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September 30, 2021 In Managed IT Services By admin

Remote Work Can Offer More Benefits than You Might Expect

Remote work has been embraced over the past two years, in no small part due to the impact of the pandemic. However, some of the impacts of remote work have made it clear to many businesses that its advantages shouldn’t be sacrificed once it is no longer necessary. Let’s review how businesses can improve by continuing the practices of remote work, even after the need for remote work has passed.

Redundant Business Travel Can Be Eliminated

Business travel hit effectively unprecedented lows throughout the pandemic, as many people remained secluded in their homes as much as they could. However, it quickly became apparent that the activity that business travel revolved around didn’t actually require a physical presence to be fulfilled. With the solutions that enable remote work in tow, employees can do more than just virtually commute to the office… they can effectively “travel” anywhere they are needed in a matter of moments. This can save you and your team members a hefty chunk of change in fuel costs alone.

Remote Tools Actually Aid Communication and Collaboration

We’ve found that so many of our preconceptions about the best way to do things are, in fact, not the best way to do things. Meetings that involved people present as well as people calling in often found those calling in overlooked more often than not. However, when everyone is relying on remote communication, the playing field is leveled out.

Security is Better with Zero Trust

As companies hurriedly adopted remote work processes, it had the unfortunate side effect of greatly expanding the threat surface of their infrastructures. After all, it isn’t as though your home network is exclusively dealing with work processes. There are other users doing their own thing on the same network, making a zero-trust security approach a necessity. By demanding verification and authentication for every device, user, or application that tries to access resources, the zero-trust model helps to prevent unauthorized usage.

Remote Work Benefits the Environment

With the environment becoming a greater priority for many people as time passes, green technologies and business practices have been emphasized. Remote work, by virtue of the eliminated commute, is a very effective way for each employee to cut down on their carbon footprint.

Hybrid Work is the Best of Both Worlds

As remote solutions continue to improve, a rift has grown. Some employees are perfectly content to continue working from home, while others want the ability to work alongside their teammates once again. This will likely result in the adoption of a hybridized work environment, where employees combine remote operations with in-person processes.

Net Activity can ensure that your business is in the position to operate wherever your employees may be. Give us a call at 216-503-5150 to find out how we can help.

September 27, 2021 In Case Studies, Managed IT Services By admin

Are Your Company Mobile Devices Really Protected?

Mobile devices are indispensable. Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile gadgets play a big part in everyday processes, especially for individuals and companies that value connection and convenience. But as the number of mobile devices used in business operations increases, so do the cyberthreats that target them. Be sure to follow these steps to safeguard company mobile devices.

Ensure mobile OS is up to date

The updates to Apple and Android operating systems (OS) improve overall user experience, but their most important function is to fix security vulnerabilities. Reduce your business’s exposure to threats by installing updates for all devices as soon as they become available. Don’t delay updates, as doing so gives cybercriminals ample time to exploit vulnerabilities on devices that run on an outdated OS.

Install business applications only

Downloading apps seems harmless. However, lenient policies on what should and shouldn’t be downloaded on company mobile devices could lead to staff installing non-business-related apps, many of which are notorious for malicious advertising codes and other threats. It’s imperative that employees download and install only business applications necessary for their work on their company-issued mobile devices.

Be careful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks

Emergencies may compel your staff to use password-free Wi-Fi networks in hotels, airports, cafes, and other public places. Connecting to an open network can expose your confidential information and sensitive company data to cybercriminals connected to the same network.

You can avoid this by providing a practical internet data plan, preferably one that includes roaming services, for remote workers. And if connecting to a public Wi-Fi network is really necessary, using a reputable virtual private network (VPN) can help protect your sensitive data. A VPN creates a direct, secure connection for data from your end to your intended point on the internet.

Enable phone tracking tools

Losing a company-issued mobile device is unfortunate. Devices can be misplaced or stolen, but enabling Find My iPhone for iOS devices, GPS Phone Tracker for Android, or any device-tracking app helps users locate lost phones. Some also have the option to delete data on stolen devices. Downloading and setting up such an app takes only a few minutes and it will give you peace of mind knowing that even if your phone is lost or stolen, its contents will not be compromised.

