In any business enterprise, managers and owners are usually concerned with how things are going with the present and in keeping things running smoothly. However, conscientious executives need also focus their attention on how to manage their operations when disasters strike. It is understandable that when disasters strike, regardless of how big or small they are, will disrupt the regular operations of your organization. People will be stricken, equipment will malfunction and moreover, data in your storage banks may have suffered a beating. In these instances, you need to formulate a business continuity plan to direct you on what to do.
The terms “disaster recovery” and “business continuity planning” are sometimes used interchangeably because their functions often overlap. When a disaster strikes, you have to have a disaster preparedness plan or a business continuity plan to help you move forward. There are many simultaneous activities that you need to focus on depending on the priorities of your organization. You also have to manage the people in your employ who are affected and the customers and clients whose orders and business will also be disrupted.
You can’t afford to wait until the disaster happens before you plan. You may do your planning internally with your managers or you can hire a company specializing in business continuity planning. The first agenda on the list will be to appoint or designate the people who will assume leadership when disaster strikes. When there’s a clear point person, it’s easier to implement your plans because someone else is taking charge. The second most important part is to evaluate the company’s processes to determine which should be prioritized for restoration of its activities to minimize the effects of such disruption on the systems and on the company’s people and clients. Third priority will probably be to determine backup recovery on systems and storage. It is also important to evaluate other potential sites for data storage so that if your office is affected, hopefully, your remote backup recovery unit is still intact and unaffected. It is essential that you maintain good relations with the other companies which will be helping you with your restorative activities – fire department, data storage and recovery people, medical staff – so that they can perform their functions as soon as needed.
One way to constantly be prepared is to continually perform live tests for disaster preparedness. Involve your employees, staff and management so that everyone will become familiar with the routine and everything will be running more smoothly in case something untoward happens.
By now, you are probably aware of the new technology that’s giving traditional phone companies a run for their money – VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP allows people to make phone calls over the Internet using either a computer, an IP (Internet Protocol) phone or an analog converter. Whichever method you use to access the technology, there are great advantages to shifting to VoIP technology especially when you make a lot of phone calls on a personal basis or for your business.
The primary advantage of using VoIP which makes it a popular choice is its cost to make a call. If you’re using the Internet to make a call, it only makes sense that you’re using a totally different mode of communication. You are using the resources of your own network and Internet connection and bypassing the cables and lines of your regular/traditional phones. This means that for every call you make on VoIP, you won’t be charged a cent. However, you can pay for a subscription with the software provider for the VoIP telephony, which believe it or not, is still a fraction of the cost when you make a regular call. Just imagine the savings you can accumulate in your company when your employees use their computers to place their calls.
Another advantage of using VoIP is its convenience and portability. If you were to compare a traditional landline phone with a mobile phone, a mobile phone wins on sheer portability. However, you’re faced with expensive call charges. If you were to compare a landline phone with a VoIP phone, They both need the hardware to make a call – the landline phone itself and the computer/Internet connection set. But, the VoIP doesn’t incur charges as much as the landline does, so it still has an advantage. If you were to call your office in New York from your office in Los Angeles, try to compare how your phone charges differ when made with a VoIP. Even if you transfer to a different city and you can still access your network online, you can still make the call without incurring any charges.
You also have a host of additional features that are standard with VoIP telephony. You can take advantage of these call features: call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, caller ID, seamless call transfers, and three-way calling. These are usually part and parcel of the software and are being offered for free.
The term “Cloud Computing” is such a by-word nowadays with people claiming it’s the trend of the future. The theory behind cloud computing is that individuals and business need not be limited by applications in their desktops. The applications, services and utilities needed in the performance of your work can simply be hosted in the “Cloud” or by a certain provider of your choice. You only need to log on to these services through an internet connection and a browser to access them anywhere you are.
You probably didn’t know it but you are already part of the cloud computing generation if you have an online email subscription, one that you access from the net and not installed in your desktop. Some of these are Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail. You can access your account from anywhere there’s an available Internet connection and a browser, right? That’s the most basic type of cloud computing there is.
If you can imagine the implications this kind of access will have for your enterprise, you’ll be staggered. See, now you are dependent on the software applications to be installed on each desktop of every employee in your organization. What this means is that you will have to pay for either the software or the software license for each of these workstations. If you use a cloud computing service to host your applications, you only need to have ONE application hosted with your service provider and your employees can simply log in and use the service from anywhere they are. This will work best especially if you have employees that are always on the road and have to access or store files that are necessary for other members of the team that are waiting in the offices.
