by Felicien | Jul 21, 2017 | Education
Guest Access for Microsoft Teams has been reportedly delayed as of June 2017 and there has not yet been anything announced as to when it will be released.
Microsoft Teams Guest Access is being delayed until later this year, despite an intended launch of June 2017. This delay was reportedly announced by a Microsoft representative on the dedicated forum for Teams User Voice, and though the delay does not seem to be significant, there has not yet been an official date set.
Delay Announced on Microsoft Teams
Suphatra Rufo at Microsoft Teams stated that though Microsoft Teams has been “aiming for June,” the team is presently “facing some issues” with its guest access feature. This was posted on June 21, 2017, and there has not been an official follow-up regarding when the Guest Access will be released. Microsoft Teams is intended to resolve many collaborative issues that have previously been resolved through third-party interfaces. As Microsoft moves toward building a strong and comprehensive all-in-one collaborative environment, Microsoft Teams is likely going to be a critical component moving forward.
The Features of Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a chat-based workspace that is designed to function entirely integrated with Office 365. It is in direct competition with popular products such as Slack, which is similarly designed to facilitate chatting and conversation in a business-oriented environment. Microsoft Teams features:
A consolidated teamwork hub. This hub contains content, tools, conversations, and people, making it easier for team members to communicate and share. SharePoint, OneNote, and Skype for Business are all directly integrated into the platform, and documents can be worked on inside the application.
Third-party applications. Microsoft Teams can be integrated with popular third-party solutions such as Trello, Asana, Wrike, HootSuite, and Zendesk, making it even easier for existing companies to switch over to using it quickly.
Security. Enterprise-grade security is used throughout Microsoft Teams, which means that organizations are going to be able to easily protect their most critical data and intellectual property. For many organizations, security is a paramount concern — and many third-party or open source solutions may not be able to deliver these advanced security measures.
Cross-platform access. As an Office 365 product, Microsoft Teams can be downloaded and used on any device and on virtually any platform. Like other Office 365 tools, it is a cloud-based system that can be connected to anywhere and used as a web-based application, making it suitable for desktops, laptops, smartphones, and other mobile devices.
Microsoft Teams is automatically included within licenses for Office 365. Though it is a relatively new product, it is already fully supported throughout the Office 365 environment, and is able to work with the other tools included inside of the collaborative platform. Microsoft Teams was initially announced in November of 2016 and it was released in the first quarter of 2017.
The Guest Access Feature of Microsoft Teams
Though it may not be critical for every organization, many companies were eagerly awaiting the Guest Access feature that was initially slated for June. There are some rumors that the Guest Access feature will instead be rolled out by the end of July, though time is running out for the rumors to hold true.
Guest Access would make it easier for external access to the documents and files on Microsoft Teams, so that employees would be able to easily share data with those who were not already in the system — such as vendors and clients. External parties would need to be able to access Teams, its data, and its files, through a secured and encrypted platform that would not reduce the security of the system as a whole.
Through Guest Access, guests would be able to view these files and these projects either permanently or for an allotted amount of time. This type of external sharing is already seen in competing products, such as Dropbox and Google’s own data servers, so it has become important for Microsoft to provide the feature as well.
The quiet tone of the announcement rather than an official release has led to some speculation that there may actually be issues with the project or that the code base may simply not yet be complete. Regardless, it’s clear that Microsoft does intend to add the guest access feature to Microsoft Teams eventually — it’s only a matter of time. Either way, Microsoft Teams is otherwise extremely feature-complete.
Do you want to learn more about the advances in collaborative technology, or how IT can improve your business? Whatever industry you’re in, there’s technology available that will make your business operations faster, easier, and more efficient. Contact {company} today to find out more about IT in {city}, by calling either {phone} or sending an email to {email}. {company} can help your organization with all of its IT needs.
by Felicien | Jul 21, 2017 | Education
Here Are a Few Smart Communication Tips.
Talking to vendor tech support doesn’t have to be a challenge. Here are the top things to keep in mind.
Organizations’ relationships with their vendors and service providers aren’t always perfect. Whether it’s a bug in the software, a slowdown with no apparent cause, or a difficult financial issue, you’ll probably have a day when you’ll need to pick up the phone and call (or email, etc.) vendor customer support. When this happens, it’s important to communicate correctly the first time. All the usual customer support rules about keeping your temper and understanding their point of view apply, but when talking to vendor support, here are several additional tips to consider.
