Network London is a UK IT company specialising in IT support, disaster recovery and remote desktop solutions for SME and corporate companies.
Due to changes in technology and greater customer awareness over the past couple of years, companies are now seeking remote access solutions for their IT systems. The benefits to companies both large and small is significant and with constant improvements in internet connectivity, the shift towards such systems is evident, with companies increasingly having some knowledge in remote desktop systems or disaster recovery, prior to tendering for new IT systems and contracts.
Many companies assume that such systems come with high price tags, but in many cases there is actually a short-term and long-term cost-saving to be made, due to customers’ maximised availability of systems and data, lower capital costs and increased efficiency through enhanced communication.
Network London prides itself on being able to offer traditional IT systems and IT support, alongside cutting-edge technologies such as Terminal Services, Citrix, ESX and VMware, which are helping to shape the future of IT systems in London and the UK.
With many clients coming from real estate, hedge fund, investment and FSA regulated industries, Network London are helping to deliver a fantastic service, coupled with great customer care, which means stress-free IT for our customers.
Hosted services and hosted applications are improving companies by providing trouble-free communications, disaster recovery, resilience and global delivery of software applications (Software As A Service).
Some of the more common hosted services and applications are:
Exchange email
Hosted Blackberry (BES)/smart phones (BIS)
Microsoft CRM
Sage & accounts systems
Microsoft Office Suite
Almost any windows-based applications
Full data hosting/warehousing
The possibilities are endless and Network London are helping to shape the future of remote desktop systems in the UK.
For more information contact Lee Smith @ Network London on:
+44 (0)870 444 8984
http://www.networklondon.co.uk
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
Secure Online Backups, Are You Being Smart?
Data loss is one of the major problems especially in big business houses where a large number of data has to be dealt with and in all the circumstances the data loss can be minimized by using secure online backups. Although there are many conventional backup systems such as CD, DVD, and floppy that can be used for storing small amount of data, however for storing large amount of data secure online backup seems to be the right option.
Nowadays many commercial secure online backup providers are easily available and after paying a nominal fee, you can store your data at a remote location. These commercial online backup stores ask you to download their backup software and the software manages the backup and does the rest of job. A few commercial backup stores charge anywhere between 20 cents to 3 dollar per month for storing 1 GB of data, however there are some online backup stores who offer the online backup free for a limited period.
Actually you should ensure that the commercial online backup you have chosen is genuine and reliable and the privacy of your document is maintained. Many individuals take the benefits of these low cost commercial secure online backup facilities and store their family albums and other data. The software provided by commercial stores is easy to operate and with the instructions provided to you, you can install and operate the online backup software. You should try with a free online secure backup for a month and if satisfied with the services you should continue for the desired period.
The secure online backup software will generally have many features and the latest and modern software are equipped with highly sophisticated technique to protect the privacy of the data. The system ensures that backups are taken routinely as per your requirement and accordingly you are intimated by email. The software also ensures that the file system and directories structure is maintained during backup.
The software installed at your computer first compresses the data and sometimes the space occupied by the data is reduced to 85 percent. The data afterwards encrypted so that the privacy of these data is maintained and then forwarded to the commercial backup store via local area network or Internet. Due to the encryption of the data, these are even not accessible to the backup store employees and therefore the data are fully private and while retrieving the software installed at your computer decrypt the data.
The data loss is a very big problem for large business houses, commercial ventures and even for an individual and therefore secure online backup of data is one of the right options for each one of us. Sometimes it is also necessary to maintain the privacy of the data and therefore suitable commercial backup organization having an excellent track record should be carefully selected. So instead of taking a risk of loosing your important data, it is better to store and secure online backups available at a marginal price.
Nowadays many commercial secure online backup providers are easily available and after paying a nominal fee, you can store your data at a remote location. These commercial online backup stores ask you to download their backup software and the software manages the backup and does the rest of job. A few commercial backup stores charge anywhere between 20 cents to 3 dollar per month for storing 1 GB of data, however there are some online backup stores who offer the online backup free for a limited period.
Actually you should ensure that the commercial online backup you have chosen is genuine and reliable and the privacy of your document is maintained. Many individuals take the benefits of these low cost commercial secure online backup facilities and store their family albums and other data. The software provided by commercial stores is easy to operate and with the instructions provided to you, you can install and operate the online backup software. You should try with a free online secure backup for a month and if satisfied with the services you should continue for the desired period.
The secure online backup software will generally have many features and the latest and modern software are equipped with highly sophisticated technique to protect the privacy of the data. The system ensures that backups are taken routinely as per your requirement and accordingly you are intimated by email. The software also ensures that the file system and directories structure is maintained during backup.
The software installed at your computer first compresses the data and sometimes the space occupied by the data is reduced to 85 percent. The data afterwards encrypted so that the privacy of these data is maintained and then forwarded to the commercial backup store via local area network or Internet. Due to the encryption of the data, these are even not accessible to the backup store employees and therefore the data are fully private and while retrieving the software installed at your computer decrypt the data.
The data loss is a very big problem for large business houses, commercial ventures and even for an individual and therefore secure online backup of data is one of the right options for each one of us. Sometimes it is also necessary to maintain the privacy of the data and therefore suitable commercial backup organization having an excellent track record should be carefully selected. So instead of taking a risk of loosing your important data, it is better to store and secure online backups available at a marginal price.
IT Support Services
Whenever a company faces problems with its information technology systems it needs to have had an arrangement with an IT support service company that will provide them with professional solutions that will help in reducing the costs of supporting various hardware as well as software environments across the enterprise. Most IT support service companies have a comprehensive portfolio of services that they provide to the customer no matter what size and type.
Using the services of an IT support service company will help in greatly simplifying the support accountability of your hardware and software platforms as well as providing you with rapid response to your problems around the clock, as well as throughout the United Kingdom. There should also be flexibility in the type of service provided so that it meets all of the customer’s needs. Furthermore, the better IT support services that are available in the United Kingdom should provide a range of services that go beyond your standard product support and should incorporate deployment services that will help reduce risks for installation as well as startups, and should provide for implementation as well as integration of the IT systems as well.
The advantage of using an IT support service is that it provides the customer with availability services that will help the client proactively lessen the downtime as well as adequately address service-level commitments. It should also mean getting performance services that means getting objective technical assistance that will safeguard the investment you have made with regard to your information technology systems.
Information technology support services may be defined as the service that permits a representative to assist a computer as well as network services even when they are not available at the client’s location because the client may not be having a full time person to install as well as maintain the information technology systems on site. In today’s fast- paced information technology world, the need to have computers running without a break in service is crucial and the need to have a contract with an information technology support service company is very high as well as recommended.
It is essential for a client to meet his/her specific support and maintenance requirements throughout the life of the information technology systems and thus must enter into a contract with a reliable IT support services company. On the other hand, the information technology support service companies must have suitable IT support service plans to meet the varying needs of their clients. The IT support service plans must also be cost-effective and provide timely access to online support services as well as to other software maintenance support services, if required.
It is not unusual for IT support service companies to offer different support plans which target the varying needs of its different customers and whose business operations as well as applications are totally dependent on proper working of the IT systems installed therein. A fast response time is of the essence as well.
Using the services of an IT support service company will help in greatly simplifying the support accountability of your hardware and software platforms as well as providing you with rapid response to your problems around the clock, as well as throughout the United Kingdom. There should also be flexibility in the type of service provided so that it meets all of the customer’s needs. Furthermore, the better IT support services that are available in the United Kingdom should provide a range of services that go beyond your standard product support and should incorporate deployment services that will help reduce risks for installation as well as startups, and should provide for implementation as well as integration of the IT systems as well.
The advantage of using an IT support service is that it provides the customer with availability services that will help the client proactively lessen the downtime as well as adequately address service-level commitments. It should also mean getting performance services that means getting objective technical assistance that will safeguard the investment you have made with regard to your information technology systems.
Information technology support services may be defined as the service that permits a representative to assist a computer as well as network services even when they are not available at the client’s location because the client may not be having a full time person to install as well as maintain the information technology systems on site. In today’s fast- paced information technology world, the need to have computers running without a break in service is crucial and the need to have a contract with an information technology support service company is very high as well as recommended.
It is essential for a client to meet his/her specific support and maintenance requirements throughout the life of the information technology systems and thus must enter into a contract with a reliable IT support services company. On the other hand, the information technology support service companies must have suitable IT support service plans to meet the varying needs of their clients. The IT support service plans must also be cost-effective and provide timely access to online support services as well as to other software maintenance support services, if required.
It is not unusual for IT support service companies to offer different support plans which target the varying needs of its different customers and whose business operations as well as applications are totally dependent on proper working of the IT systems installed therein. A fast response time is of the essence as well.
The Need For Quality IT Support Staff
Any company engaged in providing IT support will no doubt exercise great care in who they hire on their roster as the importance of a good; if not outstanding IT support staff cannot be emphasized enough. It means having a good IT supervisor who can coordinate computer programming as well as perform system analysis. He/she should also coordinate computer operations such as data exchange methods, and also submission as well as distribution. The IT support supervisor shall also need to be able to format specifications as well as do the coding procedures. There may be more than one supervisor with others being involved with other aspects of IT support such as overseeing systems programming for workstations as well as taking responsibility for database administration and being there to answer specific issues related to individual edits.
At a lower level, the IT support staff would consist of persons that provide administrative support to the client and maybe even assists in website maintenance. There should also be personnel available that will manage the client’s local area network as well as other personal computers and also should be able to manage Internet servers and also their applications. Other responsibilities should include installing as well as upgrading personal computer hardware as well as software.
Some of the IT support staff may be hired to provide computer programming support and are responsible for writing code to process as well as edit incoming data. In reality, the responsibilities of the IT support staff would also encompass day-to-day support for an information system that could even involve handling the client’s multiple sites. The support staff should have the requisite knowledge as well as experience to handle PC as well as MAC hardware repairs, Server OS, Exchange as well as are able to maintain network switches as well as infrastructure. It is also necessary for the IT support staff to have good and even excellent communication skills as well as be good with people skills.
It is also a requirement for IT support staff to have at least two years of college background in the relevant subjects, A+ Certification as well as is Microsoft Certified, with hands-on experience in relevant hardware and software platforms. An individual with MCSE or CCNA would obviously be well suited for the job of IT support staff.
IT support spans a wide array of services for which a company that provides such services would need to look for specialists to handle the various functions required. There is an administrative side that handles normal client needs such as email, internet, computing services, mailing lists, and user groups. The support staff should also be conversant with various administrative systems in order to discharge their duties satisfactorily. In addition, they may also be called upon to provide training and provide resources and also handle telecommunications as well as other computing services.
With all these different areas of functionality to be addressed, the IT support staff needs to actively be the customer’s backup against all manner of breakdowns and disruptions which should be dealt with and put right at the earliest possible time.
At a lower level, the IT support staff would consist of persons that provide administrative support to the client and maybe even assists in website maintenance. There should also be personnel available that will manage the client’s local area network as well as other personal computers and also should be able to manage Internet servers and also their applications. Other responsibilities should include installing as well as upgrading personal computer hardware as well as software.
Some of the IT support staff may be hired to provide computer programming support and are responsible for writing code to process as well as edit incoming data. In reality, the responsibilities of the IT support staff would also encompass day-to-day support for an information system that could even involve handling the client’s multiple sites. The support staff should have the requisite knowledge as well as experience to handle PC as well as MAC hardware repairs, Server OS, Exchange as well as are able to maintain network switches as well as infrastructure. It is also necessary for the IT support staff to have good and even excellent communication skills as well as be good with people skills.