Cloud computing is also highly scalable which means that it doesn’t matter if you have a small business or a very large corporation. It can easily be customized to suit your needs and to upgrade the system when the need arises. The initial start up will only be minimal and you’ll only probably face subscription fees to your hosting provider to keep the applications going.
The best part about cloud computing is that you don’t have to worry about how the system works, just that it works. You no longer have to have a dedicated IT group to take care of the system and the hardware for you. You’re paying someone else to do that, as part of being the cloud computing host.
If you’re thinking of trying out the new VoIP Telephony service, it’s actually quite easy to experiment with it provided that you have your own computer, an Internet connection, a specific software or program that lets you make calls through the Internet, a microphone and speakers. In this day and age, it’s not hard to get a hold of these things because they’re mostly part of the package when you buy a new computer, except for the software which you may have to search for online. To make a call through the computer, you and the receiving party need to be using the same application to be able to communicate. Just initiate the contact, dial the number and make your call just like you would on a regular phone. It’s that simple.
However, if you’re talking trying out a VoIP Phone system on a larger scale, like for a business or an organization, it may not be as simple as that. First, you need to decide if you’re going for a hosted PBX or have your own on-premise IP PBX. Both are IP Telephony PBX systems but a hosted PBX has a service provider which receives all your calls for you. An on-premise IP PBX needs you to invest in your own IP PBX equipment to make your VoIP telephony system work. Either way, they have a common set of equipment that they need to install and use before they can use them.
One of the most important parts of the system is the Phones. These IP Phones are like regular phones except that they’re connected to a Local Area Network. They’re practically plug and play so you can simply turn them on when you need them. What’s different though is that they have a number of special added features like voicemail, call waiting, call forwarding aside from the basic hold, mute and speakerphone functions.
To make the IP Telephony system work, you need to establish a network within your organization through which the calls will be accepted and routed. This is where your choice between Hosted or On-premise PBX is going to have an impact as these decide the type of network that’s going to host your calls.
The final essential part of the VoIP Phone system is the Internet service. Even when you have the phones and the Local Area Network in place, if you don’t have a broadband service, you can’t achieve full completion of your VoIP Phone experience.
Now that VoIP technology is resonating in the telephony business, you can’t help but wonder if you should join in and jump on the bandwagon. However, it’s not as simple as that because you need to consider several factors that will have an impact on your decision for choosing that particular telephony service.
The two types of telephony systems that are often pitted against each other are Traditional PBX and IP PBX. If you’ve ever worked in an office, you probably have at one time or another used a traditional PBX system. It’s very much like your regular phones, using cables to connect with other phones, but the calls are routed from the main telephone network through the PBX (Public Branch Exchange) system to connect with all the extensions within the network’s organization.
IP PBX is basically something similar in concept, except that, instead of the traditional cable systems associated with regular landlines, your calls are patched/sent through the IP Telephony system, traveling through the local area network connection of your own office using specific IP Phone desk sets.
If the basic difference is in the way your voice calls are sent, considering both have hardware and phone sets, what are the advantages of IP PBX over Traditional PBX? First, since IP PBX relies on your LAN connection to work, this is the path through which your voice calls will be routed. Yes, you still need essential hardware on the premises, but it does make relaying your calls faster and clearer. Second, you may think that investing in an IP PBX telephony system is expensive compared to a Hosted PBX alternative.
The truth is, even though you may have to initially spend on the IP PBX hardware, at least it’s yours and you will not be subjected to increasing rates for your subscription and use of the Hosting services should you try a Hosted PBX. An IP PBX is actually more cost-effective in the long run especially if you have a large number of employees connected to the system.
Second, you will appreciate the phone portability of the IP PBX system. The IP Phones that are part of the package are generally plug and play and are compatible with most computer stations. You can even establish remote extensions from your home should you have the ability to work from home. Third, you can easily add more phone systems to the existing system especially if you have branch offices to connect to your network. The calls between branch offices will hardly cost a thing.
In the modern times a number of business IT services are becoming popular and a number of companies are eagerly providing these services to the growing business houses. These services include IT consulting, business continuity planning, managed services, virtualization, cloud services, email and spam protection, network management, hardware and software, structured wiring and software development. We at SunTel Technologies provide the best of these services.
