Benefits of Switching to VoIP

In today’s down-turned economy, more businesses are switching to VoIP phone systems. Why this increased demand? Information Week Research conducted a study on 280 companies and the top reasons for switching to VoIP business services include:

• Reducing telecommunication costs
• Merging data and voice networks
• Having a one-stop communication platform in place that can be utilized in two or more areas
• Promotes increased collaboration between business, clients and even satellite offices
• Easy to manage; and
• Is portable and offers advanced scalability in an uncertain economic time

Some of the many benefits of switching to a VoIP hosted system include:

Money – Companies save thousands of dollars annually by switching to a VoIP business phone system when compared to a traditional telephone line. International calls are substantially cheaper with VoIP services and companies only receive one telephone bill for services. Some studies suggest that VoIP saves businesses up to 90% on international calls and 40% on local calls.
Conference Calling – While most traditional telephones only allow two people to communicate at one time, unless utilizing a speaker-phone option, VoIP easily allows advanced conference calling features, allowing teams to communicate in real time, despite locations.
Inexpensive Hardware and Software – As nearly every company automatically pays for an Internet connection, why not fully utilize this service? VoIP allows businesses to turn their computers or a VoIP telephone into one that uses a business’ current Internet for a call signal.
Features –An innovative VoIP provider, offers an abundance of high-tech calling features, including auto attendants, voicemail, caller ID, music on hold, call routing, virtual extensions, dial-by-name directory, call forwarding, call recording, call logs, call reports, unified messaging, message on hold, desktop integration, online fax, ring groups, Visual Dial Plan Editor, intercom, call queues, Find-Me Follow-Me, speed dial, custom schedules, remote access, LDAP Integration, call transfers and online PBX controls.
Flexible Layouts – VoIP offers flexible infrastructure when working with businesses’ networks. As the system is more standardized than traditional telephone lines, VoIP requires less equipment and fewer hours managing a scaled-telephone system.
Tele-working Benefits – For businesses that use an extranet or intranet system, employees can access their office information easily from home over VoIP hosted PBX system.

Ultimately, businesses not only benefit financially from switching to VoIP but also see a surge in employee production. If you have any questions on VoIP Phone Systems or would like to set up VoIP in your office, contact us today!

This IT Security Tip is brought to you by BlackBox Connections.

You Want Secure IT with Fast Response at the Best Price!
We are featured on Page 101 in the March ‘Business in Calgary’ magazine

iTunes Scam

The infamous Apple email scam is making rounds once again! Apple customers are being targeted by a phishing iTunes invoice scam designed to trick them into clicking a link to claim a refund for a purchase they did not make.

An email purporting to be sent from Apple is currently appearing to bill the recipient for $50 plus. The invoice contains the line: ‘If you did not authorize this purchase, please: Click here for Refund in an effort to trick users into entering their Apple ID into a fake login page. After entering their Apple ID and password, victims are then prompted to enter credit or debit card information, including their card number, address and full name.

What to do:

Don’t follow the link. It’s easy for an email to use the logo from a legitimate company in order to look official, but any link you click could take you to a very shady site. Always type the web address manually or click one of your own bookmarks to go to your trusted websites.

Report scams and spam. Some email service providers have a This is Spam button or another method for reporting spam. You can also contact the company (Apple) being misrepresented and report the spam. Another option is to email a report of the spam to the Canadian-Anti Fraud Centre http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/

Get more information and learn about specific scams by visiting the Canadian-Anti Fraud Centre.

This IT Security Tip is brought to you by BlackBox Connections.

You Want Secure IT with Fast Response at the Best Price!
We are featured on Page 101 in the March ‘Business in Calgary’ magazine

Windows Search Tips and Tricks

One of the most under used features is the Windows Searching feature. So many of us don’t even realize it’s there, which is surprising since it’s been there since Windows Vista. This great unknown tool really makes it easy to find files in your system.

The search feature in Windows is super fast and powerful. Not only will it search for names of documents and items you have in your computer, but it can also search for text inside of your documents.

It doesn’t stop there.

You can use the search to find programs in your computer. Instead of going to all programs and looking for it, just search for it. You can also search for your calculator, just type in calculator and voila it appears!

Is there a setting you want to find and change in your computer but don’t know where to find it? The search can help with that as well. For example, many people don’t know where to find the setting to change your desktop background. Use the search and type “background” or “change background”, and chances are high you’ll find what you are looking for. If you don’t, try other words that might fit the bill.

If you are in Windows 8 and you get the full screen start menu, you’ll notice there is no search box. The feature still works! Just start typing and it will pop into a search box.

We use this feature all day and find it one of the most useful features of Windows. Happy Searching!

This IT Security Tip is brought to you by BlackBox Connections.

You Want Secure IT with Fast Response at the Best Price!
We are featured on Page 101 in the March ‘Business in Calgary’ magazine