Gather Documentation and Details.
A vague explanation doesn’t do support much good, and a single instance of something going wrong isn’t exactly convincing. If you really want tech support to look into a problem your service is having, you need to document it thoroughly. Have a list of the bug instances and when they have happened. Provide server logs if necessary. Your goal is to have a full view of the issue with evidence that it’s not: 1.) your imagination or 2.) an entirely different problem than you believe. Vendor support deals with those two cases so often they tend to expect them. Save everyone time by providing documentation to back up your concerns. (If the problem is less technical, do the same but with records of conversations, bills, etc.)
If You Are Worried About Costs, Have a Plan.
What’s your end goal for this conversation with support? Do you want a discount, or refund, or new fee arrangement? Do you want to somehow be compensated for downtime? Then you’ll need to know exactly what you want. Have a specific monetary goal for remuneration and a clear idea of how you want that to happen. You don’t always have to state this goal, especially when first discussing a problem, but it should be noted and clear in your mind during the discussion.
Note: Some organizations can get obsessed over such a bottom-line figure. Remember, dealing with the problem should have the highest priority; try not to treat it like a negotiation or sales call, and everyone will be happier.
Repeat Detailed Instructions for Accuracy.
For more technical issues connected with services, conversations quickly turn to careful steps that tech support wants you to take. This can take some time, but devote part of that time to an “echo” of everything support is saying. If support tells you, “Log in to the administrator profile, and go to settings and security,” then you should always repeat back, “Okay, I’ve logged into the administrator profile, and now I am in settings and security.”
Some vendors prefer to use screen sharing and other techniques that make echoing less necessary, but it’s still an important thing to remember when trying out a detailed solution.
Make Changes and Benchmark.
Let’s say your problem is more complex—like an ongoing issue with web hosting. In these cases, it’s hard to immediately tell if a fix is effective. So, make changes or note the vendor’s explanation, then benchmark the process again (a couple or even a single week’s worth of data is good to have at this point). This allows you to go back to the vendor and say, “Here’s our recent data, this is where we are seeing the problem, and these are the effects your changes have had.” Then, if necessary, you can talk about continuing solutions.
This isn’t intended to be a “gotcha” move, but rather a way to hold your vendor accountable while also supplying them with as much information as you can about the problem. Complex, ongoing issues often take a lot of back and forth to finally figure out what’s going on, and that works best when you are politely providing the vendor with the data you have on the problem.
Keep it Private—For Now.
Even if your experience has been an unpleasant one or a problem has made you angry, your first move should be to call support and have a civil conversation. Do not make the mistake of going online and complaining in forums or posting on social media, until you figure out what’s going on. First, poor reviews can have a lasting effect on the vendor’s business and should be considered very carefully. Second, you probably won’t find your answers by complaining online: Solutions come from first talking through the problem with support and figuring out what’s happening.
If the time does come for you to end a contract and move to a different service because of a problem, then you can consider leaving a review for the service. And always remember, tech support is only human (unless you’re talking to an advanced A.I.). They may not always understand your perspective, and they don’t deserve rude talk, especially in a professional environment.
Try Opening Additional Lines of Communication.
If you have a serious problem to tackle, consider talking to more than just the support your vendor offers. Drop a line to your account manager (if you have one) or sales contact to let them know what’s going on as well. Sometimes where one avenue of communication won’t work for whatever reason, another route will be more successful. Contacts you have known in the past may also be more likely to understand your particular problem. Consult the SLA for specifics on what vendor contacts can or can’t do if you aren’t sure.
Ask, Why?
When talking with support, make sure you understand the root causes of a problem, asking for more information if you don’t. This way you will be better positioned to respond if something similar happens in the future. Additionally, keeping focused on the “why” gives your communication purpose and may help reach a solution more quickly than staying too passive.
Send a Final Update.
After your support experience, send a note or email about the issue (a ticket or order number was probably opened for your issue and makes a good contact point for this message). Summarize the problem, your communication, and the end result. This is great for vendors tracking the efficacy of their support efforts and allows your organization to have a record of the experience for future use.
Do you have questions about specific vendor services or responsibilities? {company} can help out! We provide data services for {city} businesses and have extensive experience finding solutions that work. Contact us at {phone} or {email} to learn more.
by Felicien | Jul 21, 2017 | Education
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is rapidly moving into new industries and sectors of business: Is Microsoft’s management software right for you?
