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Focus: The Virtual Office
All Covered’s focus for this month is on the equipment and techniques
to get your business mobile. As technology grows, the brick and mortar
office is quickly giving way to the “Virtual Office.”
New Mobility Seminar
Wed., Dec. 6 - Online
All Covered invites you to the second seminar in our series on Mobility -
SmartPhone Management: Tools & Techniques. We will be taking an in-depth
look at mobile hardware, software and applications that surround today's most
popular SmartPhone systems including BlackBerry, Treo and Windows Mobile. Join
us to learn their differences and the various device management solutions for
supporting your mobile workforce.
- Register now
As always, we're eager to hear what you think about this issue and what topics you'd like to see covered in future issues. Please send an email to Newsletter Comments.
Thank You,
All Covered
Mobile Business
Strategic Mobility: From Cost Component to Business Enabler
Remote and Mobile technologies continue to be a "hot" topic and valuable asset, especially for small businesses that realize the need for increased user productivity and improved customer satisfaction. If your company has not yet embraced tools for anywhere anytime productivity, now is the time to act and dramatically improve your business.
Read more…
Solution Spotlight
How VoIP Improves Business on the Road
Learn about the power of VoIP and what it can mean for your business -- consider the possibilities as we review this exciting business solution. With the right technology in place, your information can be quickly and easily accessible in one central location allowing you to get more done with less worry, hassle and cost. Read more…
Tech Watch
SmartPhones 101: The Power to Communicate from Anywhere
SmartPhones are gaining in popularity and are the lynch pin for an effective mobile solution, but how do you find which one is the right solution for you?
Read more…
Macintosh Corner
Troubleshooting Syncing with iSync
Macintosh computers are known for their ease of use, but does that still hold true when it comes to your SmartPhone?
Read more…
Partner Spotlight
Find the Right Hardware and Software for your Business
Do you find the choices daunting when the time comes to selecting the right hardware and software for your business? All Covered’s partnership with MicroAge can help you get the right equipment at a great price.
Read more…
Mobile Business
Strategic Mobility: From Cost Component to Business Enabler
The cost per unit for long distance has been declining for years, and will continue to decline. With the advent of wide-spread cellular coverage and cellular rate plans with long distance, tradition land-line based long distance usage is in steep decline. The same cost per unit decline is true for your phone lines, your Internet connection and your data circuits. The usage and the overall cost associated with mobility however is continually on the rise.
In order for an organization to align its communication goals with the business goals, a strategic plan with multiple tactical steps is necessary. Transforming your mobility platform from a cost center to a business enabler requires the planning and implementation of a comprehensive mobility strategy and roadmap. The mobility strategy and roadmap describes how mobility will contribute to the overall information and communication technology strategy for the organization. This mobility strategy also aligns the stated business goals with specific technologies. Besides being a component of the overall information and communication strategy, the mobility strategy and roadmap should be based on the organizational requirements, current devices, contracts, processes and systems.
The best way to efficiently define and implement a mobility strategy and roadmap is understand the users and create user profiles. The user profile should not be equated to job title. It should be based on roles and responsibilities of the individual. User profiles should be created for the current situation and the future situation. A user profile should contain the following information:
After both the current and future profiles have been created, a gap analysis can be performed. Based on the results of the gap analysis action steps can be taken. For example: changing the voice/data plan for an Executive Assistant who has an unlimited data plan currently when all he/she utilizes is 20% of that plan, a limited data plan could result in cost savings. This becomes significant once multiplied across the organization.
Now that you have created a plan and implemented it, you need to maintain it. The process controls and policies you put into action must be governed and maintained on a regular basis. In some cases organizations do not have the personnel to handle this task. Mobile management is very time intensive and typically puts strains on other utilized people, namely IT. In this situation, the organization can outsource this function to a third party. This third party acts as a go between for you and the multiple service providers. On the other end of the spectrum, some organizations are better served by utilizing mobile expense management software internally and tying that into the policies and procedures created for the roadmap. This model typically works for enterprises with more than 5,000 mobile devices.
With so many choices around the topic of mobility, it is hard to figure out what device and what approach to mobility is right for your organization. It is imperative that small, medium and large organizations take a deep look into the expenses and labor associated with developing and maintaining a mobile environment. The next step is to put forth a deliberate and organized strategic mobility roadmap to assist with the long term care and management. Not doing so could allow mobility costs to continue to increase year after year without contributing to your business goals.