Screen SMS carefully

SMS phishing can be used to trick you into clicking malicious links. Cybercriminals send messages purporting to be from someone you know, asking you to urgently disclose confidential information. Should you encounter such an SMS, you can either delete it or alert your IT department. You can also block unknown senders without even opening their messages.

Mobile devices are becoming more critical to operations. And with more devices open to attacks, businesses must bolster their cybersecurity efforts. Malicious actors will exploit every possible vulnerability and that includes those in unsecured smartphones and tablets.

Get in touch with us if you need comprehensive security solutions for your business.

September 23, 2021 In Managed IT Services By admin

3 Reasons Your Business Needs to Upgrade Its Technology

For the average business, upgrading technology comes with some risks. Will you get the return on your investment back fast enough to make your investment worthwhile? Will the technology solve the operational problems you are trying to confront? Do you have the available capital to make significant upgrades? These questions and more can keep a business from taking advantage of the amazing benefits many new technologies can bring. Today, we thought we’d outline four signs that will tell you when it’s time to upgrade your business’ technology.

Falling Productivity

The first sign that you need to do something about your technology is when you have the human resources in place to efficiently do the work, but the technology you have them working on hinders their ability to do it effectively. This has a negative effect on operations, sure, but it also has a negative effect on your team’s morale, which any business owner worth his/her salt knows is an important, albeit unquantifiable metric to running a profitable business.

Newer technology can bring a lot of productivity benefits. It can enhance workers’ productivity individually. It can provide the base for better collaboration. It can even take pressure off of your entire staff by working to automate tasks that are chewing up your business’ profitability. The fact is that if your business is constantly dealing with failing and antiquated technology, it’s probably going to be felt by your workers first before it even shows up on the bottom line.

Security Issues

Today’s threat landscape is challenging, to say the least. Even the smallest business is now directly in the crosshairs of scammers and hackers looking to systematically scrape data and inject themselves into their process. This isn’t going to get better anytime soon. With a large chunk of the information services still being handled remotely, there are more opportunities than ever for hackers to get their greedy hands on your business’ information, or worse yet, saddle your business with malware that is sure to cause expensive downtime.

If your business isn’t doing everything it can to keep these thieves off of your network, you will eventually have one knock at your door. That’s just the reality of being a business in the 21st century. New technology typically comes with better security platforms and ones that are constantly being updated and improved upon. Today, you can’t just ignore the security aspect of your business’ technology deployment. You need to upgrade your systems and keep everything monitored around the clock to give your business the best chance to succeed.

Business Growth

The first two line items of this article are all doom and gloom, that’s true, and we do it because there are a lot of threats out there and if your tech isn’t good enough to keep your people productive, then you will fall behind. The last item, however, is sunshine and roses: You’ve found success. If your business is doing well, and you are starting to consider new ideas to enhance your business’s profitability, one of the first places you should look is to technology.

It’s true that a successful business may not want to change what works, but today there are technologies that can take a thriving business to a whole new level. From building efficiency to managing multiple revenue streams, to simply ensuring that the technology you have in place has the support it needs so you can continue to grow, making an investment in your business’s future through the integration of new technology is a responsible decision that, more often than not, will pay dividends.

There are a lot of reasons why you may want to hold off on your new technology plans, but the more that you commit to your company’s future and its ability to support collaboration, efficiency, and dynamic productivity, the better off your business will be. If you would like to learn more about getting the custom technology solutions you need to solve your business’s most pressing problems, give the technology experts at Net Activity a call today at 216-503-5150.

September 16, 2021 In Managed IT Services By admin

Think Your Password Is Secure? Think Again

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) created many of the password best practices you probably loathe, including using a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. The NIST now says those guidelines were ill-advised and has changed its stance. Find out why and what this means for you.

