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Category: Services

  • Essential Features to Look for in a Cloud Communications Platform

    Enabling communication between your employees and with customers is critical for any company’s success. The key to streamlining it and promoting flexibility and mobility is to use a cloud communications platform.

    The reality is that more businesses are leveraging the cloud to power their communications and collaboration. It’s a wise choice since it’s cost-effective, secure, and accessible. If you’re looking to migrate from a legacy on-premises solution or are currently using a platform that doesn’t fit your needs, it’s time to find a better way to communicate.

    Why Cloud Communications?

    Adoption of the cloud continues to grow. The last year, in particular, saw remarkable growth. Remote workforces and the acceleration of digital transformation made it imperative to migrate.

    Cloud communications delivers so many advantages. It keeps all your tools in one enterprise hub and allows staff to work from wherever. It’s scalable, cost-effective, and highly secure.

    However, not all platforms are the same. Most will have the same basic features, but not all will fulfill your needs and deliver on reliability and affordability.

    So, which features do you really need?

    Cloud Communications Platform Features to Seek Out

    PBX Phone System

    A PBX phone system is a fundamental building block for your solution. It uses VoIP (voice over IP) to route calls. That means your team can use it from anywhere, as long as they have a connection.

    While this is a standard feature, there are some more advanced features you’ll want to seek out:

    • Call analytics: Great for measuring the performance of sales or customer service.
    • Desktop and mobile app: Team members should be able to make and receive calls through an app.
    • Virtual voicemail: You can manage voicemails through the app—no pin required. A transcription of the voicemail can also arrive via email.
    • Spam caller protection: This technology can detect spammers and block them or send them directly to voicemail.

    Team Chat and Business SMS

    Chat is a great channel for internal communication, allowing co-workers to get quick responses. It’s much more efficient than long email trails. You can chat within the app or via SMS. One other thing to consider in this feature is if the chat has a presence indicator. This will show you if someone is available, away, or in a meeting.

    Video Conferencing

    Video calls are now part of the normal day-to-day of your employees. You’ll want this as part of your cloud communications platform. Look for these specifics:

    • Browser-based so you can start meetings in a click without the need to download.
    • HD video capabilities.
    • Screen sharing so that users can share any application on their desktop. Also, the ability to annotate on these supports better collaboration.

    File Backup and Sharing

    A secure way to store and share files is a critical feature for cloud communications solutions. It enables access, no matter where the employee is, and provides a way to co-edit documents in real-time.

    Backups of everything are automatic. This ensures quick recovery should a ransomware attack occur. It’s a must-have for business continuity.

    What makes this different from public shared folders like Google Drive is that you control access to the files in a more secure way. With cloud storage, you can also consolidate where you keep documents. One hub means employees can find what they need faster.

    Integrations

    The ability to integrate other applications with your cloud communications platform provides a productivity boost. From Office 365 to CRMs like Zoho and Salesforce, the ability to integrate streamlines processes and creates new efficiencies.

    It can also improve customer experiences. When your employees have access to information in CRMs or other platforms, they have more context and can help the caller faster. Your customers will appreciate you saving them from repeating their issues.

    Security and Protection

    Security features can vary across options. There are some specific things you should be looking for in this category. Providers that are security-first will have:

    • Encryption capabilities for data at rest and in transit
    • Endpoint protection that includes remote wipe of PCs if compromised, MDM (mobile device management), and detection and response
    • Access controls with role-based access assignments
    • Password management and policies
    • IAM (Identity Access Management) features like single sign-on and two-factor authentication
    • Infrastructure security with intrusion prevention and detection, enterprise-class firewalls, and DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection
    • Compliance with regulations like HIPAA or PCI-DSS
    • Security credentials like SOC 1 and 2

    Responsive 24/7 Support

    The last thing on your list should be the support the platform offers. While these applications are intuitive and easy to use for most, you still want to have a good support team in your corner. Look for those with 24/7 support and short wait times.

    Support shouldn’t seem like a burden to your provider. If you get this impression, you should probably keep looking. Companies that win awards for their support and voice their commitment to it will go above and beyond to ensure you have what you need.

    Choose a Cloud Communications Platform That Satisfies All Your Requirements

    If you’re ready to move to the cloud, make sure you opt for a solution with all these features. It will likely exceed your expectations and make a real impact on your workforce’s daily tasks. We invite you to explore Elevate from NTELogic, a unified communications platform that delivers all these features and more.

  • New Backup Service for Microsoft 365 protects vulnerable data

    Many businesses that rely on Microsoft 365 email and services don’t realize that Microsoft service agreements protect their access to services, but not the data- emails, files, project work, that they generate and store using Microsoft 365 that is critical to their business. In fact, Microsoft recommends businesses use third-party services to regularly backup that content and data.

    Now NTELogic Backup for Microsoft 365 makes it simple to protect all of your Microsoft 365 data, including Exchange, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and more, in minutes so your organization is protected from accidental or malicious deletions, data corruption, malware, or Ransomware attacks on files and data and so you can restore missing content without missing a beat.

    Backup for Microsoft 365 can be turned on in seconds with up to 6 daily backups, with no data limits or overages, using a full cloud to cloud backup, so there is no impact on your business or any requirements for additional hardware or software.

    This new service is available with Microsoft 365 from NTELogic.

  • Statement to Our Clients Regarding Coronavirus

    March 14, 2020

    Statement to Our Clients Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

    The health and safety of our clients and our team members is always our utmost concern. During these increasingly anxious and uncertain times, this is especially true with the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). We also know that you rely on your technology and the services we provide to continue your business operations. We are here to serve you and I wanted to share information with you about steps we are taking to protect our clients and team members.

