Tech Advisory

Technology Advice for Small Businesses

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How VoIP helps remote teams work smarter

Editor June 3, 2026

Flexibility is a necessity in the era of remote work. That’s why Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has become the linchpin that connects teams across homes, offices, and client sites. By consolidating calling, video meetings, messaging, and collaboration into one powerful platform, VoIP empowers remote teams to work smarter, not harder.

Team members can stay connected from anywhere

Unlike traditional phone lines, VoIP uses the internet to handle business calls from virtually anywhere, be it at home, on the road, or in client meetings. Employees can simply connect using a laptop, smartphone, desktop app, or VoIP-enabled device.

This flexibility is a major advantage for remote and hybrid teams, as it eliminates the need for employees to use personal numbers or be tied to an office desk.

Calls, video, and messaging work together

Modern VoIP systems do much more than handle voice calls. Many platforms include video conferencing, instant messaging, screen sharing, voicemail, call forwarding, and file sharing.

Having these tools in one place helps remote employees communicate more easily. A quick chat can become a voice call, a meeting can move to video, and screen sharing can allow someone to explain an idea more clearly. And because there are fewer scattered tools, conversations become easier to follow.

Collaboration happens faster

Remote work can sometimes slow teamwork, especially when employees rely too heavily on email. VoIP addresses this challenge by enabling real-time communication.

A quick call can solve a problem faster than a long message thread. Video meetings can make discussions more engaging, while screen sharing allows teams to review documents, presentations, or technical issues together. With better access to real-time communication, teams can make swifter decisions to maintain project momentum.

Call management becomes more reliable

Missed calls and overlooked messages can create problems for both employees and customers. VoIP systems help prevent communication gaps with features such as call forwarding, virtual extensions, voicemail-to-email, auto attendants, and call routing.

For example, calls can be redirected when an employee is unavailable, and voicemail messages can be sent directly to email. By using these tools, remote teams can manage communication professionally, even when everyone is working from different locations.

Employees feel more supported

Good communication tools can make remote work feel less isolating. When employees can easily reach coworkers, join meetings, and manage calls, they’re more likely to feel connected to their team.

VoIP also supports better work-life balance by giving employees access to business communication tools wherever they work. Reliable, flexible communication can reduce frustration, improve morale, and make remote work feel more sustainable.

Give your remote workforce a stronger IT foundation with VoIP

Remote work depends on clear, reliable, and flexible communication. VoIP gives businesses the tools they need to keep employees connected, support collaboration, and maintain a professional customer experience.

Need a hand in setting up or configuring your VoIP system? Get in touch with our team today.

VoIP: The communication backbone of remote work

Editor June 3, 2026

Remote work offers incredible freedom, but it can also lead to communication breakdowns. Without a central office, teams can feel disconnected, leading to missed calls, disorganized messages, and difficulty collaborating on projects. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is helping remote teams solve many of these obstacles. Here’s how.

Team members can stay connected from anywhere

Unlike traditional phone lines, VoIP uses the internet to handle business calls from virtually anywhere, be it at home, on the road, or in client meetings. Employees can simply connect using a laptop, smartphone, desktop app, or VoIP-enabled device.

This flexibility is a major advantage for remote and hybrid teams, as it eliminates the need for employees to use personal numbers or be tied to an office desk.

Calls, video, and messaging work together

Modern VoIP systems do much more than handle voice calls. Many platforms include video conferencing, instant messaging, screen sharing, voicemail, call forwarding, and file sharing.

Having these tools in one place helps remote employees communicate more easily. A quick chat can become a voice call, a meeting can move to video, and screen sharing can allow someone to explain an idea more clearly. And because there are fewer scattered tools, conversations become easier to follow.

Collaboration happens faster

Remote work can sometimes slow teamwork, especially when employees rely too heavily on email. VoIP addresses this challenge by enabling real-time communication.

A quick call can solve a problem faster than a long message thread. Video meetings can make discussions more engaging, while screen sharing allows teams to review documents, presentations, or technical issues together. With better access to real-time communication, teams can make swifter decisions to maintain project momentum.

Call management becomes more reliable

Missed calls and overlooked messages can create problems for both employees and customers. VoIP systems help prevent communication gaps with features such as call forwarding, virtual extensions, voicemail-to-email, auto attendants, and call routing.

