Ramping Up: Deploying a Phone System that Works for Remote Employees

What if you were challenged by your CEO to hire a significant number of new employees within the next 6 months?  He would want you to find the right talent that will do the jobs exceptionally well and meet the demands of your growing business. As a senior manager, you know that finding employees with the right stuff will require you to look outside of your current office locations.  Your goal is to find the right people – location is no longer critical.  And, you need to remain close to …

Remote Management and Monitoring for Your Organization

I have done my share of IT support, and I can say that legacy support often consisted of going onsite to where the equipment was or bringing the equipment to a techroom (with likely one or two Star Wars posters), fixing the issue, and returning the equipment to service. It can no longer be assumed IT support staff will have direct, physical access to a user and their computer. With multiple remote sites and a growing mobile workforce, often support technicians are no longer in the same room together with …

How to Empower Employee Collaboration with Cloud Communications

Remember the days when the only way you could empower your team to collaborate was in face-to-face meetings that required time and travel that were planned far in advance? That brings up not-so-fond memories of securing landlines, delayed flights, flip charts, windowless meeting rooms and maybe even slide projectors! Of course in today’s business world, this is an outdated and impractical proposition. You and your team are mobile, on demand. Your mobility requires today’s flexible business communication tools that enable quick teamwork to solve business problems. But how do you …

Unified Communications Changes the Nature of Work

In the 21st century, work is no longer a place you go, but a thing you do. That’s the nature of the changing work place. And your phone system needs to work with you – in multiple locations, with a mobile and growing staff, and a customer that demands high quality communications. You do more. Your phone system needs to support you, not hinder you. As your business changes and grows, you’re likely hiring employees that will work remotely and flexibly. You may have sales people who telecommute, consultants who …

VPN Solutions for Your Business

How can I securely access my work data from outside the office? More and more people either want to or need to work from home, a hotel or a remote office. How do you enable employees to work remotely? You will need use a technology called VPN or virtual private network. Over the years, you may have heard this term and nodded your head, but realized you have no idea what this is. A VPN is an encrypted tunnel traveling through the public internet. Having an encrypted tunnel allows your …

What’s The Status Of Your IT Security?

The internet is great, right?! As a business it’s allowed you to reach more customers and work more efficiently. Both of which have had a positive impact on your bottom line. Along with the benefits of using technology come risks. As a business if you use or are thinking about using cloud computing, use email or have a website, cyber security should be a part of your IT plan. Is it? As an IT services company we have the honor of working with Richmond, VA based businesses across a broad …

[TECH ALERT] Support for Windows Server 2003 is Ending

Is your company ready? Based on the current timeline provided by Microsoft, support for Windows Server 2003 is ending July 14, 2015. What Does This Mean For Your Business? If your business continues running Windows Server 2003 past the end-of-life date in July 2015… You’ll no longer receive direct support from Microsoft. No system patches, including security updates. Your business systems and applicants will become vulnerable to hackers, may start to fail compliance audits and will become interoperable with 3rd party software. Possible reductions in server performance. A brief awareness …

Mobile Device Management For Richmond Healthcare Business

Compliance and standardized security are possible with a BYOD solution for a growing business in the healthcare arena with both local and remote workers. The Challenge Some of the remote workers were based out of offices and others out of their home offices. As with most entrepreneurial businesses the client had a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ BYOD policy. The user base had multiple mobile platforms (blackberry, iphone, android) with a need to standardize security. A large portion of the user data fell under HIPAA security requirements. The business needed to …

[TECH ALERT] Support for Office 2003 & Windows XP is Ending

Effective April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide customer support or security patch management for Windows XP and Office 2003. What Does This Mean For Your Business? If your business continues running Windows XP or Office 2003 past 4/8, you may expose your business to risks, such as: Violating Regulatory Requirements – Businesses that are governed by regulatory obligations such as HIPAA may find that they are no longer able to satisfy compliance requirements. Significant Security Risk – Without critical security updates, your PC may become susceptible to viruses, …

Three Email Security Best Practices For Small Businesses

The popular adage about being a small business owner goes something like this: you’re responsible for everything from developing strategy and big ideas to making sure the bathrooms are neat and tidy. Somewhere in middle of that range of activities you’ll find managing your email security best practices. If you’re not an IT expert, then there is a good chance that email security could slip and fall a few rungs down your priority list. But there has never been a more critical time for ensuring you have a secure email …