This article was provided by Advocate Networks, LLC a leading technology communications management and consulting company. Through the All Covered alliance with Advocate Networks, you are eligible to receive a discounted mobility or telecommunications assessment for $995 with a money-back guarantee. For more information on this offer call Norman Harber at 678-987-5970 or at norman.harber@advocatenetworks.com.
Don't forget to register for the December 6th online seminar on SmartPhone Management: Tools & Techniques.
Solution Spotlight
How VoIP Improves Business on the Road
The office phone system is a powerful communications tool, yet most business owners don’t carefully consider which phone system can best maximize efficiency and improve business capabilities for their organizations. For small businesses in particular, phone systems are often the lifeblood of operations, serving the critical function of keeping suppliers, customers and partners connected to the business. Also, many small businesses must be lean and mobile, providing continuous service regardless of where key employees are based. A phone system that allows business travelers, telecommuters and satellite offices to stay connected to the main office and clients is a valuable asset that can greatly enhance productivity and boost the company’s bottom line.
VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, turns speech into tiny data packets that can be delivered to an IP address. The technology is popular with small businesses that support telecommuters and traveling workers because it allows remote workers to log into the company’s main phone system – allowing access to all advanced features including auto attendant, voice mail, and 4-digit dialing – from any location with a broadband Internet connection.
To conceptualize how VoIP works, think of instant messaging. Regardless of your physical location, whenever you log into your IP phone, your phone number, like a screen name, is mapped to your IP address by a central IP telephony server. Once your IP address is registered, you can make and receive calls, just as you would send and accept instant messages. The IP telephony server can be run either in-house, via an IP-PBX where the company’s own IT staff is responsible for installation and ongoing support, or it can be hosted by an outsourced provider that manages and maintains all of the equipment and provides maintenance, upgrades and continuous support for the phone system. Outsourced VoIP is a big draw for small businesses that lack the in-house staff, internal expertise, and resources necessary for operating such a complex system. Small businesses that outsource their phone systems – so that the installation, maintenance, upgrades, and support are supplied by the outsourced IP phone system provider – enable valuable internal resources to concentrate on more important business matters – including conducting and generating business.
The ability to work remotely is one of VoIP’s major selling points for many small business owners, especially those looking to attract and retain high-caliber employees who value flexible working conditions. Kahn, Gordon, Timko, and Rodrigues, a small Manhattan-based law firm, saw the value of this capability first hand when a legal assistant needed to relocate to Virginia after working at the firm for over twenty years. The firm’s managing partner, Nicolas Timko, viewed her skills as invaluable and didn’t want to see her go. The company’s hosted VoIP system with support for remote usage allowed the assistant to work from her new home using an IP phone system, I didn’t have to let her go,” said Timko. “Her caller ID even displays our main number, so callers have no idea she’s not in our New York office.”
Although many businesses already rely on email and online interfaces to access enterprise systems and applications, a lot of small businesses are missing an opportunity to achieve the same functionality with their phone systems – and more still do not give thought to integrating home office and satellite office workers and traveling employees into the company’s main phone system. VoIP phone service enables users to connect to their company’s phone system over any broadband connection through a remote IP phone or an IP softphone solution, with functions such as personalized productivity features and call routing. VoIP users can also take advantage of a Webportal solution, which puts phone system features in an easy-to-use, intuitive portal. These technologies enable users to:
VoIP is a compelling alternative to cell phones for a growing number of business travelers because it gives them the same access, interface and usability while working on the road as they do in the office, while avoiding expensive roaming charges. VoIP also surpasses mobile phone service in reliability and quality, such as business continuity through redundant connections and 99.99 percent uptime and availability.
One of the greatest business benefits is the substantial cost savings VoIP phone systems delivers. Prince Street Capital Management, an investment advisory firm headquartered in New York City, experienced dramatic savings when it switched to VoIP. "With ten employees traveling all over the world, our monthly cell phone bills averaged over five-thousand dollars per month," said the company's Vice President, Peter McKown. "Our IP phone system solution with remote access privileges and plug-and-play usage at virtually any location with broadband connectivity costs less than a third of that amount."