For example, calls can be redirected when an employee is unavailable, and voicemail messages can be sent directly to email. By using these tools, remote teams can manage communication professionally, even when everyone is working from different locations.

Employees feel more supported

Good communication tools can make remote work feel less isolating. When employees can easily reach coworkers, join meetings, and manage calls, they’re more likely to feel connected to their team.

VoIP also supports better work-life balance by giving employees access to business communication tools wherever they work. Reliable, flexible communication can reduce frustration, improve morale, and make remote work feel more sustainable.

Give your remote workforce a stronger IT foundation with VoIP

Remote work depends on clear, reliable, and flexible communication. VoIP gives businesses the tools they need to keep employees connected, support collaboration, and maintain a professional customer experience.

Need a hand in setting up or configuring your VoIP system? Get in touch with our team today.

Why VoIP is essential for remote work success

Editor June 3, 2026

Employees now work across homes, offices, coworking spaces, and client sites, which means traditional phone systems tethered to one location can be restrictive. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gives remote and hybrid teams a modern way to communicate, collaborate, reduce costs, and stay productive without being tied to a desk phone.

Team members can stay connected from anywhere

Unlike traditional phone lines, VoIP uses the internet to handle business calls from virtually anywhere, be it at home, on the road, or in client meetings. Employees can simply connect using a laptop, smartphone, desktop app, or VoIP-enabled device.

This flexibility is a major advantage for remote and hybrid teams, as it eliminates the need for employees to use personal numbers or be tied to an office desk.

Calls, video, and messaging work together

Modern VoIP systems do much more than handle voice calls. Many platforms include video conferencing, instant messaging, screen sharing, voicemail, call forwarding, and file sharing.

Having these tools in one place helps remote employees communicate more easily. A quick chat can become a voice call, a meeting can move to video, and screen sharing can allow someone to explain an idea more clearly. And because there are fewer scattered tools, conversations become easier to follow.

Collaboration happens faster

Remote work can sometimes slow teamwork, especially when employees rely too heavily on email. VoIP addresses this challenge by enabling real-time communication.

A quick call can solve a problem faster than a long message thread. Video meetings can make discussions more engaging, while screen sharing allows teams to review documents, presentations, or technical issues together. With better access to real-time communication, teams can make swifter decisions to maintain project momentum.

Call management becomes more reliable

Missed calls and overlooked messages can create problems for both employees and customers. VoIP systems help prevent communication gaps with features such as call forwarding, virtual extensions, voicemail-to-email, auto attendants, and call routing.

For example, calls can be redirected when an employee is unavailable, and voicemail messages can be sent directly to email. By using these tools, remote teams can manage communication professionally, even when everyone is working from different locations.

Employees feel more supported

Good communication tools can make remote work feel less isolating. When employees can easily reach coworkers, join meetings, and manage calls, they’re more likely to feel connected to their team.

VoIP also supports better work-life balance by giving employees access to business communication tools wherever they work. Reliable, flexible communication can reduce frustration, improve morale, and make remote work feel more sustainable.

Give your remote workforce a stronger IT foundation with VoIP

Remote work depends on clear, reliable, and flexible communication. VoIP gives businesses the tools they need to keep employees connected, support collaboration, and maintain a professional customer experience.

Need a hand in setting up or configuring your VoIP system? Get in touch with our team today.

Boost team performance with smarter work patterns in Viva Insights

Editor June 2, 2026

Productivity problems are not always caused by a lack of effort. In many cases, teams are already working hard, but their time is consumed by one too many meetings, scattered communication, constant interruptions, or unclear handoffs between departments. Microsoft Viva Insights helps bring those patterns into view so organizations can make better decisions about how employees work.

Viva Insights is part of Microsoft Viva and works with Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams, Outlook, and other workplace apps. It provides personal, team, and organizational insights that help employees and leaders understand how work habits affect productivity, collaboration, and well-being. Microsoft has also expanded Viva Insights to support Copilot-related analytics, including the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard, which helps organizations understand adoption and impact of Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Find out where time is really going

Many teams think they know why productivity is slowing down, but assumptions can be misleading. Viva Insights helps replace guesswork with clearer information into work patterns. For example, it can show whether employees are spending too much time in meetings, responding to messages after hours, or struggling to find uninterrupted time for deep work.

