Communications can be a major pain point for small and medium-sized businesses. However, a fluid communication system helps promote growth and allows for optimal operational efficiency. That?s why today we?re sharing our thoughts on the Top 5 Benefits of Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS)! Gartner defines UCaaS as a cloud-delivered unified communications model in which the infrastructure is owned, operated, maintained, and delivered by a managed services provider (that?s us!). The five major components of UCaaS are voice, video, messaging, collaboration, and the cloud. Now, for those Top 5 Benefits of UCaaS that you were waiting for: Cost Reduction: Lower communications costs by consolidating overlapping services, reducing IT overhead, and minimizing travel. Enhanced Connectivity: Connect and integrate with CRMs, Help Desk applications, and ERP systems, with access to a full sales and automation platform. Mobilized Workforce: Employees can remotely transfer calls or send and receive SMS messages from their mobile devices to their desk phones, to colleagues, or to contact centers. Quickly Scaled: Quickly add or remove applications, update telephony resources, and manage users based on access requirements and security. Remote Support: Benefit from help desk support in the form of fast response times, efficient collaboration tools, 24/7 availability, product guides, and education or training programs. As you begin to question whether or not UCaaS might be right for you, consider this? cloud-based communication technology is more unified, better integrated, and more efficient than traditional tools. Businesses that want to maximize the return on investment for their communications tools should take advantage of a customized Unified Communications Solution from Info Advantage. Info Advantage?s iaGuardianUC offers VoIP, HostedPBX, SIP Trunking, and seamlessly Unified Communications. With iaGuardianUC, you get comprehensive communication solutions designed to drive productivity that is both scalable and flexible, and ready to meet virtually any business? needs! iaGuardianUC stands out because it is highly customizable while being fully managed by our IT experts. Our team manages your telecommunication system and handles upgrades and software patches, as well as phone support as you and your team need it. At Info Advantage, we aim to help your business through improved operational efficiency, increased productivity, and strengthened network security using technology. Contact us today to learn more about what Info Advantage and UCaaS can do for your business!
Did you know that with Microsoft Teams you can set up your team?s space so everything you need to work together is available any time, all in one place? Well, it?s true! Built for hybrid work, Microsoft Teams allows you to feel seen and heard no matter where you are and do your best work, your way! Microsoft highlights the Meet, Call, Collaborate, and Chat features of the Teams application, so we?ll share a bit more about those here too: Meet: Screen sharing, background edits, and together mode offer different meeting space options. Call: Make and receive call while utilizing features like group calling, voicemail, and call transfers. Collaborate: Utilizing apps like Excel, PowerPoint, and Word to find, share, and edit files in real time. Chat: Share more of yourself by sending GIFs, stickers, and emojis in one-to-one or group chats. Yet, Microsoft Teams is so much more than just those four features; providing numerous resources that help you to thrive in a hybrid work world! Here are a few of our favorite tips and trips for getting the most out of your Microsoft Teams subscription: Create Breakout Rooms: Create and open breakout rooms to let attendees hold smaller, more focused discussions. Make Your Chats Stand Out: Get a colleague?s attention by tagging them in the chat using the @ feature, this ensure the recipient receives a notification to read your message. Search Conversations & Message Threads: Using the search feature to access the full context of a message threat allows for improved communication. Utilize Live Translated Captions: Increase communication with employees with either speak a different language or prefer non-spoken language with this added tool. Take Advantage of Intelligent Recap: Utilize the AI-powered, post-meeting summary that is provided to all attendees that will quickly recap your Teams More is possible with Microsoft Teams; stay connect and access shared content any time to learn, plan, and innovate ? together! Microsoft 365 has been redesigned to provide elite usability, with quicker load times to improve workflow. By taking advantage of their cloud solutions, the work you do on all of their applications is automatically saved and backed up, providing you and your organization with peace of mind1 By simply naming Info Advantage as your provider for Microsoft 365, you get the added benefit of real experts being able to help you get the most out of your apps. Whether aiming to access your Microsoft 365 applications anywhere or benefiting from real-time collaboration, Info Advantage is here to help! Ready to take the next step with Microsoft Teams? Contact us today to learn more about how you can get the most out of your subscription with Info Advantage by your side!
