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Entries by Richard Reiffer

Creating a Secured Unified Communications Strategy

The task of creating a secured unified communications (UC) strategy might seem overwhelming. But with VOIP the convenience of email, instant messaging, web collaboration apps, voicemail, and video means that businesses today are taking on the challenge. In doing so, however, leading businesses are realizing the importance of making the change with security as their top priority.
Valid Concerns
Here are the common security concerns businesses today face with UC:

IP-based security concerns
Mobile usage and password security
Data access and usage
The risks of data loss on public access points
Software and application usage and storage

While your small business may not have the means to implement the sophisticated and costly communications security measures that large organizations can afford, this doesn’t mean you’ll be left to face the threats unarmed. There are many simple and effective solutions you can implement.
Securing Individual Mobile Devices
Authentication

Investigate ways to authenticate each device your employees will be using. Once you’ve found the tool that suits your organization, implement it and only allow access to authenticated devices.

Encryption

Unlike communication exchanged within your brick and mortar location, messages and data sent over the internet aren’t going just to the intended recipient, they are traveling through many servers. Implementing end-to-end message and data encryption ensures your messages and data remain encrypted from the time they are sent to the time they are received, minimizing the chances of sensitive information falling into hostile hands lurking on the internet.

Lock and Kill

Require that every device to be used has a remote lock in place …

VoIP Michigan Solutions: How UC Changes Business

Michigan businesses are moving beyond the traditional telephone system and adopting the flexibility of a communications platform that meets their growing list of business communication needs. These modern tools provide convenience and extended reach to service a workforce located anywhere and at any time.

A key solution for Michigan employers is the innovation of the Unified Communication (UC) integration process. This combines all available components like instant messaging, video, audio conferencing, desktop file sharing, email, voicemail, calendar notifications, alerts, and more. This collaboration creates a robust communications package suite of all the company’s enterprise communications tools.

All growing businesses need reliable systems in place that are designed to increase their employees’ productivity no matter where they are located. UC solutions provide tools that keep communication moving in real-time – keeping teams informed.
Convenient and Cost-Efficient
Unified Communication organizes all elements of business communications into one system that can instantly grant access to mission-critical data and communication tools. Costs are reduced because employees have higher motivation, less stress, and no need to commute every day. All data and customer information is available on any device in the event of a sudden call or request. Desktop and cloud sharing enables employees to fax or email critical information to another team member or client instantly.
Enhanced Collaboration
UC systems were intended for cost-cutting and optimized business infrastructure, but these tools showed great potential as core components in extending business communications. The exciting part of Michigan businesses’ conversion to this cost-effective system is the improved employee collaboration …

Why Successful Businesses Commit to Cloud VoIP Solutions

More so than at any time in history, successful companies are dependent on their phone systems. Your first contact with your first customer will likely take place over the phone; the first order placed with a vendor, the first customer concern that’s answered by a customer service rep. The quandary for the new business owner today is although he knows exactly how many phones or lines he needs on day one, he cannot be certain how many he will need on day #365 and beyond. He hopes and believes his company will flourish and expand, but he doesn’t want to waste money on phone lines that may never be used. Yet the first question a traditional phone company sales rep will ask is, “How many lines will we be installing?”

Savvy business start-ups avoid this question by committing to Cloud VoIP solutions.
Cloud VoIP Systems Save Money
Unlike traditional phone companies, cloud service providers require no initial outlay of large sums of money on hardware and installation since the server and all equipment is located and maintained at the provider’s data center. A fledgling business need only purchase IP phones and software that plugs into their broadband internet connection and they’re ready for business. The money saved on equipment can go towards other must-haves like advertising, recruitment, or inventory building. As for the service, it will be billed on a monthly basis. VoIP phone systems are also highly scalable, so as the company grows and the day comes when …

VOIP Comparison

VoIP Comparison: Hybrid, Hosted, or On-Premise?

If you’re still trying to find a VoIP solution, the following VoIP comparison of the most popular options should help to put things into a clearer perspective.