This matters because small work habits can add up quickly. A few unnecessary meetings each week may not seem significant, but across an entire team, they can cost hours of productive time. By reviewing these patterns, managers can make practical changes, such as shortening recurring meetings, reducing attendee lists, or creating dedicated blocks for focused work.

Improve meetings without eliminating collaboration

Meetings are necessary, but not every topic or issue deserves one. Viva Insights can help organizations review meeting behaviors and spot areas for improvement. Microsoft’s meeting effectiveness reporting is designed to help identify meeting habits that support better outcomes and show which groups are or are not following those habits.

This gives managers a useful starting point. Are meetings too long? Are too many people being invited? Are employees moving from one meeting to another with no break? Once these issues are visible, teams can set better meeting rules.

Protect focus time and reduce burnout

When employees jump between meetings, emails, chats, and urgent requests all day, it becomes harder to complete meaningful work. Viva Insights can help individuals understand their own work patterns and receive recommendations that support healthier routines.

Personal insights in Viva Insights may appear in Teams, on the web, in Outlook, and through digest or briefing experiences, depending on the organization’s settings. These insights can help employees protect focus time, stay connected with key contacts, and manage their workday more deliberately.

Make collaboration smoother across teams

Productivity often slows down when work moves between teams. A sales team may be waiting for legal approval. A design team may be waiting for marketing feedback. An IT team may be waiting for business leaders to clarify priorities.

Viva Insights can help leaders identify collaboration patterns that point to delays or overload. Instead of blaming individuals, managers can look at the way work flows across the organization. Are certain teams consistently overbooked? Are important projects relying on too few people? Are employees spending more time coordinating work than completing it?

With this information, leaders can adjust staffing, clarify ownership, or redesign processes so work moves more efficiently across teams.

Measure the impact of AI tools such as Copilot

As more companies adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot, leaders need to know whether employees are actually using it and where it is making a difference. Viva Insights now plays a role here as well. The Microsoft Copilot Dashboard in Viva Insights provides insights into readiness, adoption, behavioral changes, and impact, while Copilot Analytics offers additional reporting for organizations that want a deeper view.

This can be especially useful for companies investing in AI tools but unsure how to measure success. Rather than simply counting licenses, leaders can look at usage trends, identify teams that may need more training, and connect Copilot adoption with broader productivity goals.

Keep privacy in mind

For Viva Insights to be useful, employees need to trust it. Microsoft states that personal insights are private to the individual unless that person chooses to share them. Leader and manager insights include safeguards such as aggregation and differential privacy, and organizations can configure access or allow users to opt out depending on settings and policies.

Turn insights into action

Viva Insights is most effective when organizations do something with the data. Reviewing dashboards is only the first step. The real productivity gains come from changing meeting habits, protecting focus time, improving communication, and giving employees the support they need to work well.

Used correctly, Viva Insights can help teams move beyond busywork and focus on the work that matters most. If you want to make the most of your Microsoft 365 subscription or simply need help to make tech work harder for you, call our IT experts today.

How Viva insights turns workplace data into better team habits

Editor June 2, 2026

Productivity issues are not always noticeable, but with the right tools, their root causes can be traced. Viva Insights gives users a clearer view of work habits, aimed at helping teams reduce meeting overload, protect focus time, and improve collaboration.

Viva Insights is part of Microsoft Viva and works with Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams, Outlook, and other workplace apps. It provides personal, team, and organizational insights that help employees and leaders understand how work habits affect productivity, collaboration, and well-being. Microsoft has also expanded Viva Insights to support Copilot-related analytics, including the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard, which helps organizations understand adoption and impact of Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Find out where time is really going

Many teams think they know why productivity is slowing down, but assumptions can be misleading. Viva Insights helps replace guesswork with clearer information into work patterns. For example, it can show whether employees are spending too much time in meetings, responding to messages after hours, or struggling to find uninterrupted time for deep work.

This matters because small work habits can add up quickly. A few unnecessary meetings each week may not seem significant, but across an entire team, they can cost hours of productive time. By reviewing these patterns, managers can make practical changes, such as shortening recurring meetings, reducing attendee lists, or creating dedicated blocks for focused work.

