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Attention Educators, Government, Non-Profits… Overwhelmed by the Bid Process?
Simplify with our Sourcewell Contract

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Your organization needs better technology… now the hard work begins. You face some important decisions:

  • What solution or service are you going to select?
  • How will you evaluate it?
  • How are you going to buy it?

While the bid and procurement process can be complex, time consuming, and overwhelming, your local TCI team helps you tap into Mitel’s national competitively awarded contract with Sourcewell to streamline and simplify purchasing the communication technology solutions your organization needs.

What is Sourcewell and how can the Sourcewell Contract benefit your organization?

Sourcewell – formerly National Joint Powers Alliance – is a service cooperative that provides programs and services to 50,000+ member organizations and agencies.

Sourcewell’s exclusive agreement with Mitel as its telecommunications provider is a multi-year contract allowing the public sector to access better collaboration and communication solutions through contract # 022719-MBS.

Who is eligible?

The contract is available to state, local & tribal government, education agencies including K-12, higher education, public or private, and nonprofits including churches, credit unions, and trade associations.

The advantages of buying through Mitel’s Sourcewell Contract

  • Offers the best value and is competitively bid
  • Streamlines the purchasing process, saving time and money
  • Satisfies the competitive solicitation process
  • Access to volume pricing nationwide

Simplify your procurements and learn more about our Sourcewell co-op purchasing agreement… Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Stay Energized… 5 Tips to Combat Video Conferencing Fatigue

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Many of us are relying on video to stay in touch with friends and colleagues. As a result, we’re spending both work and personal time on camera, and these hours add up fast. It’s no wonder people have come to find video conferences draining.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to reduce video fatigue, while still interacting with team members and getting work done. The five tips below will help recharge your video conferencing batteries…

1. Ask yourself if video is really necessary – If you’re scheduling a meeting, think about how important it is to see the other participants. Client meetings and brainstorming sessions are often better with video, but routine check-ins and status updates may be just as effective with the camera turned off.

2. Be selective about invites – The more people on a video call, the more tiring it can be. There are more faces to watch (and interpret) and it becomes difficult to constantly adjust your attention from one person to another. Staying focused becomes a challenge. To overcome this, carefully review the invite list and limit attendees to only those who need to be there.

3. Use a reliable and secure video conferencing provider – A reliable video conferencing solution reduces worry about potential technical issues. A powerful solution should also include additional features that make video calls more productive and engaging. Some providers include persistent chat logs and file sharing, so you can keep track of important decisions and share information.

4. Schedule breaks between video conference calls – With remote work continuing for many, video conferences aren’t going away. A short break between calls gives you time to stretch, grab a snack and freshen up if you’re feeling drained. A walk outside can also do wonders. It will help you to refocus and gear up for the next call.

5. Leverage other unified communications technology when appropriate – Persistent collaborative workspaces are a unified communications tool that allows team members to work together efficiently and effectively. Colleagues can share files, chat and exchange ideas in real time. You can even create and assign tasks to people, making it easy to track progress on projects and to stay on top of your own to-do list.

Sometimes we just don’t want to be on screen. Remote work and video conferences will be part of our new normal, so take steps now to keep them in check and you energized.

Make sure your video meeting solutions are helping your team meet its potential… Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Stay Competitive… Ensure your Communications System is a Strategic Asset in 2021 & Beyond

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Today’s business reality is that you can’t be competitive without a fully optimized communications system. That’s why it’s important to regularly take a hard look at what you have and what you should have.

Many communications system features that may have seemed unnecessary a few years ago are now table stakes. Likewise, features you thought would improve operations may no longer be delivering the benefits they should be providing.

  • Efficiency – Research shows that 85% of small businesses agree that efficient communication between different teams is fundamental to staying ahead of the competition. But a poor technology strategy can have serious repercussions on a business and even affect a company’s ability to compete. For example, inefficient communications can cost upwards of $6,000 per employee per year to a small business, even more for an enterprise.
  • Integration – Systems that aren’t integrated with core applications, like CRM, that don’t provide a single unified view of all communications options and that don’t enable team collaboration, video conferencing and anytime, anywhere access to email, text and chat are no longer adequate.
  • Software Updates – Likewise, systems that offer all those things but are two or three software updates behind are not operating at peak efficiency and may, in fact, be reducing productivity and increasing the IT threat surface.
  • Reassessment – Organizations that don’t view their communications system as a strategic asset, reassess their investments regularly and optimize their systems at every opportunity can find themselves in situations where their communication technology mix does not meet today’s demands.

Keeping pace with ever-changing communications technologies will position your business for success when an unexpected crisis arises.

