IT Voice

Author: seth

  • WHAT IF YOU COULD CALL ONE PROVIDER TO SOLVE YOUR PHONE AND INTERNET ISSUES?


    When you’re sick, you usually go to the doctor. Unless you’re in the medical industry a self-diagnosis is just going to lead to more sickness. Same thing for your phone system. Your job requires phones, but not necessarily learning all the technical components of a system. Whenever a problem occurs, you need someone that is an expert that can diagnose the problem, help you explain costs, and provide the optimum solution for your business.

    Whether you realize it or not, a provider that is thinking beyond the dial tone is a long-term partner worth investing in. Providers want to make sure it turns on, but are they really evaluating if their service is helping your business grow?

    Business is changing, along with workspaces. What if you didn’t have to play the middleman any longer and you could make one call to solve your issues? Sounds like a helping hand to us! Local providers provide a unique insight to the business landscape because the telecom industry has had to evolve with it. Whether you’re a small office, need cordless phones to walk around the street, or have a shared conference room, you need a system that can accommodate any of your needs. You might not know if you need a feature to park calls because we take our phones for granted. Everyone has one. This evolving working style has shifted how companies think about the relationship with providers. You need all the help you can get. Help them help you.


    Some things to take note on when evaluating the help of a provider:

    • Was this system failure caused by a specific event?
    • What type of situation has this created for your customers?
    • List the actions your providers have taken in the past to resolve the problem. 

    To know what additional questions you need to ask your provider to get your system back up and running, download the Service Recovery Checklist.

  • Website cloning: Don’t fall for that trap!

    Website cloning: Don’t fall for that trap!

    Have you watched one of those horror movies where the something impersonates the protagonist only to wreak havoc later? Well, website cloning does the same thing–to your business–in real life. Website cloning is one of the most popular methods among scammers to fleece you of your money.

    As the name suggests, the cybercriminal first creates a ‘clone’ site of the original one. There can be a clone of any website, though retail shopping sites, travel booking sites and banks are the favorites of cybercriminals. The clone site looks exactly like the original one, barring a very miniscule change in the url.

    Next, they will create a trap intended to get unsuspecting victims to visit the clone site. This is usually done via links shared through emails, SMS messages or social media posts asking them to click on a link to the clone site. The message urges the recipient to take an action. For example, a message that presents itself as though it is from the IRS, asking the recipient to pay pending taxes by clicking on a specific link to avoid a fine or business shutdown, or an SMS about a time-bound discount on iPads. Sometimes, they go straight for the target and masquerade as a message from your bank asking you to authenticate your credentials by logging into your banking portal–the only glitch, the banking portal will be a clone.

    Staying safe

    So, how do you identify a clone website and a dubious message?
    • Does the email sound too good to be true? Well, then it probably is. Nike giving away free shoes? Emirates Airlines giving you free tickets to Europe? Apple iPhone X for just $20? All of these scream SCAM!
    • Even if the message sounds genuine, such as an email from your bank asking you to authenticate your login credentials, check the email header to see if the sender’s email domain matches your bank’s. For example, if your bank is Bank of America, the sender’s email ID should have that in the domain. Something like customercare@bankofamerica.com could be genuine, whereas, customercare@bankofamerica.net is suspicious.
    • Check the final URL before you enter any information to make sure it is the actual one. Most shopping/banking websites, where payments are made and other personal details are shared are secure (HTTPS)and will have a lock symbol at the beginning of the URL. Also, check the domain. For example, something like- www.customerauthentication.com/bankofamerica is not

    Identifying a cloned website is tricky, but it is not something you can afford to ignore.Giving away your personal and financial information to a fraudster can cause a lot of harm to you and your business.

  • How to Trim the Fat From Data Center Costs

     
     
    How to Trim the Fat From Data Center Costs
     
    When smaller businesses look to cut costs, they commonly take shortcuts that are risky to their bottom line. They may go out of their way to avoid upgrading dated hardware, buying software licenses, or increasing bandwidth. In some instances, they layoff in-house IT support, or avoid hiring new help, even as the business grows. This often leads to a very cranky and disgruntled “IT guy” with a bad attitude as he or she runs around the office putting out one fire after another – feeling overburdened and underpaid.
     
    Operating even the most basic data center today means recurring operating expenses that aren’t affordable for most small-to-midsize businesses.
     
    Unfortunately, SMBs just have to accept that keeping their data center alive and kicking means significant overhead and expenses. That’s just the way it is.
     
    Or is it? There are actually several ways to reduce data center infrastructure costs without sacrificing the efficiency of your network, server, and applications, or the sanity of your IT guy.
     