VoIP Benefits

Productivity increases.
Increased efficiency/cost savings.
Unparalleled features that are not available with traditional phones.
Increased flexibility, convenience and mobility.
VoIP provides remote operation, voicemail, call waiting, call forwarding and toll-free numbers.
The convenience of seamless voicemail to email transcription so you can forget about taking notes.
VoIP provides the capacity to smoothly integrate an analog door phone and the convenience and security of two-way calls with visitors. In addition, this gives you and your staff the ability to use a phone to unlock the door and allow or decline visitor access. This feature is valuable under any circumstances, and especially in situations at night with limited staff.
Your company can select a customized Music On Hold feature.
The call routing feature can make you look like a major VIP. The system, named Find me/Follow me, gives you the convenience of creating your personal list of reach numbers at locations where you might be found before the call goes to voicemail. You make the location decisions for the system to try whether it’s your personal cell phone, home office, or other locations. You also select the number of rings for each different location. If the system is unsuccessful in finding you and the list is exhausted, the call is sent to voicemail.

Hosted, On-Premise, or Hybrid?
When evaluating …

The Basics of a Small Business WLAN

The way desktop computing is going, wireless communication is almost a natural assumption, but it still is really a leap forward from the typical office network administration. Fortunately, for small businesses, a wireless local area network or (WLAN) is both easier and cheaper to set up than traditional network administration, which makes it very tempting for bootstrap startups. Unfortunately, there are also key risks that need to be addressed as well (traffic management, security, data integrity in transit, bandwidth and speed).
Costs
Again, WLANs are a godsend to small businesses on a budget, just as much as cloud computing if not more. So, no surprise, many small companies have immediately adapted the idea, constructing their first computer networks on the backbone of wireless routers around the office and a few resource servers taking in and outputting everything through air signals versus Ethernet cabling. However, as soon as a few more than two or three heavy users hit the network the limitations become apparent; wireless routing can’t handle big throughput without serious bandwidth accommodations.

The addition of access points, new employees, more floors and distance and even physical building barriers all add to an increasing amount of signal resistance and slowing things down. Some of this can be circumvented for a while with configuration and placement of more routers and boosters, but after awhile it becomes a full-time job just trying to keep the ship running at every user node.
WLAN Controllers
A key piece of equipment every small business WLAN …

VoIP Michigan Options: Why Work with a Michigan-Based Mitel Provider?

Small business leaders understand that just because an integrated system is easier to use doesn’t mean there’s lower quality technology backing up the system. In fact, the opposite is true. The highest technology available today is applied to fully integrate computer and communications technology for a user-friendly and comprehensive communications experience.

For an example, what if you wanted to only be contacted by email messages after 9 pm every night? When using Millennia and Mitel Michigan’s unified communications technologies, you can have everything from faxes to voice mail converted to email communications. This system uniquely unites your VoIP and computer systems in a simple format, where you can decide to switch to all text messages on your cell when you take the family out to the park, and you’ll never miss an urgent client email again.
Expand the Advantages
Just some of the features available allow you to communicate directly from their address books, receive client, customer, or patient history or updates on their PC screens just as a call from that person is coming in. It might be surprising how quickly the magic of that convenience becomes routine.

This unified communications system also assists your clients by finding you wherever you are – when you want them to – a feature that truly enhances the entire company’s ability respond and communicate effectively.

Cost efficiency is improved as well. When a small business has to upgrade by installing a new phone system, the initial upfront cost …

Cloud VoIP Solutions: Are Small Businesses a Good Fit for the Cloud?

Many small businesses who delay in moving to Cloud VoIP do so because they fear that if they cut their landlines and jump aboard cloud-based VoIP, they’ll end up with a list of problems. On the plus side, VoIP service providers continue to offer more features and lower costs than traditional telephone providers, but the nagging question remains – what are the hidden pitfalls?
VoIP Set-Up
VoIP set-up is a definite”pro” for small businesses. Most Cloud VoIP solutions use session initiated protocol (SIP) technology to assign a specific IP address to each phone or VoIP software client on your network, so you’ll need SIP-enabled phones and perhaps a small box of hardware. Once they are in place, your VoIP service provider will take over the rest of the process. broadbandproto9colo

While not necessarily a “con “, but on the questionable side – is the possibility of having a bandwidth problem. VoIP requires a broadband connection. The more internet applications in use at the same time, the more bandwidth you’ll need. If your internet service provider has a bandwidth cap in place, keep that in mind too, since it’s possible that, depending on the codec the provider uses, each call could consume 64kB of data for every second you or your employees talk. And although all your employees should be able to use their phones at the same time, do keep an eye on your data usage just to make sure you’re not exceeding the cap.

