As the recovery from COVID-19 gets underway, businesses are taking lessons from what worked and what didn’t work during the worse days of the pandemic - and with that guidance, are considering how to proceed in 2021 and beyond.

In this edition, we discuss a range of issues that businesses are looking at as we venture into a gradually less restrictive operating environment:

Contact me today to discuss how TCI can help you improve operations and serve customers effectively as we look forward to a revitalized economy.

(703) 321-3030 | cornbrookst@tcicomm.com.

TCI has been serving healthcare providers with innovative communication solutions for over 40 years. And the innovations continue…

With the increased awareness of health issues in office and home workplaces, Mitel has launched a series of IP phones built from plastics protected with antimicrobial technology. The phones feature surfaces that are treated with a silver-based compound that inhibits microbial growth by up to 99.9%. 

The new Mitel 6920t and 6930t IP phones are designed to virtually eliminate the health risks associated with dirt, germ and grime collection, making the handsets easier to clean. In addition, Mitel removed the ribs on the back side of the handsets, removed crevices from the microphone grill and hard-wired the cord to the handset to dispense with the jack receptacle.

The new business phones are also engineered with advanced tools for today’s power users. For example, the 6930t IP phone offers mobile device integration, which seamlessly connects mobile phone call audio, contact and call log information to the desktop phone, allowing calls to the mobile phone to be answered on the 6930t. With Bluetooth functionality, many mobile phone features are also accessible on the desk phone, making the 6930t a great companion to the user’s smartphone.

As organizations continue to modernize and support new ways of working, they’re looking for solutions and devices that can do more, are simple to use, and easy to maintain. The Mitel 6920t and 6930t IP phones were created with this in mind, using antimicrobial technology and packed with features for powering productivity and collaboration, whether that takes place between traditional office walls and shared spaces or home offices.

The Mitel 6920t and 6930t antimicrobial IP phones are available now for installation and implementation by TCI. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Do businesses still need expansive campuses in a post-pandemic world? With approved vaccines now being administered globally, now is the time to start evaluating what work will look like in the future: fully remote, return to a 100% office environment, or adopt a hybrid of the two?

SMB Group's Co-founder and Partner, Laurie McCabe, offers some guidance to help you decide…

As you look ahead into 2021, evaluate which roles truly need to be fully in-office, which can be fully remote, and which can be a hybrid. In remote roles, consider which can be worked from different states or even spread across the world. It may be a good idea to avoid recreating what you were doing before the onset of the pandemic. This is an opportunity to see what might work best for your employees and your business going forward.

Examine how you need to digitize your business processes so that employees can do their job anytime, anywhere. Laptops are a must if you want to give your staff the flexibility to work at home as well as the office, of course. The ability to answer work phones securely from personal devices is another essential component of a hybrid workforce. For the office itself, consider flexible workstations to accommodate hybrid workers when they need to be on the premises.

Investing in collaborative tech is the key for a remote or hybrid workforce. It helps to keep employees connected to each other and to customers. To maintain this level of engagement, access to certain tools is crucial:

Flexibility is the key for making sure employees' needs are being met. Instead of forcing everyone into a single way of working, many businesses are looking at ways to promote a hybrid workforce, with workers able to choose the work environment that suits them best. This type of flexibility will also help businesses attract and retain top talent.

Just like we weren't quite sure what life in a pandemic would look like, we can't be entirely certain of how the world will look on the other side of the pandemic. But we can use what you've learned over the past year as a guide to the next phase.

TCI is ready to assist you in preparing for the next phase of work with innovative communication and collaboration solutions. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Over the last few years, Cloud Voice service has quickly taken over old-school landlines and premises-based systems as the preferred small business and enterprise communications solution. With the pandemic, cloud solutions have taken on new importance.

TCI’s Cloud Voice offering is TCI Host, an all-in-one service that supports all of your communications needs - including unlimited calling, messaging, and powerful team collaboration tools. You also get security; automated call screening, forwarding, routing and answering; voicemail-to-email; and user-controlled administration.