IT consulting is nothing but working under the guidance of a consultant who provides powerful strategies so that with the changing technologies, suitable changes can be made in the growing business so that the revenue increases and cost minimizes. A IT consultant points out the shortfalls of the present IT infrastructure and then offers a suitable strategy that suits your needs. A IT consultant needs to be an expert in that field and have the required passion. This service has a huge impact on the growth and success of a firm as these policies are designed keeping growth in mind. Talking about business continuity planning, such plans avoid the interruption of the business functions during power failures, natural disasters, IT system crashes and supply chain problems. It offers a broader approach to the concept that the business should keep running and make revenue even when small disruptions like sickness and departure of in-house staffs occur. These plans show its impact in the long run when a sudden outbreak is faced by the business.
Virtualization is a service which permits users to carry out more work with what one already has. It allows running of multiple virtual operating systems which are independent on one computer only. This reduces the electricity bills, improves on application performance, increases utilization and provides simple recovery solutions. Cloud computing has already been talked about earlier. It saves on a lot of money which would otherwise be spent on software, infrastructure and training of employees. These services are fast rising and have a very bright future as they are scalable, can be tailor made according to the needs of the business, available on the go and are affordable. With increasing attacks by hackers and spammers on email accounts, it is becoming very essential to protect the accounts in order to keep personal information safe. This service is creating a positive impact as it safeguards the emails and prevents virus, spam and other online threats. Network management as a service ensures peak performance of the network and infrastructure. It provides product expertise, email migration and support, small business server support, remote access with servers etc. Hardware and software services are in boom as every business requires them.
SunTel Technologies provides the required hardware at reasonable prices and software ownership so that you can perform hassle free. This includes hosted collaboration, internet security and storage. In addition, services of structured wiring which gives exceptional performance, scalability and reliability are on the rise. Development of software that suits your need is also developed by experts at SunTel Technologies. SunTel Technologies offers all these services to their long list of satisfied clients and wishes to continue doing so.
VoIP is better known as Voice over Internet Protocol which simply means making calls though the internet which is gaining popularity with every passing day. Now one may think what is so good or unique about it to gain popularity with every passing day. Well those who know what this service offers would surely be amazed at these questions but here the answer would be stated for sure. The reason of the popularity is the cost. Yes, it is the cost or one can say the call rate which makes it stand out and become a popular system.
Nothing is cheap these days. With the rising prices, all that people look out for is a sale or a discount or they look out for reasonably priced stuff. This is the natural trend amongst all. Every individual wants to save up and in the ‘era of communication’ when communication is the basic or one can say the most important part of every new venture, people try to find the cheapest service providers to bring down their phone bills. However, the fact is that how much can the phone bill be squeezed? The common answer would be, ‘not much difference’. This is where the VoIP service gets the plus point. It is services where one can make call using the internet and the best thing about it is that the price is actually very ‘cheap’. This sounds amazing. It means makes calls like before but pay less, in fact very less.
Making voice calls, video calls, sending messages and a communication medium so convenient was never so cheap and hassle free. SunTel Technologies offers the service and truly, it is an amazing service both for business and as well as personal communication. We like talking to the people who are of importance to us, whether it is our client or a relative or close friends and the worst part is that when we need to keep a track about the calls so that the limit is not exceeded. Here in the VoIP service, one can be free from this tension of maintaining the limit of the call.
Now all calls can be made without thinking too much about the cost and one can freely enjoy and communicate with clients without compromise. If one has a good number of friends in the group, an increasing number of family members and a good number of business clients then one should not think much as this is surely the ‘right time to switch to VoIP services’ which would make the whole process easier and make it really light on the pocket. This will increase the business profit and lessen the phone bills. This sounds great, does it not?
If the answer is yes, then it is best not to delay and find the right agency to guide and provide the VoIP services and SunTel Technologies is surely the best for it. The technical assistance provided is assuring and everything is taken care of by these professionals who are well trained at the SunTel Technologies.
Normally, people working in their offices don’t really care about how they receive and make their phone calls. What matters is that they can use their phones and make their calls when they want to and when they need to. However, for people who are running the organization, they will naturally be on the lookout for new technology to improve their business. They need to find something compatible with their systems without having to spend so much on putting these things together. Hence, the birth of Hosted PBX.
The concept of PBX is nothing new to users of phone systems that are usually in use throughout corporations with many offices to connect. PBX stands for Public Branch Exchange, a telephony system that accepts calls from the main public telephone network and disseminates the calls to their respective extensions, however many they are throughout an organization. The traditional PBX had its hardware located somewhere in the premises of the organization.
The trend of the future is a branching off from the traditional PBX. The concept of the PBX is still the same – the routing of calls for an organization through their extensions, but this time, the company itself doesn’t need to invest in the hardware for the PBX. They can search for a hosted PBX provider, whose main service is to “Host” the PBX, very much like the concept of an Internet Service Provider putting up your website. If your office receives a call, it doesn’t go directly to your office. It goes instead to the receiving end of the Hosting Provider who has the machinery and the equipment at their location. They in turn, through their hardware, will relay the calls to your office through an internet connection.
