by Felicien | Apr 16, 2019 | Education
The image of a traditional PBX phone system may make you uncomfortable because systems in the past were either tied into a particular type of hardware or an individual vendor. While that may make you want to shy away from the enhanced functionality that you receive with a PBX system, today’s telephone switching is radically different than in the past. There are many flexible options for implementing your PBX (Private Branch Exchange) system, including virtual solutions as well as on-premise hosting. Learn more about PBX phone systems and see why they may be the right choice for your business.
Using Technology to Reduce Restrictions
Creating an extensible telecommunications system is crucial, as businesses communicate in more varied ways than ever before. Simply connecting two individuals via phone could include a complex dance of rerouting calls to a mobile phone, translating audio voice mails to text and routing faxes to an email address. With the new Open-Standards-based IP PBX, Internet Protocol is the underlying transport technology that is used to deliver telephone calls. This less restrictive option for communications delivery provides enhanced functionality for your investment.
PBX Features and Functionality
There are a wide variety of PBX phones, with the traditional analog PBX phone system managing calls by connecting over copper wiring — with the hardware generally living inside the telecom closet of your office. Analog PBX systems connect to POTS, or Plain Old Telephone Systems, lines that pre-date the internet. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) or on-premise PBX systems utilize broadband internet to replace the copper lines, allowing these systems to deliver high-definition telephone calls and video. This provides the ability to provide sophisticated PBX features, including:
Call queuing
Application integration
Flexible business hour rules
A unified communication system with your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software
Automatic Call Distribution queues that can evenly distribute calls throughout a department
Call transfers between extensions
Detailed records of incoming and outgoing calls
These advanced functions make it simpler for businesses to provide the flexibility that workers need to be productive regardless of their physical location.
Should You Choose On-Premise or Virtual Hosting for Your PBX?
Virtual hosting is an increasingly popular option for businesses that are interested in purchasing a PBX system. Also known as hosted VoIP, this internet phone system provides all of the call routing and management as well as the advanced features that you would expect from a PBX system. Instead of the upfront cost associated with purchasing a PBX system for on-premises use, you’ll pay a service provider a monthly fee to manage all of the hosting for your business. Per-minute charges may apply and there may be additional costs for extending the system with integrations or advanced functionality.
With on-premise PBX, businesses find that this option is more similar to a traditional PBX system. Your business buys the hardware and physically hosts the machines in a server room or phone closet. The key difference between an on-premise VoIP PBX is that it will leverage the internet connectivity for your office. You will still need a provider to handle the gateway for calling, but your ongoing monthly cost will likely be lower than a virtually hosted instance after you’ve covered the costs of expenses.
Determining which option is right for your business requires finding a strong partner with a deep understanding of the technology, who is willing to listen to the needs of your business and make a solid recommendation. The true benefit of investing in a PBX phone system is that you are providing your business with the telecommunications flexibility and the extensible system that will serve your needs both now and in the future.
by Felicien | Apr 16, 2019 | Education
Firewalls were developed over thirty years ago and function as the first line of defense for many business networks. This piece of network equipment is a perimeter defense that determines whether packets can move into or out of the network. While the basic concept of a firewall is simple, the way that it performs this function and the features it offers continue to evolve based on current threats.
Types of Firewalls
Firewalls come in two major categories: hardware and software. The physical firewalls are network appliances that connect to the rest of the IT infrastructure so it’s able to monitor packets. There are several methods they can use to secure the network and assist with thwarting potential intruders.
Hardware Firewalls
Stateful
Stateful firewalls retain information about the connections being made. It offers good performance because this technology allows it to skip inspecting every single packet. Once it has inspected a connection, it allows it for subsequent packets.
Application-level
Application-level firewalls that are hardware based are designed to protect the application’s connections. They address common attack methods used on that type of application, such as stopping cross-site scripting for a web application.
Proxy
When someone thinks about a standard firewall, a proxy firewall is most likely what’s on their mind. It stands between a host device and the data source and inspects the packets that are sent between them. This type of firewall may not stand up to complex attacks due to its simplicity, but it masks a lot of the network information.
Circuit-level
This firewall is another basic one that focuses on checking the TCP handshake. It’s not resource intensive since it doesn’t look at the packet, but that does mean that it won’t protect against sophisticated attacks.
Next Generation
These firewalls have advanced features that give businesses more ways to stop malicious traffic from making it through the appliance. Some examples of these include deep packet inspection, checking attachments in sandboxes, and terminating encrypted traffic. Third-party data can be incorporated into the rules and filters of the firewall to improve protection against emerging threats. They can also incorporate technology that is found in other types of IT security hardware, such as intrusion detection. The drawback of this firewall type is that it can significantly slow down network traffic.
Software-based Firewalls
Virtual Appliance
This firewall is a software package that’s installed on the business network and does not rely on a hardware appliance for protecting traffic.
