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Winterize Your Business with Telework & Mobility Solutions

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Providing employees with the ability to work remotely – with full access and security to their desktop voice and data and applications – has become an essential element of business continuity planning, especially in our area, where even a mention of snow can suddenly force streets and buildings to close.

Telework

With “plug and work” access to the voice and data network at the office, your team can use all of the features and functionality they need while at home or on the road, allowing your business to keep going until everyone can return to the office. This kind of resilience can be had for a very low cost: an IP Phone with access to a broadband connection.

Mobility

Another way to protect your business is to equip mobile phones with apps that not only allows employees to make and receive calls placed to their corporate phone number, but leverage important communication features like extension dialing to co-workers, use of the company dialing plans, and corporate phone directory lookups. Equipped for mobility, your team can produce anywhere.

Winterize your business now

TCI makes it easy to keep employees productive and your customers happy. While competitors scramble to find communication alternatives until the snow clears, it is “business as usual” for you.

Don’t wait for bad weather to arrive.  Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Get to know ‘CloudLink’… Mitel’s On-Ramp to an IoT and Cloud Future

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We want you to be ready when Mitel’s innovative ‘CloudLink’ comes online, so as news breaks look for more updates from us. ‘CloudLink’ will be a focal point of Mitel’s product roadmap moving into 2018, and we like what we’re hearing.

At a high level, the CloudLink vision is to provide:

  • A bridge to enable any Mitel call control platform to interface with cloud-based applications
  • Access to vertically-focused micro applications
  • An aggregation point for IoT sensors that can trigger communications actions or responses
  • APIs for third-party developers for use in creating applications
  • A zero-code application development environment that non-programmers can use to create apps
  • An integration point for third-party cloud apps like Salesforce, Zapier, and If-This-Then-That using call control signaling and notification in the workflow

CloudLink’s architecture has two elements: a CloudLink gateway device connected to the Mitel Next platform running in Amazon’s cloud (AWS). The gateway can be deployed either on-premises or in the cloud. CloudLink enables signaling protocols from a mix of PBXs – different makes and models – to be normalized so there is only one common signaling and messaging protocol between the gateway and the Mitel Next Platform.

Mitel CloudLink architecture showing integration with on-premises and cloud-based call control

What’s in it for me?

CloudLink will enable an instant on-ramp to cloud-based app consumption. You won’t be limited to using Mitel-created apps. With CloudLink, you’ll be able to build your own apps, communications-enabled processes, and IoT-enabled processes.

Interested in CloudLink? Let’s start talking about your technology roadmap for next year. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Hey, Did You Know TCI Offers SD-WAN Services to Connect Your Business?

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Software-Defined Wide Area Networks enable businesses to take more control of their connectivity. Now you can make your remote and branch office connections faster, more cost-effective and ready to support new market opportunities.

Paired with gigabit speed broadband connections, SD-WAN can help overcome the bandwidth, scalability, and cost concerns common with legacy MPLS networks.

Benefits of SD-WAN Delivered by TCI

  • Performance optimization – Scalable pipeline and intelligent path selection will improve network performance enterprise-wide.
  • Greater throughput and reliability – Application-aware routing protocols let your network adjust to demands in network traffic.
  • Better control – Handle tasks like pushing policies to branch locations and launching new sites remotely from a central location.
  • Network visibility – Through a self-service portal, SD-WAN offers better network visibility, with application-level insights.
  • Cost savings – With intelligent software substituting for hardware functionality, you can save as expensive hardware is phased out or consolidated.

Deploying an SD-WAN solution is not a fork-lift replacement. Our experts can help you gradually ease into a SD-WAN. There’s no need to immediately sacrifice existing investments in current networking infrastructure.

Reach out to TCI to learn more about how SD-WAN solutions can improve the connectivity of your business. Contact us today at: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

 

Schedule your Technology Planning Session with TCI

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With budget season here and 2018 right around the corner, now is the perfect time to start evaluating your office technologies and setting strategic goals for the new year.

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 sure about the latest innovations or apps?  We’ll get you up to speed so your business can connect more easily and your people can be more productive than ever with the latest tools.

Start the new year right… Schedule your 2018 technology planning session with TCI.  Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Is Your Wireless Network as Fast as Your Best People?

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With the proliferation of Wi-Fi enabled devices, every business is adapting to keep up with more devices, access points, bandwidth, and the latest high-speed IEEE 802.11 standards. Secure Wireless LANs allow your employees and visitors to work anywhere in your building or campus, with convenient, worry-free access to the Internet or your local IT resources.