Improve meetings without eliminating collaboration

Meetings are necessary, but not every topic or issue deserves one. Viva Insights can help organizations review meeting behaviors and spot areas for improvement. Microsoft’s meeting effectiveness reporting is designed to help identify meeting habits that support better outcomes and show which groups are or are not following those habits.

This gives managers a useful starting point. Are meetings too long? Are too many people being invited? Are employees moving from one meeting to another with no break? Once these issues are visible, teams can set better meeting rules.

Protect focus time and reduce burnout

When employees jump between meetings, emails, chats, and urgent requests all day, it becomes harder to complete meaningful work. Viva Insights can help individuals understand their own work patterns and receive recommendations that support healthier routines.

Personal insights in Viva Insights may appear in Teams, on the web, in Outlook, and through digest or briefing experiences, depending on the organization’s settings. These insights can help employees protect focus time, stay connected with key contacts, and manage their workday more deliberately.

Make collaboration smoother across teams

Productivity often slows down when work moves between teams. A sales team may be waiting for legal approval. A design team may be waiting for marketing feedback. An IT team may be waiting for business leaders to clarify priorities.

Viva Insights can help leaders identify collaboration patterns that point to delays or overload. Instead of blaming individuals, managers can look at the way work flows across the organization. Are certain teams consistently overbooked? Are important projects relying on too few people? Are employees spending more time coordinating work than completing it?

With this information, leaders can adjust staffing, clarify ownership, or redesign processes so work moves more efficiently across teams.

Measure the impact of AI tools such as Copilot

As more companies adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot, leaders need to know whether employees are actually using it and where it is making a difference. Viva Insights now plays a role here as well. The Microsoft Copilot Dashboard in Viva Insights provides insights into readiness, adoption, behavioral changes, and impact, while Copilot Analytics offers additional reporting for organizations that want a deeper view.

This can be especially useful for companies investing in AI tools but unsure how to measure success. Rather than simply counting licenses, leaders can look at usage trends, identify teams that may need more training, and connect Copilot adoption with broader productivity goals.

Keep privacy in mind

For Viva Insights to be useful, employees need to trust it. Microsoft states that personal insights are private to the individual unless that person chooses to share them. Leader and manager insights include safeguards such as aggregation and differential privacy, and organizations can configure access or allow users to opt out depending on settings and policies.

Turn insights into action

Viva Insights is most effective when organizations do something with the data. Reviewing dashboards is only the first step. The real productivity gains come from changing meeting habits, protecting focus time, improving communication, and giving employees the support they need to work well.

Used correctly, Viva Insights can help teams move beyond busywork and focus on the work that matters most. If you want to make the most of your Microsoft 365 subscription or simply need help to make tech work harder for you, call our IT experts today.

Use Viva Insights to build a more productive team

Editor June 2, 2026

Microsoft Viva Insights helps organizations understand how work actually gets done, from meeting habits and collaboration patterns to broader productivity trends. With the right setup, it can reveal where teams are losing time and productivity and how they can work more efficiently.

Viva Insights is part of Microsoft Viva and works with Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams, Outlook, and other workplace apps. It provides personal, team, and organizational insights that help employees and leaders understand how work habits affect productivity, collaboration, and well-being. Microsoft has also expanded Viva Insights to support Copilot-related analytics, including the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard, which helps organizations understand adoption and impact of Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Find out where time is really going

Many teams think they know why productivity is slowing down, but assumptions can be misleading. Viva Insights helps replace guesswork with clearer information into work patterns. For example, it can show whether employees are spending too much time in meetings, responding to messages after hours, or struggling to find uninterrupted time for deep work.

This matters because small work habits can add up quickly. A few unnecessary meetings each week may not seem significant, but across an entire team, they can cost hours of productive time. By reviewing these patterns, managers can make practical changes, such as shortening recurring meetings, reducing attendee lists, or creating dedicated blocks for focused work.

Improve meetings without eliminating collaboration

Meetings are necessary, but not every topic or issue deserves one. Viva Insights can help organizations review meeting behaviors and spot areas for improvement. Microsoft’s meeting effectiveness reporting is designed to help identify meeting habits that support better outcomes and show which groups are or are not following those habits.

