Richard

Entries by Richard Reiffer

Is Your Business’s Data Secure?

Data security is a priority for IT professionals in the business world. For others? Not so much. A study by the Ponemon Institute reported that only about 38 percent of non-IT employees with access to company devices viewed data security as a high priority. But after 2017 showed us that data breaches can do a lot of damage to a company, can you afford to let it slide?
What is a data breach?
Simply put, a data security breach is a confirmed incident in which private, sensitive, confidential, or other protected data is accessed or released in an unauthorized way. For example, you’ll probably recall a number of high-profile security breaches that occurred in 2017, such as Equifax and Yahoo.

Despite widely-held perceptions, largely due to pop culture, many data breaches are not a result of hacking — at least, not by the stereotypical cyber criminal tapping furiously at his keyboard. In fact, some of the most notorious data breaches happened because an authorized user took an unauthorized action. Target’s 2014 breach, for instance, occurred because of a successful phishing attempt on a third-party vendor, giving the attackers the login information to Target’s systems. Because at least one employee opened a fraudulent email, the payment and contact information of over 70 million Target customers was compromised.

If it sounds scary, that’s because it is. IBM’s 2017 Cost of Data Breach Study reported that in 2017, the average cost of a data breach for a company was $3.62 million, and 1 out of …

Should You Use an MSP For Your IT Solutions?

The managed services business model is booming as more and more businesses partner with providers for their IT solutions. The MSP market is forecasted to grow from $152.45 billion in 2017 to $257.85 billion by 2022, and is expected to continue to grow steadily beyond that point. But while widespread adoption is a nice endorsement, the fact that everyone’s doing it isn’t exactly the best basis for making a business decision.

We’ve written about the benefits your business can reap from using managed IT services before — with talking points like predictable monthly costs, better security practices, and faster responses for improved technology uptimes, it’s hard for us to not get carried away. But what makes MSPs really stand out? Why should you take the leap and use managed IT services?

 
More Business Partner than Tech Desk
While managed services providers can certainly fix your computer when it breaks, their capabilities are above and beyond the purview of technical support services. A good MSP works with you and your business to understand your practices and goals, then strategizes to ensure that everything they do helps to achieve those goals. All at once, they are technicians, data security specialists, technology advisors, industry experts, troubleshooters, hardware installers, and more. The break/fix model of IT is obsolete, replaced by the holistic approach of MSPs.

 
Expertise for Any Level of Service
Shifting the responsibility for commodity IT services – that is, services like email, web, and file serving which work more or …

How to Choose Communication Solutions for Your Business

Today’s society may be built on technology, but human society has always relied on communication. According to a study published by SIS International Research, businesses lose 17.5 hours of productivity per employee every week due to poor communication, and whether your business has eight or 800 employees, those hours add up to serious revenue loss. Upgrading your communication solutions could help you reclaim your company’s much needed time, but with the number of options on the market, it’s difficult to even get started.
Phone Systems
If your phone system is prone to downtime, unclear call quality, or routing difficulties, it’s probably doing more harm than good. Not only does an unreliable phone system give a poor impression to customers calling in, it also reduces the effectiveness of company communications.

Solution: A VoIP upgrade, whether hosted, premise, or hybrid, can help your employees get the information they need whenever and wherever they need it. Features like find me/follow me call routing ensure that calls can reach the right person even when they’re not at their desk, reducing downtime — and panic — when a timely answer is needed.
Messaging Tools
Email has been a mainstay in business communications for almost two decades, but by today’s standards, it can be slow and bulky. Wading through the spam, reply-all chains, and forwards to find the email you need takes time, and opens you up to a plethora of distractions.

Solution: As a part of unified communication solutions, instant messaging (IM) and chat tools can be a company’s internal communications …

Is BYOD Right for Your Business?