With TCI Host, all you need are IP desk phones in the office or any broadband-connected computer or smartphone to connect to the hosted platform through a Cloud Voice app supporting UC service that is customized with all the features your business needs.

There are several potential benefits of upgrading to TCI Host. Here are just some of the service’s many upsides:

With constant refinements over the years, Cloud Voice has emerged as the most preferred enterprise communications technology. Don’t get left behind - take advantage of this versatile and affordable innovation to boost your business.

Since all businesses have unique communication needs, TCI’s team of experts will help by designing the most suitable solution for your enterprise. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

One thing that has been fueled by the pandemic is the increasing frequency and greater scope of IT cyber-attacks. And still, many businesses remain ill-prepared. Over one-third of small business owners recently surveyed admit they were at risk of falling victim, and a third said they were not confident that their business would recover if attacked. Only half believed they were well prepared.

Although there’re new cyber threats every day, here are five measures that can help protect your business from the threat of imminent attacks:

1. Schedule Annual Risk Assessments – Before taking any steps to prevent cyber-attacks, you need to understand the threats that are out there and your organization’s vulnerabilities. Risk assessments need to be thorough and conducted at least once a year.

2. Monitor Your IT and Phone Systems – Keep a close eye on all critical IT systems to mitigate imminent threats. Consider hiring a trusted partner to monitor your network traffic, phone systems, server environment, and data processes around the clock.

3. Back Up and Encrypt Your Data – Team up with trusted Voice and IT experts to set up a reliable cloud-based backup infrastructure system. Encrypted and safely backed-up data can protect against a range of eavesdropping and ransomware attacks.

4. Manage Admin Privileges – Ensure that employees have access only to the IT resources and data they need to complete their tasks. Limit IT privileges across the board, especially for installing new software and accessing or manipulating sensitive data. Restrict admin privileges to only a few individuals and immediately revoke privileges when people leave the organization.

5. Train Your Team – Regardless of the cybersecurity measures you have in place, it’s crucial to ensure that your workforce is on board with security protocols. Schedule routine staff training sessions to establish cybersecurity awareness, responsibilities, and accountability across your business.

It makes more sense to invest in preventative solutions now rather than scrambling to act after an attack. Keep in mind that a majority of businesses never recover from successful cyberattacks.

With all the dangers lurking out there, you can’t afford to take chances with your security posture. Contact TCI to discuss your Voice and IT security challenges: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

The vast majority of businesses are now utilizing cloud services. But just because the cloud revolution has already happened doesn’t mean it has reached an endpoint.

With the cloud still evolving in 2021, it is worth examining how three emerging trends will impact businesses, and what business owners can do to prepare.

AI is going to be making a big impact on the world of cloud computing, as machine learning and automation create new efficiencies for decision makers and users. The arrival of AI will bring opportunities for some restructuring – many labor-intensive tasks will now be automated. This will leave your teams with additional working hours and resources that can be deployed to more strategic initiatives to grow your business.

Cloud-hosted desktops will become more prevalent with the increase in hybrid and remote work. With a ‘Virtual’ desktop, the workstation is delivered directly to a remote computing device – laptop, tablet, smartphone - via a broadband connection through the cloud.

With Cloud computing technology, you’ll be able to securely deploy remote teams, and provide the tools they’ll need to handle collaborative tasks with their colleagues. To prepare, define hybrid and remote work policies within your organization, and make sure your teams get the technical skills training they’ll need.

Despite the best efforts of cloud providers to keep their offerings separate from their competitors, expect more multi-cloud arrangements to break down those artificial silos this year. Look for more cross-platform, cross-provider collaboration – which will benefit businesses and consumers. As these new collaborative services gain traction, equip your team so they can exploit the enhanced tools and functions to benefit your business.

Reach out to TCI today to learn more about how your business can fully leverage the latest technology throughout 2021 and beyond. Contact us at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.