Application-level
Some applications have firewalls built into the software itself to act as a second layer of protection. Anything that gets through the physical firewall of the business network and reaches the application layer needs to go through another inspection. These firewalls focus on threats that are most common for that piece of software.
Cloud-based
A cloud-based firewall leverages cloud computing technology for the virtual appliance. Some advantages of a cloud firewall include the ability to scale quickly, high availability, and cost-efficiency. For organizations with limited IT budgets, using a cloud-based service can give them access to powerful features that they wouldn’t have access to without paying a substantial upfront hardware fee.
The right firewall for your organization depends on the typical threats that you face, the sensitivity of the information you’re protecting, and your performance requirements.
by Felicien | Apr 16, 2019 | Education
There is a point in every small business’s lifecycle when technology becomes integral to the business. With some organizations, this could be the first day they are in existence — with others, it may be several months to a year or more before technical challenges begin to invade business operations. This can come on slowly, starting with a backlog of support requests, patches that are applied several months later and software licenses that are shared “for now”. Each of these small steps are leading your business away from secure operations, and into a spiral that can be difficult and expensive to undo. Before you get to that point, it’s important to consider the benefits of outsourcing the IT needs of your small business.
Technology Challenges Start Early
Simply managing your software licensing needs can be a challenge when your IT team consists of a single individual or perhaps a few overworked souls. Creating a cohesive strategy for your business should involve technology partners, but if they are focused on keeping the (digital) lights on it’s tough for them to be strategic in any meaningful way. Leveraging the minds that know your business best in places that they can add real value starts by removing some of the nuisance tasks from their plate, and passing them off to individuals who are able to act upon them in a timely manner. That way, you can take full advantage of the thoughtful advice and research that your internal team can provide to drive the business forward.
Why Should I Outsource My IT Services?
Small business owners and leadership wear a variety of hats: your customer service manager may also be supporting web design, while your operations head is juggling production levels as well as infrastructure and wiring. Having these professionals stretch outside their comfort zone is how many small businesses get started, but growing into the next level requires a strategic focus within several dimensions. Cybersecurity is a major concern for businesses these days, with thousands of attacks happening on an annual basis to organizations of all sizes. Experts estimate that email compromises alone constituted over $12.5 billion in losses over the past five years — a staggering sum when you consider that small businesses bore a large percentage of that loss.
Outsourced IT = Added Peace of Mind
Working with an outsourced IT service provides you with the peace of mind knowing that there are dedicated professionals fully focused on ensuring that your business stays secure. With active monitoring solutions that can quickly trigger an alert, you’re already avoiding the average 191 days that it takes a business to discover that they have been infiltrated by cyber attackers and that their data has been breached. Once a breach is identified, you’ll still need to remediate the problem — and it can be extremely costly in terms of both time and money to bring in an outside organization that is not familiar with the data or infrastructure of your business.
Consistent Billing Provides Budgeting Benefits
Technology budgets can be quite complicated, as you’re balancing the reasonable lifecycle of hardware products, software upgrades and the unexpected IT needs of the business on an annual basis. One way that you can add some consistency to your budgeting is by working with an outsourced IT provider. Instead of massive unexpected bills for services that you weren’t anticipating, your technology services provider is able to work with you on a retainer basis so you can spread your costs more equally throughout the year. This allows for a higher level of predictability when you’re working through your annual budgeting period.
With outsourced IT services, your business also gains around-the-clock protection for your data and network, robust backup and recovery platforms, access to professionals who can help quickly upgrade hardware and software as well as advanced security processes and procedures for your business. Together, you’ll find that your operations and service levels are higher for both internal and external constituents when you’re working with an IT solutions provider to support your business needs.
by Felicien | Apr 16, 2019 | Education
Podcasts are huge these days. Popular podcast Serial has been downloaded millions of times and has become a pop culture phenomenon right alongside other “did they really do it” series like Netflix’s Making a Murderer. Podcasts are also used for informational and educational purposes. NPR offers its programs in podcast form so users can listen at their own pace. They’ve even developed programming that doesn’t broadcast on the radio. It only exists in podcast form.
The podcast has arrived, and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. The question for law firms, as with any new tech innovation, is whether developing a podcast for the firm makes sense. We believe creating a podcast can be a powerful, memorable branding tool. Here are a few reasons why your firm should consider starting one.
A Branded Podcast Builds Credibility and Engagement
The problem most law firms face isn’t competence. The process of becoming a lawyer usually takes care of this. The problem firms face is getting their name out into the community effectively. You want to communicate that you’re competent and successful but at the same time approachable. Much of law firm advertising veers far in one direction or the other. You see “prestige” billboards that may communicate “you can’t afford me” to a good portion of the community, and you see cheesy TV commercials that communicate “we’re not a serious firm” to another portion of the community.