We’re calling it: flexibility is going to be the business buzzword of 2018. With more companies allowing their employees to work remotely, office workspaces are becoming less critical to operations. BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, policies have caught on in the push for flexibility, but should you implement them for your company? Let’s weigh the pros and cons.
Pros

Employee Satisfaction: For many people, their personal devices have pretty much become a part of their being. With a BYOD policy, employees get to use the devices that they’re most comfortable with rather than working on a company platform. By using systems that they are already used to, they can jump right into work without any training or points of confusion that could come from using a work-provided device. And while distraction may be a concern, that street runs two ways: employees who receive work-related emails, calls, and messages to their personal device will likely spend more of their own time being productive.

Reduced Costs: There are several areas in which a BYOD policy can help reduce company spending. First, and perhaps most obvious, having employees work from their personal devices means less spending on company-provided hardware like computers and phones. Rather than providing a whole new workspace for a new employee, all you need to provide is any necessary software licenses or ancillary tech they need for their position. Another area for savings with a BYOD policy is IT costs. Part of being more comfortable with …

5 Ways Better Internet Service can Boost Your Bottom Line

We’ve all felt the frustration of a poor internet connection: web pages not loading, important files refusing to upload, emails and messages not sending. For businesses, these problems are more than frustrating; they cost time and money. While you may think that putting up with internet service that slows you down helps to save money, a better network and faster connection not only improves productivity, but can actually open the door to money-making solutions.
1. Leverage the Cloud for your Business
In their annual State of the Cloud survey, RightScale found in 2017 that over 95% of their respondents were already using the cloud for their business processes. And while the cloud offers businesses benefits such as reduced hardware maintenance, reduced IT spending, and more agile applications and processes, effective use of the cloud requires a reliable and fast internet connection. Migrating to the cloud has become easier and cheaper in the past year, and with its potential for increased savings and security, it makes more sense than ever to incorporate a cloud strategy into your business.
2. Go Further with VoIP
Making communication easier, faster, and cheaper is a surefire way to boost productivity and revenue. Switching your phone system to VoIP does all that and more: with lower trunking and long-distance costs and better scalability, VoIP systems cost less than traditional landline phones. In addition, VoIP systems offer a whole host of features that improve workers’ quality of life, such as mobility, conferencing, and integration with other communication tools as well …

How Big Data Solutions are Driving Business

Big Data: it’s useful, it’s interesting, it’s a little unnerving, and it’s here to stay. Companies large and small are leveraging Big Data in many different aspects of their business practices, and to great effect. But like with all new technologies and tools, data solutions require knowledge and a careful touch before employing them. Here are a few ways that Big Data is being used for business success:
Reduced Expenses
Big Data, or the information gathered from people about their demographics, habits, relationships, and more, can give great insight into how businesses can streamline their practices to best suit their employees and customers. With the ability to analyze what outfits people are sharing on social media and blogging platforms, clothing companies can predict demand for specific trends and accessories, and therefore can produce and ship the optimal amount for sales to their stores. The doors have been blown off of the accuracy and application of predictive analytics, and now it’s up to companies to utilize data solutions in new and creative ways.
Improved Innovation
These same predictive analytics allow companies to innovate like never before. Both producers of goods and service providers can brainstorm new offerings with unprecedented information about what their consumers want, need, and buy. Big Data applications can include risk analysis, market research, budgeting and planning, and beyond, allowing business decisions to be guided by information from the very people they want to target.
Customer Relationships
Of course, when business goals are informed by …

5 Benefits of Managed IT Services

With technology pervading every aspect of most industries, it’s more critical than ever to keep everything working the way it should. But sometimes the staff, resources, knowledge, and time you have just isn’t enough to keep up with the IT demands of a tech-driven workplace. IT solutions by managed service providers (MSPs) are an increasingly popular option for businesses of all sizes. Here are some reasons why:
1. Cost
One of the most visible benefits of a managed IT service is the cost. Most managed service providers operate on a monthly subscription, giving businesses a reliable expenditure and an easily measurable return on investment. This regular cost comes with many benefits that would be prohibitively expensive with an in-house IT specialist or department, such as 24-hour monitoring and fast response times, and because MSPs provide IT solutions to a number of different clients, they have the resources to hire more technicians and specialists than a single company does. Because of this, businesses that utilize managed IT services get more for their spend.
2. Knowledge
In addition to more people responding to work orders and doing installations, having access to more technicians means that businesses have a gigantic body of knowledge about the world of information technology. IT departments can get bogged down by the day-to-day, such as fixing broken devices, troubleshooting software issues, and doing basic maintenance, causing strategic technology goals and learning to fall by the wayside. Technicians at MSPs are out in the …

