voip · Page 5 of 6 · 4 Corner IT

VoIP Phone Services Are More Intuitive

One of the most popular myths of VoIP phone services oddly coincides with one of the services’ most important benefits.

Many companies today are reluctant to switch to a Voice Over IP phone system because they think the systems are too complicated and their IT teams are not properly trained for them. VoIP phone systems, however, are designed to be as simple as possible, and after the initial setup they are incredible easy to use and maintain.

While landline phones have been the standard for business communication for the last fifty years, they are no competition for new VoIP phone services. VoIP phone systems were designed as a direct improvement to landline phones, and are therefore simpler, more intuitive to use, and cheaper.

A recent Business 2 Community article discusses the simple use of VoIP phone systems and explains why they’re more intuitive to use than landline phones. According to the article, the phone systems are easy enough for just about any employee to use:

Business VoIP phone systems are very intuitive. The user is presented with an easy to understand interface on his desktop, making every function available with just the click of a mouse. Employees can pull up call logs, access email, return calls, send a fax and anything else they need to do. This greatly improves efficiency.

In addition to everyday use, VoIP phone systems are easy to maintain and upgrade because they rely more on software and less on hardware. With landline phones, do-it-yourself maintenance is pretty much out of the question, and businesses are left to call in a service to repair the system.

This wastes both time and money, as businesses have to wait until their system is repaired to communicate with clients. Voice over IP phone systems, however, are much more simple to maintain and do not require a professional support team for each little upgrade.

If you would like more information about VoIP phone systems, contact us.

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How Does VoIP Relate to Disaster Recovery?

If you’ve never considered a cloud-based VoIP phone service, you’re missing out on advantages you probably never thought about before. Using on-premise phone systems might be something you’ve used for so long that you’ve become accustomed to the headaches they can cause.

But you shouldn’t be afraid of switching to a cloud-based VoIP system thanks to ease of setup and use. Because everything is internal, you’ll be saving yourself plenty of office space. You’ll also save money and time in various ways.

No More Focus on Phone Equipment and Maintenance

You may have years of bad memories taking care of your on-site phone systems when things went wrong. Likely, you can add the budget element and the wasting of time taking care of equipment that isn’t the focus of your business.

With a cloud-based VoIP system, everything is online and maintained by your provider so you don’t have to worry about taking care of a problem. This allows you to focus valuable time on your business and not on fixing technology that should already work efficiently.

The same applies to upgrades when you need them. You can eliminate the panic of needing to spend extra money to upgrade hardware.

The Mobility Factor

Thanks to being in the cloud, you can make your business as mobile as you want. Anywhere there’s an Internet connection, you can tap into your VoIP system and use it as your business phone line.

Being mobile is an essential part of business today when the need to travel is frequently necessary. At one time, routing calls from analog phones was very complicated if not impossible. Now you can be at a business meeting anywhere and be able to read messages and take or make phone calls in an instant.

This helps connect to another aspect many people don’t consider with cloud-based VoIP technology.

So How Does this Relate to Disaster Recovery?

The cloud has become a real game-changer in the realm of disaster recovery thanks to the capability of business data being stored there. What happens, though, when your physical business becomes destroyed during a natural disaster? Imagine your on-site phone systems being wiped out and being unable to make calls to customers to keep continuity going.

With cloud-based VoIP, your phone system is already online and ready to use immediately to help get back on your feet. As long as you have a recovery center somewhere and Internet service for business continuity, your phone system is there and ready to use.

Far too many customers have abandoned businesses during disasters due to business lines going down. You no longer have to worry about the dreaded fast busy signal.

After all, customers calling from other states won’t always understand why your lines are down and expect your phones to still be workable. Now you can prove to them that you thought things out technologically to help place them first.

Consider us here at 4 Corner IT for your cloud-based VoIP. We’re an established IT team with 14 years of experience in making sure the technology we offer is truly right for every business.

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Protect Yourself from Eavesdropping on VoIP Phone Systems

VoIP phones are becoming increasingly popular among business owners due to their low cost and flexibility. You should know that no phone system is entirely secured right out of the box, but there are steps you can take to keep your business from being at risk.

4 Corner IT can implement these steps for you when you sign up for VoIP phone services. Here are some ways you can increase the security of VoIP services easily and inexpensively:

1. Maintain Separate Networks

Maintaining separate networks for your data and VoIP services will expose the network to fewer threats because there is a smaller attack surface as a result. Your networks do not have to be separated physically, as using technology to create a “logical separation” will also suffice.

2. Take Advantage of Encryption with VoIP Phone Services

Being able to intercept VoIP phone calls won’t benefit a hacker if he or she is unable to decipher them as a result. Encryption won’t prevent calls from being captured, but could nonetheless deter hackers since they would be unable to understand them.

3. Use Firewalls to Keep People Out

This should go without saying, but you need a firewall that is especially secure whenever you are using VoIP communications in order to prevent people from being able to intercept your phone calls in the first place.

4. Authenticate Users on the Network

This will ensure that unauthorized users are unable to use your network, which in turn will reduce the odds of an interception.

5. Avoid Talking on Wireless Networks with VoIP Phone Services

Your risk of outside interference increases whenever you use VoIP in conjunction with a wireless network. As such, you should caution employees who are frequently away from the office as to the dangers of using VoIP to communicate via a laptop.

These are a few things you can do to ensure privacy while using VoIP services. To find out more about how VoIP services can benefit your business, contact us.

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Advantages of VoIP Phone Services

You probably already know that VoIP phone services can save you a great deal of money. Even so, there are a number of other advantages you may not be aware of. Here are some things about Voice over Internet Protocol we thought were worth mentioning.

With VoIP, you can enjoy all the same features you have come to rely on with your landline phone. For example, you can still take advantage of call forwarding, call transfer, caller ID and three-way calling. You can also schedule “do not disturb” times in order to ensure your privacy after hours.

VoIP service allows you to choose your own area code, and is not location-specific. As a result, if you ever need to relocate, you won’t have to worry about transferring your number. You also won’t have to call a phone company in order to disconnect service-simply pick up your phone and take it with you.

Voicemail is also offered along with VoIP phone service. Some programs will even allow you to turn your voicemail messages into email texts in order to make them easier to respond to.

The ability to perform videoconferencing is another benefit to VoIP. You can easily hold “meetings” via the Internet, and won’t have to worry about traveling to different locations in order to collaborate on a particular project.

Long distance call charges are greatly reduced when using VoIP. Most providers allow for unlimited nationwide calling, and charge only a nominal fee for calls made to other countries. If you do a great deal of calling outside your local area, you could easily save hundreds or even thousands of dollars simply by switching.

VoIP phone services can often be enjoyed without the need to purchase any additional equipment. What’s more, you can enjoy the same clarity you would normally expect when using a traditional phone service. When you get right down to it, switching to Voice over Internet Protocol just makes good sense for a number of reasons. To find out more, contact us.

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5 Simple Things to Think About When Considering VoIP Phone Services

Thinking about replacing your old phone system with VoIP phone services?

Many companies large and small have, and none have regretted it! Cost-overheads are usually significantly less, it’s simple to tack on additional phone lines and customization through software instead of having to have new equipment installed for every new feature.

But before you go on a shopping spree, here are five simple things to think about that will save you a world of headache:

Know What You Want

Nobody knows your business like you do, so nobody is more qualified to know what you will need. Do you just need to be able to make phone calls from a few desks while your company grows? Do you have an army of desktops, laptops, etc. with a need for an on-site server to route hundreds of calls to the right destinations? With a little research and asking questions you can learn which options will be best for your team, and which will give you the services you need.

Is Your Network Up To It?

Most internet connections that are called “high speed” are easily up to the task of handling VoIP services. If your system is not up to par for VoIP, it may be necessary to make some upgrades to handle the amount of data VoIP services call for.

What Features Do You Want?

Business phone systems offer a lot of options, and you don’t want to miss out on that one feature that could make the difference between boom or bust. Research your options carefully so you don’t buy something you don’t need and you don’t miss an option that could turn out to be a real productivity multiplier.

Check Out Reviews

Many sites offer reviews of companies and their track records of service. You should read these reviews and decide their merits. While some people are never satisfied, a good review site will post positive as well as negative comments, and some will even have areas of feedback for the company in question. Check multiple sites and see what others have to say.

Know What You Want To Pay

It can be time consuming to go to company after company and ask for quotes from each one. The good news is that some sites have price comparison features that can save your fingers a lot of walking. Pricing structures can vary, so think about what the plans will cost you.

Pricing by the minute may be fine for a company that sees little telephone traffic in the course of its business, but a company that has heavy telephone traffic may benefit from monthly pricing.

Armed with these 5 simple considerations, you should now be able to begin your search for the VoIP services that are right for you. Contact us get started finding the solution that fits your needs!