The potential for Hosted PBX has great benefits for businesses that are in the process of upgrading their telephony system. It also is a great option for small to medium-sized businesses that don’t have the capacity for a full-blown traditional PBX. The installation costs alone for traditional PBX can be staggering which can be a huge deterrent for some companies. What’s more, since you don’t’ own the equipment, you don’t have to worry about the hardware getting obsolete and you never have to worry about upgrading in the future. Also part of the Hosted PBX Service, it is also capable of servicing calls that are not immediately picked up. The system can handle voicemails, faxes, automated greetings, call records and routing of calls to the first available person in the department.
What is the most important thing in a business firm? Well it may be shocking but the answer to this is the ‘telephone’ or the communication devices and systems. This is no joke. We all know the importance of communication and that can be well understood by the increasing number of mobiles, iPad, laptops and other similar devices. Every single day, a new communication device or a new company is being established to provide communication tools and this because of the need to communicate with each other. Communication is just as a tool which is an essential part of the business as communicating with the clients is very important.
Here a comparison is shown between the conventional PBX and IP based PBX for small business. Both are similar but of course, there are differences. This comparison can give a clear picture of which system is best for the business firm which is surely a matter of concern. The traditional system that is the conventional PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is good and many companies still use it as they feel it is easier for them as they have been using it since long. This system involves the connection of the PBX system to the public telephone system and this automatically can direct as well as redirect call to the specified extensions. It is also good in managing as well as sharing multiple lines. For a business which is typical in nature, this system takes care of the internal as well as the external phone lines. In addition, a computer server manages the systems like routing of calls as well as the switching of calls.
Recent times prove that the companies need much more than the traditional conventional PBX system and this is the reason for the introduction of the VoIP PBX system into the market. This system as one can understand is an improved version of the traditional system and is soon replacing it in the market, since it offers a bit more than the conventional system. This has the facility of voice calls through the net where the system manages all the calls which is similar to the traditional system but in addition to this it is also more advanced in nature with latest technology used. It is cheaper too and making video calls is easy with this system. The clarity is good. It takes less time and proper training is provided for the backup facility. It is gaining more popularity as it meets the requirements of the business today which is very important for any business organization.
If after knowing that VoIP based PBX is the best system and one wants to know from where can one get it then the answer is SunTel Technologies. Yes, it provides an all in all solution making it easier to understand and run the whole system efficiently. The professionals are there to guide whenever required. The whole process is easy and SunTel Technologies takes care of all the needs of the business firm so there is no worry and their services can be trusted as they do what they promise to do.
Anyone with a computer can learn how to use it just by watching people use the applications stored on it. That’s why even kids can easily pick up the technique and are surfing the Net within a few minutes of sitting in front of the PC. The big problem comes when something goes wrong, when a wrong click gets you the blue screen of death (in most cases). Most people wouldn’t know how to fix this problem if they’re not savvy enough about the technology. They would probably call Tech Support for their computer because you can’t really stand having no computer for an extended period of time.
For businesses, that is the reason why they employ an IT Department so that at any time of the day, when something goes wrong in any of their employees’ workstations, help will immediately be on hand. However, the IT Department can also be redundant especially if nothing ever goes wrong and there’s nothing else for the IT Department to do.
So in cases when everything usually runs smoothly and your IT department is becoming redundant in their functions, you may think about outsourcing your IT support services. IT support services usually involve the monitoring, checking and fixing of anything that goes wrong with your computers and networks. As such, you don’t need a full-time team to do these things. What you can opt for is a regular maintenance and check-up schedule from an IT Support Services provider which can help minimize your cost without sacrificing the quality of your computer technology and network connections.
Another facet of IT Support Services is being able to evaluate your existing computer infrastructure, checking for redundancies or faults within the system that prevents you from being as productive as you should be. Once all the faults are identified, a better system will be designed to conform to your system and considering too, all the other operational requirements for your organization.
If the recommended equipment needs to be purchased anew, your IT Support Services Provider may also have their own vendor partners through which you can source the new equipment from. It’s important to get your computer equipment from trusted sources so that you are assured of warranties and longevity of the equipment. Also, with such partnerships you know that your new IT support plan will be effective because the plan is based on compatible and tested equipment. The best IT Support Services providers will never risk losing their clients’ trust with faulty equipment. Their reputation rests upon providing only the best.