To protect against the risk of cybercrime, many businesses add cyber insurance to their business insurance policies. So, what exactly is cyber insurance and why is it important for your business? Cyber insurance covers your business? liability for a data breach that involves sensitive customer information. According to Nationwide, besides legal fees and expenses, cyber insurance typically helps cover the costs associated with notifying customers about a data breach, recovering compromised data, repairing damaged computer systems, and restoring personal identities of affected customers. Here?s a bit more about the state of cyber insurance in 2023: In 2020, the global cyber insurance market was worth $7.8 billion. (org) Forecasts suggest that by 2025, the cyber insurance industry will grow to $20 billion. (org) A 2022 survey indicated that only 19% of organizations claimed to have coverage for cyber events beyond $600,000. (Network Assured) The same study showed that only 55% of organizations claimed to have any cybersecurity insurance at all. (Network Assured) The benefits of cyber insurance are numerous, but these are some of the top ones: coverage for data breaches, reimbursement for business loss, defense against cyber extortion, forensic investigative support, and notification requirements. Coverage for Data Breaches: Cyber attacks can be both devastating and dangerous. Cyber insurance can offer coverage for data breaches, including the costs of litigation, recovery, and identity theft. Reimbursement for Business Loss: On top of compromising sensitive information, attacks can often interrupt business and cause lost revenue. Policies can insulate a company from these costs and provide reimbursement for any income that was lost due to a cyber-attack Defense Against Cyber Extortion: Malware infections have seen a sharp rise in popularity in recent years. Cyber insurance provides effective defense against these type of attacks by allowing businesses to recoup associated costs of cyber extortion. Forensic Investigative Support: After a cyber-attack, it?s imperative that a business rectify the problem and implement strategies so that it doesn?t happen again. Any policy should reimburse costs associated with a forensic investigation of the attack and/or additional investigative support. Notification Requirements: Mandated by law, the costs of notification can add up, averaging $1.72 million according to one survey. Access to a law firm to serve as counsel and an incident breach response vendor to handle notifications is crucial. Cybersecurity needs to be a priority. As Ginni Rometty, IBM?s CEO, notes, ?Cybercrime is the greatest threat to every company in the world.? With Info Advantage?s Managed IT services, you get full access to professional support, goal-oriented solutions, and downtime-preventing maintenance; allowing us to serve as a resource for businesses who need support for their information technology, as well as a consultant who can assist them in managing it. Learn more about how an IT partner like Info Advantage can help make sure you have the right security tools and strategies in place to be eligible for Cyber Insurance, contact us today!
Have you ever thought that your business could benefit from a solution that helps employees to recognize and neutralize social engineering attacks and human error? Then make sure you keep reading, because you?ll want to learn more about Arctic Wolf. Arctic Wolf?s Managed Security Awareness focuses on the three pillars of Engage, Measure, Transform. Through Engagement you can train and prepare employees to stop social engineering attacks like phishing. Through Measuring you can identify employees that fall behind and determine which threat topics require reinforcement. Through Transformation you can achieve a culture of security and strengthen cyber resilience. Offering a more effective Security Awareness Program, Arctic Wolf provides the tools and expertise to develop the behaviors organizations need from their employees for better protection and stronger resilience, which includes: Awareness Training: Employee-centric security microlearning with timely topics and threat vectors covered in each lesson. Phishing Simulation: Automated testing based on current phishing threats and built-in coaching when employee engages phishing simulation. Account Takeover Monitoring: Identification if employee credentials are compromised or expose your organization. The Arctic Wolf Difference enables employees to recognize and neutralize social engineering attacks and human error through microlearning content, automated phishing tests, and awareness coaching. Arctic Wolf is an industry leader in security operations! With a mission of ending cyber risk, Arctic Wolf believes every organization should be so effective at security operations that both the likelihood and impact of a cyber attack is minimized to the point where risk is essentially zero. An innovative platform and concierge delivery model enables Arctic Wolf to provide better protection in a way that is uniquely fast and cost effective; better value, stronger protection, faster outcomes! When you work with Info Advantage, there is no catch, no gimmick, just experiences and best practices that we?ve honed over the years to make our services work for your business needs. One of the ways we?re able to do that is through our partnerships with great companies, like Arctic Wolf. If you?re interested in learning more about how you can help to end cyber risk at your organization, contact us today! You can also join our upcomign event where we team up with Arctic Wolf for, “SMASH Security Threats: End Cyber Risk” after-hours networking at Recreo in Rochester on March 22nd from 4:00-7:00pm (EST). REGISTER HERE!
In today?s digital environment, one question a lot of companies are facing is whether they should keep things internal by developing and maintaining their own technical solutions, or invite a third-party to help. If you?re feeling apprehensive about selecting a managed services partner, consider the fact that 60% of small businesses that suffer a cyberattack go out of business within six months! As you assess your IT environment, here are two questions you should consider: How do you reduce the risk of a cyberattack to your business? How do you know when your business needs to partner with a managed services provider? In addition, here are four criteria that may be helpful when searching for and selecting an IT partner: Expertise, Responsiveness, Organizational Effectiveness, and Customization. At Info Advantage, we are passionate about these categories. Our difference is that we?re in this business to help other businesses grow and move forward; it?s as simple as that! We?re driven by the philosophy that if we help businesses solve their IT issues so they can become more profitable and successful, then we will inherently grow along with them. Our Proven Process provides a clear roadmap we follow to create consistency and deliver an optimal customer experience. This is what we do best and how we do it! We make it our mission to not only understand your organizations technology, but also how your business operates. In order for us to succeed together, we are continually adapting to the changes with your organization and making sure that every step of the way, we clearly understand what drives your business. As a Tier-1, full-service, information technology and telecommunications firm, we specialize in cloud computing, managed services, virtualization, disaster recovery, data storage, wireless, voice-over-IP, telecommunications, and more. At Info Advantage, we are consultants. We design, procure, install, and support technologies that connect businesses to their customers; helping businesses to improve their operational efficiency, increase productivity, and strengthen network security using technology. Think you might be ready to find your IT ally? Contact us today to see how we can help you.