    • We continue to monitor developments around the COVID-19 outbreak and are following the guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization as well as our local health officials.
    • We have implemented guidelines that instruct team members who experience cold or flu-like symptoms to stay home. If deemed appropriate, team members can perform work from home tasks.
    • We have provided our team members with the CDC’s guidelines for hand washing, and have a copy posted in our office space.
    • We have provided hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies in our office space.
    • We are cleaning all high traffic or high touch surfaces daily with CDC recommended cleaning products. Each day, we are also cleaning desk phones, cell phones, laptops, tablets, keyboards and computer mice with CDC and/or manufacturer recommended cleaning products.
    • Any international travel plans have been postponed until further notice.
    • Any travel within the United States will be closely evaluated and would only be approved if the trip is not to a high-risk area and is absolutely necessary.

    Supporting Our Clients

    We understand how important your technology systems and services are to you and the success of your business. We have taken or are taking the following steps to ensure we continue to support your technology systems and services:

    • We have reviewed the inventory of critical systems we use to provide and deliver our services to you. We have confirmed that all the critical systems we use to provide and deliver our services can be interacted with remotely, should a need arise.
    • We have reached out to our upstream partners to understand their response to COVID-19 and remain in close communication with them to learn of any changes.
    • We are reviewing the inventory of client systems that could need routine maintenance in the near future and are reviewing how we will provide needed maintenance should a wide area quarantine develop.
    • We are reviewing how we respond to client equipment failures and emergency service calls that require a site visit should a wide area quarantine develop.

    We Stand Ready to Help

    Should you prefer we not visit your site, most common issues and administration tasks can be taken care of remotely. Should an unplanned issue arise, please let us know if you would like us to handle it remotely.
    If you are considering, actively exploring or are implementing remote work/telecommuting practices, we have a variety of communication and collaboration tools available to support remote or mobile workers. You may also be facing cancelled meetings due to travel bans, restrictions or reductions. We can help with this as well.
     

    • Cloud Voice and Elevate phone services – your team members can take their office phone with them. By simply connecting your Cloud Voice or Elevate phone to an internet connection, all calls can be placed or received anywhere. Cloud Voice and Elevate subscribers can also activate the Follow Me service and forward all calls to any other number they have access to.
    • ShareSync and Office Apps – your team members can access their files anywhere and on any device with ShareSync and can edit them and collaborate in real time with Office Apps.
    • Online Meeting – your team members can connect with each other, customers and vendors with our video conferencing and collaboration app.
    • VPN and Remote Desktop – connect to the systems inside your office through a secure Virtual Private Network connection.

    Should you have any questions around remote worker options or continuity plans, please let us know. We are ready to assist you in identifying options and supporting implementation.
    We are privileged to serve you and our commitment is to continue bringing you the services and support you rely on. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist you, your team members and their families. Our thoughts are with those who are affected by the coronavirus.

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    Matt Kiolbassa, Founder and Principal Technologist

     
     
     

  • Do You VPN?

    NTELogic.com | VPN ServicesDo You VPN?

    If you travel for business, it is highly likely you’ve connected to the free Wi-Fi in the airport terminal, local coffee shop or even on public transit. Have you ever connected to that free Wi-Fi in your hotel room and gotten a creeping sense of dread, wondering if anyone might be able to see what you’re doing online? That’s not just a feeling, it’s a reality. Public and free Wi-Fi networks are the playground of cyber thieves. With a VPN – Virtual Private Network – you can protect your online transactions from snooping eyes.

    What Is a VPN, and How Does It Work?

    A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between you and a remote server operated by a VPN service. All your internet traffic is routed through this tunnel, so your data is secure from prying eyes along the way. Because your traffic is exiting the VPN server, your computer appears to have the IP address of VPN service server, masking your identity and location.

    Do I Need a VPN On All My Devices?

    Short answer is yes. You need a VPN on all your devices that connect to Wi-Fi outside your trusted office or home network. For the most part, VPN clients are the same for both Windows and macOS.

    What a VPN Won’t Do

    Even with a VPN, things like cookies allow companies to track your internet usage even after you’ve left their sites.

    Protect Yourself With a VPN

    Today, many of us have multiple devices that connect to the web. Modern devices are more powerful than the top computers of just 10 years ago. The internet however, hasn’t really changed. It was designed to be distributed and insecure. Cyber criminals take advantage of the insecure nature of the Internet. This means, unfortunately, it is up to individuals to protect themselves. Antivirus apps and password managers go a long way toward keeping you safer, but a VPN is a uniquely powerful tool that you should definitely have in your personal security toolkit, especially in today’s connected world.

    Ready to Give It a Try?

    Many of the VPN service providers offer a free trial. Others offer a basic VPN service for free, and additional features with a paid version. We are proud to have partnered with Hide Me. Register here (link) for a free account and start your VPN service today. Each free account includes 2GB of data transfer, 1 simultaneous connection (1 device) and your choice of 5 worldwide proxy servers.
    Once you see how powerful and easy to use the Hide.Me VPN service is, we’re confident you’ll want to upgrade to the paid subscription. By upgrading your service, you’ll enjoy unlimited data transfer, 10 simultaneous connections (10 devices) and 60 worldwide proxy server locations. NTELogic takes care of upgrading your service so you never have to worry about a lapse in protection. Give it a try today – it’s free!