Whether it's a receptionist working from home, a regional sales representative traveling to another state, or an entire office shut down because of a fire or natural disaster, VoIP phone systems provide the flexibility, business-enabling features, and cost savings not available with traditional phone systems and allow workers to stay productive anytime and anywhere. This technology has the potential to make small businesses appear just as reliable, accessible, and service-oriented as their larger enterprise counterparts.
This article was provided by M5 Networks, one of the country's leading outsourced IP phone system providers. Through the All Covered alliance with M5, a 100% credit on implementation cost of any M5 Outsourced IP Phone System ordered by November 30th, 2006 will be made. For more information on the offer call 877.88.GET.M5, or go to www.m5net.com.
Tech Watch
SmartPhones 101: The Power to Communicate from Anywhere
Are you ready to trade in your cell phone and PDA for a Smartphone? First of all, let’s start with the basics...
A Smartphone is basically your cell phone and PDA (Portable Data Assistant) joining forces allowing you to communicate verbally by phone and visually via email and text messaging. Additional capabilities include Internet access, faxing, and remote data transfers between the Smartphone and your office computer. Like anything else, there are pros and cons to switching over to the Smartphone solution.
So now you’re ready to invest in a Smartphone for yourself, how do you know which one to buy and what factors will affect your decision?
Before considering what type of hardware to purchase, you should carefully examine the plans that various service providers offer. If you purchase the hardware and the plan together, you could also get good discounts for a packaged plan. Make sure your plan covers your usage since overage charges can be a costly lesson learned and you want to know exactly what you have to pay for before the bill arrives.
Once you find a plan that you can live with, your choice of Smartphone models can be narrowed to just a few. Think about which features you could live without. A camera and MP3 player would be nice features to have, but these large files might fill up your memory and not leave enough room for your email files or browsing the Internet could be slow.
Allow enough time to play and go window shopping. You want to make sure that your Smartphone is comfortable to use. If not, you might want to consider adding a Bluetooth device to up the comfort level. Think about the weight of the Smartphone too. It’s great to have a lot of memory, but if it’s too bulky to carry around with you then you won’t use it. Check how things are organized on the phone. Does it make sense to your sense of organization? How easy is it for you to find what you’re looking for? You may need to consider purchasing specialize software for your Smartphone that better organizes your Smartphone to your style.
Once you get your Smartphone home, now what? There’s some free software available on the Internet, but the standard for syncing Smartphones seems to be Microsoft Windows Mobile for Smartphones 5.0. For a review of the Smartphones that come packaged with Microsoft Windows Mobile, visit Microsoft’s website by clicking here.
For an online evaluation tool, we found a site that will question you about the features you want and give you some recommendations based on your answers. The site is www.myproductadvisor.com.
Macintosh Corner
Troubleshooting Syncing with iSync
Business can be demanding; you need your schedule, your contacts, your notes,
and the rest of your information in the office, and on the go – that
means on your phone or mobile device.
Apple makes it easy to sync with your mobile device, whether it’s a Blackberry, Palm, Smart Phone based on any OS (think Symbian, Windows Mobile, Palm, etc)
Apple has a good site on iSync – the way Mac Users sync their information to their mobile: http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/
Apple also lists the compatible devices, now at over 100 that work with iSync.
This works well if you’re using Mail, Address Book and the native applications, but what if you’re using Entourage or another application to manage your data? No problem – Enter The Missing Sync : http://www.markspace.com/ a third-party utility designed to enable even more synchronization possibilities for Mac/Mobile users.
Partner Spotlight
Find the Right Hardware and Software for your Business
All Covered can be your trusted source for help with the sometimes overwhelming
task of purchasing new equipment for your business. We will be there
from the beginning where we can give you knowledgeable recommendations as to
which category of product is the right solution for your business, and then
help you select the right the items. Then we will assist you in purchasing
the product through our partner, MicroAge and following your order until its
delivery to your location.
All Covered’s newest strategic partner, MicroAge, is an expert at customer service and product sourcing. They have been an industry leader for over 25 years and have a strong reputation for sourcing the hardest to find items. This partnership will provides you with many benefits such as:
If you are thinking about purchasing new hardware or software, contact your consultant or Client Operations Representative today at 877-224-8911 and they will setup an account with MicroAge.
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