Business Computing – Page 2 – Casserly Consulting

The Case for Hosting Your Phone Solution In-House

Traditional communications solutions are all well and good, but they’re quickly growing antiquated and outdated with the inception of more dynamic solutions. Some organizations have found that cloud-hosted VoIP has advantages over an on-premise telephone solution. While there’s a certain degree of truth to this, an on-site system still presents value.

When you host your own VoIP solution, the biggest difference to consider is the fact that you’ll be managing your own hardware. An in-house system is stored in the server room or another dedicated part of your infrastructure. Alternatively, when you use cloud VoIP, the system is stored off-site, hosted and maintained by an outsourced provider.

Keep in mind that when we talk about on-site VoIP systems, we’re not referring to the traditional landline telephone system that many organizations still use. Rather, we’re talking about a virtual phone system that uses your Internet connection rather than a landline cable infrastructure to send and receive calls. Though VoIP is a service that can easily be outsourced to a third-party provider, it’s possible for you to host an in-house system on a dedicated server… assuming you have the staff to properly manage and maintain it.

Regardless, there are still some benefits to consider regarding on-site VoIP hosting rather than going through a cloud provider. Here are a couple of them.

Control: In comparison to a hosted solution, your business has greater control over an in-house phone system. You can easily add new users and phone numbers rather than going through support to do so. This also means that you’re in a greater position of responsibility, so it’s important that you have the staff on-site and ready to maintain your system, should you choose to go this route.
Use your existing infrastructure: Consider for a moment how much effort went into building your current infrastructure. You already have a network, servers, and other important hardware hooked up to it. What’s a little more in the form of your in-house VoIP system? If you wanted to add VoIP to a cloud infrastructure, you have to go through the hoops of configuration and setup, which is something that you may not have control over with a hosted solution.

If your organization is considering revamping its communications infrastructure, look no further than COMPANYNAME. We can help your business get the most return on investment from your phone solution. To learn more, reach out to us at PHONENUMBER.

Test Your Knowledge of These 3 Common Security Threats

Security is a critical part of running your business, especially in a world where organizations require technology for most any task. In fact, some of the most dangerous threats are known to hide within a company’s network, waiting for any opportunity to strike. With the right preventative measures, you can keep your network safe from catching threats before they hit your network in the first place.

Defining Malware
Malware is short for “malicious software,” which is an overarching phrase referring to malicious code designed to cause problems. Malware often injects code into applications to execute viruses or trojans. One of the most common types of malware is a variant called ransomware, which you’ve probably heard of thanks to a number of high-profile infections. When a machine is infected with ransomware, it encrypts the files on the device until the ransom is paid to the hacker. Aside from this rather dangerous strain, other types of malware can have far-reaching and varied effects.

Defining Rootkits
Like malware, a rootkit is at home on a system. Unlike some types of malware, however, a rootkit is designed to allow a hacker to gain control of a system while remaining undetected for extended periods of time. Rootkits are dangerous thanks to their ability to avoid detection by software that’s supposed to find them, like firewalls and antivirus solutions.

Defining Trojans
Trojans are malicious entities that allow hackers to access a system by misleading the user. Trojans are backdoors that can allow hackers access to a system at a later date, and they are often installed alongside other malware to distract the user from taking preventive action. The trojan can be used for a number of purposes, from data destruction to surveillance or espionage.

The Solution: Preventative Security Measures
Since so many threats are blocked by preventative security measures, it would be foolish not to implement them. There are several ways you can keep threats out of your system, including:

Firewall: Firewalls act as a bouncer for your network, keeping threats from entering or leaving your infrastructure. They work best when combined with other preventative measures, like antivirus, content filters, and spam blockers.
Antivirus: Antivirus solutions detect and eliminate threats that have made it past your firewall solution. Antivirus offers prompt threat detection, which is important since malware that’s left unchecked could cause untold troubles.
Spam blocker: Threats often arrive in your email inbox as spam, and the unknowing employee could accidentally click a malicious link or reveal important credentials. A spam blocker eliminates the vast majority of spam from even hitting your inbox.
Content filter: A content filter is helpful for keeping your employees from accessing sites known to host malware, as well as inappropriate or time-wasting sites, like social media.

A Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution is a great way to take advantage of all of the above solutions. It’s widely considered to be the most comprehensive and useful preventative measure available to SMBs. If you want to learn more about UTMs, be sure to give COMPANYNAME a call at PHONENUMBER.