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Category Archives: IT Services
Understanding Hosted PBX
Outside of the IT world, terms like Hosted PBX are still a mystery to many small business owners. More easily understood are applications like Skype, and even the term VoIP. To understand how VoIP plays a role in business telephone systems, we’ll be exploring the basics of a Hosted PBX system, beginning with the meaning of a PBX.
What is a PBX?
PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange which is a piece of hardware (telephone box) that makes connections among the internal telephones of a business and connects them to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) or public telephone network. This is done via trunk lines, otherwise known as phone lines. A PBX can incorporate multiple telephones, fax machines, modems and more, and the term extension is used to refer to any end point on the branch. Extensions are also commonly referred to as the 3 or 4 digit number associated with an individual telephone within the business phone system. For example, your telephone number might be 613-355-1234 extension 123. Depending on the configuration of your PBX, you can transfer phone calls between extensions and reach extensions individually through the Auto Attendant: the automated greeting played to callers when they first call in to your business.
The Hosted in Hosted PBX
A hosted PBX >> provides all of the same functions (and many more) as a PBX however the system is delivered as a service. This means you can eliminate the need to buy and install a physical PBX (phone box) since the hosted PBX is provided and managed by your service provider. Instead of buying a PBX, installing and configuring it, with a hosted PBX system you are only required to purchase telephones and have an internet connection. Not only will your business save money by eliminating the need to buy a PBX, but it’s estimated that yearly updates and repairs can cost between 10-20% per year of the original purchase price of the traditional PBX. With a hosted PBX system, updates are managed by the service provider without additional cost to the customer. This is only one of the ways in which the longevity of a hosted PBX system can benefit your business.
Longevity and Scalability
Any type of investment in telecommunications or IT can impact how you operate your business and can impact your business for years to come. A major benefit to a hosted PBX telephone system is its ability to grow with your business; meaning telephones and phone lines can quickly and cost effectively be added or removed from your system whenever you need them. To read more about the benefits of hosted PBX, read Why Companies are Switching to Hosted PBX >>
Series: The Debut of IPv6 [INFOGRAPHIC]
As we’ve recently celebrated the 21st anniversary of the world’s first website >> this month marks another milestone in internet history: the launch of IPv6.
What is IPv6?
IPv6 or Internet Protocol version 6 is a revision of the Internet Protocol (IP) developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Each device on the internet, such as a desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone or tablet, is assigned an IP address in order to communicate with other devices. With the ever-increasing number of new devices being connected to the internet, there is a need for more IP addresses than the current Internet Protocol, IPv4 can accommodate. After years of discussion and planning, IPv6 has been launched this year to deal with the long anticipated problem of IPv4 running out of addresses. IPv6 implements a new addressing system which allows far more addresses to be assigned than IPv4.
IPv6 day on June 8, 2011 made IPv6 permanently available for equipment and service providers to use in their offerings. This launch marks the availability of 340 trillion addresses that will carry our global economy and critical infrastructure into the future.I
IPv6 Usage
It’s now been a year since the first IPv6 day, but what is IPv6 growth actually like? IPv6 end-user use has gone from 0.12% last year to over 1% today >> . This is a nine-fold increase in just over a year. This growth has been monitored by Akamai, who believes that it will be many years before IPv6 is the dominant Internet Protocol, but that growth is certain.
In the next part of our series on IPv6, we’ll discuss how IPv6 will impact your business.
Mobile Device Management
What is Mobile Device Management?
Mobile Device Management (MDM) software secures and manages a group of mobile devices that are deployed from a service provider. MDM functionality typically includes over-the-air distribution of applications, data and configuration settings for all types of mobile devices including mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, mobile point-of-sale units and mobile printers. Not only can MDM software manage a variety of types of mobile devices, but it can also manage devices from a variety of manufacturers such as Android, Apple, Blackberry, Symbian and Windows all from a single console. MDM can apply to both company-provided and employee-owned (also referred as BYOD) devices.
So, what exactly does Mobile Device Management do? Well, with MDM in place, you can quickly enrol devices in your enterprise environment, configure and update device settings, enforce security policies, secure mobile access to corporate resources and remotely lock and wipe managed devices.
Road Warrior Safety Tips
According to the Transportation Safety Board there are over 160,000 car accidents in Canada each year. As a road warrior you may be on the road for several hours per day or per week meeting with clients and closing deals, but your safety should be your first priority on the road.
Pack for Emergency
“Hindsight is 20/20”. Make sure you don’t have to say this to yourself! Take the time and the money to properly prepare your vehicle in case of emergency. In cases of extreme weather, car accident or the out-of-gas scenario, you’ll be grateful for your preparation of an emergency roadside assistance kit. You can always tailor your kit to meet your needs, but some basic items include: