of its limitations. It’s also important to understand if it can or cannot deliver on all the business reasons you have for preserving email.

    What Are the Benefits of Email Archiving?

    The benefits of email archiving translate into business value. They include:

    Meeting Regulatory Compliance

    Certain industries have mandates regarding email communication if it contains confidential information. One of the most common is HIPAA, which regulates healthcare information. Those in this sector can achieve compliance by archiving.

    The archive keeps the data secure and provides a virtual paper trail should an audit occur. Compliance isn’t an option; it’s mandatory. By leveraging an archiving solution, you can also meet the regulations for FRCP, SOX, FINRA, GLB, NYSE, NASD, SEC, and others.

    Retaining Data

    Even the smallest companies generate thousands of emails. They often contain vital information, so retaining them is appropriate and may even be required. However, keeping them on your email server isn’t sustainable. You’ll quickly see your bandwidth diminish, which could include more costs.

    An archive moves those emails to the cloud and provides you with the ability to search them. The data is secure due to encryption, and you can find what you need in minutes, not hours.

    Achieving a True Backup for Business Continuity

    As noted, an email backup falls short of restoration. In this model, the Office 365 cloud houses the email files; however, this storage alone doesn’t preserve data for the long term. The archiving integration builds on top of what you have to create a permanent place for the emails to reside. You don’t have to do anything extra; it’s automatic.

    Protecting IP

    Emails can often contain IP. In fact, Microsoft reported that as much as 75 percent of company emails include IP. While you may not notice this because the IP is inherent to you, it could become an area of risk. Even the most minor trade secrets need protection. You’ll have more control over the content of these emails with archiving. It provides a repository where data loss isn’t a threat.

    Managing Legal Discovery

    If your company is in the middle of litigation, there will likely be eDiscovery requests regarding email. Without an archive, this will be an arduous task. An archive enables you to search, filter, and find what you need, so you don’t waste time and resources.

    Recovering Deleted Emails

    Deleting emails is a normal function. Most of the time, there’s no cause for concern. However, sometimes a user can inadvertently or purposely delete something that’s important or includes confidential information. Unfortunately, some of your employees may be engaging in risky behavior. A backup is a smart move to mitigate any fallout from such actions.

    What Archiving Features Do You Need?

    Before you choose an archiving solution, here are the features you should prioritize:

    • Security: This is at the top of the list. Find out how the system safeguards data with encryption (both while in transit and at rest) and how it meets compliance requirements regarding data security.
    • Scalability: You don’t want to have limits on storage capacity. Be sure it can meet your needs today and tomorrow.
    • Indexing of all file types: Not all archiving products include all file types or attachments. Ask about what it can index to ensure you’re covered.
    • Constant email capture: Be sure the solution captures and stores all sent and received emails.
    • Search functionality: In most cases, if you need to access your email archive, it’s because you’re looking for specific information tied to litigation, a breach, or an audit. Select a product that makes searching easy with tagging, filtering, advanced search, and categorization.
    • Exporting: Once you find the emails you need, you’ll want to be able to export them for the archive. Make sure this is possible, and that you have multiple format choices.
    • Integration: The standard Office 365 archiving doesn’t offer you complete protection. You’ll need a specific tool that meets all your needs. This will typically require an integration, so be sure that there are no compatibility issues while comparing options.
    • Easy set-up: You shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to add this to your email. It should be simple to implement and not require additional licenses.

    Learn More About Email Archiving

    Email archiving is a smart decision for any business. It elevates your security, helps you meet compliance, protects your IP, and ensures access when you need it. Learn more about why you should add it to your email today by taking a tour of the NTELogic Email Archiving solution.