It is also a requirement for IT support staff to have at least two years of college background in the relevant subjects, A+ Certification as well as is Microsoft Certified, with hands-on experience in relevant hardware and software platforms. An individual with MCSE or CCNA would obviously be well suited for the job of IT support staff.
IT support spans a wide array of services for which a company that provides such services would need to look for specialists to handle the various functions required. There is an administrative side that handles normal client needs such as email, internet, computing services, mailing lists, and user groups. The support staff should also be conversant with various administrative systems in order to discharge their duties satisfactorily. In addition, they may also be called upon to provide training and provide resources and also handle telecommunications as well as other computing services.
With all these different areas of functionality to be addressed, the IT support staff needs to actively be the customer’s backup against all manner of breakdowns and disruptions which should be dealt with and put right at the earliest possible time.
What Are the Benefits of Remote Access and Remote Desktop IT Systems?
Remote access is fast being a necessity for many businesses and organisations both large and small.
With the ever increasing availability of high-speed Internet access you can have your software applications hosted remotely, which allows staff and global offices access to shared applications with simplicity and without the need for IT technicians or support and specific computer knowledge.
There are many business essential software applications that can be delivered remotely and some of the more common ones are Sage Accounts, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Office suite, Adobe Acrobat and almost all Windows compatible applications.
Other benefits of a Terminal Services or Citrix remote access system are:
· Secure E-Mail - plug in Blackberry devices and smart phones to receive secure Microsoft exchange e-mail, and have secure wireless synchronisation for your communications.
· Disaster Recovery - never lose any data or worry about fire and theft, as all data and files are housed in secure data centres. All connections to your remote desktop are encrypted both upwards and downwards, to ensure your communications are safe from hackers.
· Work from Anywhere - take your desktop anywhere in the world and, using any PC or laptop, you can work seamlessly, taking your desktop where you go.
· Remote CRM Hosting - using the power of applications such as Microsoft's CRM and Goldmine, you can increase customer retention and sales and have remote salesforces working efficiently and effectively wherever they are in the world.
Remote IT systems are much more common nowadays, due to the stability and reliability of the Internet, which delivers the remote desktop or remote access service and is a key factor in the performance of your system. In terms of cost, any company, whether they have 1 user or 1000 users will find that the cost is actually much lower than a traditional system, and also delivers disaster recovery benefits that are crucial to most businesses.
Some of the major cost-saving issues are:
· The fact that your business will never need to purchase Microsoft Office suite software as it usually comes included within the remote IT system packages.
· As your IT system is delivered remotely in secure data centres, your IT infrastructure, hardware and support costs are greatly reduced or become a thing of the past as it is up to the remote hosting company to ensure you can access your system, data and files to guaranteed service levels.
One of the only factors to consider is that you have to actually require internet access to access your data and files. However, this can be solved by using synchronization software that will allow you to have the files locally on your laptop or PC, as well as on the remote servers, although this does defeat one of the main objectives with these systems, which is to keep your data and files secure in the event of equipment theft or hackers.
With the ever increasing availability of high-speed Internet access you can have your software applications hosted remotely, which allows staff and global offices access to shared applications with simplicity and without the need for IT technicians or support and specific computer knowledge.
There are many business essential software applications that can be delivered remotely and some of the more common ones are Sage Accounts, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Office suite, Adobe Acrobat and almost all Windows compatible applications.
Other benefits of a Terminal Services or Citrix remote access system are:
· Secure E-Mail - plug in Blackberry devices and smart phones to receive secure Microsoft exchange e-mail, and have secure wireless synchronisation for your communications.
· Disaster Recovery - never lose any data or worry about fire and theft, as all data and files are housed in secure data centres. All connections to your remote desktop are encrypted both upwards and downwards, to ensure your communications are safe from hackers.
· Work from Anywhere - take your desktop anywhere in the world and, using any PC or laptop, you can work seamlessly, taking your desktop where you go.
· Remote CRM Hosting - using the power of applications such as Microsoft's CRM and Goldmine, you can increase customer retention and sales and have remote salesforces working efficiently and effectively wherever they are in the world.
Remote IT systems are much more common nowadays, due to the stability and reliability of the Internet, which delivers the remote desktop or remote access service and is a key factor in the performance of your system. In terms of cost, any company, whether they have 1 user or 1000 users will find that the cost is actually much lower than a traditional system, and also delivers disaster recovery benefits that are crucial to most businesses.
Some of the major cost-saving issues are:
· The fact that your business will never need to purchase Microsoft Office suite software as it usually comes included within the remote IT system packages.
· As your IT system is delivered remotely in secure data centres, your IT infrastructure, hardware and support costs are greatly reduced or become a thing of the past as it is up to the remote hosting company to ensure you can access your system, data and files to guaranteed service levels.
One of the only factors to consider is that you have to actually require internet access to access your data and files. However, this can be solved by using synchronization software that will allow you to have the files locally on your laptop or PC, as well as on the remote servers, although this does defeat one of the main objectives with these systems, which is to keep your data and files secure in the event of equipment theft or hackers.
Why Online Backups Are The Only Choice For Many Businesses
Online backup is a process of taking routine backups of data and files from your computers or servers and it is generally taken at least once every week and ideally every day. This is one of the preferred data protection measures and nowadays all business organisations regularly take online backups of important data and documents.
Taking regular online backups of your essential documents and data is now very easy and initially your service providers may provide a free trial for a fixed duration. To begin your service, you simply download the online backup software and the software does the rest of the job.
The program collects the various files, compresses and encrypts the files and then sends these encrypted files to the remote server of the service provider. No one, even the employees of the backup company, has access to these files and the files decrypt only when they are received back on the originating computer or server. Thus, this ensures not only the safety of the data but also its security.
There are lots of features available including open file backup, binary data transfer, and continuous or predefined backup. Generally the software has the feature of taking backups even when several files such as Outlook emails or SQL files are open. The administrator, in such case, need not plan separate maintenance and backup schedules. Another feature is continuous backup of data instead of predefined schedule. Companies and especially financial institutions need continuous backup of financial records and banking statements for FSA regulation purposes.
The latest techniques allow the identification and transfer of only binary data that has been changed from earlier backups, instead of taking whole data files. This technique not only reduces traffic on local area networks (LAN) and the time required for online backup, it also reduces the bandwidth and hence the cost of backups. The other typical feature of backup software is that it is compatible with almost all the operating system environments such as Windows, Linux, UNIX, and Macintosh.
There are many advantages of online backups over traditional backup systems. First of all the user has nothing to do manually to store data, or take the backup of data. Secondly, with online backups the data is automatically stored on the remote servers at a predefined time intervals or continuously.
Secure online backups also use software that encrypt the files so no one can have access to the data, however in traditional backup scenarios, you have to ensure yourself that the data is safe as well as secure, by keeping it in safe custody as well as password protecting it.
Online backups are necessary for data safety and you should ensure that your data or the necessary documents should be stored at a remote and safe location for your business continuity in the event of disaster or hardware failures.
http://www.networklondon.co.uk/services/secure-backups.html
Taking regular online backups of your essential documents and data is now very easy and initially your service providers may provide a free trial for a fixed duration. To begin your service, you simply download the online backup software and the software does the rest of the job.
The program collects the various files, compresses and encrypts the files and then sends these encrypted files to the remote server of the service provider. No one, even the employees of the backup company, has access to these files and the files decrypt only when they are received back on the originating computer or server. Thus, this ensures not only the safety of the data but also its security.
There are lots of features available including open file backup, binary data transfer, and continuous or predefined backup. Generally the software has the feature of taking backups even when several files such as Outlook emails or SQL files are open. The administrator, in such case, need not plan separate maintenance and backup schedules. Another feature is continuous backup of data instead of predefined schedule. Companies and especially financial institutions need continuous backup of financial records and banking statements for FSA regulation purposes.
The latest techniques allow the identification and transfer of only binary data that has been changed from earlier backups, instead of taking whole data files. This technique not only reduces traffic on local area networks (LAN) and the time required for online backup, it also reduces the bandwidth and hence the cost of backups. The other typical feature of backup software is that it is compatible with almost all the operating system environments such as Windows, Linux, UNIX, and Macintosh.
There are many advantages of online backups over traditional backup systems. First of all the user has nothing to do manually to store data, or take the backup of data. Secondly, with online backups the data is automatically stored on the remote servers at a predefined time intervals or continuously.
Secure online backups also use software that encrypt the files so no one can have access to the data, however in traditional backup scenarios, you have to ensure yourself that the data is safe as well as secure, by keeping it in safe custody as well as password protecting it.
Online backups are necessary for data safety and you should ensure that your data or the necessary documents should be stored at a remote and safe location for your business continuity in the event of disaster or hardware failures.
http://www.networklondon.co.uk/services/secure-backups.html
VoIP PBX Telephone Systems & The Advantages
VoIP PBX or IP PBX (Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange) is a telephony system that makes use of IP data networks to facilitate telecommunication. The immediate advantage of VoIP PBX is that enterprises using it need not have to replace their existing phones or phone numbers to accommodate the new VoIP facility. It is a robust technology that works in tandem with the existing communication infrastructures. In other words, the VoIP technology can use the existing PSTN lines via the VoIP gateway, and there is no much of additional infrastructure involved in its entire installation.
How does a VoIP PBX work?
The basic architecture of an IP PBX system consists of an IP PBX server, one or more SIP phones or VoIP phones, and a VoIP gateway, as mentioned already, to connect to the existing PSTN lines (optional though). The IP PBX server functions quite similar to a proxy server. The SIP or VoIP phones, which can be either hardware phones or soft phones, has to register with the IP PBX server, and when they wish to make a call to another phone – a VoIP or SIP phone – actually a request is send to the IP PBX server to establish the connection. The IP PBX server will have a directory of all users/phones and their respective SIP addresses, and using this info, it could connect an internal call or route an external call via a VoIP service provider or a VoIP gateway, whichever is applicable. The process is just quick and simple.
So, what are the advantages of VoIP PBX over conventional PBX systems?
The most important plus of VoIP PBX is that it is many times easier to install and configure than a traditional phone system. Any one who knows the basics of computer and networking can install the IP PBX in a PC and maintain it reasonably well. Also, since it is all software, there is no complex wiring involved anywhere. If somebody wants to connect a hardware phone to an IP PBX system, he/she can directly plug it into a standard network port (soft phones can be installed directly into the PC). This must be read in the backdrop of the fact that in the case of proprietary phones, only a trained technician could handle its installation, configuration, wiring, and overall maintenance.
Another big advantage of IP PBX is its low cost of operation. Since the calls make use of IP networks, even long distance international calls are many times cheaper. If the call is made between the phone systems that links the branches of enterprises, it is absolutely free of cost. Further, since IP PBX is built on an open SIP standard, users can use any SIP software/hardware phone with virtually any SIP based PSTN Gateway, IP PBX or VoIP provider. There is no question of a vendor lock-in in any circumstance.
Yet another positive with IP PBX is that it could easily handle any number of additional phone connections and extensions without disturbing the efficiency of the network. This is in deep contrast to the conventional phone systems, which might require additional hardware modules to accommodate the newer connections and extensions.