    Rent, Don’t Own:  A data center needs experienced people and a virtual, always-on, 24/7 staff of administrators, networking experts, database specialists, systems managers, and dedicated IT personnel monitoring the network. From an economic perspective, it’s simply more logical to “rent” these workers rather than hire permanent employees.
     
    Keep Things Remote & Energy Efficient:  According to a study published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the fastest-growing sources of U.S. energy consumption are data centers. This is due to the increased power supply required to run and cool a data center. Hardware sprawl is also a problem contributor, as most businesses have space limitations and lack the available room for any additional hardware.
     
    Embrace Outsourcing
     
    Both of the aforementioned cost control measures can be accomplished by outsourcing data center operating expenses. Outsourcing isn’t a dirty word. Managing IT on your own is difficult and far from cost effective. Outsourcing the day-to-day IT management responsibilities through a Managed Services Provider is a strategic way to improve the efficiency of operations and dramatically cut costs.
     
    Is it any surprise that more and more SMBs today are tapping into the full spectrum of outsourced managed services to empower their business processes and reduce overhead? Are you?
     
    Contact us at Slappey Communications

  • Multi-factor Authentication Demystified

    Multi-factor Authentication Demystified

    You have probably come across the term multi-factor authentication of late. It is an IT buzzword today and is fast becoming one of the best practices of cybersecurity. So, what is multi-factor authentication, exactly? Read this blog to find out.

    Multi-factor authentication, as fancy as the term sounds, is just multiple barriers to data access which adds to the security component. In simple terms, imagine, your data in a box and that box fit into another, and then into another–all with locks. It is basically adding layers of security to your data. In fact, we are already experiencing multi-factor authentication on a regular basis. For example, when you want to make a transaction online using your banking portal, chances are, it sends you an OTP (one-time-password) to your mobile number that’s registered with your bank. Some banking portals also ask you for the grid numbers on the back of your debit card, some online transactions using credit cards ask for CVV or expiry dates.

    Even Gmail, Facebook, and LinkedIn use multi-factor authentication when they see unusual activity in your accounts such as a first-time log-in from a device you haven’t used before, or a log-in at a time that you don’t usually access your Gmail, Facebook or LinkedIn accounts. Going beyond OTPs, Facebook takes multi-factor authentication a notch higher by asking you to identify a couple of your friends on Facebook or your most recent profile picture.

    According to Wikipedia, Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an authentication method in which a computer user is granted access only after successfully presenting two or more pieces of evidence (or factors) to an authentication mechanism: knowledge (something the user and only the user knows), possession (something the user and only the user has), and inherence (something the user and only the user is). In simpler terms, that means,

    • As the first layer of security, we have passwords, answers to security questions, PIN numbers etc.,
    • The second layer includes authentication methods such as OTPs, security tokens, access cards, etc.,
    • The third, and final layer is something personal to the user. Examples include biometric validation such as an eye scan, fingerprint scan, voice commands or facial recognition.
    So, you see, even something as simple as withdrawing money from an ATM has you going through the multi-factor authentication process. You need to key in your PIN number and use your debit card to be able to transact successfully. With cybercrime being rampant, businesses cannot rely on the old school access authorization methods using a single password or PIN. Ask an MSP today about setting up a strong, reliable, multi-factor authentication system for your data.

  • How SMBs Can Utilize the Cloud To Build Their Business

     
     
    How SMBs Can Utilize the Cloud To Build Their Business
     
    There has been a lot of talk lately about the cloud and its ability to put small to midsize businesses (SMBs) and startups on a level playing field with large global enterprises. Can this be substantiated or is it a load of trendy hype to push SMBs to cloud-based solutions?  We’ve compiled this breakdown of how the cloud can be used to boost profitability.
     
    The Convenience Factor
     
    It once took smaller companies and startups weeks to launch and configure their own IT infrastructure. Doing so also required a ton of overhead costs. Today’s cloud technology provides the benefits of this very same infrastructure but on an as needed and on-demand basis. SMBs can build a technology infrastructure for themselves online in less than a minute.
     
    For example, a smaller agency that provides apps for its clients, can turn to a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) cloud provider. A PaaS provides companies an environment that enables them to more easily host and deploy apps.  They do this by shielding developers from the hassles that come with the set up, configuration, and management of things like servers and databases.
     
    Without having to worry about things on the infrastructure side, the company and its application developers can focus on creating innovative apps that will generate business revenue. Once their server is online and available, they can launch instantly with a 1-click deployment of their application.
     
    Mission Critical Agility & Scalability
     
    In the tech industry, everyone must channel his or her inner Maverick and Goose* because there is a need… a need for speed. Speed is everything and agility is mission critical. The cloud’s rapid provisioning of computer resources can offer additional storage space in mere minutes rather than weeks.
     
    Having that kind of agility bodes particularly well for the scalability needs of SMBs. As business grows and the need to store more data increases, the cloud is flexible enough to resize your infrastructure on the fly and grow with you.
     
    The cost of cloud-based solutions is much more beneficial to SMBs than the cost of traditional shared or dedicated hosting plans. This eliminates the high overhead that comes with buying dedicated hardware and hiring staff to run the servers.
     
    Cloud technology has empowered SMBs by eliminating any need to make the same kind of costly upfront investments that large enterprise are able to incur. There is no longer a need for SMBs to spend thousands of dollars building out a massive infrastructure to support their big data applications. Better yet, backing up that big data is also inexpensive compared to traditional hosting solutions.
     
    *  Top Gun,  1986, in case you were wondering
     
    Contact us at Slappey Communications

  • Why Should You Get On The Cloud?

     
     
    A recent article by  The Guardian (UK)  states that the cloud industry is set to see a growth of around 30% soon. But many small and medium business owners are still struggling to make sense of the cloud and how it can benefit them. If you are one of them, then here’s what’s in store for you when you migrate to the cloud:
     
    1. Connectivity –  Being on the cloud gives you unparalleled connectivity to your data—from anywhere and at any time. All you need is a device that can connect you to the web and you are set!
     
    2. Save On Hardware Costs –  Using the cloud for certain programs spares you the cost of investing in specific hardware. Even devices as simple as your smartphone or a tablet can help you access those applications so you don’t have to spend money on dedicated hardware. Studies have shown that cloud users end up enjoying as much as a 17% IT cost reduction compared to their non-cloud counterparts.
     
    3. Cloud Enables SAAS –  The cloud allows you to use software as a service. Microsoft 365 is one such example. When you use software as a service, you enjoy certain benefits such as more regular updates at a lower cost and the ability to have anyone work on the program for you by sharing the access credentials with them.
     
    4. More Efficient Use of IT Staff –  Moving to a cloud-based environment puts the burden of maintenance and downtime reduction on your service provider. That means you can use your limited IT staff more efficiently and also don’t have to worry about the costs associated with such maintenance or downtime.
     
    5. Improved Productivity –  Studies have shown that cloud users enjoy better productivity than their non-cloud counterparts. This could be because cloud service providers are better equipped to handle any IT eventualities than the average SMBs.
     
    So, perhaps it’s time to ‘get cloudy’ and enjoy all that the cloud has to offer your SMB. And…if you need help in doing that, we are just a phone call away!

  • WHAT’S CAUSING MY PHONE SYSTEM FAILURE?


    Phone systems aren’t typically considered to be a part of a larger network. As the user, you typically experience the front-end of the phone and not the back-end. When your phone goes down, it’s easy to think it’s the hardware, but your phone is a part of a network similar to a computer. This is obviously a technological headache for you and your team. But it’s good to note that not all system outages are caused by some catastrophic event.
    The process in identifying the root issue is pretty challenging because of the type of failures, the frequency and even the brand of phone you are using. Cisco phones may have a different diagnostic than a Polycom or Digium.

    You may not be known as Inspector Clouseau of the office, but it’s quite the investigation to really pinpoint the exact reason on why your phone system keeps failing. We’ve created a whitepaper to help you solve the mystery and find the ghost in the machine.

    Our guide, Why phones fail: a guide to getting help faster, breaks down the cause for why your system is failing. Download your free copy!

  • CAN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY BOOST BUSINESS PROFITS?


    Every once in a while, we have a disbelieving business owner ask us, “Can communication technology really boost our profits?” The simple answer is yes. There are a number of reasons your communication technology has a direct impact on your overall profits. Your telephone and online communications systems are responsible not only for your team’s productivity but also for the way that customers see your brand.

    EFFICIENCY FIRST

    Modern communication technologies allow more people to stay connected more of the time. It also allows us to integrate multiple information systems into one streamlined process so that customers can reach out to your company in the most convenient way and still receive immediate and accurate assistance. Phone tag is no longer a part of customer service that we are willing to put up with. There are faster, more effective ways to get results today.

    Of course, efficiency is important internally as well. Many business owners are shocked to see how fast their team’s productivity multiplies when they gain access to chat and email-based services. Suddenly your team is able to answer as many as three times the number of customer service queries in the same amount of time by combining the capabilities of each avenue.

    CUSTOMER SERVICE ALWAYS PAYS

    Countless studies have linked the importance of customer service with your business’s success and profits. First of all, we know that it is far more effective to keep an old customer than it is to create a new one. In addition, loyal customers are typically worth ten times as much as their original purchase, and they are 60-70% more likely to make a new purchase as compared to new customers. Furthermore, customers are becoming increasingly willing to walk away from a deal if they feel like they are getting bad service. More than 3 in 4 Americans have walked away from a transaction where the customer service was subpar. In a time where customer service stories are going viral on the Web, the public is twice as likely to hear about bad reviews of your service as they are about positive reviews.

    With all of that in mind, choosing not to invest in modern communication technologies seems risky at best. Making the upgrade now allows your team members to stay competitive in a market where many other companies have already made the leap. It also ensures that customers get the service they need to keep them loyal to your brand, so they will spend more money and give referrals to their friends and family members.

  • Data Loss Can Cause You to Shut Down


     
    Small and medium sized businesses today are relying more than ever on IT systems to efficiently run their business, support customers and optimize productivity. These systems house sensitive digital data ranging from employee and customer information, to internal emails, documents and financial records, sales orders and transaction histories. This is in addition to applications and programs critical to daily business functions and customer service.
     
    While corporate-level data losses and insider theft are well publicized, many smaller businesses have also become casualties of data loss and theft. Following a significant data loss, it is estimated that a small-to-medium sized business can lose up to 25% in daily revenue by the end of the first week. Projected lost daily revenue increases to 40% one month into a major data loss.
     
    According to The National Archives & Records Administration in Washington, 93% of companies that have experienced data loss, coupled with prolonged downtime for ten or more days, have filed for bankruptcy within twelve months of the incident while 50% wasted no time and filed for bankruptcy immediately. Finally, 43% of companies with no data recovery and business continuity plan actually go out of business following a major data loss.
     
    Still, a survey conducted by Symantec SMB revealed that fewer than half of SMBs surveyed backup their data each week. Only 23% of those surveyed said they backup data every day and have a business continuity plan in place.
     
    Businesses play on a much bigger playing field than they did two decades ago. Any disruptive technological event – even the smallest of incidents – can have an amplified impact on day-to-day business and profitability. Being proactive with data recovery solutions, and having emergency response procedures in place prior to a disruption or data disaster, is the only way to minimize downtime and soften the impact of such events.


  • Get smart about smartphones

    Get smart about smartphones

    With flexible working schedules, remote teams and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies in force, it is has become commonplace for employees and business owners alike to use smartphones for work purposes. A quick reply to an email, sharing that sales presentation, glancing over that vendor proposal–all on a smartphone–is something we all do on a daily basis. But with this convenience comes great security risks.

    This blog discusses what they are and how you can avoid them.

    Mobile devices are lost/stolen more easily

    Unlike desktop computers, your smartphones and tablets are easier to steal. O, you may even forget yours at the restroom in the mall or in the subway, and along with it, goes all confidential data.

    Phishing: Avoid biting the bait

    A smartphone user is more likely to fall for a phishing scam on two accounts–one, with messaging apps like whatsapp, facebook messenger, etc., chances of getting phishing links are higher. The smaller screen size can make it difficult to clearly verify the authenticity of the site being visited.

    Free Wi-Fi = free malware

    Free wifi makes everyone happy. The smartphone user, the shopkeepers and also malware distributors! Your smartphone literally travels everywhere with you. The mall, the coffee shop, the movies and then to work as well. Just like how humans can catch the flu and make everyone at work sick, your mobile device can get infected with a malware and spread it across your network in the office.

    What you can do?

    You have antivirus for your computers, why not for your smartphones and tablets? We all know how disastrous a malware attack can be to your data, devices and your brand, in general. Consider installing antivirus software in your mobile devices to safeguard them from such attacks.

    How do you prevent misuse of your debit card? With a PIN number, right? You can do the same to your phone by protecting it with a passcode so the miscreant will not be able to use it to access your data. Also, there are apps that let you wipe out all the data from your smartphone remotely in case you lose your device.

    Be careful when downloading data and even 3rd party apps on your phone. Double check URLs when browsing online using your phone and don’t click on messages with links that seems malicious. In such cases, remember, if something seems too good to be true, it almost always is. Chances are, you may have not won that million dollar lottery or that all-expenses-paid trip to Europe.

    And, spread the word amongst your employees. Their phone has the power to damage your brand! Take care.