Creating a podcast is a low-cost, low-effort way to engage with your community. You can communicate in a down-to-earth fashion by just being yourself. You can use a podcast to indirectly convince community members of your ability and skill, and you can disarm the negative notions that can come from prestige advertising.
It’s an Inexpensive Advertising Tool
Another advantage of podcasting is cost. It’s very inexpensive to produce a podcast, and it costs nothing to host it. All you need to produce it is some simple audio recording equipment and a topic that you can discuss. Hosting a podcast is a simple affair using a hosting tool like Libsyn. Hosting tools like this one will automatically publish your podcast to iTunes and all the other major podcast services. Once your content is published, you can promote your podcast using your existing social media channels through both regular and paid posts.
Compare this to the costs of producing video for social and the costs of traditional advertising. To produce social video, you’ll have to invest in video recording equipment. If you want a quality product, you’ll probably end up having to hire a video production group to produce them. Then, consider traditional print and TV advertising. The costs are astronomical compared to the costs of producing a podcast.
It’s an Attractive Alternative to Video
Let’s be honest: we don’t all look like the beautiful pretend lawyers on Suits. Even if you are blessed with great looks, you may not be comfortable in front of the camera. If video makes you look shifty, insecure, or nervous, you’re not helping your firm’s advertising efforts. Focusing your efforts on a podcast avoids the difficulties and aesthetic concerns that come with video.
The other issue with video is that they need to be short. Videos, especially in advertising, need to be fairly “snackable.” Podcasts, on the other hand, can take a deeper dive. People often listen on their commute or at the gym, so they are looking for content of a certain length. Going deeper on a given topic is one way to reaffirm your credibility, too.
Getting Started
If you’re ready to start a podcast for your firm here’s a brief guide to the steps you need to take.
Equipment
You can record audio using the internal microphone on your laptop, but it won’t sound very good. Invest in a midrange USB microphone, like the Snowball or Yeti from Blue. The difference in sound quality will astound you. You can easily record one or two people around a microphone like those. If you plan to invite more than one guest onto your podcast, you may need an additional microphone.
Software
If you’re recording only one microphone, your software needs are simple. Free recording and editing programs like Audacity for PC and GarageBand for Mac will do just about everything you need. Call Recorder for Skype is an inexpensive Mac app that will simplify things for you, too. We recommend starting with this simple setup before exploring multi-mic (multi-track) recording. Once you’re familiar with the basic principles, you’ll have an easier time scaling up.
Topics and Launch
All that’s left is to come up with some topics and get going. Choose topics community members are likely wondering about and answer whatever questions they may have. This is a tool for getting clients in the door. Choose topics that offer as much value as possible, topics people will want to listen to.
All that’s left is to launch. Hit record, start talking, and publish!
by Felicien | Apr 15, 2019 | Education
Microsoft Excel is a staple program in Microsoft’s Office suite. It’s a powerful spreadsheet program that allows users to organize data and calculate results using a wide range of formulas. Let’s look at one basic element to this program: how to copy cells in Microsoft Excel.
Basic Cell Copying Technique
Before we move on to some advanced techniques, let’s cover the basics.
1. Select the Cell or Cells You Want to Copy
If you want to copy just one cell, simply click once on that cell. IF you want to copy multiple cells, click and drag until all the cells you intend to copy are selected.
2. Copy the Cell or Cells
The next step is to actually copy the cells. You can do this by pressing control+C on a PC (command+C on a Mac), or by clicking the Copy button in the ribbon at the top of the Excel window. You’ll know you’ve copied a cell or cells when you see a spinning dotted line surrounding the copied area.
3. Choose Where You Want the Copied Cells to Go
Next, click once on the cell where you want the copied cells to go. If you’ve copied multiple cells, click the cell where you want the top left cell in your selection to go.
4. Paste the Copied Content into the New Location
Now that you’ve selected the cell where you want your copied content to appear, use the paste function to place the copied content in the new location. To do this, click on the Paste button in the ribbon (near the Copy button), or press control+V (command+V on a Mac). The material you had copied will now appear in the new location. If the copied material was in a cell that contained a formula, the formula will be copied, too.
Please note that if you’ve selected a location that already has content in it, the old content will be overwritten by the new content. Usually, that’s exactly what people are intending to do, but it’s important to note how this works.
Advanced Techniques
Now that you understand the basics, check out these two advanced techniques.
Paste Options
If your copy and pasting doesn’t work as planned, try this. Click on the clipboard next to the cell you just pasted into. Hover over the buttons and choose the one that sounds like what you’re trying to do.
Smart Fill
Select some data. See the green square at the bottom right? Try dragging that square down or sideways. With some data, Excel can intelligently populate either data or formulas to help you work more quickly.
This quick tech tip will help you get started using Microsoft Excel. For more help, give us a call!