Why a Hosted VoIP Solution May Not Be Right for Your Company

You’ve probably heard all about why switching to a hosted VoIP solution is great for your business: lower maintenance costs, easy and fast integration, access to great VoIP features, and so on. And while both the cost and the features offered by switching to VoIP are vast improvements over traditional landline phones, a hosted deployment may not be the best fit for your company. Here are some things to consider:
Company Size and Projected Growth
Depending on the provider, large to enterprise-sized businesses may find that a hosted VoIP solution is not the best option for their phone systems. While hosted VoIP systems are capable of handling hundreds of lines, the pricing model usually includes a flat monthly rate per line. When compared to an on-premise deployment, in which the company buys and maintains their own infrastructure and hardware, the subscription model sometimes works out to be more expensive in the long run. The same is true for mid-sized businesses that find themselves growing and expanding; in terms of hardware, the only cost of expansion is the physical phone, but with a hosted system, more lines will need to be added.

However, the maintenance aspect of hosted VoIP systems may keep large businesses on board. Phone systems all require maintenance, and IP telephony has the added issue of data security that requires technical attention. For companies with limited IT support, or those that want to keep their specialists’ attention on other company goals, the maintenance and security …

Leverage Data Solutions While Protecting Customer Information

Data Protection Is Here To Stay
Big data is everywhere and it is important to protect your customer’s data. If you’re not using ambient data to market to your customers, you will be soon. Otherwise you risk falling behind their competition. While customers want relevant, personalized experiences when shopping for goods and services, they’re also nervous about what big data means.  Is your customer information safe?

Leveraging big data solutions can help you reach out to your customers and make meaningful connections with your best prospects.  In order to do so in a way that benefits your brand rather than harming it, you need to ensure that your customers’ information is secure. Read How to Get Started With Data Security.
Protect Customer Data
It is beneficial to business when data is used to enhance the customer experience.  But one data breach or successful cyber attack could send the company’s reputation down the drain.  Make a plan for how customer data will be handled and stored securely, not only to comply with industry regulations, but also to treat customers and their information in a respectful and ethical manner.

Systems should go through a thorough information security audit, and any points of weakness should be reinforced. Cyber attacks are evolving to target systems such as internet telephones and remote workspaces.  A solution that secures and stabilizes internet communications can help to safeguard your company and customers.
Make Customer Experiences Better
The term “big data” refers to data collected …

How Small Business Unified Communications Can Change Collaboration

As most small business owners will boast, the best asset of a small business is a compact but competent team with the drive to face any challenge. Yet with the multitasking inherent in running a small business, even a small team can have problems with communication and collaboration. Small business unified communications tools can help maximize the potential of your team by making collaboration easy.
1. Many Tools for Many Hats
Small business budgets can often mean settling for good enough rather than using better tools available to larger enterprises. Whether that means inferior “free” versions of independent collaboration tools, chaining as many trials together as possible, or simply going with a software or application that meets most but not all of your needs, the fact is that the fat trimming needed in small businesses makes it hard for your tools to match the level of work you and your employees are capable of.

With unified communications as a service, your business gets a variety of quality collaboration tools, managed by a provider, bundled together. And when every employee of a small business is responsible for more than one thing, having the tools to support efficient and excellent performance is critical.

 
2. Collaboration, Anywhere
Collaboration can be difficult whether the person you’re working with is at the next desk or across the country. Coordinating schedules for meetings and deadlines is like herding cats when everyone is keeping track of many different tasks. That’s why the mobility and …

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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.