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4 Reasons Why Your Business Should Switch to a Hosted PBX System

So if you're looking for abusiness phone systemthat delivers secure and reliable services, a hosted PBX system is the solution you need. Let's take a look at some of the best reasons your business should make the switch to a hosted PBX system today.

What is a hosted PBX system?

A hosted PBX system is a cloud-based phone system that enables communication from within and outside an organization. Using Vivant's world-classhosted PBX servicesmeans that you are essentially migrating your business communication from rigid onsite infrastructures to the cloud.

That's right, all the telephony services for your business will be delivered entirely via the internet. Right off the bat, you'll be saving yourself from the extensive hardware and software costs that traditional PBX business phone systems require.

Not only that but using Vivant's hosted PBX solutions will spare you the hassle of spending time and money monitoring your on-premise PBX system or paying expensive service call fees just to make simple changes to your phone system.

At Vivant, we provide a 100% hands-off PBX solution to our clients so they can focus on their business while we provide you with business phone services with a 100% uptime guarantee. In addition, with our free support and maintenance, never pay for changes to your system or the maintenance cost of the system.

4 reasons why a hosted PBX system is right for your business

  1. Keeps costs low and predictable:
    In these uncertain times, costs are a huge consideration for any serious business owner. Fortunately, using a hosted PBX system will eliminate your long-distance cost and reduce your international call costs. The fact that calls are made over the internet means that they are practically toll-free.For businesses who regularly make national and international calls as part of their day-to-day operations, this is certainly welcome news.There are multiple cost benefits of switching to Vivant's hosted PBX solutions instead of using conventional phone services.For starters, using ahosted PBX systemvirtually eliminates having to make significant upfront investments in bulky telephone systems. Not only do these systems take valuable time and space to install, but they will also need to be maintained periodically.Of course, that may often require having to pay someone who is trained to conduct maintenance updates.At Vivant, we provide the hardware, software, and implementation services to get you up and running within a few short days. You run your business and we'll take care of operating and maintaining your business phone service.
  2. Your PBX system will grow with your business:
    The process of onboarding new staff members to an organization is notoriously slow and resource-intensive. This may put businesses at a disadvantage especially when they need to scale up or down quickly in response to current business conditions.If you're stuck using a traditional business phone system, adding a new user would require installing new phone lines and the collaboration between different staff members.Luckily, Vivant's hosted PBX solutions make the process of adding or removing staff quick and pain-free. Unlike traditional business phone systems, a virtual system can be scaled up on-demand effortlessly.Just buy as many phones that you need and simply plug into the internet connection to add the line to your system.If your business is expanding its presence with new office locations and additional staff, you can rest easy knowing that your communications capabilities will remain secure and reliable. Connecting additional offices is just as simple and all of your team will be connected as if they are in the same office.
  3. Remote working made easy and efficient:
    One of the reasons that make Vivant's hosted PBX system a top choice for local businesses is the flexibility and security it provides to employees working from remote locations.By simply using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), an employee can have their calls forwarded to their phone, laptop, or any other device.Vivant's hosted PBX system helps you boost employee productivity by letting remote employees communicate and collaborate seamlessly with their work colleagues. In addition, you can rest easy knowing that your remote workers are projecting the right image for your business regardless of their location.When you use a cloud-based PBX, the office becomes wherever your employee happens to be located. Even if they are located across the globe, employees will maintain access to all the tools they need to carry out their work.

Built-in analytics allows you to monitor all employees including remote employees' productivity to see how many calls they have made, answered, missed calls and a visual graph of hourly productivity throughout the day

  1. Ensures business continuity:
    Life is full of unexpected events and they can sometimes force a disruption in the operations of a business. While many big corporations may be better able to weather the storm, the effects of disruption on smaller businesses can be devastating.You never know when disaster can strike but here are a few reasons why they happen:
    Natural disasters (like storms and earthquakes).
    Technology system breakdowns.
    Communications systems breakdowns.
    Security breaches (hacks and software viruses).