It’s time for even more Inspire conference news: Microsoft unleashed a bunch of new programs and plans for its partners, which means that customers can also expect some big changes down the road. One of the most interesting updates for end users was the announcement of new Microsoft Dynamics 365 features.
Dynamics 365, for those who haven’t heard the term, is Microsoft’s branding of its latest CRM tools. These tools are designed to share data across multiple aspects of business operations like sales, customer services, financial designs and more. It also adds in a healthy dose of automation to make sure forms are populated and analysis is enabled as quickly as possible. It’s a very smooth solution for growing businesses, and so partners have been interested in seeing just what’s up with Dynamics features and where the service is heading. The Inspire-connected July update answered these concerns with a host of new updates. To help out, we’re going to offer a quick guide on what’s new with Dynamics 365 and why it’s worth paying attention.
Partnership with LinkedIn
One of Microsoft’s biggest Dynamics announcements concerns a new partnership with LinkedIn to further the development of the Microsoft Relationship Sales app (part of the Dynamics suite). The Relationship Sales solution now taps into the LinkedIn Sales Navigator to help connect with a variety of buyers more easily, and analyze buyer data for better lead management. Basically, if you like using Sales Navigator or what it offers, you can access that data via Dynamics to gain the same benefits plus the other Dynamics features that you may want.
Why is this exciting? Well, Microsoft has indicated that LinkedIn is just the start. It would love to partner with other companies to provide additional social network data to help fuel Dynamics tools and make them easier to use, rather than having end users skip around from tool to tool to get all the information they want. Microsoft also makes the claim that this LinkedIn partnership offers a service that is about half the cost of similar competitive solutions on the market – a bold but very impressive claim if it holds up.
Dynamics 365 for Retail
Dynamics 365 already has a “For Sales” and “For Customer Service” section, among others, but Microsoft is adding a couple new sections to address farther-reaching needs among companies, especially B2C companies who may be looking for tools more in sync with their industries. The first is Dynamics 365 for Retail: Retail is made for managing store, employee, customer, inventory and financial document data. It focuses on POS activities that bring customer data to improve each transaction and helps managers analyze what sales trends really mean for customer engagement.
Once again Microsoft’s AI features are taken out and used to help automate as much data as possible so you don’t spend too long looking for everything you need. This also extends to shift schedules, shift assignments, and absence requests.
This is a very competitive field with a lot of excellent solutions aimed at small to mid-sized companies, so it will be interesting to see how Microsoft does here. Would you be interested in switching your Retail system if that promised compatibility with the Windows platform?
Dynamics 365 for Talent
Following up the Retail option, Microsoft is also offering a Dynamics solution for talent acquisition. Here the benefits of partnering with LinkedIn become especially obvious: Microsoft is able to use the LinkedIn Recruiter data to fuel “dynamic candidate profiles” which basically means you won’t need to keep visiting LinkedIn to find the necessary information about the latest batch of recruits – it will all be ported right to Talent.
Talent will also help with onboarding by providing important resources and training steps as needed for those just joining the company – a sort of introductory tool to ease them through the process. Microsoft also promises a consolidated HR profile for each employee that will take data from multiple sources to provide a full view of each worker, their current tasks, and their productivity.
Both Retail and Talent will be available summer 2017 for those interested in adopting Dynamics 365 solutions.
Application Update Summary
Along with new Dynamics solutions, Microsoft announced several updates to existing applications that the company thought were particularly worth noting.
First, Microsoft is expanding Dynamics into new geographical areas, updating its offerings for the UK and Canada, which is good news for clients and partners who may be waiting for a full rollout. This also includes new data centers in places like the UK and Germany, which sets Microsoft up to expand its services further in time.
Second, Microsoft has introduced a local business solution that allows companies to run Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations in their own data centers, without the need to contact a provider. This is great for companies that have already invested in their own server setups but still want to use D365 for as much as possible.
Third, Microsoft is adding new prospect-to-cash integration, which is their way of saying that Dynamics can now share information between financial and sales departments. If those two parts of your company have had trouble communicating in the past, they may find it easier with D365.
Lots of Quality of Life Changes
One of the nice things about Dynamics is that Microsoft posts a list of current changes that are in development and changes that are likely to come to Dynamics in the future. Here, you can see that Microsoft has updated the software with significant amounts of integration and new forms to help out different kinds of companies. That includes expense management reports, Cortana compatibility, new forms for employee benefits, more YouTube compatibility…you get the idea. It’s tough to list all these updates, but it’s a good idea to check up on the list on occasion and see if any important features are included.
