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February 23, 2011

How VoIP can transform your business

Many businesses are making the switch from traditional phone systems to VoIP; will your organization be one of them? If you are still using a conventional phone system there are many benefits to switching to VoIP.

Just imagine – one system that handles your fax, voice, email, call routing, voice mail and teleconferencing. This is VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol systems provide a method in which data and voice can be delivered through one network via the Internet. VoIP devices are user friendly, with intuitive user interfaces allowing anyone in your organization to understand and use these systems. With VoIP you can add new employees, set up remote offices, and easily contact employees at a minimal cost or effort.

One of the greatest advantages of a VoIP system is the cost savings for your organization. Switching to VoIP cuts down on your long distance phone bill. A typical switch to VoIP, according to VoIP Review, can deliver savings of up to 75% on your long distance phone bill. Because VoIP is data driven and uses the Internet to transmit calls, anyone within your organization’s network can be in contact with each other without incurring long distance charges. No longer are you stuck in one location, you can handle your business needs on the go. You can bring your remote employees and employees from other offices together for conferencing by using audio, video or Web technology.

Whenever you are a VoIP network, you are considered “local”. VoIP allows you and your employees to also be reached wherever there is access. This gives your business to give employees the option to telework while keeping up a professional appearance. With a straightforward and intuitive interface, remote employees can set up the phone systems at home and can be trusted to deliver results with easier access to management reports.

VoIP is a cost effective way to provide freedom and flexibility in your company’s infrastructure. VoIP not only saves money in your budget, but it also improves employee productivity. If you would like a consultation to see what you will need to make a VoIP upgrade, Spaulding Hill Networks offers free assessments, contact us today!

December 14, 2010

Smartphones – Tips for buying

Filed under: Uncategorized, smartphones — Tags: , , , — Administrator @ 12:48 pm

Smartphones had a big year in 2010, with sales of tablets, the iPhone and the Droid driving wireless sales. It is expected that in 2011, half of America’s cell phone users will be on smartphones. Businesses can benefit from supporting smartphones and tablets at work. With smartphone and tablet support you can answer an email or use an application from virtually anywhere – without having to be at your office. Smartphones and tablets allow access to emails, Web browsing at high speeds, ability to run business applications and the capacity to keep your projects, contacts and calendar nearby at all times. Looking to purchase your own smartphone for the first time? Here are some tips when looking for that perfect smartphone.

Try to stay within your wireless carrier. If you like the Droid but you have months left on your Sprint contract it’s best to either stick out your contract or pick a smartphone within the realm of Sprint. Termination fees from providers can be pricey and run as high as $350 (Verizon), $175 (AT&T) or $200 (Sprint and T-Mobile) per phone line.

Buy a new or second hand smartphone on the internet. Buying a smartphone on the internet allows you to bypass lengthy contracts and can save you money. You can also find smartphones that are hard to get or out of stock from retail outlets. Be sure to investigate seller feedback when purchasing online via sites such as eBay.

Chose a phone that suits your needs. Take the time to think of what features matter most to you. Do you want the ability to be able to multitask while talking on the phone? The iPhone is ideal for surfing the web while making phone calls. Do you text message and email a lot? Phones a QWERTY keyboard such as a BlackBerry may be more ideal than a touchscreen phone.

Compare smartphone features. As soon as you figure out what your needs are compare phones you like. There are a variety of magazines and websites that breakdown smartphones by what they offer. Consumer Reports is an impartial and reliable source. Compare not just the phones but also the operating systems themselves. Smartphones run on a variety of platforms, with the big hitters being iOS (Apple), Windows Phone 7, Symbian, Android, RIM (BlackBerry).

Look for compatibility. Will your smartphone be easy to configure to your business infrastructure? Make sure your smartphone is compatible with your work computer and works well with your email client. Many IT companies can help set up configuration for phone and workstation.

Make sure the battery life can fit into your lifestyle. Smartphones can have a battery span from 3 to 10 hours before requiring a charge and time can be lessened from running the internet and apps. If you get a smartphone with a short battery life look for accessories that provide charge boosting, such as the Energizer Inducter.

There are a variety of smartphones and operating systems available today. By doing the right research into price, compatibility and features, smartphones can make business life easier and add a solid return on investment.

December 12, 2010

2011 Telecom Preview

Filed under: News & Events, Uncategorized, phone systems, smartphones — Tags: , , , , , , , — Administrator @ 10:58 pm

2010 was a big year for telecom, especially for companies such as Verizon, Apple, Android and Motorola releasing smartphone and tablets. What will 2011 bring? We look into some possibilities in different areas of telecommunications.

Smartphones

It’s anticipated that in 2011 half the cell phone users in the country will be on smartphones.  With this being said, expect to see big things happening on the smartphone scene.

iphoneWith massive sales, Droid has been dominating the smartphone market, a market once dominated by the iPhone.  Too step up to the Droid competition Apple will need to expand, will this include branching out to Verizon networks?  Insiders are confident that rumors of iPhone heading to Verizon are in fact true and Apple will create a CDMA version of iPhone for the first half of 2011.