A “con ” is also in order if …

Are Your Meetings As Efficient as Possible?

Whether your next meeting is an effective, productive one, or one your staff barely manages to “get through” is up to you. When evaluating your meeting effectiveness, consider if you regard them as part of a routinely practiced growth vehicle, or are just gathering everyone for the sake of routine? Sad to say, many reports conclude that meetings came in as the leading killer of office productivity, even beating out office politics. If you want to make your meetings the best they can be, set aside time to consider these items:

Is This Meeting Necessary?
Having a meeting for the sake of a having a meeting thinly veiled as an update serves no purpose, other than an opportunity for everyone to get up and moving, and away from their desks for an hour or so. Before you even block the meeting time, make sure you have a defined purpose and clear objectives. Does your staff need to be made aware of a change of management or a shift in strategy? Do you need their input in making a decision? Is there a problem facing the company? If you can’t identify a valuable reason, there’s no reason to hold a meeting.
Who Should Attend?
Often, in a misguided attempt to be inclusive, a manager or department head will summon all his staff to a meeting. However, if the discussions have nothing to do with their responsibilities, workers will consider the meeting a waste of time and spend …

The Biggest Mistake Companies Make When They Move Offices

Have you planned everything out for your next office move? Though you’ve doubtless planned your office spaces, acquired new furniture, and notified your customers, there’s one area that many companies consistently ignore — technology. Your organization’s technology needs are likely the backbone of your operations, but the old adage applies: Out of sight, out of mind. You may not have appropriately planned out your space for your tech, and that’s a mistake that could come back to haunt you later.
Checking Wiring
Not all buildings are already wired for the services that you need. Just because a building has Internet service does not mean that it has the connectivity to support high-speed Internet access and VoIP, for instance; you could find yourself investing thousands of dollars in simply getting access to your property. When building out the interior, it’s also easy to forget where the network cables and wiring will need to be run. Each office will need its own telecommunications outlets, and the server room itself will need to be compensated for. Make sure that you’ve created a wiring diagram and ensured that the wiring is available to your unit before you commit to your floor plans.
Getting Utility Quotes
Don’t just assume that services are there — they either may not be available or the cost could be prohibitively high. Getting competing quotes is of critical importance when calculating the cost of moving into a new space. One space may seem more affordable but have a far higher utility cost related …

Communication Solutions: Using Visual Voicemail Effectively

Visual voicemail is one of the many communication solutions available today that could make your life a lot easier. It could change the way you work, ease some personal angst, and even make you more efficient. And although it may be a newer communications solution, it’s not a new invention. It’s at times called “voice transcription,” and it is a way to see your messages quickly without having to listen to them.

Visual voicemail is simply a transcribed version of your messages. It’s somewhat an old idea that has finally come of age. Messages are transcribed automatically, and with the push of a button on your phone, you can see the message the caller left. It offers convenience, flexibility and mobility.
How it Works
The visual voicemail service usually works in connection with an application that you download onto your device. You have to subscribe to the service and have a data connection. From that point, your messages are available at the touch of a button. You can see both who called as well as what the message was that they left. You may also respond to the message by text, delete messages and organize them as you wish.
How it’s Useful
Visual voicemail can have a number of useful purposes. It can also allow you to see who called, and even send a response text back while in a meeting without disrupting what’s happening. While you may not be able to call the person right back, you …

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Millennia Technologies is a full-service voice and data solutions company for midsize to enterprise customers. Specializing in UCaaS , CCaaS , Cybersecurity , IoT , Voice , Cloud , and more. Our passion is firmly rooted in showing clients how well-designed data solutions can significantly accelerate business operations, and then celebrating their goal-shattering successes.