This gives managers a useful starting point. Are meetings too long? Are too many people being invited? Are employees moving from one meeting to another with no break? Once these issues are visible, teams can set better meeting rules.

Protect focus time and reduce burnout

When employees jump between meetings, emails, chats, and urgent requests all day, it becomes harder to complete meaningful work. Viva Insights can help individuals understand their own work patterns and receive recommendations that support healthier routines.

Personal insights in Viva Insights may appear in Teams, on the web, in Outlook, and through digest or briefing experiences, depending on the organization’s settings. These insights can help employees protect focus time, stay connected with key contacts, and manage their workday more deliberately.

Make collaboration smoother across teams

Productivity often slows down when work moves between teams. A sales team may be waiting for legal approval. A design team may be waiting for marketing feedback. An IT team may be waiting for business leaders to clarify priorities.

Viva Insights can help leaders identify collaboration patterns that point to delays or overload. Instead of blaming individuals, managers can look at the way work flows across the organization. Are certain teams consistently overbooked? Are important projects relying on too few people? Are employees spending more time coordinating work than completing it?

With this information, leaders can adjust staffing, clarify ownership, or redesign processes so work moves more efficiently across teams.

Measure the impact of AI tools such as Copilot

As more companies adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot, leaders need to know whether employees are actually using it and where it is making a difference. Viva Insights now plays a role here as well. The Microsoft Copilot Dashboard in Viva Insights provides insights into readiness, adoption, behavioral changes, and impact, while Copilot Analytics offers additional reporting for organizations that want a deeper view.

This can be especially useful for companies investing in AI tools but unsure how to measure success. Rather than simply counting licenses, leaders can look at usage trends, identify teams that may need more training, and connect Copilot adoption with broader productivity goals.

Keep privacy in mind

For Viva Insights to be useful, employees need to trust it. Microsoft states that personal insights are private to the individual unless that person chooses to share them. Leader and manager insights include safeguards such as aggregation and differential privacy, and organizations can configure access or allow users to opt out depending on settings and policies.

Turn insights into action

Viva Insights is most effective when organizations do something with the data. Reviewing dashboards is only the first step. The real productivity gains come from changing meeting habits, protecting focus time, improving communication, and giving employees the support they need to work well.

Used correctly, Viva Insights can help teams move beyond busywork and focus on the work that matters most. If you want to make the most of your Microsoft 365 subscription or simply need help to make tech work harder for you, call our IT experts today.

Get more done with these built-in Microsoft Edge tools

Editor June 2, 2026

Microsoft Edge is Microsoft’s modern web browser, designed for everyday browsing, online work, research, and collaboration. Beyond loading web pages, it includes built-in productivity tools that help users stay focused, save information, and manage projects. These are the Microsoft Edge features worth using to get more done during the workday:

Copilot sidebar

Copilot’s sidebar integrates AI help directly into Microsoft Edge. Instead of opening another app or switching tabs, users ask questions, summarize web content, draft text, compare information, or transform rough ideas into clear starting points, all within the browser. Copilot can quickly condense long articles, compose polished emails from blank pages, and explain complex topics simply. It moves users seamlessly from reading to action, helping them maintain momentum.

Collections

Collections is a project folder for browser-based information, allowing users to save and organize web pages, notes, images, and research materials by topic. Teams across the business can leverage this feature to compile competitor pages, research, policy links, vendor details, and more. Collections groups this useful information, making it easier to revisit and preventing content from scattering across crowded tabs.

Text to speech

Text to speech in Edge, or Read aloud, reads web content out loud. It can make long articles, research pages, reports, and online documentation easier to review. Hearing content can also help users catch details they might miss while skimming, as well as give tired eyes a break during a busy day. What’s more, someone reviewing a lengthy page can listen while taking notes, checking a document, or preparing for a meeting.

Workspaces

Workspaces help users organize tabs by project, client, department, or task. Rather than mixing every open page into one crowded browser window, users can create a dedicated workspace for each area of work.

One workspace might hold accounting tools and reports. Another might contain client portals, shared files, and meeting notes. A separate one could support hiring or onboarding. Switching between these spaces makes it easier to pause one task and return to another without rebuilding the entire browsing setup.

