Over the past few decades, technology has drastically changed the way businesses of all sizes and industries communicate. In fact, there is a direct correlation between the way a business communicates and its overall success. The majority of customers, as well as their employees, demand that the modern business find avenues of sharing information that are as close to instantaneous as possible.
Whether you're on the move or at the workplace, your WiFi connection isn't the most secure method of browsing the Internet. Hacking techniques are growing more sophisticated, and you never know who could be observing your connection and Internet activity. Thankfully, there are ways to remediate this issue, like using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN provides many benefits for your business needs, and brings about two main goals: The VPN hides your network signal with encryption, shielding it from unauthorized viewing, and it hides your IP address by making it appear to be something that it is not, such as a machine in a foreign country or location. There are obvious benefits to this, but let's go over five of the best reasons to use a VPN.
Public WiFi Will No Longer Be a Threat
Unfortunately, this might be news to some people - public WiFi, like your local McDonald's or hotel is not safe, especially for confidential business emails and such. Public WiFi signals are not encrypted, and that can lead to your actions being observed by unwanted eyes. With a VPN, you can connect to public WiFi networks without fear, as the VPN will encrypt your browsing experience and keep you safe from eavesdroppers.
Concealing Your VoIP Calls
Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can also be taken advantage of if you don't take the proper security measures against hackers. By using a VPN, you'll be able to protect yourself from these eavesdroppers. If you frequently use Skype or any voice-chatting software, it is a good idea to implement a VPN connection.
Avoid Prying Eyes That Could Come Back to Bite You
A hacker that's out to dig up dirt on your business is able to take advantage of the Internet to uncover all kinds of dirt on you and the way you do business. In order to prevent your company from turning into the next Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber, use a VPN. This prevents your results from being traceable to you - particularly if you cover sensitive topics that could come back to haunt you and your company.
Keep Questionable Content Out of your Network
You don't need to worry about what your employees do on their personal devices with a VPN. No matter what kind of questionable content an employee might look up or access on their computer, it isn't connected to your network when they use their device personally, and use the VPN for business-related activity.
Privacy Is Your Right, Take Advantage of It
As a human being, you have a right to privacy (though the NSA might disagree), and you shouldn't have to broadcast what you're doing on the Internet 24/7 on a normal WiFi connection. You shouldn't need to be monitored constantly. Your business should be able to function properly without anyone stepping on your toes, and your clients would appreciate it if their information was safe from prying eyes, as well!
If a VPN sounds like something you want to install for your business, give Infradapt a call at 800.394.2301. We'll be able to hook you up with a solution to suit your business needs, and you'll be able to rest assured that the only people monitoring your system are us - keeping threats out, and your company safe.
Conference calling has evolved with the years, and it’s a crucial service that’s needed by modern businesses. You probably find yourself in more meetings than you’d like to be in, but compared to the days before Voice over Internet Protocol existed, you have it pretty easy nowadays. In fact, VoIP is such a great tool that every business should look into its advantages.
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is a voice communication solution that’s grown exceedingly popular in the workplace environment. One of the reasons it’s preferred is that it cuts costs on your cable bill, and allows for maximum mobility. Unfortunately, even a solution as reliable as VoIP can have a few minor kinks that will need troubleshooting. Here are two ways your business can optimize your VoIP solution.
Make Sure Your Internet Connection is Substantial
Any online technology that your business utilizes will need a strong and stable Internet connection in order to function properly. An Internet connection that constantly drops out could lead to dropped calls with VoIP, which is both embarrassing and unprofessional, especially if you’re in the middle of important business discussions. Downtime is something that you want to avoid at all costs, especially if there’s a significant portion of your infrastructure and files that are stored in the cloud. CyberTrend explains:
If you’ve ever been on a VoIP call and heard the other person’s voice cutting out, then you’ve experienced jitter, which is due to occasional packet loss. Other issues, such as echo and delay, also impact the quality of a VoIP call and are often caused by network-related issues.
Therefore, guaranteeing that your Internet connection can handle sufficient amounts of traffic is an imperative part of optimizing the way you use your VoIP solution. You should work with your Internet service provider to ensure that your connection is both secure and stable, but if you need help understanding the specific needs of your business, Infradapt can give you an idea of what you need.
Make Sure Your Network Can Handle the Traffic
Bandwidth is a fickle mistress for organizations utilizing resource-intensive technology, and even for growing companies. For example, a small startup might have been able to get by just fine at first, but as a company grows, its number of employees will increase, and so does the strain put on its Internet connection. Older networks in particular might not enjoy the increased workload that VoIP services tend to exert without some retooling. Generally speaking, older networks will probably have trouble keeping up with new technology simply because they’re aging, which can negatively affect your ability to get work done. CyberTrend explains:
If you run your VoIP system in-house over your own network and encounter performance issues, then it's possible your current network was set up “using older assumptions,” says Dan Conde, Enterprise Strategy Group analyst. When your network was built, he says, you perhaps only had regular landline phones and “were not set up properly for VoIP.”
The best way to guarantee that your business’s network will work well with Voice over Internet Protocol is to contact Infradapt. Our expert technicians can perform a comprehensive analysis of your network infrastructure to ensure that any choke points or bottlenecks have been addressed, and that your data is being deployed at optimal efficiency. Doing so will help to make VoIP an easier solution to take advantage of.
Troubleshooting problems with your VoIP solution doesn’t have to be painful. Not only can Infradapt aid in the troubleshooting process, but we can also help you set up VoIP, if you don’t already have a solution put in place. Our technicians are trained in maintaining and implementing new VoIP technology, so you can rest easy knowing that you’re in capable hands.
One of the primary goals of your VoIP solution is for it to be completely scalable for your needs. Furthermore, we can host your VoIP solution for you, which means it’s hands-off maintenance. For more information about getting started with VoIP, give us a call at 800.394.2301.
Take a moment to look at your desk telephone and contemplate its usefulness. When was the last time you used it for day-to-day operations? Do you even use it anymore, or do you rely on more recent communications solutions like Voice over Internet Protocol, and the smartphone? Some might argue that the telephone is an antiquated technology for the modern office, but recent studies show that despite its disadvantages, it still has an edge in the office environment.