Technology Advice for Small Businesses

VoIP vocab: Open source and Proprietary

Voice over IP (VoIP) upgrades are the clear choice for businesses that want to cut telecommunications costs and improve customer service. It’s a versatile technology with incredible customizability, and although we do most of the work for you, it’s important to understand the difference between proprietary and open-source systems. What are “proprietary” systems? When most… Continue reading VoIP vocab: Open source and Proprietary

A beginner’s guide to VoIP options

The field of business IT is never short on insider jargon. Voice over IP (VoIP) and its long list of acronym-laden add-on features is a great example. While you don’t need to understand every term, you should at least learn the differences between open source and proprietary systems. What are “proprietary” systems? When most companies… Continue reading A beginner’s guide to VoIP options

Unified Communications Explained

There was a time when “voice” was the sole business communication solution. Then, we were introduced to emails, texts, and chats, all of which are extremely useful and are here to stay. But wouldn’t it be nice if there was a communication solution that integrated everything — voice, messaging, video — into one platform? That’s… Continue reading Unified Communications Explained

What exactly is unified communications?

Relying solely on your phone for business communication made perfect sense decades ago. But if you carried that over today, your business would fail. This is because business communications now must include mobility, instant messages, and video conferencing. And to bring it all together seamlessly, you need unified communications. What is unified communications? Unified communications… Continue reading What exactly is unified communications?

Unified Communications: How they help

Efficient communication is urgently important to any business looking to succeed. Communication breakdowns lead to downtime and inefficiency, among other intangible expenses. Thankfully, all of that can easily be avoided with unified communications. What is unified communications? Unified communications (UC) allow you to manage all your communications from one architecture rather than separately. It integrates… Continue reading Unified Communications: How they help

Microsoft Teams: The new Skype for Business?

Microsoft unveiled plenty of new developments and upgrades during last month’s Ignite conference, but one that shocked many users is what’s happening to Skype for Business. The tech giant confirmed that they are phasing out Skype for Business and going all in on their new collaboration platform, Microsoft Teams. Upgrades for Teams To phase out… Continue reading Microsoft Teams: The new Skype for Business?

Microsoft’s plans for Skype for Business

Office 365 users received big news about what’s happening to its VoIP platform during the 2017 Ignite conference. According to Microsoft, Skype for Business will eventually be replaced by Teams — an all-in-one collaboration platform that rivals popular tools like Slack. If you’re currently using Skype for Business, here’s what you need to know. Upgrades… Continue reading Microsoft’s plans for Skype for Business

What’s happening to Skype for Business?

At the Ignite conference in September, Microsoft announced that the Teams app will eventually replace Skype for Business as the primary communication tool for Office 365. This is a huge development, and there are undoubtedly many questions that need answers. To find out more about what’s going to happen to Skype for Business and Microsoft… Continue reading What’s happening to Skype for Business?

Cloud-hosted vs. On-premises VoIP

Business communication has come a long way since traditional landline calling. Today, it’s all about internet-based phone systems, aka, VoIP. But before investing in VoIP phones, you need to determine how you plan to deploy them — in the cloud or on-premises. Let’s dig into the differences between the two options. Installation and maintenance On-premises… Continue reading Cloud-hosted vs. On-premises VoIP

Premise-based or Cloud-hosted VoIP?

The cloud has become the infrastructure of choice for many business owners. For others, premise-based infrastructures are still favored. So when it comes to VoIP phone systems, which infrastructure is best for your business? Installation and maintenance On-premises VoIP phone systems are installed at your company’s office, typically managed and maintained by your own personnel.… Continue reading Premise-based or Cloud-hosted VoIP?