As your independent telecom consultant, our organization is dedicated to your success. We do not work for any one carrier, we work for you. Telecommunications is much more than the way your company communicates with the rest of the world …. It is vital to how you improve productivity, minimize risk, and manage change. Ah, but I hear you. Your first thought is to think that I am overstating things a bit. Read on, and please drop me a note and let me know if I am able to change your mind or not.
Minimize Risk
It is hard to comprehend the enormity of the security risks we face today. Previous generations had built-in security simply from the fact your banker was your neighbor. Personal relationships made it difficult if not impossible for someone to steal our identity. Obviously this is no longer the case. Now our company and personal information is stored on dozens of computer systems. And we must be good stewards of our customer’s information that is entrusted to us.
There is an entire industry devoted to hacking and selling your company and personal information known as the deep web. It is also referred to as the dark web. Wikipedia defines the deep web as, “ The deep web, invisible web, or hidden web are parts of the World Wide Web whose contents are not indexed by standard search engines for any reason. While attending a seminar on cyber security, I was astounded to learn that the dark web processes more financial transaction than the commercial web we use everyday. Think about that for a moment. Just try to imagine Amazon’s volume, then add in the volume of the rest of the internet, and then wrap your brain around the fact that there is a part of the internet that you cannot even see that is processing more financial transactions.
Your company’s Technology Plan should include a multi-tiered approach to ensuring the integrity of your company’s information as well as your customer’s data.
Improve Productivity
Out of the three, this one should be the easiest to convince you on the impact of your business. I hear very often from my clients that, “My internet connection is more important than my phone lines. Everything we do is in the cloud. We cannot afford to lose the internet connection, because everything comes to a halt.”
One piece of advice that I share with all my clients is that it is not a question of if you will have an issue with your internet service provider, but when. Designing your network correctly upfront can save you thousands of dollars in lost revenue and lost productivity. And the right design can improve your bottom line by consistently performing at a high level which enables your organization to also perform at a high level. One misconception that I hear often is that it costs a lot of money to implement the type of robust network that I describing. Emerging technologies such as SD-WAN and matured technologies such as VOIP telephony are not only improving network efficiency but driving down costs. Plus, how much would a single network outage negatively impact your business? Can your organization really afford not to have a network designed and implemented correctly?
Manage Change
One of my favorite quotes is, “The only people that like change are wet babies.” There are famous business books, including “Who Moved my Cheese” by Spencer Johnson, M.D. that helps businesses deal with the ever-changing business climate.
“Improvise, Adapt & Overcome” is a famous motto of the United States Marine Corps. When is the last time you considered how nimble and adaptive to change is your organization? Or how quickly could you respond to an new opportunity? How well does your current technology plan support change within your organization? Smart companies today are relying on cloud technologies to empower their organizations to respond faster and more efficiently to their customers. Cloud services provide a consumption model that provides a pay as you go model that protects capital and matches expenditures to growth. Plus, cloud services such as UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service), CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service) provide mobility and protection for both SMB and enterprise companies alike.
A strong Technology Plan should also include a mix of the right technology partners to make sure your organization can respond quickly to threats and opportunities.
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Robert Gross is the President and Founder of Complete Communications. With over twenty-years experience providing end to end technology solutions for his clients, he has a unique understanding of how the various puzzle pieces fit together to provide high performing technology solutions. To help develop your Technology Plan for your organization, send an email to rob@box2366.temp.domains.