Tab groups and vertical tabs

Tabs can quickly become messy, especially when users rely on several web apps throughout the day. Tab groups and vertical tabs make that clutter easier to manage.

Tab groups let users bundle related pages under a simple label, such as “Research,” “Invoices,” or “Client Review.” Vertical tabs move open tabs to the side of the browser, where longer page titles are easier to read. Together, these tools help users find the right page faster and spend less time hunting through a crowded tab bar.

Sleeping tabs

Sleeping tabs help Edge manage inactive pages more efficiently. When a tab has not been used for a while, Edge can put it into a resting state. Clicking the tab brings it back when needed.

That is useful for people who keep dashboards, documents, email, calendars, and research pages open at the same time. Sleeping tabs can help reduce the strain on system resources, which may lead to a smoother browsing experience during video calls, spreadsheet work, and other demanding tasks.

Drop

Drop lets users send files, links, images, and notes between devices through Edge. It is a cleaner alternative to emailing yourself a file or pasting reminders into a personal chat.
A user can find an article on a desktop and send it to a phone for later reading. A photo taken on a mobile device can be moved to a work computer. Quick notes and links can travel with the user, making it easier to shift between devices without losing track of small but important items.

Built-in Microsoft 365 access

Microsoft Edge works closely with Microsoft 365, giving users easier access to apps and files they rely on every day. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams are just a few clicks away. That connection can save time when employees need to open a recent file, jump into a web app, or continue work stored in the cloud.

These features merely scratch the surface of what Microsoft Edge and other Microsoft apps can do. If you want to learn other ways to get more from the tools you already use, contact our team today for practical tips and advice.

Microsoft Edge productivity features worth using every day

Editor June 2, 2026

Staying productive, organized, and efficient with daily tasks matters in every workplace. Microsoft Edge can support that goal by improving how employees browse, manage information, switch between projects, share content across devices, and access the Microsoft tools they already use. To help your team browse smarter and work with less friction, start with these key Microsoft Edge features:

Copilot sidebar

Copilot’s sidebar integrates AI help directly into Microsoft Edge. Instead of opening another app or switching tabs, users ask questions, summarize web content, draft text, compare information, or transform rough ideas into clear starting points, all within the browser. Copilot can quickly condense long articles, compose polished emails from blank pages, and explain complex topics simply. It moves users seamlessly from reading to action, helping them maintain momentum.

Collections

Collections is a project folder for browser-based information, allowing users to save and organize web pages, notes, images, and research materials by topic. Teams across the business can leverage this feature to compile competitor pages, research, policy links, vendor details, and more. Collections groups this useful information, making it easier to revisit and preventing content from scattering across crowded tabs.

Text to speech

Text to speech in Edge, or Read aloud, reads web content out loud. It can make long articles, research pages, reports, and online documentation easier to review. Hearing content can also help users catch details they might miss while skimming, as well as give tired eyes a break during a busy day. What’s more, someone reviewing a lengthy page can listen while taking notes, checking a document, or preparing for a meeting.

Workspaces

Workspaces help users organize tabs by project, client, department, or task. Rather than mixing every open page into one crowded browser window, users can create a dedicated workspace for each area of work.

One workspace might hold accounting tools and reports. Another might contain client portals, shared files, and meeting notes. A separate one could support hiring or onboarding. Switching between these spaces makes it easier to pause one task and return to another without rebuilding the entire browsing setup.

Tab groups and vertical tabs

Tabs can quickly become messy, especially when users rely on several web apps throughout the day. Tab groups and vertical tabs make that clutter easier to manage.

Tab groups let users bundle related pages under a simple label, such as “Research,” “Invoices,” or “Client Review.” Vertical tabs move open tabs to the side of the browser, where longer page titles are easier to read. Together, these tools help users find the right page faster and spend less time hunting through a crowded tab bar.

Sleeping tabs

Sleeping tabs help Edge manage inactive pages more efficiently. When a tab has not been used for a while, Edge can put it into a resting state. Clicking the tab brings it back when needed.

That is useful for people who keep dashboards, documents, email, calendars, and research pages open at the same time. Sleeping tabs can help reduce the strain on system resources, which may lead to a smoother browsing experience during video calls, spreadsheet work, and other demanding tasks.