Motorola Droid Pro will launch in the first quarter of 2011.  The Pro is meant to compete with the Blackberry and features a front-facing QWERTY keyboard, 1GHz processor, a 3.1 inch screen and a 5MP camera.  Droid Pro will be running off of Android 2.2 technology.

For consumers new to smartphone market, Motorola’s Flipside is an entry level, easy to use, affordable phone the will launch in the first part of 2011. Flipside, which will feature a 3.1 inch touch screen, a slide out keyboard, GPS, Flash Support, Wi-Fi and will run off of Android 2.2.

Tablets

Tablets, which are a cross between a smartphone and a personal computer exploded on the scene in April 2010 with Apple’s unveiling of the I-Pad.  Since then HP, Dell, LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Gateway and many other companies have jumped on board.  Wireless providers Sprint and T-Mobile USA who did not offer tablets this year will step into the tablet industry in 2011, neither company commenting on who they would be carrying.

Samsung is working on a new tablet, named Gloria.  The new tablet would feature a larger screen than Samsung’s current tablet, Galaxy and would also feature a slide out keyboard.  Gloria would be running on a windows 7 platform.  Expect Gloria in the first half of 2011.

Motorola will market MotoPad, a tablet running off of Android 3.0 technology.android-wallpaper5_1024x768

Broadband

PON (Passive Optical Network), which has been running at a speed of 2.5G bps (bits per second) is set to increase to 10G bps, making it 8 times faster than most networks, according to Verizon Communications.

While Verizon and Sprint are currently battling out for 4G supremacy, expect to see AT&T to enter in the field next year.

Computers

2011 will feature greener, faster and better performing computing. Expect to see more LED monitor displays from HP, NEC and Gateway/Acer.  LED not only creates a slimmer display but it also is energy efficient as well.

Intel will introduce its new chip, Sandy Bridges.  On a consumer level the chip is great for gamers, for businesses Sandy Bridges offers a longer battery life and higher performance than any other product available today.

Google is looking to launch the Chrome Notebook.  The 12 inch, 3.8 pound notebook will feature Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity.  The notebook, which will be made by Acer and Samsung is slated to debut in the first half of 2011 and is currently in testing phase.  If you would like to be apart of testing you can apply here before December 21st.

Sony will release a new Vaio with a 1080p resolution and a“3D button” in the spring.  Sony also plans to reformat some of its PS3 games to fit to this technology.

Is the Apple/Verizon deal a myth and if not will Apple regain dominance of the smartphone market? How will the addition of AT&T and Verizon impact Sprint’s sales with the entrance into the 4G market?  Will tablets overshadow desktops and PC’s? 2011 is looking to be an interesting year in telecommunications.

June 18, 2010

NEC Unified Communication for Business: A single server powerhouse!

Unified Communications for Business Diagram

Unified Communications for Business Diagram

A while back I went to a NEC Event in Connecticut. The showstopper in my opinion happened to be the NEC Unified for Business system, a one-server powerhouse! The Unified Communications for business places IM, Phone, Email, Call Queuing, and Call Recording all on the one single server. A perfect solution for any small to medium sized business; with a single server businesses can collaborate more effectively and in general improve productivity. The UC for Business offers functionality that drastically improves the way you handle your business communications.

General features include:

• Presence, which gives staff and operators valuable information regarding call recipients’ locations and availability
• Presence reporting that allows individual users and managers to monitor their own activity and the activity of others through comprehensive reporting functionality
• Softphone and Microsoft¨ Office¨ Outlook¨ integration to simplify call handling and give users the ability to manage all their communications from their desktops
• Click-to-Dial from within Microsoft documents for quick, easy access to the people you need to reach
• Contact center and operator tools to address the unique requirements of each function
• Third party integration to enable organizations to easily and effectively connect UC for Business with other business applications

Managing customer a positive customer experience is vital to a successful business. UC for Business has created an easy to use system for your employees and for your customers. Callback allows contact centers to differentiate themselves from their competitors by giving their callers a choice – offering them the option of an automated Callback, eliminating the frustration of waiting in a queue. When Callback is utilized it can reduce the cost associated with having a customer on hold. Console gives your employees empowerment by being able to see who is calling in and allowing them to prioritize top customers so they are never left waiting. Being a LAN based application, it can be accessed from any PC on the network, which means back up operators can pick up overflow calls if necessary. With Presence you can see the status of your colleagues are at all times and can make better judgments when transferring calls. With a simple click and drag of a mouse you can transfer a call with ease. All of you phone, fax, and email messages are stored all within your PC. Fax and Voicemails can be sent via email as attachments, so you can share your internal communications remotely. UC for Business is also a cost cutting investment. Executive Conference is audio conferencing takes the 3rd party out of the equation saving you money on your telephony cost.

Your agents become increasingly goal-oriented and require less supervision. With all your communications being on a PC you can create a not only a cost cutting paperless work flow but also a leaner work environment. Unified Communications for Business means less IT infrastructure, less complexity and less drain on resources. With UC for Business, an organization can meet all of their users’ needs, implement an enterprise-wide unified communications solution and minimize total cost of ownership.

To find out more about Unified Communications for Business please download the brochure or give us a call!