Covid – Technology Navigation Inc.

Covid

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.  

How Wireless Management Services help You Manage Your Devices?  

technavadmin Wireless/Mobility , , , ,
How Wireless Management Services help You Manage Your Devices?  

By Chis Newell
Founder & President

Wireless Management Services has become one of the most in-demand IT services. Wireless mobility management, or WMM, is the method of verifying that devices and associated communications services work efficiently. It is designed for companies who are starting on the digital transformation journey.  

The need for services and support in this field is growing as mobility solutions and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) have become more important for our new work reality. Businesses in the post-COVID-19 world can’t afford to ignore mobility. So, the biggest question is, how do you choose from the various wireless management services available since each offers its own unique set of capabilities?  

A wireless connection can be the safest option for a business. It only allows the access of authorized users, and data leakage is less likely than using earlier approaches. Here are some additional benefits of its use:  

  • Through Radio Resource Management (RRM), the wireless solution can analyze the large radiofrequency environment and, as a response, self-tuning. 
  • It may boost IT production by making it easier to troubleshoot issues, manage wireless users, and swiftly detect rogue devices on the network with real-time warnings regarding bandwidth use. 
  • Platforms with a minimum of 50 access points (AP) may be configured and deployed, with controller models capable of satisfying all the wireless business connectivity demands. 
  • It’s important to remember that Corporate Wireless is focused on business functions rather than network standards. In this situation, all the access points are connected to the controller using Split-MAC architecture, resulting in the spread of the wireless network’s functionality.  
  • Using capabilities such as Network-Based Application Recognition (NBAR) and NetFlow, users’ applications and protocols are identified automatically and transparently.  

Here are a few of the Wireless Management providers for users looking for corporate mobility management software to meet their demands. 

IBM  

IBM provides managed mobility services to help clients in developing and implementing business mobility and device-choice strategies for better security and efficiency. IBM Managed Mobility Services simplify and customize device delivery, setup, configuration, security, administration, and support for both corporate-owned and employee-owned devices across all device types and operating systems.  

Stratix  

Stratix is a managed mobility service solution that helps customers in designing, delivering, and managing business mobile programs that match the requirements of end-users. With mobile device management support services for IT, the platform’s mobile endpoint management features provide you with real-time visibility and control over your whole mobile network.  

Fujitsu  

Fujitsu provides a cloud-based, flexible solution for monitoring, protecting, and managing mobile users. Fujitsu’s enterprise-grade expandable solution is bundled with Fujitsu Managed Services to ensure quality-assured delivery for its users. IT managers may use the solution to put their mobile strategy into action, completely mobilize sensitive business apps, and accept BYOD (Bring your own devices).  

As more people rely on wireless technologies (5G, WiFi) for their business needs rather than wired connections, Wireless Mobility Management has become increasingly essential. There are several advantages to having strong mobility management in place, and companies who do not presently have it as a standard should consider updating or developing new ways of controlling wireless devices that provide a significant transition.  

The lessons that covid left us  

technavadmin Technology Navigation , , , , , ,
The lessons that covid left us  

By Chis Newell
Founder & President

When Covid-19 hit the US in March 2020, most of us entered a new reality. Being in IT, my team has not only had to find a way to support our external clients but also support their internal clients as well. Here are some of the takeaways and learning moments we have experienced: 

Cloud and Digital Transformation is Beneficial  

Now more than ever clients are moving their services to cloud technologies. With a vast number of employees working remotely or in a hybrid environment, utilizing cloud technologies has become massively important, even more so than it already was. Any way you slice it, today’s employees are not working in a traditional business environment.  

Because of this, UCaaS, CCaaS, O365, Cloud Compute and Storage, Virtual Desktop and Virtual Collaboration services are being migrated to at a rate we have not seen before. Existing cloud projects that were slated for deployment in late 2020 / 2021 have been fast tracked to completion in weeks, not months. 

Reducing IT Costs  

Over the past couple of years, a lot of our clients have been tasked with reducing costs as much as possible. This has taken on many different forms, including re-contracting existing services in the effort to reduce costs, or cancelling portions of services.  

Some clients have asked our team to look at existing services with all suppliers and find ways to aggregate services to a single provider to take advantage of economies of scale. In some cases, clients request to cancel services altogether or re-purpose assets to be more effective. Whatever the strategy, many businesses remain in a mode of scaling back, while still needing to increase performance.  

The Importance of Redundancy and Resiliency  

With most all employees working remotely, if there are services needed at the offices redundancies at your offices for VPN or SD-WAN have become more vital than ever. With a single threaded connection, employees are destined to do their laundry rather than work when there is a blip on the network.  

Security is Being Reshaped 

Most of our clients have seemingly strong security measures for their offices. With a remote workforce, there is the question of how to secure this environment.  Enter Virtual Desktop, Zero Trust and SASE methodologies to help secure and address new security concerns.  

At Technology Navigation, we have been working diligently with our clients to work through their own challenges during the pandemic and subsequent fallout. If you think you are on your own island through this new reality you are not.