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Everything You Need to Know About Hosted Communications

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When you think of a cloud, are you the type that envisions fluffy white water vapor trapped in the atmosphere? Or do you think of bits of data consisting mostly of old selfies and pictures of your pets whizzing around in a figurative holding space? For many businesses, the cloud means their lifeline to reach customers and operate on a daily basis.

Efficient and effective communication is essential to a company, internally and externally. Hosted communications systems — or internet-based communication applications — ensure that the process remains smooth.

Here are some of the benefits a hosted communications system can bring to your office.

Simplicity
 In a hosted communications system, the hardware and carrier services typically connected to a phone system are moved to the cloud, or data systems represented in various areas across the country. The clutter of traditional communication systems disappears. But hosted systems aren’t just for phone services. They encompass video, email, document and chat programs as well. With all those programs in one communications system, businesses have only one vendor that handles regular service and maintenance.

Security
Because the cloud is represented in multiple data centers, sensitive information is continuously stored. Disaster recovery is a cinch, and gone are the days of interrupted work because a phone line went down. Additionally, the data in a hosted communications system is encrypted, protecting against cybercrime.

“The security that we have with hosted communication is second to none,” said Doug Postel, Infomax’s IT director.

Accessibility
Ease of accessibility may be the best feature of a hosted communications system. The system can allow a group of employees to collaborate and edit a document in real time and facilitate a video or phone chat for employees working in different areas. Hosted communications systems are also key for offices that have employees working remotely. Cell phones can be added to communications systems so workers can answer calls outside of the office. If the call is sent to a voicemail, the message is transferred from the individual’s cell phone to the voicemail connected to the hosted communications system. Calls from cell phones through the hosted system also show up on caller ID as the business’ phone number.

“The mobility of the system is a significant benefit,” Doug said. “Very few business owners will tell you, ‘I don’t want to take a call if I’m not in my office.’”

A hosted communications system allows for better office collaboration and businesses are more accessible to customers.

“Chat functions are huge,” Doug said. “It’s vitally important for people to look at their business and say you don’t have to communicate with me the way I want to. As a business, I’ll work with you the way you want to.”

Cost effectiveness
 Because hosted phone communications consolidate services, maintenance and hardware, companies have only one monthly fee to one vendor. Additionally, companies get the exact number of channels they need. With traditional phone systems, companies paid for a set number of channels. If they needed to add additional channels, they had to purchase another large set instead of just one or two more channels.

“I don’t have a nickel and dime fee for upkeep or maintenance calls,” Doug said. “With the services that are in the cloud, I pay just for what I need.”

To learn more about how Infomax’s hosted communications systems, call us at 1-800-727-4629.

Regular cybersecurity training for employees keeps your business safe

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Despite businesses’ best efforts to use encrypted networks, firewalls and other cybersecurity measures, cybercriminals hack millions of networks each year, and cyberattacks are still on the rise. The majority of successful cyberattacks on companies originate through emails. Infomax knows that training employees to recognize cybersecurity threats is a necessity.

Not only is it imperative to protect a business’ confidential data and documents, but protecting against cyberthreats also saves a company’s finances. For instance, ransomware — a type of malicious software or malware that denies user access until a ransom is paid — is forecast to cost U.S. companies and organizations about $11.5 billion in 2019, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

“We can put out lots of safeguards to make the company secure, but it doesn’t matter if employees don’t know what to do,” said Doug Postel, Infomax’s IT director. “In about 80 percent of ransomware cases, it’s not the technology that gets hacked — it’s the person.”

Doug walks us through how to train employees to recognize cyberthreats.

Regular training

Periodic training is key to keeping companies safe from the latest cyberthreats. Cybercriminals are extremely tech savvy, organized and always advancing their tactics. At Infomax, we keep track of trends so our clients don’t have to. We send regular training tips and tests to our iGuard Managed IT services clients so they can keep up to date. Training often includes a video or a timely examination of a recent security breach in the news.

“We look at a breach that’s happened, how to prevent it and what to look out for,” Doug said.  “There are new threats every day. If you’re not in a subscription mode where you’re getting updates to threats constantly, you’re leaving yourself vulnerable.”

Careful downloading

Approximately 92 percent of malware is delivered through email phishing, according to  Verizon’s 2018 Breach Investigations Report. It’s imperative to teach employees about safely receiving and downloading email files. Many companies use filtering systems for emails, but they aren’t 100 percent foolproof, Doug said.