Do you have any further questions about Dynamics 365, or if could be of benefit to your organization? Why not ask someone with experience? {company} can help your {city} business find the right services for your unique situation. Contact us at {email} or call us at {phone}.
by Felicien | Jul 20, 2017 | Education
Looking for a reliable data recovery solution in Nashville? Choose CTC Networks.
The threat of major data loss is one that a worrying number of businesses don’t take as seriously as they should. There is an “it could never happen to me” attitude that is prevalent among small and mid-sized business, and as a result, many have paid a serious price. Lost productivity, lost profits, and damage to your business’s reputation are often the best case scenario. Depending on the scope and cause, your business could face fines or lawsuits, and more often than you might imagine, the end result is your business closing its doors forever.
Data loss can happen at any time for a range of reasons. Without reliable – and redundant – data backup and recovery measures in place, 7 out of 10 small businesses that experience major data loss will fail within a year of the incident. 93% of businesses that are without access to vital data for 10 days or more due to a disaster scenario will file for bankruptcy within a year, and 50% of these businesses will file for bankruptcy immediately. In short, businesses that can’t get back to some semblance of normal operations within this 10-day window will not survive.
So what are the primary causes of data loss that you need to be aware of?
1) Hard drive failures: Hard drives fail every day for a variety of reasons. While some failures occur simply because the hardware becomes worn out, others fail prematurely due to external factors like:
Overheating
Water or fire damage
Exposure to magnetic fields
Power outages or surges
Impact due to being dropped
2) Software Failures: Similarly, errors with your software can be just as detrimental to your data. Running too many programs at once, or relying on outdated or unstable software can quickly lead to a crash, which will often lose any unsaved work you had open when the program crashed.
3) Human Error: Every day we create, update, save and delete files; it’s just part of our everyday business life. It’s no wonder that sometimes, we delete files or overwrite files by accident.
4) Computer viruses and malware infections: There are new viruses that pop up every day that put your data at risk. While being connected to the internet has its benefits, it also comes with risks – computer viruses are a very real threat. They have the ability to destroy, steal or encrypt your data, and in some cases completely corrupt the hardware of your computer or infiltrate your entire network.
5) Power Failures: Power outages and power surges are bad for your computer and your data. While you may think that the unexpected loss of power to your computer might pose a relatively low risk, in reality, that may not be the case. In the case of a total failure, any unsaved work will often be lost for good.
6) Natural Disaster: The fact is that mother nature doesn’t care if you backed up your work or not. A server room flood, vital infrastructure being knocked out by winds and even worse during a major weather event can quickly erase both local and offsite data reserves if your backups aren’t far enough away from your offices.
7) Hackers: Data loss is often the result of poor digital security; without the right defenses, cybercriminals can easily infect an IT system with ransomware or other types of malware and compromise company data. Ransomware is likely today’s biggest threat to cybersecurity. You hear about it everywhere, along with a range of possible solutions, most of which are defensive – ways to keep the intruders out before they encrypt your files and send you the ransom note.
The only truly reliable protection against cybercrime and human error is a reliable data recovery solution implemented by an expert IT partner. CTC Networks can help; we offer reliable and effective data recovery services in Nashville in order to ensure that your data is recent, accessible, and available at a moment’s notice.
Your livelihood isn’t something to gamble with – when it comes to comprehensive protection and reliable data recovery, CTC Networks understands how important it is to account for everything which is why we offer the best data recovery services in Nashville. Our team plans strategically for your unique needs, so you have peace of mind knowing that when disaster strikes, your data won’t be compromised.
How do we recover your data?
By getting to know your business, we prioritize applications based on importance. Our team documents your critical vendors, customers, applications, and equipment, in addition to conducting an inventory of your systems and networks.
We’ll determine an ideal recovery point objective and recovery time objective, so you’ll know how quickly your systems will be back online after an issue.
With a data recovery plan designed specifically for you and tested regularly, you have the assurance that outside attacks or hardware issues won’t cripple your operations or compromise workflow.
Our team understands that you don’t have time to waste worrying – that’s why we’re here to provide an unbeatable Nashville data recovery solution.
Contact CTC Networks to learn more about our Nashville data recovery solutions – get in touch with our team of technology experts at {email} or {phone} today.
by Felicien | Jul 20, 2017 | Education
LinkedIn can be a powerful engagement and SEO tool — if you use it correctly.