Finally, with VoIP PBX, it facilitates hot desking and roaming, provides easy usability, and better manageability via the IP PBX Windows client. With proprietary phones, in order to implement the latter feature, it might require expensive hardware components.
How does a VoIP PBX work?
The basic architecture of an IP PBX system consists of an IP PBX server, one or more SIP phones or VoIP phones, and a VoIP gateway, as mentioned already, to connect to the existing PSTN lines (optional though). The IP PBX server functions quite similar to a proxy server. The SIP or VoIP phones, which can be either hardware phones or soft phones, has to register with the IP PBX server, and when they wish to make a call to another phone – a VoIP or SIP phone – actually a request is send to the IP PBX server to establish the connection. The IP PBX server will have a directory of all users/phones and their respective SIP addresses, and using this info, it could connect an internal call or route an external call via a VoIP service provider or a VoIP gateway, whichever is applicable. The process is just quick and simple.
So, what are the advantages of VoIP PBX over conventional PBX systems?
The most important plus of VoIP PBX is that it is many times easier to install and configure than a traditional phone system. Any one who knows the basics of computer and networking can install the IP PBX in a PC and maintain it reasonably well. Also, since it is all software, there is no complex wiring involved anywhere. If somebody wants to connect a hardware phone to an IP PBX system, he/she can directly plug it into a standard network port (soft phones can be installed directly into the PC). This must be read in the backdrop of the fact that in the case of proprietary phones, only a trained technician could handle its installation, configuration, wiring, and overall maintenance.
Another big advantage of IP PBX is its low cost of operation. Since the calls make use of IP networks, even long distance international calls are many times cheaper. If the call is made between the phone systems that links the branches of enterprises, it is absolutely free of cost. Further, since IP PBX is built on an open SIP standard, users can use any SIP software/hardware phone with virtually any SIP based PSTN Gateway, IP PBX or VoIP provider. There is no question of a vendor lock-in in any circumstance.
Yet another positive with IP PBX is that it could easily handle any number of additional phone connections and extensions without disturbing the efficiency of the network. This is in deep contrast to the conventional phone systems, which might require additional hardware modules to accommodate the newer connections and extensions.
Finally, with VoIP PBX, it facilitates hot desking and roaming, provides easy usability, and better manageability via the IP PBX Windows client. With proprietary phones, in order to implement the latter feature, it might require expensive hardware components.
Unified Messaging – Critical In Today’s Technical Age
Unified Messaging, abbreviated as UM, is nothing but the integration of different communication modes used by us - such as the email, voice mail, and fax - into a combined communication experience, such as a mail in-box and/or alert service, which then can be accessed from a variety of devices such as the PC, fixed network phone, or mobile phone.
The advantage with unified messaging is that you have more control over the communication methods you may be using, since you can make use of a single source for message delivery, repository, notification, and access, thus cutting down the time factor involved in the whole process.
UM is especially useful for companies that want to be in touch all the time, and do not want to waste any time with sending/receiving/accessing info.
Now, let’s see the different UM capabilities in detail. The UM capabilities are single delivery, single repository, single access, and single notification.
Single delivery means one could send messages to a person, an end user, by addressing to a single alias.
Single repository refers to one storage location for access/retrieval and integration like text-to-speech, speech-to-text etc.
Single access stands for making use of a single addressing scheme that permits customers to access stored messages through simple mailbox commands.
Single notification means utilizing SMS or similar techniques to notify the user about incoming messages/missed messages and/or communication attempts made.
However, there is still a bigger advantage that unified messaging delivers. This is the technology’s ability to integrate flawlessly with other applications. For example, using appropriate technologies, a UM system could sense an incoming mail, decipher the receiver, find out his/her position (location based services), and send a SMS notification to him/her about a waiting mail in the inbox. The receiver, on the other hand, will have the facility to decide if the email is an urgent one and needs to be read immediately or if it is something to which you can reply later. With UM, end users can also choose to promptly read the mail via text-to-speech conversion or SMS if needed.
Unified messaging, along with location systems and call management, could enhance the existing communication capabilities of individuals/enterprises in a way that has not been witnessed before. For example, the UM system could prompt a caller to speak the message he/she might want to convey to a particular end-user, and the system then sends the message in the form of an SMS to the customer after assessing his/her current position and status. The receiver can now choose to attend the call directly or leave the job to the system itself. The entire process is not only robust and prompt, but also saves time, the one important factor on which every 21st century management models are based.
Unified messaging is a broad topic that cannot be described in one article. To know more about the intricacies of UM and its applications, it is advisable to refer to the various technical resources written by experts in the trade and posted on the web.
Conclusion: Unified messaging is an advanced messaging capability and is a technology that offers advanced capabilities that are superior to SMS. This includes EMS, MMS, inter-carrier messaging, and mobile instant messaging.
The advantage with unified messaging is that you have more control over the communication methods you may be using, since you can make use of a single source for message delivery, repository, notification, and access, thus cutting down the time factor involved in the whole process.
UM is especially useful for companies that want to be in touch all the time, and do not want to waste any time with sending/receiving/accessing info.
Now, let’s see the different UM capabilities in detail. The UM capabilities are single delivery, single repository, single access, and single notification.
Single delivery means one could send messages to a person, an end user, by addressing to a single alias.
Single repository refers to one storage location for access/retrieval and integration like text-to-speech, speech-to-text etc.
Single access stands for making use of a single addressing scheme that permits customers to access stored messages through simple mailbox commands.
Single notification means utilizing SMS or similar techniques to notify the user about incoming messages/missed messages and/or communication attempts made.
However, there is still a bigger advantage that unified messaging delivers. This is the technology’s ability to integrate flawlessly with other applications. For example, using appropriate technologies, a UM system could sense an incoming mail, decipher the receiver, find out his/her position (location based services), and send a SMS notification to him/her about a waiting mail in the inbox. The receiver, on the other hand, will have the facility to decide if the email is an urgent one and needs to be read immediately or if it is something to which you can reply later. With UM, end users can also choose to promptly read the mail via text-to-speech conversion or SMS if needed.
Unified messaging, along with location systems and call management, could enhance the existing communication capabilities of individuals/enterprises in a way that has not been witnessed before. For example, the UM system could prompt a caller to speak the message he/she might want to convey to a particular end-user, and the system then sends the message in the form of an SMS to the customer after assessing his/her current position and status. The receiver can now choose to attend the call directly or leave the job to the system itself. The entire process is not only robust and prompt, but also saves time, the one important factor on which every 21st century management models are based.
Unified messaging is a broad topic that cannot be described in one article. To know more about the intricacies of UM and its applications, it is advisable to refer to the various technical resources written by experts in the trade and posted on the web.
Conclusion: Unified messaging is an advanced messaging capability and is a technology that offers advanced capabilities that are superior to SMS. This includes EMS, MMS, inter-carrier messaging, and mobile instant messaging.
What Telephone System Do You Need?
It is virtually impossible to image an enterprise without a robust telephone system. An efficient telephone system is required not only to reach out to the thousands of the customers, but also to communicate between the office members as a part of a meeting or conference, or to facilitate the routine communication between the mangers and the work force. In short, the more robust the telephone system in a business, the better and efficient would be the work coordination and hence the overall performance of its employees. This article discusses a few telephone systems that are usually associated with businesses.
Telephone systems in enterprises can be classified into three types – KSU less phones, preferably for small businesses, Key systems for mid sized enterprises, and the more elaborate Private Branch Exchange (PBX) for larger corporations.
KSU less phone systems are meant for businesses that do not need more than ten extensions. If there is another plus with such small business phone systems, then it is its installation and maintenance cost, which are relatively very low, and yes, the monthly expense in terms of phone tariffs. Also, since KSU less phone systems are temporary connections, moving it to a new location, such as in the case of an office shift, is not a big deal. Simply unplug the telephone system and plug it back in the new office. If yours is a small business or a start up, installing a KSU less telephone system would be the ideal choice. You can upgrade it to a more complex telephone system as the enterprise grows.
As mentioned, Key systems and Private Branch Exchange (PBX) are required for larger businesses. PBX is essential if the employee strength is more than 40 and frequent communication with more than member at a time – conferencing – and enhanced call management is a necessity. By call management, it implies the different communication modes such as call forwarding, call waiting, voice mail and fax, and the telephone system’s much needed compatibility with other electronic devices such as the printers, PC, and the web. PBX definitely costs more than the KSU less telephone systems, but, then the phone companies offer different communication packages depending upon the client requirements, and its prices vary with the features that each package includes.
If your business wants a feature filled service, you may have to shell out more money.
Key system, on the other hand, is tailor made for medium sized enterprises whose employee strength falls between 10 and 40. The PBX and Key systems are usually installed and maintained by the service provider himself unlike the KSU less ones.
Finally, before choosing a business telephone system, take into consideration, the current size of the company, its future expansion plans, and also the different phone systems available in the market and their costs. Compare the capabilities and features of the telephone systems in the market, its price, and quality of customer support, before making the final call. It is also advisable to seek professional advice in that regard. To know more about telephone systems in vogue, search the World Wide Web.
Telephone systems in enterprises can be classified into three types – KSU less phones, preferably for small businesses, Key systems for mid sized enterprises, and the more elaborate Private Branch Exchange (PBX) for larger corporations.
KSU less phone systems are meant for businesses that do not need more than ten extensions. If there is another plus with such small business phone systems, then it is its installation and maintenance cost, which are relatively very low, and yes, the monthly expense in terms of phone tariffs. Also, since KSU less phone systems are temporary connections, moving it to a new location, such as in the case of an office shift, is not a big deal. Simply unplug the telephone system and plug it back in the new office. If yours is a small business or a start up, installing a KSU less telephone system would be the ideal choice. You can upgrade it to a more complex telephone system as the enterprise grows.
As mentioned, Key systems and Private Branch Exchange (PBX) are required for larger businesses. PBX is essential if the employee strength is more than 40 and frequent communication with more than member at a time – conferencing – and enhanced call management is a necessity. By call management, it implies the different communication modes such as call forwarding, call waiting, voice mail and fax, and the telephone system’s much needed compatibility with other electronic devices such as the printers, PC, and the web. PBX definitely costs more than the KSU less telephone systems, but, then the phone companies offer different communication packages depending upon the client requirements, and its prices vary with the features that each package includes.
If your business wants a feature filled service, you may have to shell out more money.
Key system, on the other hand, is tailor made for medium sized enterprises whose employee strength falls between 10 and 40. The PBX and Key systems are usually installed and maintained by the service provider himself unlike the KSU less ones.
Finally, before choosing a business telephone system, take into consideration, the current size of the company, its future expansion plans, and also the different phone systems available in the market and their costs. Compare the capabilities and features of the telephone systems in the market, its price, and quality of customer support, before making the final call. It is also advisable to seek professional advice in that regard. To know more about telephone systems in vogue, search the World Wide Web.
Small Business IT Support
Many small as well as medium sized companies are in need of IT support that includes everything from firewall to VPN installation as well as upgrades and also migration to other computer systems. Some small businesses also require complete network audits and for this a small business IT support provider should have the experience as well as expertise to provide necessary solutions.
A small business needs a range of computer support services and will thus look for unlimited onsite support services from a safe and reliable IT support company. With qualified engineers on hand, small business IT support providers would be able to provide the necessary level of experience in installing firewalls such as Checkpoint, Watchguard as well as Cisco that are ideally suited to small businesses. There may also be entry level firewalls that will ensure that the small business keeps its data safe and along with complete security audits, antivirus & anti spam services, should take care of all of the security requirements of the small business enterprise.