Cisco’s 2018 Annual Cybersecurity Report found that in 2017 hackers most often used Microsoft Office formats — such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel — to hide malware. Other files hackers often used included .zip and .jar files, as well as PDFs. As a general rule, employees shouldn’t download any files from an email that they weren’t expecting to receive.

Caution clicking

About 91 percent of cyberattacks originate through phishing emails, according to research by PhishMe. To test employees, Infomax often sends test emails similar to phishing attempts employees could receive. Phishing emails are often sent from email domains that have one or two letters off from a company’s actual email, or the email address will include “.org” or “.net” instead of instead of the accurate domain.

Emails prompt employees to click a link that will take them to an unsecured website or download malware. Some links will mirror accurate website employees frequently visit. The imposter sites prompt employees to sign into their accounts, allowing hackers to gain secure passwords.

Similar to downloading documents, employees should only click on links they were expecting to receive and that they thoroughly inspect, checking email domains and links against past emails they have received. A telltale sign of phishing attempts is that they often try to send recipients into a panic by including an urgent warning. Additionally, it’s always safer to navigate to a website you have previously visited rather than to click on a potentially phony link through an email.

Administrator support

It’s important to have a company culture that reinforces cybersecurity efforts. Business administrators can ask Infomax to train and test employees on cybersecurity efforts. Managers will receive a countback of who has participated in that training.

“If an employee fails a test, it’s a chance for us to reinforce that the error could have cost the company tens of thousands of dollars,” Doug said. “It’s a great chance to provide further training.”

To tighten up your workplace’s security, contact us today.

“We take the headaches off of the business owner,” Doug said.

How managed IT can change your business for the better

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When was the last time you or your employer focused on IT support for your company? Maybe you work at a small business that has fewer than 50 employees, none of which include a full-time information technology employee. Perhaps your IT staff is comprised of an unintentional IT team of one or two employees who happen to be tech savvy. Maybe you work at a medium-size company that outsources much of their IT services to multiple vendors: one for system firewalls, one for storage and data backup, another for phone systems and the list goes on. Isn’t it time for your business to be more intentional about your IT support in this world of complex technology?

Many small businesses have made the switched to managed IT services — IT support from a third party — such as ours that provide a variety of services and a team of IT experts. For many reasons, small and medium-sized businesses find managed IT services to be beneficial.

For one, businesses that use managed IT services gain access to a team of professionals who specialize in specific facets of IT, rather than one professional who has to be a jack of all trades. With Infomax’s iGuard Managed IT, clients know that more than 40 professionals with expert-level experiences work for their business. They also don’t have to worry about dealing with three or more vendors for all their IT support.

“What we can bring to the table is consolidation,” said Doug Postel, Infomax’s IT director. “We can give them security in knowing we can take care of the threat mitigation with firewalls, help with policies, phone systems, disaster recovery and backup.”

Another benefit of managed IT services is the cost effectiveness and predictability of expenses. Managed IT services that include a team of professionals often cost a company less than a full-time IT employee. Expenses are predictable because a company can choose their services and plan for the same costs each period. At Infomax, we also work with a company’s existing IT personnel.

“We can take care of that IT person and make sure they have the time and resources to focus on the objectives of the company. We really look at being able to build a support net around them,” Doug said. “We provide businesses IT for a predictable and manageable cost. We’re able to give the business owner peace of mind, and for one flat fee they know everything is taken care of.”

Most importantly, managed IT provides business owners and employees peace of mind knowing that they have a team of professionals who are working proactively — not reactively — to keep your business safe from cyberthreats. Managed IT staff work with businesses before breaches occur, periodically going over IT priorities. At Infomax, our iGuard Managed IT team even provides our clients with regular security awareness training to ensure employees are up to date on how to keep company data safe.

“For small businesses, we really become a one-stop-shop for their IT support,” Doug said. “For medium-sized businesses, we provide more necessary time and resources for their existing staff.”

If you are interested in managed IT services, contact us today.

The Future of Printing in 2019

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The last decade has brought numerous changes in technology and how it affects an office workspace, and the last year of 2010s will be no different. Though consumers often think of how technological advancements affect their computers, many overlook a process they complete daily: printing. We asked Greg Bailey, Infomax’s director of sales, to discuss printing trends in 2019. Here are some of those trends.

Security

Cyberthreats keep pace with the growing number of devices connecting to the internet. All businesses print confidential information, such as employees’ or customers’ personal information, sensitive company data or financial documents. It’s possible for hackers to tap into networks and see documents that are sent to presses. For these reasons, security is going to be one of the biggest demands in the printing industry for years to come, Greg said. Infomax’s printer and document management services provide multiple layers of protection.