For B2B companies and growing businesses looking to expand their reach, LinkedIn is an often-underutilized platform: It’s not just about networking – it has tremendous brand-building potential. When making more complex decisions about purchasing products and services, buyers turn to the professional LinkedIn site more reliable than they look at Facebook or other more casual sites. Here’s how you can really put LinkedIn to work to increase your engagement and find more prospects.
Include Highly Visual Logos
Yes, the graphics that you upload and add to a brand profile are actually important. The banner at the top of your page and your company logo does a lot of work – they are the first things that viewers see and allow you to connect the page to the rest of your brand through easily recognizable logos and colors. So, make sure your company logo is upfront and center and clearly visible across platforms (including mobile). If possible, include additional quotes or information in the banner as well. You may also be able to upload a background image that can help establish your brand’s visual appearance.
Use Basic Profile Descriptions Carefully
Every brand has space where they fill out specialties, their website, company size and so on. This little section is important, both for SEO and information. Under the “Website” section, don’t just link to your home page – choose a specific landing page for your services or for selecting a product so that people who click on it are brought closer to the end of the sales funnel. Under the “Specialties” section, don’t just talk about your offerings: Include keywords associated with your brand.
Include Product Pages
LinkedIn allows you to create product/services pages to note what you offer. Create these pages, but make them as user-friendly as possible: Don’t try to do an exact copy of every product page on your site if you can avoid it. Instead, make several product pages focused on the categories you have, and then break down these categories into more specific lists. Of course, if your brand only has a few different products/services, you have more flexibility here, but always remember that viewers come to LinkedIn to learn about the company as quickly as possible, so don’t waste their time.
Prepare Showcase Pages
Showcase pages are designed to be attractive additions to the LinkedIn profile that expand on a specific part of the brand that you want to draw special attention to. Use a Showcase or two to highlight what makes the brand special: It could be a long-term discount, a technology the brand is proud to use, or some other aspect of the company that’s a strong selling point.
Target Your Posts
It’s a good idea to create regular LinkedIn posts, but make them more professional and informative than the average Facebook posts. Remember that you can “target” LinkedIn posts to different audiences of 100 or more contacts, which can be used when advertising a specific deal to a corner of your audience. Even if your posts stay general, however, do them consistently so that a prospect can look at your post history and get a good idea of your tone along with a lot of information about your operations.
Participate in Discussions and Post Pieces
LinkedIn conversations are a great way to make contacts and get the brand name out there. You should also try publishing original articles concerning your industry when possible (you can also use pieces that employees have published via Employee Perspectives). These pieces can contribute to thought leadership, and they are a brilliant move for B2B companies in particular. However, quality is important: Don’t talk about what you don’t know, and don’t try to publish fluff pieces that have no data or new conclusions. Instead, pay attention to industry news and look for ways your own experiences can contribute to a greater conversation about particular topics.
Make Sure the “Faces” of the Company Have Great Profiles
Faces include those likely to be linked from the profile page, such as CEOs, customer support, PR managers and so on. Viewers will often click on these links to get a better idea of the organization and to find the right people to contact: It’s important that they have very strong, updated profiles, so prospects are impressed when they seek to make a connection. You don’t have to seize control of their profiles but maybe set some LinkedIn guidelines.
Involve Your Employees
Chances are good that you have a lot of employees on LinkedIn, too. They can help! Encourage them to share important posts, articles and discussions. Ask them to refer friends and prospects to the LinkedIn page to learn more. They can also participate in discussions about important pieces or industry trends. This can really make a difference: Employees traditionally have much higher share rates than companies on LinkedIn, since others are more likely to read and share something from an individual. Plus, it can help employees make new contacts of their own, too.
Gear Everything Toward Partners and Buyers
The language and tone you should use in LinkedIn descriptions should be geared to engagement. Don’t stay static and boring: Instead, talk to the potential prospects who may be viewing the profiles: Talk about how you can help them and where they can find valuable information. In general, let them know that you care. This can make a lot of difference when prospects are viewing multiple LinkedIn pages at the same time.
Remember that LinkedIn is a more professional network: It’s a good spot to answer questions about products or recommend a solution, but it’s not the place to carry on casual conversations or idle thoughts, which will dilute your message. For more information on how to use the right services to build your {city} brand, {company} is ready to help! You can contact us at {email} or call us at {phone} to learn more.
