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Security and UCaaS: finding the perfect balance  

technavadmin IT Security, UCaaS , , ,
Security and UCaaS: finding the perfect balance  

By Chis Newell
Founder & President

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) providers are tempting targets for cybercriminals and hackers. How do organizations take advantage of all the benefits UCaaS provides, but also be ensured it is a secure solution?  

For businesses, the biggest appeal of UCaaS is the ability to consolidate voice and telephony services, instant messaging, email / voicemail, collaboration / meeting solutions, and communication-enabled apps into one cloud-based functionality. It is a power tool. Not only does it drop all those components into one cloud-based environment, but it also takes away the high cost of capital investment in upgrading equipment and creates cost flexibility.  

All this “data” bundled up in one ecosystem makes UCaaS a very enticing opportunity for the likes of cybercriminals and hackers. Whether you are in the market to change suppliers or upgrade to UCaaS, there are a few security matters that should be reviewed before signing on the dotted line.  
 

Security Protocols  

Security protocols have always has been important, but in the COVID-19 era they have been magnified to new heights. Think about the sheer amount of video conference and online conference calls your company has had since March 2020. Now recall on how many shared screens with proprietary information were virtually shared back and forth.  

Not to mention attachments, screenshots, and shared logins and passwords! When you add in all the times employees have logged in from home, their mobile devices, at the coffee shop, back porch, and everywhere else under the sun, you can see how imperative to have security protocols in place while using UCaaS applications.  
 

User Access and Controls 

It has taken some time for companies to understand that not every single person who uses the system needs access to the whole system. Just like you would not give every employee at a corporation a key to the CEO’s office, not every employee needs access to all data and features in the UCaaS environment. Permission profiles should differ for the different roles within a company, creating specific profiles for each person to assign rights and levels of permission to complete tasks.  

The all-time “it can happen to you” example that gives this directive weight occurred in 2013 when Target saw 70 million customer credit card numbers swiped from its database thanks to hackers who stole the login credentials from a third-party vendor.  

A company that sold Target freezers for its grocery store section needed access to just one thing – an app for submitting invoices. Instead, it had access to Target’s entire system through a universal profile and when its credentials were swiped via malware, Target’s data vault was cracked wide open.  
 

Data Encryption & Compliance  

When you are on calls, how secure is the call from hackers while you are in communication? It is vital for the solution to have calls encrypted. Not only do you need to ensure your voice traffic is secured, but when the supplier is storing your data it is important to understand the type of encryption being used.  

Clients are now adopting SASE principles along with SDWAN to further protect voice and collaboration communications for work from home, remote employees as well as office goers.  The combination of this level of security and resiliency is vital for highly secured communications.  

If your industry has compliance regulations to adhere to, making sure the supplier that you are working with has the required compliance accreditations is necessary. Even if it is not required, understanding what is included in these compliance accreditations can ensure that your provider has the proper security protocols deployed within their solution set. To name a few; HIPAA, SOC 2, Fedramp, FERPA, and GDPR.  

Conclusion 

UCaaS is a smart financial, technological, and business move that allows companies to consolidate resources and reduce costs. But without the proper safety protocols in place, the risk outweighs the rewards. 

CCaaS: what to look for in a provider 

technavadmin CCaaS , ,
CCaaS: what to look for in a provider 

By Chis Newell
Founder & President

When it comes to the CCaaS vertical we have seen feature functionality changes throughout the years. Most recently, AI has been inserted into CCaaS as a seemingly viable augmentation of existing product sets and in some cases a brand-new feature set. Features, such as chat, SMS Text, email, social media, outbound dialers, and other options, often attract customers to providers.  

However, it is important to understand the differentiators between providers and their underlying feature set, and who is providing them. There are very few providers who own and support 100% of their own product stack (TFN/DID voice, dialer, SMS Text, chat, email, social media, visual IVR, WFO/WFM etc.).  

Some providers try to conceal this important information and others broadcast it as a “value add” with their go-to market strategy. The key take-away from this is if the supplier does not own a part of their technology stack, it is important to understand the SLA and support agreements that are in place.  

The provider’s “added value“

Features are an exciting part of CCaaS, however, it is vital to review how services are architected and supported. CCaaS providers vary on how they are built. Some are built on their own infrastructure, while others utilize hyperscalers such as AWS/Azure/Google in multiple availability zones.  

However, most have adopted a hybrid approach. In the hybrid approach, some providers are extending their environment by using hyperscalers for storage and reporting feature sets, while others are moving critical applications into this style of infrastructure.  

