BYOD

4 REASONS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BYOD

Before the days of smartphones and laptops, the idea of asking an employee to bring their own devices would be considered laughable. Can you imagine, employees hauling bulky desktops and towers to work each day? BYOD has made what was impossible, possible.

The evolution of technology has been rapid. At this point, BYOD is old news. However, the buzz surrounding it hasn’t quieted down. Its popularity is expected to grow. Companies aren’t asking if they need BOYD, but rather what is the best practice for implementation. It’s quickly taken its place as a part of our modern business culture.

That being said, some organizations are still hesitant to adopt a BYOD policy. Here are a few reasons why it’s beneficial.

 
Productivity
One of the most significant benefits of BYOD is the boost in productivity seen in all departments of an organization. Employees are using devices they are familiar with making it easier to take full advantage of device features. IT Technicians are using tools they already understand, requiring less training. Organizations can maximize revenue through productivity.

 
Cost
If you’re a business owner, you know the costs of technology can be substantial. Supplying an entire company with devices can add up quickly. BYOD programs shift costs to the individual user. Businesses have noticed as employees use their smartphones and tablets maintenance and service fees are drastically reduced. Additionally, employees who use their own devices are more likely to have the latest technology, meaning you don’t have to …

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 …

Upgrade Your Phone System to Go Green

For businesses today, going green is more than a trend. With a wide range of benefits, including increased consumer support and reduced energy costs, making a conscious effort to reduce negative environmental impact is just good business. What’s more, becoming an environmentally friendly business is no longer difficult or expensive to achieve. By simply making green changes to your everyday practices, you can achieve a smaller footprint without disrupting operations. For example, choosing to upgrade your phone system can have a huge impact. Here’s how:

You may not realize it, but your desktop phones are horrible for the environment. Implementing Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and Unified Communications (UC) in your business can simultaneously improve both efficiency and environmentalism, meaning double the benefits.
VoIP Requires Less Hardware
Your plain old telephone system (POTS) requires a lot of stuff. From the plastic used to make handsets, to underground copper cable systems, to switchboards and satellites, a lot of material and energy goes into communication that we take for granted. POTS require upgrades every two years or less, on average, which results in a lot of hardware being dumped in landfills. In comparison, VoIP requires much less investment in physical devices. Because it uses your existing internet connection, and doesn’t require a dedicated handset — your telephone hardware could consist of as little as just one VoIP router. With options such as softphones on desktops or laptops, or integration with employees’ personal mobile phones with a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, you can say goodbye …

Man with device

Pros & Cons of BYOD

The BYOD or Bring Your Own Device movement has gained a tremendous amount of traction and isn’t going away anytime soon. Many companies now allow employees to bring their own laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other productivity tools to their workplace and reap the benefits of familiarity.

While most employees tend to speak only positives about BYOD, not all employers share the same opinion because a haphazard BYOD policy can put a company in several tricky situations.

If you’ve thought about implementing BYOD at your office but haven’t been able to decide, consider the following pros and cons of BYOD.
Pros of BYOD
1. Comfort: The best thing about this program is that it allows the workers to use devices that they are already familiar with. Because the employees are already comfortable with their devices, they can focus more on work-related tasks instead of “settling in,” making increased efficiency one of the biggest pros of BYOD.

2. Flexibility: When you allow your employees to use their own device, they are better able to work remotely. Remote workers can join calls, meeting, and general collaborations from anywhere and at any time, without needing work-issued tools to access their documents and data.

3. Cost savings: Perhaps the most obvious benefit of BYOD for employers is the financial savings from not having to buy a device for each employee. Rather than issue a brand new smartphone with its own data plan to every hire, employers need only to ensure that new hire downloads the right applications to …

The Don’ts of Hosted VoIP Solutions

The VoIP industry has been on expansion mode for quite a long time now and is expected to grow even further. With the rise of smartphones, giving the desktop computer and laptops a run for their money, mobile VoIP has also made a profound impact on the corporate environment.

In fact, recent reports suggest that the global VoIP market will grow to $136.76 billion by 2020 from $70.9 billion, which was in 2013. While there are many reasons for you to be excited about the idea of implementing VoIP within your organization, there are a few things that you must avoid doing.

In this article, we’re going to talk about some of the absolute DONT’s of hosted VoIP technology. So, keep on reading!

1. Don’t ignore default passwords

Hosted VoIP solutions might be efficient, cost-effective, and secure, but it cannot protect your systems if you do not take the least bit of care. A lot of people don’t bother to change the default passwords that the manufacturer uses to quickly login and run tests.

These passwords, which are no more complex than “password” or “root,” can be found in the hardware documents publicly. Before the systems are put in their places, make sure you have changed these passwords to your liking. Otherwise, you run the risk of hackers getting access to mobile VoIP and stealing your data.

2. Don’t ignore outdated infrastructure

Very often, the cause of failing VoIP can be traced back to leaks in …

The Pros and Cons of BYOD

In a world where technology is constantly changing and evolving, it can be almost impossible to keep up with the latest shifts and trends, especially for large companies managing complicated systems. But, it’s much easier for individuals to stay on top of the latest trends, and they often do.This is why, more and more, employees like using their own devices at work rather than relying on technology that may be outdated or hard to use. This desire has fueled a trend called Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).

The BYOD to work movement is taking the enterprise by storm and doesn’t show any signs of slowing. This new movement is often more productive and cost-effective for companies, but not always. There are a lot of perks to the BYOD movement, but also a lot of risks.

