Adding Staff? Deploy UC Apps & Mobile Tools on Day One so They Can Hit the Ground Running

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Assimilating new employees can be a slow, cumbersome process for any business, especially during COVID. If things don’t go well, new employees can take longer to reach their full potential, which can negatively impact your bottom line. If new employees get frustrated, they might even quit, forcing you to start all over.

The key to successful onboarding is making sure new employees get up to speed quickly by equipping them with robust, intuitive tools and capabilities…

  • Unified Communications – With real-time presence technology, new hires can instantly see which colleagues are available for a call. Immediate, real-time collaboration with group calling and chat allows new hires to get their questions answered in real-time.
  • Mobile communications app – Built on top of UC, new hires can instantly have everything necessary to meet customer needs and the ability to see all colleagues on a single screen within the app. With an intuitive app, they can quickly master its features, becoming instantly productive.
  • Platform Integration – To keep employees connected there must be seamless integration with either iOS or Android mobile devices. The ability to answer incoming calls supporting one or multiple company locations means new hires can be accessible and productive wherever they work.
  • Single User Interface – The UI must be designed to offer a single look and feel across ALL hardware and software deployments. Once new people learn one, they can use them all.

Need relief from the pain of onboarding? TCI solutions boost confidence, productivity and job satisfaction. Learn more today: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

The Challenge of Remote Work & Maintaining Financial & HIPAA Compliance

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With millions of people working from home in response to the pandemic, many businesses have embraced remote work as the “new normal.” This arrangement looks like it may permanently change how many leaders approach how they work, manage employees and structure their organizations.

But some things will not change…

Enforcement of regulations such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), which deals with the security of consumers’ personal financial information, and the Health and Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which deals with the security of patient records, does not stop just because people have shifted to working from home.

No matter where your people work…

Businesses that rely extensively on distributed workers cannot use just any cloud-based solution without incurring risk. So it is critical to verify that your technology supports customer teams working from home with the same levels of compliance as when they worked in the corporate office.

This is especially important when recording interactions and transactions, including any internal consultations that take place when a financial or healthcare professional is seeking clarification or guidance from a colleague. This also extends to those organizations whose teams continue to handle payments over the phone.

Whether your business is in the financial, healthcare or retail sector, TCI offers secure, reliable cloud communication services. We’re ready to assist your business maintain regulatory compliance no matter where your people work. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

5 Ways to Safeguard your Business from Cyber Threats

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One thing that has been fueled by the pandemic is the increasing frequency and greater scope of IT cyber attacks. And still, many businesses remain ill-prepared. Over one-third of small business owners recently surveyed admit they were at risk of falling victim, and a third said they were not confident that their business would recover if attacked. Only half believed they were well prepared.

Although there are new cyber threats every day, here are five measures that can help protect your business from the threat of imminent attacks:

  1. Schedule Annual Risk Assessments – Before taking any steps to prevent cyber-attacks, you need to understand the threats that are out there and your organization’s vulnerabilities. Risk assessments need to be thorough and conducted at least once a year.
  2. Monitor Your IT and Phone Systems – Keep a close eye on all critical IT systems to mitigate imminent threats. Consider hiring a trusted partner to monitor your network traffic, phone systems, server environment, and data processes around the clock.
  3. Back Up and Encrypt Your Data – Team up with trusted Voice and IT experts to set up a reliable cloud-based backup infrastructure system. Encrypted and safely backed-up data can protect against a range of eavesdropping and ransomware attacks.
  4. Manage Admin Privileges – Ensure that employees have access only to the IT resources and data they need to complete their tasks. Limit IT privileges across the board, especially for installing new software and accessing or manipulating sensitive data. Restrict admin privileges to only a few individuals and immediately revoke privileges when people leave the organization.
  5. Train Your Team – Regardless of the cybersecurity measures you have in place, it’s crucial to ensure that your workforce is on board with security protocols. Schedule routine staff training sessions to establish cybersecurity awareness, responsibilities, and accountability across your business.