Schedule a technology consultation or site survey to ensure your Business Communications are ready for 2021. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Need New Technology? Calculate Your End-of-Year Section 179 Deduction for 2020

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Time is running out to leverage the Section 179 deduction for this year…

Section 179 of the federal tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase or lease price of new technology the first tax year – up to $1,040,000.

Yes, this deduction applies to both leased and purchased equipment. When you buy or lease, you can deduct the full amount on your taxes. When you lease, you pay the monthly lease payments and you still get to deduct the full purchase price on your taxes.

Whether you choose to purchase or lease, you’ll need to put the equipment/software into service by the end of the day December 31, 2020.

Follow this link for more information about Section 179, which includes a savings calculator. Click here.

Then reach out to TCI to discuss new solutions that can help your business get ahead. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Getting More from Your Technology Investments

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Staying competitive, taking advantage of opportunities, and saving money do not always require abandoning technologies you already have in favor of a single silver-bullet breakthrough.

TCI can help you optimize your business processes at incremental cost simply by extending your current technologies to achieve transformative results.

  • Take the Cloud, for example… This is now a mainstream technology that includes deployment options that easily combine the benefits of hosted solutions with your existing systems. The Cloud’s inherent flexibility allows you to meet different business needs without force-fitting all of your technology into a single approach that may fall short of expectations.
  • Add collaboration tools to your Cloud Voice and you have Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). It turns out that built-in disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities add even more value to UCaaS.
  • Most businesses rely heavily on wireless networks but tend to “set and forget” them. Our Managed Wireless service ensures your office Wi-Fi can easily adapt to keep up with growing demands.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly emerging technology that you can integrate into established business applications. It can be added to contact centers, for example, to significantly improve your Customer Experience.

Let’s talk about how you can leverage recent innovations with your existing technologies to transform your business. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Cut Your Networking & Telecom Costs and Optimize Your Services

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Wondering if you’re getting the best pricing, service, and solutions? Need faster broadband, voice or data? A more reliable connection to your data center? Want great customer service when you need it?  The time and effort it takes to identify and compare the offerings and deals of service providers can be a daunting experience for even the biggest firms.

There’s a better way…

We recognize that networks and phone systems are essential to your daily operations. Now you can get all the communications support you need from your single-source technology partner – TCI. We find the best solutions for you and manage everything, acting as your advocate with the service providers every step of the way.

You call us. We do the rest.

Our team of carrier, broadband, and network services experts review your entire IT and Telecom environment – Everywhere we look we can optimize what you have or find you better solutions and better pricing.

You pay nothing extra for our expert advice and coordination, plus you get TCI’s outstanding support.

Get started today! Contact TCI at: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Simplifying Operations with Better Technology Starts with a 2019 TCI Planning Session

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With budget season here and 2019 right around the corner, now is a great time to start evaluating your office technologies and setting strategic goals.

A TCI Technology & Business Review gets you prepared for the new year, whether you’re considering Digital Transformation, IoT, Disaster Recovery, IT Security, Cloud, or Managed Services.

Not familiar with the latest innovations or apps? We’ll get you up to speed so your business can connect more easily and become more productive than ever with the latest tools.

Schedule your 2019 planning session with TCI today. Call (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Is An Office Move in Your Future? TCI Helps You Make a Successful Technology Transition

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Office technology is the powerhouse that drives your business forward… If your phones aren’t ringing and your systems aren’t working at your new office on Day One, then your business can sputter to a stop.

Here are some of the critical technology elements that your TCI relocation experts pay special attention to so you can avoid costly roadblocks…

  • Equipment – We determine if your current systems still meet your business needs. If they fall short, we’ll get you up to speed on upgrades or replacements that will meet your performance requirements at your new location.
  • Cloud Migrations – An impending move may provide an opportunity for cost savings by moving more systems and applications to the cloud, especially if your aging on-premises technology can’t provide the latest capabilities your people need to perform at their best. We perform a comprehensive analysis and make deployment recommendations so you can make an informed decision.
  • Infrastructure – We review your cabling and outlet requirements for voice, data and video, as well as map out the best locations for switches, routers, wireless access points, servers, phone system, network printers, and uninterruptable power systems.
  • Dedicated Space – We’ll work with your facilities team to help identify the ideal locations for server rooms and network hubs, and any special requirements for electrical power, air handling, and physical security.
  • Telecom & Internet – We review capacity requirements to determine if you need more LAN/WAN capacity, phone lines, and broadband services at your new location. We’ll work with the service providers to get the connections you need.
  • Data Protection – We can assist with backing up your important data and applications as well as firewall, server, router and phone system configurations so that if something goes wrong during the move, you will have the ability get your business up and running quickly.

Don’t let a poorly executed office move put your business on hold. Get our relocation experts involved in your plans as early as possible. Contact us today: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.