Before you put a BYOD plan in place, explore some of the Pros and the Cons of BYOD in 2017.
Pros of BYOD
Some of the more obvious perks to a BYOD environmentcircle around employee satisfaction. Workers know their own devices, they like them, they want to use them. When they are allowed to use their own devices, rather than an outdated or unfamiliar device provided by their company, they are happier.

But the perks go beyond happy employees. They also tend to be more productive on their own devices. They can share information faster and easier, work faster, and when they have their devices on them all the time, they can work …

Getting the Most Out Of Your Remote Employees

Whether your firm is adding to its remote workforce, or just beginning the process of incorporating remote workers into the company, there are numerous things to consider.

Whether you’re evaluating an existing employee as a remote worker, or interviewing a potential new hire for remote work, an individual’s skills and his/her ability to self-manage are obviously a necessary item. It’s important to establish and maintain a trust level with each remote worker. But beyond that, there are a number of additional items to keep in mind:
Provide the Necessary Equipment
With a remote workforce, it’s important to maximize communication through the use of technology that is meaningful for your particular industry. This may include the installation of a cloud-based or hybrid phone system. Additionally, you may want to evaluate allowing the remote employees to operate within a “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policy for their mobile devices.
Schedule Regular Meetings
Some organizations schedule weekly video conference calls across various geographic regions to accomodate the remote workforce. The participants include different levels of related management and remote workers. The exchange of information keeps everyone in the loop, discussing the strategies that are working for the business and those that are not. Any new techniques used or tested are shared and discussed.

Depending on the proximity between remote workers and management, occasional face-to-face meetings might also provide advantages in order to instill a sense of belonging within the organization.
Discuss Schedules
For many remote workers, one of the benefits of working remotely is a flexible schedule. …

Smart Data Solutions: Combating Common Data Security Threats

Data security continues to be a growing concern among businesses today – both large and small.  Rightfully so, with 43% of businesses reporting they have experienced some form of security or data breach within the last year. However, despite the risks involved, a majority of organizations still don’t have a data solution system in place to protect their sensitive company information and systems.

So what can you do to start the process of ensuring that you aren’t becoming one of those impacted businesses? It begins with understanding what causes these attacks and preparing your business accordingly.
Risk #1: Former Employees
One of the biggest security threats against business security today is its employees. Disgruntled former staff (especially those with IT controls) pose a tremendous risk against the security and confidentiality of company information. In order to prevent malicious attacks from those with access to data centers and administrational information, there must be a policy in place that monitors and controls all privileged accounts. Additionally, this process should ensure all former employees are immediately terminated from company systems and data access points. Make this one of the first courses of action after an employee leaves the organization.
Risk #2: Current Employees
Beyond former employees, there are also employees who may be uninformed or careless about how to protect the organization from a security breach. More specifically, they may use weak passwords or keep their devices unlocked frequently – putting the company at significant risk if lost or …

The IT Director’s Role in BYOD Security

We used to think of IT Directors as an independent part of an organization, operating in their own little world and fixing problems as they arise. Today, they are a key component to the strategic development and decision-making of the business. In this more modern IT world, some of those strategic decisions include the company’s BYOD security policies.
Developing a Security Policy
Threats like viruses, unsecured devices and theft all put private corporate data at risk. In order to prevent the unauthorized access of this information, an IT Director should implement a security policy that is monitored and enforced throughout the organization. This policy should include:

Corporate Data Protection Policy: Employees should keep all company data separate from their personal data. Additionally, all business data should be encrypted so an unauthorized user cannot access the company data in a readable form.
Restrictions for the Use of Compromised Devices: Mobile devices that have been “jailbroken” or “rooted” should not be permitted for company use. Additionally, all approved devices should have a screen-locked password.
Mobile Security Management Best Practices: Using a security management suite like Mitel Sky prevents unauthorized users from gaining access your company data without enrolling first.
Offline Accessibility Controls: For companies with high levels of security, sensitive documents and applications should be blocked from mobile accessibility. These documents should only be available if the user is directly connected to the corporate network.

Generating Executive Buy-in for BYOD Systems
An IT Director looking for executive approval should identify the …

BYOD

Tips For Creating a BYOD Solution and Security Policy

Bring Your Own Device, or “BYOD” as it is more commonly referred to, is dramatically shifting of how companies today do business. Because of this mobile shift and dependency, the desire and ability for employees to work from anywhere is growing rapidly. Many companies that wouldn’t dream of allowing sensitive company information on a personal device just 5 years ago are now reaping the many benefits of having a mobile workforce. However, these organizations are also taking protective steps to ensure their data is protected with the implementation of a BYOD Security Policy.

The Benefits of BYOD Solutions

The shift to a BYOD world is happening because of a number of benefits a mobile workforce can provide:

Worker Satisfaction: Many employees today prefer to work on the devices they know and love. Your organization will also draw in better applicants because they are drawn to companies providing the ability to work from anywhere.

Increased Productivity: When employees are using the devices they are also using for personal connections, they are likely to respond faster to work-related items on that same device.

Cost Savings: A BYOD solution can take away a number of expenses for the business. Costs for the hardware and service can be transferred from the company to the employee.

 

Creating A BYOD Security Policy

Threats like viruses, Malware, unsecured devices, and theft all put sensitive corporate data at risk. In order to prevent these problems, a BYOD security policy should be created, monitored and enforced within the organization. …

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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.