You should also look for disaster recovery of your data when a server fails as well as want upgrades and possibilities to migrate to other improved systems. In addition, small business IT support also means providing resilient backup services (even remotely) and with the help of existing broadband lines and automated services, there should be no need for any tapes being sent back and forth between the client and IT support companies.
There are many IT support service companies that are capable of providing a support service to small businesses and which has a high quality of service and engineers, to ensure that they can provide support to small business networks, complete with a fast response time. You should look for companies that provide a personal touch for your network support needs, and who are proactive and also have a complete range of support packages and systems and you also need a company who can work with existing suppliers to streamline your business.
You need to look at the number of years of experience that the small business IT support company has, particularly in areas such as IT networks, the Internet as well as Network Security and who will provide professional as well as efficient service. Often, small businesses are confronted with a certain amount of difficulty in sourcing a good IT support service provider that will justify not hiring a full-time internal IT support team. This means that in case of a requirement for occasional expert support services during upgrades of networks and installing major IT systems, or even in the case of needing desktop support, you will need to have on hand an IT support service provider that can tailor a service to match your requirements and also help you stay within your budget.
Thus, you should look for a service provider that provides email support, Microsoft Networks, Network Security, network infrastructure and a team of dedicated IT professionals with experience of multiple systems and technologies.
A small business needs a range of computer support services and will thus look for unlimited onsite support services from a safe and reliable IT support company. With qualified engineers on hand, small business IT support providers would be able to provide the necessary level of experience in installing firewalls such as Checkpoint, Watchguard as well as Cisco that are ideally suited to small businesses. There may also be entry level firewalls that will ensure that the small business keeps its data safe and along with complete security audits, antivirus & anti spam services, should take care of all of the security requirements of the small business enterprise.
You should also look for disaster recovery of your data when a server fails as well as want upgrades and possibilities to migrate to other improved systems. In addition, small business IT support also means providing resilient backup services (even remotely) and with the help of existing broadband lines and automated services, there should be no need for any tapes being sent back and forth between the client and IT support companies.
There are many IT support service companies that are capable of providing a support service to small businesses and which has a high quality of service and engineers, to ensure that they can provide support to small business networks, complete with a fast response time. You should look for companies that provide a personal touch for your network support needs, and who are proactive and also have a complete range of support packages and systems and you also need a company who can work with existing suppliers to streamline your business.
You need to look at the number of years of experience that the small business IT support company has, particularly in areas such as IT networks, the Internet as well as Network Security and who will provide professional as well as efficient service. Often, small businesses are confronted with a certain amount of difficulty in sourcing a good IT support service provider that will justify not hiring a full-time internal IT support team. This means that in case of a requirement for occasional expert support services during upgrades of networks and installing major IT systems, or even in the case of needing desktop support, you will need to have on hand an IT support service provider that can tailor a service to match your requirements and also help you stay within your budget.
Thus, you should look for a service provider that provides email support, Microsoft Networks, Network Security, network infrastructure and a team of dedicated IT professionals with experience of multiple systems and technologies.
Facilities Management
In conventional business application, facilities management is a term used for management of large commercial buildings. Facilities management now includes the wider areas such as process and technology. Actually it has a very vast role in managing some large commercial aspects, as a facility manager has to ensure that the facilities operate smoothly and as and when required the facilities are ready for use.
Large commercial organizations outsource these services of managing their buildings and the conventional facilities management includes the maintenance of the building, cleaning of the floors and gardening etc. The outsourcing of such services is beneficial cost-wise as well as reducing the overall maintenance cost of the assets. A well managed facilities management team ensures proper energy management, fire and safety management, regulatory and environmental management, preventive maintenance and critical operation management. The facilities management provides a safe and healthy environment and that results in improved productivity.
If we see a wider spectrum of facilities management, it can be divided into many application based facilities management such as ground management, lease management, laundry management, property management, safety management, maintenance and repairs of residential or commercial buildings, office management, mail processing, security, vendor management, surveillance and many more. The whole task is divided into a number of groups and as each group has different task and therefore the whole facilities management is easy to monitor through these groups. The number of groups can either be increased or decreased and it all depends on the type of facilities management.
Although in general, facilities management is used for building management systems, today however, it is the term also used for managing IT assets. Actually facilities management in IT services is an excellent idea and it not only ensures that all your hardware is always functioning but it also reduces downtime especially if there is troubleshooting. In many sectors where your production or other output is directly related to IT operation, downtime can have great impact on your profitability and under those situations, facilities management of the entire IT is the best option.
Large commercial organizations are spending billions of pounds on their soft costs such as administration, recruitment of IT staff, installing and managing IT solutions and all these costs can be minimized by outsourcing the entire operations. Actually the facilities management in IT sector is very cost effective and large organizations can save huge money being spent on soft costs. In recent years, outsourcing in the IT sector has grown substantially.
So, in reality, facilities management is generally outsourcing, so that the various tasks are managed by other relevant and experienced professionals and at the same time these tasks are cost effective to the large commercial organisations. The facilities management, if carried out efficiently, can improve the working conditions and therefore have direct impact on profitability. A better working environment will boost the output and therefore profitability. In the IT sector, facilities management can tremendously reduce the downtime and therefore is most beneficial for increasing productivity of the commercial organization.
Large commercial organizations outsource these services of managing their buildings and the conventional facilities management includes the maintenance of the building, cleaning of the floors and gardening etc. The outsourcing of such services is beneficial cost-wise as well as reducing the overall maintenance cost of the assets. A well managed facilities management team ensures proper energy management, fire and safety management, regulatory and environmental management, preventive maintenance and critical operation management. The facilities management provides a safe and healthy environment and that results in improved productivity.
If we see a wider spectrum of facilities management, it can be divided into many application based facilities management such as ground management, lease management, laundry management, property management, safety management, maintenance and repairs of residential or commercial buildings, office management, mail processing, security, vendor management, surveillance and many more. The whole task is divided into a number of groups and as each group has different task and therefore the whole facilities management is easy to monitor through these groups. The number of groups can either be increased or decreased and it all depends on the type of facilities management.
Although in general, facilities management is used for building management systems, today however, it is the term also used for managing IT assets. Actually facilities management in IT services is an excellent idea and it not only ensures that all your hardware is always functioning but it also reduces downtime especially if there is troubleshooting. In many sectors where your production or other output is directly related to IT operation, downtime can have great impact on your profitability and under those situations, facilities management of the entire IT is the best option.
Large commercial organizations are spending billions of pounds on their soft costs such as administration, recruitment of IT staff, installing and managing IT solutions and all these costs can be minimized by outsourcing the entire operations. Actually the facilities management in IT sector is very cost effective and large organizations can save huge money being spent on soft costs. In recent years, outsourcing in the IT sector has grown substantially.
So, in reality, facilities management is generally outsourcing, so that the various tasks are managed by other relevant and experienced professionals and at the same time these tasks are cost effective to the large commercial organisations. The facilities management, if carried out efficiently, can improve the working conditions and therefore have direct impact on profitability. A better working environment will boost the output and therefore profitability. In the IT sector, facilities management can tremendously reduce the downtime and therefore is most beneficial for increasing productivity of the commercial organization.
Remote Backups
Remote backups, as the name suggests, are backups taken remotely. These backups are taken without interfering with the server, the data of which is being backed up. Remote backups are relatively new but are catching up quite rapidly as compared to other forms of backup.
Remote backups are exactly similar to online backups. Online backups involve copying the data while it is being saved on the server and simultaneously saving it to some offsite location. Online backups are also known as real time backups as they involve backing up the data in ‘real time’ that is almost simultaneously to the entry of the data. In the same way, remote backups involve taking a backup of the data to be backed up in real time. Real time backups involve backing up the data as and when it is entered into the system. However remote backup and online backup should not be construed to mean the same thing. Remote backups are a part of online backups. Remote backups are a type of online backups, which are normally preferred by organizations as they do away with the shortcomings of conventional backups as well as the shortcomings of other forms of online backups.
Remote backups involve backing up of the data of a particular server from a place distant to the server. Online backups involve running a backup process simultaneously on he server, which is to be backed up. This often leads to the server being overloaded with multiple processes and programs. This leads to low performance and output levels from the server. It also increases the risk of a server crash due to overloading. These shortcomings of other forms of online backups led to the origin of remote backups.
Remote backups do away with almost all shortcomings of conventional forms of backing up data. Remote backups do not involve interfering with the server being backed up. This virtually rules out any form of mishap to the server due interference during the back up process. Hence data integrity is not compromised on during the process of remote back up. Also remote backups are conducted simultaneously to the process of data entry. Hence, this form of backup does not require the server to remain idle for some time. This form of back up thus does not involve any down time on the part of the organization. Thus the organization can save on many productive man-hours. These can further be used profitably by the organization.
Remote backups also do away with the shortcomings of the other forms of online backups. As they are not run on the server being backed up, they do not compromise on the integrity of the data being backed up as also on the performance of the server. Also, such backups can be retrieved almost instantly. This is not the case with other forms of online backups, which can be retrieved only with a certain time lag. Remote backups also have a distinct advantage in comparison to other forms of backup. Remote backups are taken simultaneously offsite on a different server and hence are almost always reliable. Remote backups are steadily gaining ground among corporate and other organizations due to their obvious advantages and are here to stay.
Remote backups are exactly similar to online backups. Online backups involve copying the data while it is being saved on the server and simultaneously saving it to some offsite location. Online backups are also known as real time backups as they involve backing up the data in ‘real time’ that is almost simultaneously to the entry of the data. In the same way, remote backups involve taking a backup of the data to be backed up in real time. Real time backups involve backing up the data as and when it is entered into the system. However remote backup and online backup should not be construed to mean the same thing. Remote backups are a part of online backups. Remote backups are a type of online backups, which are normally preferred by organizations as they do away with the shortcomings of conventional backups as well as the shortcomings of other forms of online backups.
Remote backups involve backing up of the data of a particular server from a place distant to the server. Online backups involve running a backup process simultaneously on he server, which is to be backed up. This often leads to the server being overloaded with multiple processes and programs. This leads to low performance and output levels from the server. It also increases the risk of a server crash due to overloading. These shortcomings of other forms of online backups led to the origin of remote backups.
Remote backups do away with almost all shortcomings of conventional forms of backing up data. Remote backups do not involve interfering with the server being backed up. This virtually rules out any form of mishap to the server due interference during the back up process. Hence data integrity is not compromised on during the process of remote back up. Also remote backups are conducted simultaneously to the process of data entry. Hence, this form of backup does not require the server to remain idle for some time. This form of back up thus does not involve any down time on the part of the organization. Thus the organization can save on many productive man-hours. These can further be used profitably by the organization.
Remote backups also do away with the shortcomings of the other forms of online backups. As they are not run on the server being backed up, they do not compromise on the integrity of the data being backed up as also on the performance of the server. Also, such backups can be retrieved almost instantly. This is not the case with other forms of online backups, which can be retrieved only with a certain time lag. Remote backups also have a distinct advantage in comparison to other forms of backup. Remote backups are taken simultaneously offsite on a different server and hence are almost always reliable. Remote backups are steadily gaining ground among corporate and other organizations due to their obvious advantages and are here to stay.
Blackberry 8800
Blackberry 8800 is the latest on the line of RIM smart phones – feature rich and visually and functionally inspiring. It is also the thinnest Blackberry handset yet.