Defense is the Best Offense

It makes more sense to invest in preventive solutions now rather than scrambling to act after an attack. Keep in mind that a majority of businesses never recover from successful cyber attacks.

With all the dangers lurking out there, you can’t afford to take chances with your security posture. Contact TCI to discuss your Voice and IT security challenges: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Looking Ahead… Evolving 2021 Cloud Trends

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The vast majority of businesses are now utilizing cloud services. But just because the cloud revolution has already happened doesn’t mean it has reached an endpoint.

With the cloud still evolving in 2021, it is worth examining how three emerging trends will impact businesses, and what business owners can do to prepare.

1. Artificial Intelligence

AI is going to be making a big impact on the world of cloud computing, as machine learning and automation create new efficiencies for decision makers and users. The arrival of AI will bring opportunities for some restructuring – many labor-intensive tasks will now be automated. This will leave your teams with additional working hours and resources that can be deployed to more strategic initiatives to grow your business.

2. Cloud-hosted Desktops

Cloud-hosted desktops will become more prevalent with the increase in hybrid and remote work. With a ‘Virtual’ desktop, the workstation is delivered directly to a remote computing device – laptop, tablet, smartphone – via a broadband connection through the cloud.

With Cloud computing technology, you’ll be able to securely deploy remote teams, and provide the tools they’ll need to handle collaborative tasks with their colleagues. To prepare, define hybrid and remote work policies within your organization, and make sure your teams get the technical skills training they’ll need.

3. A Unified Cloud Environment

Despite the best efforts of cloud providers to keep their offerings separate from their competitors, expect more multi-cloud arrangements to break down those artificial silos this year. Look for more cross-platform, cross-provider collaboration – which will benefit businesses and consumers. As these new collaborative services gain traction, equip your team so they can exploit the enhanced tools and functions to benefit your business.

Reach out to TCI today to learn more about how your business can fully leverage the latest technology throughout 2021 and beyond. Contact us at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

How Flexible Cloud Voice Service Can Strengthen Your Business

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Over the last few years, Cloud Voice service has quickly taken over old-school landlines and premises-based systems as the preferred small business and enterprise communications solution. With the pandemic, cloud solutions have taken on new importance.

TCI’s Cloud Voice offering is TCI Host, an all-in-one service that supports all of your communications needs – including unlimited calling, messaging, and powerful team collaboration tools. You also get security; automated call screening, forwarding, routing and answering; voicemail-to-email; and user-controlled administration.

With TCI Host, all you need are IP desk phones in the office or any broadband-connected computer or smartphone to connect to the hosted platform through a Cloud Voice app supporting UC service that is customized with all the features your business needs.

Benefits of Cloud Voice

There are several potential benefits of upgrading to TCI Host. Here are just some of the service’s many upsides:

  • Flexible and versatile telephony – Cloud Voice allows you to use convenient call features, such as auto-attendant and advanced call processing. Among many other capabilities, you can also hold virtual meetings and collaborate on remote tasks. The service scales with your business as it grows, and you never have to make tedious and expensive upgrades to add more users or call capacity.
  • Reliable connections – With stable broadband connections coupled with redundant infrastructure backing everything up in the Cloud, you’ll have no worries about dropped calls. Besides service dependability, IP phones also have superior voice and video quality over traditional phones.
  • Complete portability and accessibility – And because Cloud Voice works on the Internet, it’s not limited by distance or national borders. You connect seamlessly regardless of location, allowing you to manage your business on the go and easily communicate with remote colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.
  • One all-inclusive, low monthly price – TCI Host eliminates the expensive upfront costs of buying phones and investing in an expensive on-premises PBX system. For a single, all-inclusive monthly price, you can enjoy state-of-the-art IP phones, Mitel’s award-winning call control features, and 100% lifetime support.

With constant refinements over the years, Cloud Voice has emerged as the most preferred enterprise communications technology. Don’t get left behind – take advantage of this versatile and affordable innovation to boost your business.

Since all businesses have unique communication needs, TCI’s team of experts will help by designing the most suitable solution for your enterprise. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.