Then there are CCaaS providers who white label and provide tier 1 and 2 engineering support, but don’t own the underlying technology. This can be beneficial if the white label provider has extremely proficient support models, wholesale pricing or deep integrations.  

What’s most important? 

It is helpful to know the pros and cons of the providers infrastructure, but one of the most important items to review are their BCP, and DR failover. Some good questions to ask are; How often is BCP and DR tested? What is the latest documentation/how often does the testing take place? One thing we all know about technology, it can fail.  

While SMS text, chat, email and social media can have delayed response in the event of a DR failover, DID/TFN voice should be seamless. It is vital for the provider to be their own RESPORG and have a failover strategy.  

If there are issues with TFN and DID services, this allows them to move to a different voice strategy or underlying provider. Some CCaaS providers give the option to bring your own voice provider. Traditionally this can create finger pointing and adds complexity to the solution, however, there can be beneficial cost considerations with bringing your own voice to a CCaaS environment.  

Regardless of what provider you are entertaining for your CCaaS solution, it is important to look under the hood to see how services are being provided and not get caught up in the sizzle. 

DaaS/VDI Strategy 101: Your Ultimate Guide To Virtual Desktop Infrastructure 

technavadmin DaaS / VDI , , , ,
DaaS/VDI Strategy 101: Your Ultimate Guide To Virtual Desktop Infrastructure 

By Chis Newell
Founder & President

Empowering a highly effective workforce starts with keeping your employees connected and ensuring that they have all the tools, resources, and data they need at their fingertips. With the right virtual desktop or desktop as a service infrastructure, you can keep users connected while giving them the flexibility they need to work from anywhere without compromising on security or workstation performance. However, deploying a successful virtual desktop infrastructure or desktop as a service solution starts with formulating the right VDI strategy and choosing the right DaaS/VDI provider for your needs.  

What Is DaaS/VDI? 

Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a cloud computing offering that enables businesses to deliver cloud-hosted virtual desktops to any device, from anywhere. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is cloud-based technology that hosts desktop environments from a centralized server. It allows you to run desktop workloads on centralized servers while providing a secure way to make all the resources your employees need available in one place.  

Why Should Companies And Growing Businesses Invest In DaaS/VDI? 

DaaS/ VDI strategy brings the advantages of traditional computing models to the cloud, allowing your workforce to do more. The benefits of DaaS/VDI include: 

Data Security 

Authorized users from authorized devices can only access virtual desktop environments. Moreover, it keeps all data within the server, so you never have to worry about data disclosure. 

Reduced Costs 

VDI strategies eliminate the need for you to purchase hardware for your employees while eliminating the need for driver compatibility with specific software and services. Paired with a broad range of features such as simplified hardware maintenance, reduced downtimes, and high system performance, it offers limitless cost-saving possibilities.  

Resource Pooling 

VDI solutions allow authorized users to tap into the enterprise computer system from any approved device. This gives them access to company servers, apps, files, and services they need to get work done in one place, allowing business continuity.  

Data-Driven Insights 

With various tracking tools being offered by many VDI providers, you can monitor your virtual desktop environments’ user experience, security, and performance. As a result, you will mitigate all issues impacting users to enhance the productivity of your workforce. 

How Does DaaS/VDI Simplify Desktop Management And Keep Operation Systems Stable? 

With all virtual desktop environments connected to a single server, centralized patching, application installations, desktop redesigns and more can be carried out without the need for users to log off, eliminating maintenance downtimes. You can also leverage templates and cloning administrators to quickly establish departmental virtual machine environments and deploy new user desktops on demand.  

VDI strategies also integrate desktop and server management platforms, streamlining coordination between server and desktop support groups. Moreover, they enable the centralized execution of user sessions across a farm of servers while expanding the number of applications deployed on a server-based computing model. 

However, every application deployed in a shared operating system has the potential to conflict with other programs. While no multi-user platform is immune to failure, VDI minimizes this problem by isolating every virtual desktop from any system malfunctions caused by other users. However, it all depends on the VDI provider you choose.  

Is DaaS/VDI Suitable For You? 

Everyday use cases driving the mass adoption of VDI include: 

  • Outsourcing development while staying in control of all your data and source codes. 
  • Upgrading operating systems while eliminating the need to replace outdated PC models.  
  • Unifying server and desktop processes to create robust IT infrastructure and streamline data backup and recovery.  
  • Keeping CPU at peak performance by deploying demanding programs to a virtual desktop environment. 
  • Migrating from legacy desktop computing to utility computing to minimize costs. 
  • Preparing for business continuity in case of a pandemic by making it possible to power a remote workforce. 