Going straight into its specifications, the Blackberry 8800 comes equipped with a QWERTY keyboard – unlike Blackberry Pearl – and a trackball navigation system. It appears that Blackberry had finally come into terms with the fact that joysticks are not great devices for navigational purposes, especially to zip through a phone menu. The QWERTY keyboard can be a bit confusing in the beginning, but as the user starts typing on it, gradually he/she will get used to it.
If there is another major difference between Blackberry 8800 and the Pearl, then it is the absence of the camera. Blackberry has dispensed with the camera in 8800 for a more reliable feature, the GPS, to track down roaming business users and devices. Even though, the Blackberry 8800 does not have Google Maps in it, the bundled TeleNav GPS Navigator does an exceptional job in giving the user the right directions always. The local search function also works very well.
The display of 8800 is quite bright (320 x 240 resolution) and offers good visibility in all lighting conditions. A built-in light sensing device adjusts the brightness levels of the keypad and screen accordingly to optimize visibility.
Blackberry 8800 supports EDGE and quad-band GSM/GPRS networks with reasonable data speed. For moderate to extensive browsing needs, the handset performs reasonably well. Regarding email, if using the Blackberry web services, the phone supports as much as ten corporate and personal e-mail accounts, the setup being one of the easiest one could find in any of the smart phones on earth. Attachment support is excellent – users can view Word, PDF, Excel, and JPEG files – even though there are no way you could edit the office documents. Using the Desktop Manager, the Blackberry user could synchronize the memos, calendar, tasks, and contacts with the relevant organizer tools such that every relevant piece of info will be updated in the required applications simultaneously.
Like all other phones in its category, the Blackberry 8800 also offers an assortment of multimedia features that include music and video, ring tones, and images. The Media Manager utility can be used to import photos, and videos into the device, even though, as mentioned already, one may not be able to take pictures or record videos using 8800 as it lacks a camera. The media player supports the file types - MP3, AAC, and WMA music files, as well as WMV video and MPEG-4 files. DRM support however is absent.
Other voice features include voice-cancellation for better audio performance, VAD – Voice Activated Dialing – with Speaker Independent Voice Recognition, call forwarding, conference calls, and smart dialing, a high quality low-distortion speakerphone, and dedicated ‘mute’, ‘send’, and ‘end’ keys.
Finally, the pricing, the Blackberry 8800 carries a price tag - £299 - that falls in between Blackberry Pearl and the Cingular 8525 (£399). Given its features, however, this is a quite reasonable price (Its competitors also carries a similar price tag). For more info on Blackberry 8800, see the Blackberry home website.
Going straight into its specifications, the Blackberry 8800 comes equipped with a QWERTY keyboard – unlike Blackberry Pearl – and a trackball navigation system. It appears that Blackberry had finally come into terms with the fact that joysticks are not great devices for navigational purposes, especially to zip through a phone menu. The QWERTY keyboard can be a bit confusing in the beginning, but as the user starts typing on it, gradually he/she will get used to it.
If there is another major difference between Blackberry 8800 and the Pearl, then it is the absence of the camera. Blackberry has dispensed with the camera in 8800 for a more reliable feature, the GPS, to track down roaming business users and devices. Even though, the Blackberry 8800 does not have Google Maps in it, the bundled TeleNav GPS Navigator does an exceptional job in giving the user the right directions always. The local search function also works very well.
The display of 8800 is quite bright (320 x 240 resolution) and offers good visibility in all lighting conditions. A built-in light sensing device adjusts the brightness levels of the keypad and screen accordingly to optimize visibility.
Blackberry 8800 supports EDGE and quad-band GSM/GPRS networks with reasonable data speed. For moderate to extensive browsing needs, the handset performs reasonably well. Regarding email, if using the Blackberry web services, the phone supports as much as ten corporate and personal e-mail accounts, the setup being one of the easiest one could find in any of the smart phones on earth. Attachment support is excellent – users can view Word, PDF, Excel, and JPEG files – even though there are no way you could edit the office documents. Using the Desktop Manager, the Blackberry user could synchronize the memos, calendar, tasks, and contacts with the relevant organizer tools such that every relevant piece of info will be updated in the required applications simultaneously.
Like all other phones in its category, the Blackberry 8800 also offers an assortment of multimedia features that include music and video, ring tones, and images. The Media Manager utility can be used to import photos, and videos into the device, even though, as mentioned already, one may not be able to take pictures or record videos using 8800 as it lacks a camera. The media player supports the file types - MP3, AAC, and WMA music files, as well as WMV video and MPEG-4 files. DRM support however is absent.
Other voice features include voice-cancellation for better audio performance, VAD – Voice Activated Dialing – with Speaker Independent Voice Recognition, call forwarding, conference calls, and smart dialing, a high quality low-distortion speakerphone, and dedicated ‘mute’, ‘send’, and ‘end’ keys.
Finally, the pricing, the Blackberry 8800 carries a price tag - £299 - that falls in between Blackberry Pearl and the Cingular 8525 (£399). Given its features, however, this is a quite reasonable price (Its competitors also carries a similar price tag). For more info on Blackberry 8800, see the Blackberry home website.
Mobile Phone Contract Plans with VOIP
Introduction
The revolution of internet communication is here to stay for a very long time and this is primarily because it has done so much to help people by its mere presence alone. The voice over IP (VOIP for short) technology that has hit the market by storm over the last couple of years has now expanded to be a major competing technology in nearly every major branch of communications. The VOIP revolution has been so fast and so fierce that even the most established conventional telephone companies are now rushing to create VOIP infrastructure that they can provide to their customers so that they don’t end up losing them to other companies that are on the cutting edge. To that end, even mobile phones have been created that have the ability to use VOIP or a similar piece of technology in order to accomplish the same task.
The Mobile Phones
A question that very many people have when they initially here about the recent expansion into the mobile phone market has to do with the technology itself. While it is easy to understand how VOIP technology works on a conceptual level (i.e. the internet connection being used in conjunction with specialty software to facilitate communication in a manner similar to that of a telephone) for normal, land-based systems it is a lot more difficult to understand exactly how it works in the sense of a mobile phone solution.
If you have ever traveled on a plane before, you have more than likely seen a business person utilizing their internet through the use of mobile internet technology. This type of technology has been around for a very long time and all of the major businesses make sure that their correspondents have access to that kind of technology when they are on the move. Wherever you have the ability to connect to the internet and therefore generate an internet protocol address, you have the ability to use the VOIP technology. This is ultimately how mobile VOIP services are utilized and because of the boom in the market many of these technologies are available for personal use at very reasonable prices.
Advantages
There are many advantages to using a VOIP mobile phone contract and the one that is largest in the eyes of many people is the price. The reason that conventional VOIP became such a popular service was that it was quite a bit cheaper than conventional telephone plans when it came onto the market. In similar fashion, a VOIP mobile phone contract is going to be quite a bit cheaper than the conventional mobile phone contract you have right now. This decrease in the price has allowed many people the chance to save some money each month and when a person is able to save money without a reduction in quality, they quite obviously are going to become a very loyal customer. The ability of VOIP services to generate a large number of very loyal customers in a very short time is ultimately what has made many companies move a large part of their communication operations towards developing and promoting VOIP technologies.
The revolution of internet communication is here to stay for a very long time and this is primarily because it has done so much to help people by its mere presence alone. The voice over IP (VOIP for short) technology that has hit the market by storm over the last couple of years has now expanded to be a major competing technology in nearly every major branch of communications. The VOIP revolution has been so fast and so fierce that even the most established conventional telephone companies are now rushing to create VOIP infrastructure that they can provide to their customers so that they don’t end up losing them to other companies that are on the cutting edge. To that end, even mobile phones have been created that have the ability to use VOIP or a similar piece of technology in order to accomplish the same task.
The Mobile Phones
A question that very many people have when they initially here about the recent expansion into the mobile phone market has to do with the technology itself. While it is easy to understand how VOIP technology works on a conceptual level (i.e. the internet connection being used in conjunction with specialty software to facilitate communication in a manner similar to that of a telephone) for normal, land-based systems it is a lot more difficult to understand exactly how it works in the sense of a mobile phone solution.
If you have ever traveled on a plane before, you have more than likely seen a business person utilizing their internet through the use of mobile internet technology. This type of technology has been around for a very long time and all of the major businesses make sure that their correspondents have access to that kind of technology when they are on the move. Wherever you have the ability to connect to the internet and therefore generate an internet protocol address, you have the ability to use the VOIP technology. This is ultimately how mobile VOIP services are utilized and because of the boom in the market many of these technologies are available for personal use at very reasonable prices.
Advantages
There are many advantages to using a VOIP mobile phone contract and the one that is largest in the eyes of many people is the price. The reason that conventional VOIP became such a popular service was that it was quite a bit cheaper than conventional telephone plans when it came onto the market. In similar fashion, a VOIP mobile phone contract is going to be quite a bit cheaper than the conventional mobile phone contract you have right now. This decrease in the price has allowed many people the chance to save some money each month and when a person is able to save money without a reduction in quality, they quite obviously are going to become a very loyal customer. The ability of VOIP services to generate a large number of very loyal customers in a very short time is ultimately what has made many companies move a large part of their communication operations towards developing and promoting VOIP technologies.
Mitel
Introduction
Nowadays there are more companies around that are willing to offer voice over IP functionality. The concept of using one’s computer in order to make phone calls has led to a rash of new internet communication companies to jump up all over the place. There are companies that specialize in providing the service of VOIP to personal users, companies that specialize in providing the service of VOIP to business and companies that specialize in providing the actual technology needed to make the services work to other companies and individuals. There are many different companies that are around to make VOIP work and because of this a very large technological safety net has been created that ultimately helps both businesses and individuals succeed with their VOIP needs.
About Mitel
Mitel is one of the supply side companies that specialize in providing IP communications to individuals and small businesses alike. To that end their website contains a wealth of useful information about VOIP and VOIP services as well as outlining the ways in which VOIP can potentially help you as an individual or as a small business owner. The company takes itself very seriously and has recently announced a bid of $723 million in order to take over noted communications company Inter-Tel. Mitel is definitely here to stay for a very long time and this knowledge should make customers of the company rest very easy and prospective customers that much more interested in doing business.
Mitel Products
There are a number of great products offered by Mitel and the good news is that most of those products are compatible with both conventional telephone systems as well as the new age VOIP communication systems. For example, one very innovative product that Mitel sells is their Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) technology. This technology is designed in order to manage and facilitate inbound calls in order to distribute them amongst the available staff in a way that is conducive to good customer service. It is used in both their conventional and softphone technology and is just one of the many different Mitel innovations that has brought the company to the high standing that it currently enjoys.
Another good example of this is the remote agent technology that Mitel supports. This is VOIP technology that allows agents to telecommute to work. In other words, if you were a customer service agent for a company that had access to the Mitel remote agent technology, you would be able to use your personal VOIP service to work from home at your own leisure. People have been able to reduce their stress levels by working from home and it is definitely very possible to do with relative ease through the use of the Mitel remote agent product.
Conclusion
Whether you are interested in VOIP for personal or business reasons, it is always good to make sure that the people you are working with are trustworthy. With a very long history of success in the field of communications, Mitel is definitely a trustworthy company. Their website lists their full history as well as their product catalogue, both of which are very impressive in their nature.