The problem

The issue isn’t that the NIST advised people to create easy-to-crack passwords, but their previous advice inadvertently made people generate weak passwords using predictable capitalization, special characters, and numbers, like “P@ssW0rd1.”

Such a password may seem secure, but the string of characters it’s made up of could easily be compromised by hackers using common algorithms.

Furthermore, while the NIST also recommended that people change their passwords regularly, they did not specify how and when to change them. Without proper guidance, many people assumed that this meant adding or changing one or two characters every year or so.
The NIST essentially forced everyone to use passwords that are hard for humans to remember but easy for a hacker’s algorithm to crack.

Eventually, the institution admitted that their recommendation creates more problems than it solves. The NIST has then reversed its stance on organizational password management requirements, and is recommending banishing forced periodic password changes and getting rid of complexity requirements.

The solution

Security consultant Frank Abagnale and Chief Hacking Officer for KnowBe4 Kevin Mitnick both see a future without passwords. Both security experts advise enterprises to implement multifactor authentication (MFA) in login policies.

MFA requires a user to enter one or more valid credentials aside from a password to gain access to an account. This could be a physical security key, a login prompt on a mobile device, or a facial or a fingerprint scan. Without the additional security requirements, hackers’ attempts to crack passwords would be futile.

Moreover, Mitnick recommended implementing long passphrases of 25 characters or more, such as “recedemarmaladecrockplacate” or “cavalryfigurineunderdoneexalted.” These are much more difficult to guess and less prone to hacking. Simply put, passwords should be longer and include nonsensical phrases and words that make them almost impossible for an automated system to crack.

What’s more, the NIST recommends making screening of new passwords against lists of common or compromised passwords mandatory. This is because a complex, 25-character password is already considered weak the moment it has been compromised.

Finally, you should also enforce the following security solutions within your company:

Single sign-on – allows users to securely access multiple accounts with one set of credentials
Account monitoring tools – recognizes suspicious activity and locks out hackers from the network OR keeps hackers from accessing the network.

When it comes to security, ignorance is your business’s kryptonite. If you’d like to learn about what else you can do to remain secure, just give us a call.

September 13, 2021 In Managed IT Services, Office 365 By admin

11 Ways To Use Microsoft Teams Like A Pro

We all know how much Microsoft Teams has revolutionized the digital workplace but as an ever-evolving collaboration tool, how can you make the most of Microsoft Teams? Here are 11 great tips on how to use Teams like a pro!

1. Use @mention tags to get people’s attention

Did you know that you can use the @ to tag people? You can tag people, tag teams, target a selected set of people in your organization or you can even tag the channel this way. So, this is a really great way to get someone’s attention. Depending on how everyone has set their notification level in Microsoft Teams, this is a really nice way to make sure that people see you’re trying to reach them.

2. Let the number of channels grow

You can’t invent everything, you don’t know everything, you don’t know how that team will evolve. So, don’t do too much work in the beginning. Set up a few of the most important channels and let them grow inside the team and let the people create the channels that it’s natural for them to create.

Reserve the “General” channel for team-wide announcements that need to reach everybody. Because you can’t get rid of it, use it for something specific.

3. Adopt a naming convention for channels with external users

Be a little bit careful when you invite external users into your conversations because typically, if you invite an external guest into a team, they will see all of those conversations as well. So, make sure that people actually know they are talking with an external person. One practice worth considering is to add the word “external” at the naming convention because then everybody sees that you have external people in that team.

Adopt a similar naming convention across all of your channels.

4. Don’t forget to name your chats

If you have a lot of private chats and you don’t go in and give them titles/names, it will be really hard, later on, to understand what the chat is about, or even to find the right one. You can do this by opening up the chat and clicking the pen icon next to the people’s names on the top.

5. Mute yourself in meetings

While you’re in a meeting it’s really important to stay on mute when you’re not talking, because it helps to reduce background noise. So many people accidentally type on the keyboard, or go and make a cup of coffee, even take a restroom break. All that background noise is so distracting.