Drop

Drop lets users send files, links, images, and notes between devices through Edge. It is a cleaner alternative to emailing yourself a file or pasting reminders into a personal chat.
A user can find an article on a desktop and send it to a phone for later reading. A photo taken on a mobile device can be moved to a work computer. Quick notes and links can travel with the user, making it easier to shift between devices without losing track of small but important items.

Built-in Microsoft 365 access

Microsoft Edge works closely with Microsoft 365, giving users easier access to apps and files they rely on every day. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams are just a few clicks away. That connection can save time when employees need to open a recent file, jump into a web app, or continue work stored in the cloud.

These features merely scratch the surface of what Microsoft Edge and other Microsoft apps can do. If you want to learn other ways to get more from the tools you already use, contact our team today for practical tips and advice.

Microsoft Edge features that help you work smarter in 2026

Editor June 2, 2026

Microsoft Edge has been around for years, but users are still overlooking some nifty features beyond its web browsing capabilities. In 2026, the browser has several newer tools and clever built-in features that can help users organize research, manage tabs, share files, listen to content, and work more efficiently. Here are the Microsoft Edge features that can help turn everyday browsing into a smoother, more productive experience:

Copilot sidebar

Copilot’s sidebar integrates AI help directly into Microsoft Edge. Instead of opening another app or switching tabs, users ask questions, summarize web content, draft text, compare information, or transform rough ideas into clear starting points, all within the browser. Copilot can quickly condense long articles, compose polished emails from blank pages, and explain complex topics simply. It moves users seamlessly from reading to action, helping them maintain momentum.

Collections

Collections is a project folder for browser-based information, allowing users to save and organize web pages, notes, images, and research materials by topic. Teams across the business can leverage this feature to compile competitor pages, research, policy links, vendor details, and more. Collections groups this useful information, making it easier to revisit and preventing content from scattering across crowded tabs.

Text to speech

Text to speech in Edge, or Read aloud, reads web content out loud. It can make long articles, research pages, reports, and online documentation easier to review. Hearing content can also help users catch details they might miss while skimming, as well as give tired eyes a break during a busy day. What’s more, someone reviewing a lengthy page can listen while taking notes, checking a document, or preparing for a meeting.

Workspaces

Workspaces help users organize tabs by project, client, department, or task. Rather than mixing every open page into one crowded browser window, users can create a dedicated workspace for each area of work.

One workspace might hold accounting tools and reports. Another might contain client portals, shared files, and meeting notes. A separate one could support hiring or onboarding. Switching between these spaces makes it easier to pause one task and return to another without rebuilding the entire browsing setup.

Tab groups and vertical tabs

Tabs can quickly become messy, especially when users rely on several web apps throughout the day. Tab groups and vertical tabs make that clutter easier to manage.

Tab groups let users bundle related pages under a simple label, such as “Research,” “Invoices,” or “Client Review.” Vertical tabs move open tabs to the side of the browser, where longer page titles are easier to read. Together, these tools help users find the right page faster and spend less time hunting through a crowded tab bar.

Sleeping tabs

Sleeping tabs help Edge manage inactive pages more efficiently. When a tab has not been used for a while, Edge can put it into a resting state. Clicking the tab brings it back when needed.

That is useful for people who keep dashboards, documents, email, calendars, and research pages open at the same time. Sleeping tabs can help reduce the strain on system resources, which may lead to a smoother browsing experience during video calls, spreadsheet work, and other demanding tasks.

Drop

Drop lets users send files, links, images, and notes between devices through Edge. It is a cleaner alternative to emailing yourself a file or pasting reminders into a personal chat.
A user can find an article on a desktop and send it to a phone for later reading. A photo taken on a mobile device can be moved to a work computer. Quick notes and links can travel with the user, making it easier to shift between devices without losing track of small but important items.

Built-in Microsoft 365 access

Microsoft Edge works closely with Microsoft 365, giving users easier access to apps and files they rely on every day. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams are just a few clicks away. That connection can save time when employees need to open a recent file, jump into a web app, or continue work stored in the cloud.