Nowadays there are more companies around that are willing to offer voice over IP functionality. The concept of using one’s computer in order to make phone calls has led to a rash of new internet communication companies to jump up all over the place. There are companies that specialize in providing the service of VOIP to personal users, companies that specialize in providing the service of VOIP to business and companies that specialize in providing the actual technology needed to make the services work to other companies and individuals. There are many different companies that are around to make VOIP work and because of this a very large technological safety net has been created that ultimately helps both businesses and individuals succeed with their VOIP needs.
About Mitel
Mitel is one of the supply side companies that specialize in providing IP communications to individuals and small businesses alike. To that end their website contains a wealth of useful information about VOIP and VOIP services as well as outlining the ways in which VOIP can potentially help you as an individual or as a small business owner. The company takes itself very seriously and has recently announced a bid of $723 million in order to take over noted communications company Inter-Tel. Mitel is definitely here to stay for a very long time and this knowledge should make customers of the company rest very easy and prospective customers that much more interested in doing business.
Mitel Products
There are a number of great products offered by Mitel and the good news is that most of those products are compatible with both conventional telephone systems as well as the new age VOIP communication systems. For example, one very innovative product that Mitel sells is their Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) technology. This technology is designed in order to manage and facilitate inbound calls in order to distribute them amongst the available staff in a way that is conducive to good customer service. It is used in both their conventional and softphone technology and is just one of the many different Mitel innovations that has brought the company to the high standing that it currently enjoys.
Another good example of this is the remote agent technology that Mitel supports. This is VOIP technology that allows agents to telecommute to work. In other words, if you were a customer service agent for a company that had access to the Mitel remote agent technology, you would be able to use your personal VOIP service to work from home at your own leisure. People have been able to reduce their stress levels by working from home and it is definitely very possible to do with relative ease through the use of the Mitel remote agent product.
Conclusion
Whether you are interested in VOIP for personal or business reasons, it is always good to make sure that the people you are working with are trustworthy. With a very long history of success in the field of communications, Mitel is definitely a trustworthy company. Their website lists their full history as well as their product catalogue, both of which are very impressive in their nature.
Call Recording with VOIP
Introduction
One of the major features that many people were afraid would be severely affected in a switch from conventional telephone plans to VOIP plans was the call recording feature. Traditional call recording is done through either the use of a remote answering machine service that is dialed into remotely through the phone or alternatively it is done through the use of a physical answering machine. That physical answering machine has some sort of tape or other removable recording media that then records the messages and plays them back later at the request of the person using the phone. It is a system that has been around for a very long time and it is a system that is tried, tested and true. When VOIP initially came out the call recording aspect of it was in question. This is no longer true however and the technology already available is now being used in a way to make a great new concept even better.
Call Recording with VOIP
One of the biggest advantages of VOIP technology is that it already uses the personal computer as a very important part of its interface. There are a number of great things that you can do with a personal computer and one of those things is to record audio files. The audio files recorded on a computer are played back with some of the highest quality of any audio recordings around; especially if those recordings were made with a computer in the first place. Many VOIP software packages now come with a built in call recording function. You simply speak in the same manner you were speaking when you were using the VOIP service and you will be able to record a message to send to the intended recipient. Likewise, people that want to contact you will be able to leave messages on your computer; just like a high tech answering machine.
Differences between Call Recording with VOIP and with Conventional Phones
The main difference between conventional call recording and VOIP call recording is that the computer is used to make the VOIP recording. Call reception as well as message recording are handled by either the same software that handles your VOIP or alternatively a software supplement to that piece of software. This means that the process is going to ultimately be more efficient because a personal computer is able to perform tasks and calculations with an efficiency that could never be matched by a conventional answering machine. Additionally, the audio will be stored in a file on the computer, so no physical media is necessary. All of the hardware you need to effect call recording on your computer is already there; you just need a piece of software to make it happen.
Conclusion
The way that VOIP is gaining popularity nowadays it almost seems as though every time one checks the news, there is another technological advance related to VOIP. One by one the objections that have been raised by critics of this technology are being reduced to nothing but mere logical fallacies and the introduction of easy call recording with VOIP is a great example of that. Look for exciting new things to happen in the near future with this great service.
One of the major features that many people were afraid would be severely affected in a switch from conventional telephone plans to VOIP plans was the call recording feature. Traditional call recording is done through either the use of a remote answering machine service that is dialed into remotely through the phone or alternatively it is done through the use of a physical answering machine. That physical answering machine has some sort of tape or other removable recording media that then records the messages and plays them back later at the request of the person using the phone. It is a system that has been around for a very long time and it is a system that is tried, tested and true. When VOIP initially came out the call recording aspect of it was in question. This is no longer true however and the technology already available is now being used in a way to make a great new concept even better.
Call Recording with VOIP
One of the biggest advantages of VOIP technology is that it already uses the personal computer as a very important part of its interface. There are a number of great things that you can do with a personal computer and one of those things is to record audio files. The audio files recorded on a computer are played back with some of the highest quality of any audio recordings around; especially if those recordings were made with a computer in the first place. Many VOIP software packages now come with a built in call recording function. You simply speak in the same manner you were speaking when you were using the VOIP service and you will be able to record a message to send to the intended recipient. Likewise, people that want to contact you will be able to leave messages on your computer; just like a high tech answering machine.
Differences between Call Recording with VOIP and with Conventional Phones
The main difference between conventional call recording and VOIP call recording is that the computer is used to make the VOIP recording. Call reception as well as message recording are handled by either the same software that handles your VOIP or alternatively a software supplement to that piece of software. This means that the process is going to ultimately be more efficient because a personal computer is able to perform tasks and calculations with an efficiency that could never be matched by a conventional answering machine. Additionally, the audio will be stored in a file on the computer, so no physical media is necessary. All of the hardware you need to effect call recording on your computer is already there; you just need a piece of software to make it happen.
Conclusion
The way that VOIP is gaining popularity nowadays it almost seems as though every time one checks the news, there is another technological advance related to VOIP. One by one the objections that have been raised by critics of this technology are being reduced to nothing but mere logical fallacies and the introduction of easy call recording with VOIP is a great example of that. Look for exciting new things to happen in the near future with this great service.
Video Conferencing
Introduction
There are a number of different ways for people to communicate in the world today and one of those ways is through the use of video conferencing technology. It is a technology that has primarily been utilized by businesses up to the present day but with the lowering in price of a lot of the technology needed for proper video conferencing it is now starting to become a far more popular way for people to communicate with each other. For people that are not aware of what video conferencing is, here’s the scoop.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing is a reasonably self-explanatory term that is best illustrated with an example. When businesses used to conference with each other there was always the problem of how to include people not present within the actual conference. These might be people that were out of town on company business or that were home sick that day but were an important part of the conference. For the longest time businesses used conference calls in order to facilitate getting these people involved in the conference. This allowed the missing employees to speak to the rest of the assembled group over the phone from a remote location.
It was a good way to deal with the problem and for awhile telephone conferencing was the gold standard of conferencing solutions. Then came the advent of video conferencing. Through the advent of large monitor screens in business board rooms coupled with the increasing efficiency and effectiveness of webcam technology the idea was pitched that a person could use their web camera in order to broadcast their image along with their voice through the use of the internet; an extension of the phone line voice conferencing principle. Ever since the initial introduction of video conferencing solutions the method has spread like wildfire and is now utilized by all major businesses as well as a large number of smaller businesses and individual proprietorships.
Video Conferencing Setup
In order to effectively use video conferencing there are a number of things you need to have in place. Firstly, there need to be cameras with internet projection capabilities on both ends of the places that are trying to conference with each other. Secondly, there needs to be software on both ends that will allow the conferencing to take place. Thirdly, there needs to be an active connection between the two locations that will monitor and facilitate the video conference.
The first of those three is not very difficult to obtain. The cheapest webcams available today are in some cases less than ten dollars and high quality ones that can be used for serious video conferencing are not particularly expensive either. There is also a lot of cheap software available for this type of conferencing as well and for people that don’t want to pay for any software all you have to do is download an instant messaging program like MSN or Yahoo Instant Messenger as all of these free programs come with video conferencing capability. And finally, a connection between the two locations is very easy to maintain provided the internet connections at both locations are secure and both locations are using the same software package to facilitate the video conferencing.
All in all, video conferencing is a lot easier to set up now than it was a few years ago when it was in its infancy.
There are a number of different ways for people to communicate in the world today and one of those ways is through the use of video conferencing technology. It is a technology that has primarily been utilized by businesses up to the present day but with the lowering in price of a lot of the technology needed for proper video conferencing it is now starting to become a far more popular way for people to communicate with each other. For people that are not aware of what video conferencing is, here’s the scoop.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing is a reasonably self-explanatory term that is best illustrated with an example. When businesses used to conference with each other there was always the problem of how to include people not present within the actual conference. These might be people that were out of town on company business or that were home sick that day but were an important part of the conference. For the longest time businesses used conference calls in order to facilitate getting these people involved in the conference. This allowed the missing employees to speak to the rest of the assembled group over the phone from a remote location.
It was a good way to deal with the problem and for awhile telephone conferencing was the gold standard of conferencing solutions. Then came the advent of video conferencing. Through the advent of large monitor screens in business board rooms coupled with the increasing efficiency and effectiveness of webcam technology the idea was pitched that a person could use their web camera in order to broadcast their image along with their voice through the use of the internet; an extension of the phone line voice conferencing principle. Ever since the initial introduction of video conferencing solutions the method has spread like wildfire and is now utilized by all major businesses as well as a large number of smaller businesses and individual proprietorships.
Video Conferencing Setup
In order to effectively use video conferencing there are a number of things you need to have in place. Firstly, there need to be cameras with internet projection capabilities on both ends of the places that are trying to conference with each other. Secondly, there needs to be software on both ends that will allow the conferencing to take place. Thirdly, there needs to be an active connection between the two locations that will monitor and facilitate the video conference.
The first of those three is not very difficult to obtain. The cheapest webcams available today are in some cases less than ten dollars and high quality ones that can be used for serious video conferencing are not particularly expensive either. There is also a lot of cheap software available for this type of conferencing as well and for people that don’t want to pay for any software all you have to do is download an instant messaging program like MSN or Yahoo Instant Messenger as all of these free programs come with video conferencing capability. And finally, a connection between the two locations is very easy to maintain provided the internet connections at both locations are secure and both locations are using the same software package to facilitate the video conferencing.
All in all, video conferencing is a lot easier to set up now than it was a few years ago when it was in its infancy.
VOIP Providers
Introduction
VOIP is an acronym that stands for voice over IP and that is exactly what it does. It is a service offered by some companies that allows you to talk on the telephone over the internet rather than through a conventional phone jack connection. VOIP services are usually just as high quality as the typical telephone service (even for long distance service) and also usually tend to be cheaper than their conventional telephone competitors. Many companies that offer conventional phone service also offer VOIP service and this article will profile three of the major players in the VOIP game.
Provider #1 – Vonage
Chances are if you’ve seen a commercial on television about VOIP providers then this commercial was about Vonage. They specialize in providing this type of service and because of it most of their marketing budget is allocated towards getting customers on board with their VOIP services. A famous commercial from Vonage proudly proclaims that you can now “VOIP with Vonage” for a ridiculously low price. This is followed by testimonials from various people and most notably one man in particular that is pleasantly surprised at how well the quality is maintained, even for long distance phone calls!