However, choosing the right VDI strategy and VDI provider for your business can be daunting. At Technology Navigation, we help businesses considering VDI solutions for their companies to formulate a strategy that’s best suited to their needs. Connect with us today to find out more.   

Zoom – UCaaS: All you need to know

technavadmin UCaaS , , , ,
Zoom – UCaaS: All you need to know

By Chis Newell
Founder & President

UCaaS migrations have moved into hyperdrive in 2020 because of Covid-19. Companies who were waiting for their migration to UCaaS have pushed this initiative to the forefront of their projects.  

In addition, organizations who were on lackluster UCaaS solutions with limited features are now looking at top UCaaS providers to supply them with the feature functionality they need to keep communication and collaboration going. With much of the workforce still “at home”, it is fully understandable why UCaaS is more important than ever. 

The list of suppliers competing for this business continues to change and evolve. Cisco purchased Broadsoft in 2018, which generated shockwaves across to the UCaaS industry as there are thousands of UCaaS providers using the BroadSoft platform as the backbone of their solution. However, one of the largest announcement as of late has been Zoom Conferencing, who officially entered the UCaaS arena in 2019, just in time for the Covid-19 lockdowns.   The other latest announcement is 8×8 purchasing Fuze in 2022.  

If you have Zoom today 

Zoom “Enterprise Cloud Phone System” has provided the ease of use that we enjoy from Zoom Meetings and has applied it to a UCaaS solution. This is backed by a solid backbone and scalable/redundant platform that has successfully absorbed the tremendous number of new Zoom Meetings and UCaaS since 2019. 

There are plenty of features that Zoom provides on their platform. However, being relatively new to the UCaaS solution there are gaps. The Zoom application that is used on smart phones and desktops has strong feature/functionality.  

Pro’s and con’s  

For most SMB clients, they expect their UCaaS or phone system to also act as their contact center solution. With Zoom, there are limitations in how this solution can be configured for contact center services and it also lacks the omnichannel feature set that most CCaaS solutions are known for.  

To combat this, Zoom has partnered with Five9, Genesys and others to supply clients the integration between CCaaS and UCaaS. While not the same platforms, there is a decent level of integration.  

Out of the gate, Zoom appears to have a strong offering with their UCaaS product, but it is important to weigh all the requirements for your solution and make the right decision. Each supplier in the UCaaS arena has aspects of their solution that are stronger than others. Looking at all the relevant suppliers will give you a full scope of what the industry has to offer. My team and I look forward to helping you make this important decision.  

What DaaS & Managed VDI can do for your company

technavadmin DaaS / VDI , , , ,
What DaaS & Managed VDI can do for your company

By Chis Newell
Founder & President

The modern workforce is highly collaborative.  However, one of the most significant challenges many organizations face is centralizing their IT infrastructure to keep their employees connected, even if they are working remotely.  

Enter Desktop as a Service Infrastructure (DaaS) and Managed Virtual Desktop Interfaces (VDI).  Organizations can host desktop environments in a managed, centralized environment and keep employees and critical stakeholders connected.  To determine if this is the best solution for you, let us dive into some key features.  

The Pros and Cons of DaaS & VDI 

Managed VDI and DaaS are cloud-based applications managed by solution providers.  Organizations work with the solution providers to create golden images designed for their employee profiles.  They don’t have to worry about configuring individual desktops and keeping IT infrastructure updated, scalable, and secure.   Because DaaS is a cloud-based solution, it is not limited by space availability, allowing for scalability to meet demands while keeping data in a secure environment. 

Organizations can anticipate costs with predictable subscription models and low upfront charges while eliminating maintenance or management efforts and costs.  

However, for organizations with specialized and unique configurations, there is the possibility of having some hybrid users to meet the highly specific operating system or hardware requirements.   It is important to compare the recurring subscription costs against all aspects of the Managed VDI and DaaS solution (employee/management, security, certifications, audits, hardware, and colocation) in developing the ROI. 

Key Takeaways 

Like most IT organizations, running an agile environment with fewer resources is required.  Using a Managed VDI or DaaS solution future-proofs organizations, lowers IT efforts, and moves the costs to an operating expense.   Ready to explore further?  Connect with us to discuss these technologies and how they may impact your organization.