6. Keep the conversation on using the chat during meetings

One thing that I do like is to use the chat function during a meeting. It’s a great way to say something or get a point across without having to say it out loud and be on camera, which some people aren’t keen on. The chat is also a great place to keep the conversation going, especially if it’s for a recurring meeting.

7. Zoom in on presentation material during meetings

If you’re sharing a web page, make sure you zoom in, because your resolution is likely to higher than the other people’s. The Microsoft Teams window is pretty small and has all the things on the side, so make sure you zoom in if you can so that people will actually see what you’re showing.

Remember to zoom in. If your audience joins the meeting via their smartphones the presenter’s screen might get tiny.

8. Remember to stop the recording

Something we have noticed, especially with running a lot of online events, is that sometimes people forget to leave the meeting or stop recording it. if the meeting’s running, the recording keeps running unless someone stops it.

9. Use emojis in your writing

Use emojis in your channels to bring them alive! Emojis help to break up the text and they look a lot better in chats too. Plus, they help colleagues to feel appreciated and connected.

10. Set up your custom notifications

The out of the box notifications from Microsoft are really, really intrusive, because you are notified everywhere. To edit these, you need to go into the notification settings and select your preferred level, which will make your workday a lot more efficient if you choose so.

Setting up your Custom Notifications will make your workday more efficient.

11. Respect the availability status

Pay attention to your colleagues’ availability status. There is the “available” one and the “available out of the office” one. It’s really hard to notice the difference between them. Also, if a colleague has “Do not disturb”, respect that and don’t try to ask for a call.

Need help implementing Microsoft Teams to your best advantage? Reach out to Net Activity for more great solutions.

September 9, 2021 In Managed IT Services, VOIP Services By admin

Recording Calls Is Good For Business-Here’s Why

Is your customer service department lagging in terms of quality? If so, it may be time to review the call quality of your customer service representatives. One of the best ways to do that is to use your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system’s call recording feature. By listening to recorded calls, you can find out what can be improved, reduce your team’s errors, and gain several other benefits, including the following.

1. Upgrade employee performance

According to Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning, people only remember 10% of what they read, 50% of what they see and hear, and 90% of what they do. By providing your agents with actual recordings of good and bad calling examples during training sessions and having them simulate calls afterwards, they’ll be able to learn better and provide high-quality customer service faster.

2. Improve customer service

One of the most important reasons why businesses should always record their calls is to ensure high-quality customer service. By reviewing calls, managers can understand how their agents have been dealing with customers, find out whether or not they’ve followed company protocol, and pinpoint any aspects that can be improved on.

Without call recording, managers would have to listen to each call in real time, which is time-consuming. By recording each call, not only will your managers save time, but your employees will also be motivated to perform at their best, since they know their calls can always be reviewed.

3. Retrieve missed details and prevent potential lawsuits

Your employees handle hundreds of phone calls daily, so it’s understandable if they don’t catch every single detail. And for companies that require their agents to manually input information during calls, there’s always a possibility that they’ll forget or miss certain information, which could then lead to disgruntled customers. If not properly handled, this can harm your reputation, reduce work opportunities, and if things escalate, proceed to litigation.

VoIP’s call recording feature lets you replay saved audio files to make sure you haven’t missed any details, ensuring that all customer demands are met. And if you ever get into a dispute with your clients regarding who said what, you can always retrieve the exact audio file and have both sides listen to it, saving you thousands of dollars in legal fees.

4. Understand customer preferences

Have you ever received an inquiry about a product or service that’s not included in your offerings? While your agents usually jot these requests down and pass them on to the relevant personnel, they may overlook some of these if numerous calls are being made that day. Tiny issues like this can lead to potentially huge losses.

With call recording, you can review all your calls at the end of the day. You’ll have a better picture of what certain customers are looking for so you can address their needs better.

VoIP allows businesses to make on-demand calls affordably, and its call recording feature helps companies improve their customer service and prevent litigation. If you think Teams Voice or business VoIP is right for you, or if you have any questions, give us a call today.