While the commercials offered by this company are indeed a little cliché, their services are exemplary. VOIP is a relatively new service, but Vonage makes it seem as though it has been around forever. With few downtimes and excellent customer service to back up a great product, you can’t really do wrong if you VOIP with Vonage.
Provider #2 – Earthlink
Earthlink is a company that has been around for a long time. It is a company that has been providing high quality internet services to people all across North America for years now and because of that it is also a company that has built up a very handy reputation when it comes to internet services. They have recently expanded their base of services to include VOIP products and while they may not be as specialized or as experienced as Vonage they definitely have a lot going for them. First and foremost is the fact that they combine their VOIP services with other internet services to make a package that affords the customer a lot of savings. In some cases the customer can save as much as 20% if they switch all of their internet services over to Earthlink and since the company itself is trusted in the industry, this is definitely a good deal.
Provider #3 – AT&T
Unlike the other two companies, AT&T comes from a background of communications and telephone technology. This gives AT&T a rather unique perspective on VOIP and it is able to use that perspective to develop and deliver top quality plans that are ultimately cost effective for both the company and the consumer. They are also the largest of the three companies and this size advantages does sometimes serve to make consumers more at ease; large companies are less likely to go belly up or unexpectedly increase their prices.
VOIP is an acronym that stands for voice over IP and that is exactly what it does. It is a service offered by some companies that allows you to talk on the telephone over the internet rather than through a conventional phone jack connection. VOIP services are usually just as high quality as the typical telephone service (even for long distance service) and also usually tend to be cheaper than their conventional telephone competitors. Many companies that offer conventional phone service also offer VOIP service and this article will profile three of the major players in the VOIP game.
Provider #1 – Vonage
Chances are if you’ve seen a commercial on television about VOIP providers then this commercial was about Vonage. They specialize in providing this type of service and because of it most of their marketing budget is allocated towards getting customers on board with their VOIP services. A famous commercial from Vonage proudly proclaims that you can now “VOIP with Vonage” for a ridiculously low price. This is followed by testimonials from various people and most notably one man in particular that is pleasantly surprised at how well the quality is maintained, even for long distance phone calls!
While the commercials offered by this company are indeed a little cliché, their services are exemplary. VOIP is a relatively new service, but Vonage makes it seem as though it has been around forever. With few downtimes and excellent customer service to back up a great product, you can’t really do wrong if you VOIP with Vonage.
Provider #2 – Earthlink
Earthlink is a company that has been around for a long time. It is a company that has been providing high quality internet services to people all across North America for years now and because of that it is also a company that has built up a very handy reputation when it comes to internet services. They have recently expanded their base of services to include VOIP products and while they may not be as specialized or as experienced as Vonage they definitely have a lot going for them. First and foremost is the fact that they combine their VOIP services with other internet services to make a package that affords the customer a lot of savings. In some cases the customer can save as much as 20% if they switch all of their internet services over to Earthlink and since the company itself is trusted in the industry, this is definitely a good deal.
Provider #3 – AT&T
Unlike the other two companies, AT&T comes from a background of communications and telephone technology. This gives AT&T a rather unique perspective on VOIP and it is able to use that perspective to develop and deliver top quality plans that are ultimately cost effective for both the company and the consumer. They are also the largest of the three companies and this size advantages does sometimes serve to make consumers more at ease; large companies are less likely to go belly up or unexpectedly increase their prices.
VoIP Phones
VoIP Phones are the telephonic devices used for VoIP services. It can be a normal standard analogue telephone or the exclusive IP phones that can be used for VoIP communications only. If to eliminate the intermediary technicalities, both types of phones facilitate communication by sending the conversation as data packets over the internet to the recipient. In other words, unlike the conventional telephone communication, no wire transfer is made use of in the case of VoIP. In fact, this is the biggest advantage of VoIP phones. Since there are no wires, there are no much installation troubles, which further means less installation and maintenance costs for the customer. Further, since the communication takes place through the internet, the overall cost of a call is far lesser than a conventional long distance telephone call from a conventional phone. The only money a customer may have to shell out is the monthly tariff for the VoIP and internet service provider, both of which combined won’t cross $100 in normal cases.
Now let’s see how VoIP phones work. The VoIP architecture includes a broadband internet connection, a VoIP phone, router, and a gateway. The purpose of the router is to route the calls to the internet, while the function of the gateway – also called the analogue telephone adapter (ATA) – is to convert analogue signals to digital data packets before sending it over the web. Here, it must be kept in mind that for IP phones, since it comes loaded with all the required hardware and software components, it can be directly plugged to the router bypassing the ATA. Now, at the recipient’s end, the digital packets are reconverted back to the original analog format, and are then send over a Public Telephone Switch Network or PSTN to the number the caller had dialed. The whole process is many times efficient and quicker than the conventional wire communication.
Then there are soft VoIP phones or virtual VoIP phones that can be installed in a laptop or desktop. It works almost the same like the real VoIP phones, the only difference is that the dialing component here is simulated as a user interface on the monitor and the users have to click on it using a mouse to dial a number. Further, since the soft phone loads all the required VoIP features, no additional external components is required to make the call. All the behind scene technicalities will be managed by the service provider himself.
If there are any other advantages with VoIP phones, then it is that it gives the customers maximum flexibility at virtually no additional cost. While the traditional telephones are tied to telephone lines permanently, the ATAs can be taken with the customers to virtually any part of the world. Then by connecting it to a telephone and an internet connection, one could make VoIP calls to any other phone in the same ATA network for no cost. For other networks, it may cost a bit, but a lot cheaper than long distance calls.
Finally, all standard VoIP phones comes inbuilt with features such as caller id, repeat dialing, call transfer, and call waiting, which may be missing in most unsophisticated conventional phones. For advanced features like call forwarding, forwarding to voicemail box, giving busy signal to the caller if busy, or playing automated messages, however, the service provider might charge a fee. Such paid services also include the facility to check voice mails over the web or attach messages to an e-mail that is sent to one’s PDA/PC.
Now let’s see how VoIP phones work. The VoIP architecture includes a broadband internet connection, a VoIP phone, router, and a gateway. The purpose of the router is to route the calls to the internet, while the function of the gateway – also called the analogue telephone adapter (ATA) – is to convert analogue signals to digital data packets before sending it over the web. Here, it must be kept in mind that for IP phones, since it comes loaded with all the required hardware and software components, it can be directly plugged to the router bypassing the ATA. Now, at the recipient’s end, the digital packets are reconverted back to the original analog format, and are then send over a Public Telephone Switch Network or PSTN to the number the caller had dialed. The whole process is many times efficient and quicker than the conventional wire communication.
Then there are soft VoIP phones or virtual VoIP phones that can be installed in a laptop or desktop. It works almost the same like the real VoIP phones, the only difference is that the dialing component here is simulated as a user interface on the monitor and the users have to click on it using a mouse to dial a number. Further, since the soft phone loads all the required VoIP features, no additional external components is required to make the call. All the behind scene technicalities will be managed by the service provider himself.
If there are any other advantages with VoIP phones, then it is that it gives the customers maximum flexibility at virtually no additional cost. While the traditional telephones are tied to telephone lines permanently, the ATAs can be taken with the customers to virtually any part of the world. Then by connecting it to a telephone and an internet connection, one could make VoIP calls to any other phone in the same ATA network for no cost. For other networks, it may cost a bit, but a lot cheaper than long distance calls.
Finally, all standard VoIP phones comes inbuilt with features such as caller id, repeat dialing, call transfer, and call waiting, which may be missing in most unsophisticated conventional phones. For advanced features like call forwarding, forwarding to voicemail box, giving busy signal to the caller if busy, or playing automated messages, however, the service provider might charge a fee. Such paid services also include the facility to check voice mails over the web or attach messages to an e-mail that is sent to one’s PDA/PC.
Disaster Recovery
As a savvy businessperson, it is very important for you to be able to plan for unexpected events to occur. Disaster Recovery is like buying insurance for your business; we all hate paying those insurance premiums but if the unexpected actually does happen to us, we are always glad that we signed up for that insurance plan!
In business, there are many more variables to take into account. Because of the wide-open nature of most business nowadays, it is more difficult to cover all of the contingencies and for this main reason it is important that any disaster recovery plan be flexible enough to be used in more than one situation. Most businesses will not get very far in trying to predict the types of disasters that might occur and indeed most businesses don't even try to do that. The best disaster recovery plans are the ones that are able to be utilized regardless of the specifics of the disaster itself.
Disaster Recovery is actually just a very small portion of a larger plan that businesses need to have. The Business Continuity Plan (BCP) covers all aspects of a business and companies that have a very detailed BCP are more likely to do better in the long run than companies that don’t think about those kinds of things.
Disaster Recovery in More Detail
So what makes a good disaster recovery plan? Well, there are a few things that are very important considerations to keep in mind when designing a disaster recovery plan. A few of these very vital considerations are discussed briefly below.
Versatility: One of the oldest jokes in the book is about the person who had a contingency plan for his own contingency plan. This may seem a little redundant, but this is one area of your business where you want redundancies. If an unexpected situation occurs that bypasses or otherwise renders ineffective your initial contingency plan, it is very important to have another contingency plan to turn to. Some owners may be loathe to spend the extra money to come up with an additional contingency plan, but remember the insurance comparison from the start of this article; contingencies are either annoying or a Godsend depending on what happens to you.
Flexibility: If you are determined to only have one disaster recovery plan, then it needs to be flexible. Recovering data and other potential losses in the event of a disaster is something that all businesses think about, but only a truly flexible disaster recovery plan, with no disaster specific (i.e. planning for a specific disaster) contingencies in place, will be able to truly expect the unexpected and act accordingly. These types of plans are extremely difficult to create, which is why the versatility of multiple contingency disaster recovery plans is more desirable.
Final Remarks
However you decide to go about doing disaster recovery, be sure that you understand what it is you want to recover in the event of a disaster taking place and make sure that your plan is complete in that regard.
In business, there are many more variables to take into account. Because of the wide-open nature of most business nowadays, it is more difficult to cover all of the contingencies and for this main reason it is important that any disaster recovery plan be flexible enough to be used in more than one situation. Most businesses will not get very far in trying to predict the types of disasters that might occur and indeed most businesses don't even try to do that. The best disaster recovery plans are the ones that are able to be utilized regardless of the specifics of the disaster itself.
Disaster Recovery is actually just a very small portion of a larger plan that businesses need to have. The Business Continuity Plan (BCP) covers all aspects of a business and companies that have a very detailed BCP are more likely to do better in the long run than companies that don’t think about those kinds of things.
Disaster Recovery in More Detail
So what makes a good disaster recovery plan? Well, there are a few things that are very important considerations to keep in mind when designing a disaster recovery plan. A few of these very vital considerations are discussed briefly below.
Versatility: One of the oldest jokes in the book is about the person who had a contingency plan for his own contingency plan. This may seem a little redundant, but this is one area of your business where you want redundancies. If an unexpected situation occurs that bypasses or otherwise renders ineffective your initial contingency plan, it is very important to have another contingency plan to turn to. Some owners may be loathe to spend the extra money to come up with an additional contingency plan, but remember the insurance comparison from the start of this article; contingencies are either annoying or a Godsend depending on what happens to you.