The freedom of a wireless workplace is critical to the success of businesses today. TCI eliminates the consequences caused by a poorly performing wireless network by implementing it right the first time, and providing the ongoing support you need to maximize the potential of your network connectivity.

We work on your behalf to guarantee the seamless functionality and resilient performance of your wireless infrastructure. From growing offices, to large corporate enterprises, we can design, implement and maintain the wireless network that will keep your business connected and running strong.

We make wireless easy

TCI delivers WLAN network projects on time, tested and ready to support seamless mobile access. Our experts manage all the details…

  • Wireless Site Surveys
  • Wireless Coverage RF Testing
  • Optimized Coverage Maps
  • Access Points | Placement and Cabling
  • Wireless Security
  • Testing and Certification

Whether you need Wi-Fi in a new building or across your campus, TCI has the experience and expertise to get your busness where it needs to be.

Have questions about how to make wireless technology work for your business? Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

How to Make the Most of Your Communication Investments

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Technology is constantly changing, and at an ever increasing pace. When it comes to unified communications and collaboration (UCC), your investments should be positioned for whatever the future brings. Here are some tips for making the most of your UCC investments that will ensure a better path forward for your business.

Keep communications seamless

The mobile workforce is not a trend that will go away anytime soon – in fact, it will accelerate. About 70% of mobile professionals will do their work on portable devices in 2018. This means communications and collaboration tools should be designed with mobility in mind so users can have a consistent in-office experience across all devices, no matter where they happen to be working.

Improve financial performance

A mobile collaboration strategy can continue to pay dividends year after year through significant cost savings. Working with TCI to develop a “mobile first” vision can transform your business and improve your profit margin without having to stake everything on a big sales win.

Engage and retain the best talent

A recent poll of 1,500 technology professionals revealed that 37% would take a pay cut of 10% if they could work from home. A mobile strategy can create a truly collaborative environment by improving employee morale, while enabling connections with colleagues on the road and in remote offices. It also permits your business to more easily tap into a global talent pool and should be part of your employee retention plan.

Improve customer engagement

Today’s customers will no longer wait in line or hang on hold. They want to connect with you through their preferred media – social networks, web chat, video and SMS – and they want to do it instantly. To gain a competitive edge, reach out to TCI for multimedia solutions that will improve customer engagement.

Protect your investment

Partnering with TCI provides the flexibility to change and grow at your own pace. Whether you have a premises system today, putting everything in the cloud or testing the waters with a hybrid arrangement, your communication infrastructure should easily scale as your business expands.

Trust a partner that delivers

From how your employees innovate to how you engage with customers, reliable communications in a rapidly changing environment is a critical business need. Take your team collaboration and customer experience to the next level by partnering with TCI for support you can count on today and tomorrow, no matter what the future brings.

Have questions about how to make your technology investments work for your business? Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Practical Business Realities Drive Adoption of Hybrid & Cloud Computing

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IT systems and data networks should move a business forward, not hold it back. That’s why companies in every industry are looking to the cloud. By using a network of remote servers to store, manage and process data, rather than the traditional local servers they might have on-site today, businesses can reap the advantages of high performance, reliability, affordable prices, easy collaboration, and secure data access.

And that’s not all… Hybrid and cloud arrangements offer a number of practical bottom-line benefits:

  • Deliver secure remote access to employees: Ensure your employees receive a consistent, high-quality user experience to rely on for secure access to the apps and data they need – no matter what type of network connection they use.
  • Provide employees with flexibility to work anytime, anywhere: Work is no longer a place – it’s something you enable with the greatest security and flexibility. Use app and desktop virtualization to embrace workforce mobility and empower your employees to work anywhere, anytime, on any device.
  • Empower mobile users without compromising security: Having sensitive business data stored on employee devices increases vulnerability. By virtualizing your apps and desktops to keep data secure in your datacenter or the cloud you don’t have to worry about lost or stolen devices.
  • Make managing desktops easier and more efficient: Implement app and desktop virtualization to automate and centralize management. You can stop patching and updating your employees’ desktops on an individual, manual basis – saving you time, money and frustration.
  • Get new employees up and running in minutes: Use any available devices – aging legacy PCs, thin clients, laptops or mobile devices – and reduce new employee time to productivity.
  • Keep employees productive during business disruptions: Empower your employees to work remotely during business disruptions – anywhere, anytime, on any device – with secure access to the apps and data they depend on.
  • Reduce IT costs: App and desktop virtualization significantly reduce your IT costs, management time, and complexity compared to traditional desktop management.

