It’s true that Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is probably going to be cheaper than using an enterprise phone system through your regional phone company. While cost reduction is a good reason to choose a service, VoIP does much more than just reduce communication costs. Implementing a VoIP platform also presents a lot of solid options that can help your business be more efficient and productive.
Most companies have some sort of human resources department. Some are bigger than others. Some are more effective than others. Typically, the HR department deals with a lot of the stuff that no one else likes to. Today, software is being created using artificial intelligence that will be able to complete many of these tasks. Let’s take a look at how automation is affecting the modern human resources department.
Now that text messaging is being used for marketing, it isn’t that rare to see messages in your inbox that are from businesses. Most of these messages, however, seem to come from a random number. Google has taken notice and is rolling out a way for businesses to verify that they are the ones that are sending users messages.
For today’s business, agility is important. Things can change so rapidly that if a business commits to one way of doing business, it could spell curtains for them if they are forced into making changes that don’t work with certain strategies or technologies they’ve chosen to use. These days, software integration can allow businesses to optimize the flow of information and change course quickly, all while keeping their business running effectively. Let’s take a look at this integration.
Technology is a key part of operating a business nowadays, which is why advancements in business technology solutions are so important for organizations to keep pace with. Let’s review a few solutions and technologies that we predict businesses will (or at least, should) focus on this year.
The dreaded printer is often ignored by business professionals, until they have to use it, and it’s out of ink/toner, has a paper jam deep inside the machine, or they mysteriously disappear from the network for no reason. They are forgettable machines that hardly function properly and need constant maintenance; and, this can get really expensive.
There is no question that smartphones have assimilated into our daily communications, both on a personal level and in the professional sense. Apps allow us to be social, to accomplish work-related tasks, and yes, kill some time with the latest silly trending game. Of course, as time passes, these devices only grow more advanced. If you’re due for a replacement, you may want to examine some of your options before pulling the trigger.
Attention: You Aren’t Safe Listen up: if you are still using Windows 7–or much worse yet, Windows Server 2008 R2– and these machines are connected to a network that is connected to the Internet, that network is in jeopardy. Microsoft has retired support for both operating systems and will no longer provide crucial security updates and bug fixes making them vulnerable to cyberattacks. What Moves Should You Make? You need to do what you can to upgrade away from Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. What If You Can’t Upgrade? If your company depends on legacy titles that are only compatible with these systems, there are things you can do to protect your network. They include: Make sure firewall and antivirus are up to date – There are still risks when you keep systems running these OSs connected to your network, but by upgrading firewall and antivirus you’ll have a better chance at keeping unwanted entities off of these systems. Update other software – Along with security solutions, you’ll want to make sure other pieces of software you run on the platform are updated. For example, Google Chrome has stated it will support Chrome on Windows 7 until July 2021. Take resources offline – If your Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 systems are taken offline, they are effectively quarantined away from the rest of your computing resources. What Are Your Options Going Forward? You will need to upgrade. For Windows 7, you can upgrade to Windows 10 or you can look to the cloud. There are options offered, such as the Windows 365 bundle, that delivers Windows 10 Pro, customizable security, and Microsoft Office 365 for a monthly fee per user. Regardless of what you choose, you need to get crucial business computing systems off of Windows 7. For Windows Server 2008 R2, you’ll need to upgrade to a supported version of Windows Server. Knowing that this can come with massive upfront costs, Microsoft also provides migration solutions though their Azure cloud services. If you are still using unsupported Microsoft operating systems, you need to start planning your upgrade today! Call the IT experts at GeekboxIT to get started moving your business’ critical computing resources away from vulnerabilities by giving us a call at (336) 790-1000.
The Consumer Electronics Show is where people get to see emerging technologies first. Typically thought of as an event where innovations in, well, consumer electronics are put on display, a lot of the technology on display at CES can be big news for businesses as well. Today, we are going to review some trends that CIOs and other business decision makers should be paying attention to.
Businesses today rely on a lot of data, and of course, this data typically isn’t stored all in one place, or even in the same format. Normally, this would make trying to manage this data far more complicated, but modern organizations have a way to simplify their data management: data virtualization.