Flexibility: If you are determined to only have one disaster recovery plan, then it needs to be flexible. Recovering data and other potential losses in the event of a disaster is something that all businesses think about, but only a truly flexible disaster recovery plan, with no disaster specific (i.e. planning for a specific disaster) contingencies in place, will be able to truly expect the unexpected and act accordingly. These types of plans are extremely difficult to create, which is why the versatility of multiple contingency disaster recovery plans is more desirable.
Final Remarks
However you decide to go about doing disaster recovery, be sure that you understand what it is you want to recover in the event of a disaster taking place and make sure that your plan is complete in that regard.
Disaster Recovery, Are You Prepared?
Disaster recovery is one of the most important factors for most businesses, yet it is often overlooked or considered too expensive to implement.
Disaster recovery solutions enable a business to continue working in the event of fire, theft, malfunction or terrorism. By preparing for disaster recovery, your business will not lose any valuable data, configurations or time, saving you money in the long run.
By backing up data, applications, and settings continuously, to a secure location, your business will be ready for any disaster situation.
Any proven IT company can provide these services, but at what cost, and how good is it?
Since the introduction of Citrix and Microsoft's Terminal Services, it has been possible to provide these disaster recovery services at a much lower cost, with greatly enhanced security benefits.
Switch your IT system to a corporate-level, Terminal Services environment and what you get is a complete disaster recovery solution for a much lower cost than you would expect.
As well as having your data and applications held in secure data centres, your data could be continuously backed up, providing total disaster recovery. The ultimate solution is to have complete redundancy for your IT system and this involves not having any single point of failure within your IT infrastructure.
Imagine having your company's entire data, software and structure housed in two separate data centres, spread across two different ISPs, and having all your systems and data held on servers that have their own backup servers to automatically switch on, in the event of failure.
Most corporations do not have this level of redundancy, but for a fixed, monthly fee, this and more is possible for companies with anything from two uses to a thousand users.
Apart from all the mentioned benefits, you could also get the power of hosted Microsoft Exchange, Outlook Web Access, easy Blackberry mobile integration, hosted Microsoft CRM, and for the ultimate peace of mind, you can have portable security keys as used by major companies around the world to secure data, where password-only protection fails.
These systems and solutions put companies back in control of their IT, as systems are centrally managed, updated and supported from outside company offices, providing a completely outsourced solution that will save you money, instead of costing more.
Some companies get nervous by the prospect of their entire data being held offsite, but this can be the safest option as multi-million pound data centres have all the facilities to safeguard and protect your data 24 hours a day. With high-powered backup generators, security patrols and fire suppression equipment, your data and applications will be in complete safety, giving you a powerful remote system with disaster recovery to take your business to the next level.
Network London provides remote access systems and disaster recovery to businesses in London and Europe.Disaster Recovery Solutions
Author: Lee SmithEmail: lsmith@uwdl.comWord Count: 380Category: Copyright Date: 27th February 2007Format: HTMLDescription: Keywords: IT Support company london, Disaster recovery solution, outlook remote access solution, hosted exchange, london pc support, london it company, terminal services solution, remote desktop access, remote access services, it support surrey, it london support west, disaster recovery london, it soho support, it support westminsterArticle URL: http://www.networklondon.co.uk/articles
Disaster recovery solutions enable a business to continue working in the event of fire, theft, malfunction or terrorism. By preparing for disaster recovery, your business will not lose any valuable data, configurations or time, saving you money in the long run.
By backing up data, applications, and settings continuously, to a secure location, your business will be ready for any disaster situation.
Any proven IT company can provide these services, but at what cost, and how good is it?
Since the introduction of Citrix and Microsoft's Terminal Services, it has been possible to provide these disaster recovery services at a much lower cost, with greatly enhanced security benefits.
Switch your IT system to a corporate-level, Terminal Services environment and what you get is a complete disaster recovery solution for a much lower cost than you would expect.
As well as having your data and applications held in secure data centres, your data could be continuously backed up, providing total disaster recovery. The ultimate solution is to have complete redundancy for your IT system and this involves not having any single point of failure within your IT infrastructure.
Imagine having your company's entire data, software and structure housed in two separate data centres, spread across two different ISPs, and having all your systems and data held on servers that have their own backup servers to automatically switch on, in the event of failure.
Most corporations do not have this level of redundancy, but for a fixed, monthly fee, this and more is possible for companies with anything from two uses to a thousand users.
Apart from all the mentioned benefits, you could also get the power of hosted Microsoft Exchange, Outlook Web Access, easy Blackberry mobile integration, hosted Microsoft CRM, and for the ultimate peace of mind, you can have portable security keys as used by major companies around the world to secure data, where password-only protection fails.
These systems and solutions put companies back in control of their IT, as systems are centrally managed, updated and supported from outside company offices, providing a completely outsourced solution that will save you money, instead of costing more.
Some companies get nervous by the prospect of their entire data being held offsite, but this can be the safest option as multi-million pound data centres have all the facilities to safeguard and protect your data 24 hours a day. With high-powered backup generators, security patrols and fire suppression equipment, your data and applications will be in complete safety, giving you a powerful remote system with disaster recovery to take your business to the next level.
Network London provides remote access systems and disaster recovery to businesses in London and Europe.Disaster Recovery Solutions
Author: Lee SmithEmail: lsmith@uwdl.comWord Count: 380Category: Copyright Date: 27th February 2007Format: HTMLDescription: Keywords: IT Support company london, Disaster recovery solution, outlook remote access solution, hosted exchange, london pc support, london it company, terminal services solution, remote desktop access, remote access services, it support surrey, it london support west, disaster recovery london, it soho support, it support westminsterArticle URL: http://www.networklondon.co.uk/articles
You Don’t Need To Pay For IT!
IT Support has never been such a minefield. With new technologies always entering the marketplace it is now possible to have a corporate-standard IT system without having the financial headache of purchasing a server or even software such as Microsoft Office.
For one small monthly payment, companies with 1-50 users can have their whole IT infrastructure based in a secure location, safe in the knowledge that should their office be burgled, damaged or even burned down, the only thing required to be reconnected to your office system and data is a new PC, Laptop, Thin Client or any internet-connected terminal such as in Internet Cafes. This is perfect for disaster recovery.
As your IT system is centrally managed in a safe and secure hosting environment, your IT support requirements are minimal or non-existent due to the power of remote IT support where an IT engineer or technician can actually “take over” control of your mouse and keyboard actions from anywhere in the world. This is a very crucial factor as you can even be taught and shown how to perform a particular task and it also removes the usual time-delay involved when requiring “hands-on” IT support. With a remote desktop your life will be much easier.
There are a great many advantages with remotely-hosted IT & network systems and another great benefit is the fact that you can literally work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You could be working on a train via wireless or 3G, sending and retrieving documents via Blackberry devices or PDAs, catching up with work on the beach, the list is just endless. As access to your data is mobile, you do not have to worry about synchronising data and carrying data on USB flash drives etc, this all saves you time and ultimately money and the freedom and mobility you will gain from such a system will only benefit your company and it’s staff, allowing for home-working and emergency access 24 hours a day.
Microsoft licensing is a major change that has occurred over the past 18 months and it is no longer necessary for companies to spend vast sums of money on hardware, software and server-related network support. In fact, companies no longer have to pay large sums of money for Microsoft Office, Adobe, Kaspersky and a growing list of software suppliers thanks to a change in the way licensing can be paid for. A great benefit of this is that you can pay monthly for a software product and receive free upgrades when new releases or patches become available.
Copyright Networklondon.co.ukhttp://www.networklondon.co.uk/
Lee Smith writes articles for many businesses and websites and has a passion for the Internet, IT, Computers and the communications industry.
You can view this and more articles at:
http://www.networklondon.co.uk/
Author: Lee Smith
Email: lsmith@uwdl.com
Word Count: 434Category: Copyright Date: 15th May 2006Format: Word 2003/HTMLDescription: Keywords: IT Support, IT Systems, Disaster recovery, Blackberry Mobile, Remote Access, Remote Desktop, network support,computer support,blackberry
Article URL: http://www.networklondon/articles
Lee Smith writes articles for many businesses and websites and has a passion for the Internet, IT, Computers and the communications industry.
You can view this and more articles at:IT Support London, IT System, Disaster Recovery Solution
Lee Smith is an SEO consultant who writes articles for various websites and also advises companies on Internet Marketing and search engine optimisation.
SEO Consultant, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation
Lee Smith is an SEO consultant who writes articles for various websites and also advises companies on Internet Marketing and search engine optimisation.Coming from am IT Support and Marketing background I write for various companies around the world for the purposes of SEO and SEM. I also write for travel and music industry and have a passion for life and what it holds.http://seo-consultant-uk.blogspot.com
http://www.blogger.com/
For one small monthly payment, companies with 1-50 users can have their whole IT infrastructure based in a secure location, safe in the knowledge that should their office be burgled, damaged or even burned down, the only thing required to be reconnected to your office system and data is a new PC, Laptop, Thin Client or any internet-connected terminal such as in Internet Cafes. This is perfect for disaster recovery.
As your IT system is centrally managed in a safe and secure hosting environment, your IT support requirements are minimal or non-existent due to the power of remote IT support where an IT engineer or technician can actually “take over” control of your mouse and keyboard actions from anywhere in the world. This is a very crucial factor as you can even be taught and shown how to perform a particular task and it also removes the usual time-delay involved when requiring “hands-on” IT support. With a remote desktop your life will be much easier.
There are a great many advantages with remotely-hosted IT & network systems and another great benefit is the fact that you can literally work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You could be working on a train via wireless or 3G, sending and retrieving documents via Blackberry devices or PDAs, catching up with work on the beach, the list is just endless. As access to your data is mobile, you do not have to worry about synchronising data and carrying data on USB flash drives etc, this all saves you time and ultimately money and the freedom and mobility you will gain from such a system will only benefit your company and it’s staff, allowing for home-working and emergency access 24 hours a day.
Microsoft licensing is a major change that has occurred over the past 18 months and it is no longer necessary for companies to spend vast sums of money on hardware, software and server-related network support. In fact, companies no longer have to pay large sums of money for Microsoft Office, Adobe, Kaspersky and a growing list of software suppliers thanks to a change in the way licensing can be paid for. A great benefit of this is that you can pay monthly for a software product and receive free upgrades when new releases or patches become available.
Copyright Networklondon.co.ukhttp://www.networklondon.co.uk/
Lee Smith writes articles for many businesses and websites and has a passion for the Internet, IT, Computers and the communications industry.
You can view this and more articles at:
http://www.networklondon.co.uk/
Author: Lee Smith
Email: lsmith@uwdl.com
Word Count: 434Category: Copyright Date: 15th May 2006Format: Word 2003/HTMLDescription: Keywords: IT Support, IT Systems, Disaster recovery, Blackberry Mobile, Remote Access, Remote Desktop, network support,computer support,blackberry
Article URL: http://www.networklondon/articles
Lee Smith writes articles for many businesses and websites and has a passion for the Internet, IT, Computers and the communications industry.
You can view this and more articles at:IT Support London, IT System, Disaster Recovery Solution
Lee Smith is an SEO consultant who writes articles for various websites and also advises companies on Internet Marketing and search engine optimisation.
SEO Consultant, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation
Lee Smith is an SEO consultant who writes articles for various websites and also advises companies on Internet Marketing and search engine optimisation.Coming from am IT Support and Marketing background I write for various companies around the world for the purposes of SEO and SEM. I also write for travel and music industry and have a passion for life and what it holds.http://seo-consultant-uk.blogspot.com
http://www.blogger.com/
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