Pay-as-you-go models are going to be more popular in coming years so clients have more flexibility in printing and know budgeting costs before they complete a print job. The perk is that businesses and administrators can monitor who is printing and which types of documents are printed. For some of these models, users will sign in before printing or use an ID badge to collect classified documents. Infomax’s print services also track and allow usage-based billing for individual clients, departments or projects so companies know where much of their printing costs originate. Additionally, more printers have document capture services that are adding more security by storing sensitive documents when they are printed. Print-to-voidance — which prevents sensitive documents from being stored on a system after they’re printed — could also gain in popularity. 

Artificial intelligence

Technology continues to advance, no matter the medium or method. Printers are no exception as artificial intelligence enters the industry. AI is generally defined as the ability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior. Though it might sound fanciful, AI technologies are already helping to make printing processes more effective and efficient.

Printers already use AI to automate more routine tasks, freeing up time for employees to work on more strategic work. Some of those routine tasks include direct mail and catalogs, according to Xerox. As more data about mail recipients becomes available, AI can use data to create more relevant content in mailings to specific recipients. Additionally, software allows a printer to optimize document layouts to minimize waste. Data about a printer also can be sent back to manufacturers to compare data to expected performance, determining if software updates or adjustments need to be made. However, the use of AI in the industry is not yet widespread.

“Manufacturers are beginning to use artificial intelligence, but they’re still in the infancy of that,” Greg said. “There are peaks and valleys.”

Flexible format

Though it used to be a luxury, color printing has taken over. Businesses and their clients want the eye-catching visuals that come with color-printed products. And inkjet printers reign supreme in their abilities to create crisp visuals as well as text-based documents. The next few years will also bring a growth in large-format printing that allows marketers to reach a bigger audience through printed banners, stickers and posters. Clients will have easier accessibility to large format printers, such as the Canon Oce Colorado, one of the large-format printers Infomax currently has in the showroom.

Changing technology

Here’s one thing we can always count on: technology will advance. Many businesses want to stay on top of current trends and outfit their offices with updated systems that save money, perform better than previous models and provide more security. That’s why Infomax provides printer leasing options for their clients, and Greg said he only expects that program to gain in popularity. Most clients take advantage of that program and upgrade their presses after a few years.

Call us today to learn more about our printing services at 1-800-727-4629.

Defining company culture benefits Infomax employees, clients

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Infomax Office Systems employees go to work each day with a few things in mind: exceed expectations, embrace change and always treat others with respect. These directives aren’t just guidelines for our employees, they’re the core basis for Infomax’s business.

In 2016, we developed a culture committee to identify our company’s core values. Employees throughout Infomax’s many departments were recruited for the committee to include viewpoints beyond the company’s leadership, said Greg Jacobs, president of Infomax Office Systems. Our culture committee met with third-party business representatives to identify Infomax’s values, what those values mean to employees and clients and how the company can better share our principles.

“Every company has a culture whether they know it or not. We wanted to define that,” Greg said. “It was not just the leadership team that was able to say, ‘These are going to be our core values.’”

Our values are
• Excellence
• Embrace Change
• Development
• Integrity
• One team
• Fun
• Open minded communication

Our company has been intentional about sharing these core values. They’re posted on our website, in employees’ email signatures, framed in our office and included in a culture playbook distributed to employees. Outings to baseball games, restaurants and other local attractions give employees a chance to build a team atmosphere and foster open communication. A consistent focus on our core values was vital to further the momentum in building company culture.

“You don’t want us rolling these core values out and having employees think these are just another exercise that will be gone in six months,” Greg noted. “In our business, it is very easy to get siloed. Communication is the key to breaking those silos and creating one team.”

In fact, the company’s core values have become part of our employee recruitment and retention efforts. We begin the values conversation with potential employees during the interview process, discussing how we embrace change, commit to excellence, support staff development goals and value open communication. Interviewees take note, Greg observed.

“People have so many different choices when it comes to a place to go to work these days. How can we set ourselves apart?” asked Greg. “I’ve always been very proud of our culture, so we talk about that in the interview process. We wanted that culture to be the reason people would come to work at Infomax. We’ve had people say that it was a deciding factor in working here.”

While it’s important to define culture internally, a well-defined company culture also benefits our clients. We focus on delivering excellent service, embracing industry changes and operating with integrity.

“At the end of the day, I have two customers: my employees and my customers,” Greg reflected. “A good office climate automatically translates to clients. When people enjoy coming to work…there’s just no other way than to provide an A-plus experience for our customers.”