Many businesses are still under the impression that the Cloud is a one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why having a trusted technology partner who can work with you to develop a cloud roadmap and strategy is so important.

Have questions about what IT platform and cloud deployment option is best for your business? Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

5 Ways to Take Your Customer Experience to the Next Level in the Digital Age

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There’s a lot of pressure to provide a great experience each time customers interact with your brand. Businesses are responding by prioritizing the Customer Experience as a competitive differentiator.

Your business needs to consider the full range of your Customers’ Experience: not just the call they make to sales or support, but all the different departments and technologies that your customers interact with to make a sale or resolve an issue.

Here are five ways to deliver exceptional Customer Experience in the digital age:

  • Be holistic – Review your current Customer Experience; it doesn’t start and stop with one phone call. It’s important to take a 360-degree view, including chat, social media, direct messages and beyond.
  • Respond immediately – To avoid customer frustration with misdirected calls, a unified communications and collaboration system can allow your agents and staff to collaborate on customer issues without leaving the call.
  • Consider IoT – Implementing IoT automated responses to certain triggers can prevent problems before they take place. For example, a customer’s air conditioning unit can signal your business when the unit is not running properly so you can arrange a tech visit. The customer can respond within their own messaging app.
  • Go beyond voice – When you’re looking at your own contact center, make sure you’re not relying too heavily on voice call metrics; factor in responses and workflows via alternative media.
  • Push for high availability – Your Customer Experience doesn’t stop when there is a disaster or system malfunction. Push for high availability by keeping a physical or virtual replication of your main contact center server.

Let’s talk about using new technology to boost your Customer Experience. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Goodbye Silos… How TCI Advantage Brings Everything Together

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There are a lot of companies out there selling standalone communications solutions, but many miss the mark, falling short when they fail to get to know your business in depth – your user environment, business requirements or history.

What sets our approach apart is that the TCI Advantage starts with a holistic suite of capabilities, combined with a fully trained, customer-focused and experienced staff of professionals. We wrap all of that with a Discovery and Assessment Process that ensures EVERY client engagement exceeds expectations.

TCI’s comprehensive portfolio is designed to cover every aspect of Business Communications, Networking, Support, Infrastructure, and Security…

TCI Host: Our Enterprise-class Cloud Communications Solution features UCaaS, bringing together the power of Mitel’s VMware-supported, feature rich software into a high availability Cloud environment. Paired together, this solution delivers the flexibility and reliability of the Cloud with all the advanced UC features you need to connect your business. Learn more

TCI Connect: Providing a three-pronged approach combining our comprehensive Net360 Network Assessment, Remediation & Onboarding Process, and SLA-based Maintenance and Network Monitoring, we ensure your Network Infrastructure is not only ready for your deployment, but will operate as expected for years to come. Learn more

TCI Manage: We release you and your overburdened teams from day-to-day network monitoring, backup, reporting and management tasks. At the same time, we’ll increase the performance of your network – while uncovering savings too. Learn more

TCI Secure: Rest easy with our multi-layered security solutions. We manage a broad array of Next Generation Firewall and Management products from SonicWall, End-point Security from Cylance, as well as Patch Management, Wireless Security and Backup/Recovery from industry leaders. Learn more

Find out how TCI Advantage breaks down the silos and brings everything together to simplify your life and empower your teams. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

6 Easy Steps to Prevent Phone Hacking

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Phone hacking, also known as “phreaking” costs businesses billions of dollars every year.

Decades ago, hackers accessed the public telephone network using a series of tones input via a “blue box” to fool Ma Bell into allowing them to make free long distance calls.  Now hackers can access phone systems through voicemail ports to make free international calls.

The good news is that there are simple measures you can take to ensure your phone system stays well protected.

  • When installing new equipment, always change the access credentials from the default settings.
  • Never use easy passwords such as 1234.
  • Routinely review itemized telephone invoices for any anomalies.
  • Ask your service provider about their fraud monitoring policy.
  • If you have more than one administrator accessing the telephone system, make sure they use unique access credentials.
  • Whenever staff members leave the organization, immediately disable their access credentials.

Your phone and IT systems are essential to your daily operations. Set up time with TCI to talk about implementing best-practice security measures for your business.

Ready to learn more?  Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.