These features merely scratch the surface of what Microsoft Edge and other Microsoft apps can do. If you want to learn other ways to get more from the tools you already use, contact our team today for practical tips and advice.

How SaaS helps SMBs save money and work more efficiently

Editor May 27, 2026

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) gives small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) a simpler, more flexible way to access the software they need. Aside from reducing upfront IT costs, it supports remote work, easier scaling, app integrations, and stronger security protections.
Many companies are shifting to SaaS. Rather than purchasing software to install on company computers or servers, they can subscribe to cloud-based applications that are accessed over the internet. The SaaS model simplifies software management, offers greater flexibility, and is often a more affordable solution.

What makes SaaS different from traditional software?

Traditionally, business software was sold as a product. A company would buy a program, install it on a computer, and manage individual licenses. If another employee needed access to the software, the company had to buy another license. And if the software demanded high performance, the business also had to invest in better hardware.
As technology evolved, larger organizations began hosting applications on in-house servers. This setup allowed employees to access programs through the company network, with the servers handling most of the processing power. While functional, this approach required companies to buy, secure, maintain, and ultimately replace their own server hardware.
SaaS changes that setup. Instead of being installed locally, the application is hosted by a third-party provider and accessed by users through a web browser or an app. Common examples include email platforms, accounting tools, customer relationship management systems, file storage services, and project management applications.
For employees, the experience is seamless; they simply sign in and start working. For business owners, the key advantage is offloading the technical burden of maintenance, security, and updates from the company to the SaaS provider.

The benefits of SaaS for SMBs

SMBs that adopt a SaaS model can unlock several key advantages:

Turn high upfront costs into predictable monthly expenses

Traditional software ecosystems demand substantial upfront investments in hardware, perpetual software licenses, and ongoing maintenance.
In contrast, SaaS converts IT costs into a predictable operating expense. Instead of owning and maintaining your own infrastructure, you lease it from a service provider for a monthly or annual fee, leading to several advantages:

  • No hardware maintenance: Eliminate the costs and complexities of cooling, powering, and upgrading on-premises servers.
  • Inclusive support: Your subscription typically covers routine updates, bug fixes, and technical assistance, simplifying your IT management.
  • On-demand scalability: Pay only for the licenses you use, with the flexibility to scale your resources up or down as your team’s needs change.

Give employees secure work access from anywhere

SaaS applications are designed for the modern, mobile workforce. Because these tools are cloud-based, employees can access them from the office, at home, or on the go with just an internet connection and their login details. This flexibility is crucial for organizations with remote teams, multiple offices, or staff collaborating across different time zones. There is also the added benefit of giving employees access to the tools they need on any approved device, boosting productivity and removing the need for complex remote-access systems

Adapt faster with integrated business applications

Many SaaS platforms integrate seamlessly with other cloud-based tools, which lets businesses connect systems for accounting, sales, email marketing, and customer support. This way, there’s no need to manually transfer information between programs, helping teams avoid redundant work.
SaaS providers also regularly update their platforms with new features, performance enhancements, and security patches. As a result, businesses can benefit from continuous improvement without the burden of managing major software upgrades themselves.

Access enterprise-grade security and data protection

While storing business data off site raises valid security concerns, reputable SaaS providers invest heavily in data protection, backups, and system reliability. Their business model depends on keeping customers’ information safe. This gives SMBs access to security tools that would be costly and difficult to implement internally.

How to choose a SaaS provider

To find the right SaaS partner for your business, consider these key factors:

Data ownership and access

Before signing any contract, clarify who owns your data. Your agreement must clearly specify that your company retains full ownership rights. Also, understand the process for retrieving your data if you decide to end the service.

Reliability and service commitments

Review the provider’s service level agreement (SLA). Their SLA should detail their uptime guarantees, data backup procedures, and support availability. A strong SLA will also outline the provider’s responsibilities in case of technical issues or financial instability.

Industry-specific compliance

If your company is part of a regulated industry such as healthcare or finance, compliance is nonnegotiable. Make sure your chosen SaaS provider can meet all relevant legal and regulatory requirements, especially when handling sensitive customer, employee, or patient data.
Thinking about moving some of your business applications to SaaS? Contact us today. We can help you evaluate your options and choose solutions that fit your company’s needs, budget, and long-term goals.

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