    That's why having a robust, secure, and effective hosted PBX system as provided by Vivant can help ensure business continuity for your firm. When you use Vivant PBX solutions, there is no need to worry about any physical equipment on the premises of your firm. That's because there isn't any equipment.Our hosted services mean that we keep all the necessary hardware in safe storage and with expert personnel to keep them up-to-date.Should your business go through an unfortunate natural catastrophe, you can rest easy knowing that your communications system is still up and running as if nothing ever happened.

Hosted PBX systems are quickly being adopted by local businesses for the amazing benefits they offer, including the ones outlined above. The changes we've experienced these last few years have had consequential changes with how businesses are run and operated. 2

Switching to a cloud-based PBX service by Vivant is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to stay competitive in 2021 and beyond.

Read this blog:What to Consider When Choosing a VoIP Phone System

5G Networking and Its Effects on Business

Fortunately, it is not all doom and gloom, for there are ways to mitigate these challenges and improve the performance of your network. And one of the most effective ways to do so is by taking a step towards the innovative world of5G networking.With its unrivaled ability to deliver on real-time network performance and constant connectivity, 5G is poised to revolutionize the way we do everything in our digital space. And if you are a business truly concerned about its bottom line, it is time to get on board and start thinking about how you can harness the power of 5G networking to optimize your business operations. To assist you, we have compiled five ways 5G networking will change the game for your business.

1. Augmenting Edge Computing:

With the world moving towards a cloud-first, services-based computing model, edge computing has emerged as the new frontier in delivering the optimal user experience. Capable of delivering near-instantaneous responsiveness, edge computing enables a seamless user experience by optimizing network usage, delivering dynamic content and services, and enabling intelligent interaction with devices. But to avail of the benefits of edge computing, we need a network that is capable of transmitting data with low latency and high throughput. For instance, consider a user who needs to make a payment in a store. If the payment transaction has to pass throughmultiple high latency networkinghops, it will delay the payment by several seconds. However, if the payment was routed throughhigh-speed 5G networksboasting ~10ms latency, the payment can be processed in real-time, thereby enhancing the user experience, your business, and your bottom line.

2. Immersive Brand Experiences:

What defines a great brand experience? To some, it could be the right product at the right price. To others, it could be an enjoyable user journey that is seamless and hassle-free. But no matter what your definition of a great brand experience is, one thing is certain, it will only be possible with an immersive, reliable, and high-performing network. From delivering near-instant access to your customer representatives to allowing for smooth video conferencing, 5G can be a game-changer for your brand and the way your customers interact with your business. Further assisting you in keeping up with the latest customer demands and preferences, like the ability to interact with your products using augmented reality, 360-degree videos for detailed product demos, and more,5Gwill help you tap into the boundless possibilities of a truly immersive brand experience.

3. Deliver Enhanced App Performance:

In today's fast-paced, on-the-go world, where businesses are constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of their customers, your mobile apps must be up to the task. Delivering on-time, consistent, and high-quality app performance is critical for both your business and your end-users. And with the increasing reliance on apps for nearly every business function, from ordering supplies, booking hotels to keeping up with the news, ensuring fast and reliable app performance has never been more important. However, with the increasing popularity of digital social life, online shopping, and video streaming, mobile app performance is increasingly being tested, not to mention the ever-increasing load on rather slow and congested 4G networks. 5G will be a game-changer for the mobile experience to overcome this challenge, boasting much higher network throughput, faster upload and download speeds for end-users, and lower latency. This will make apps more responsive, allow for more seamless experiences, and deliver better overall usability – a win-win for businesses and their hard-to-appease customers.

4. Connect IoT Devices With 100% Uptime:

IoT empowers businesses and individuals to take advantage of connected smart devices. From streamlining processes to increasing productivity and efficiency to enabling smarter and more connected products, IoT empowers us to take advantage of smart technology to improve our daily lives. But one of the biggest challenges that IoT devices face is connectivity. From low-quality connections to intermittent connectivity, many businesses are finding it difficult to manage the network demands of their IoT devices. And with many businesses adopting IoT devices for a variety of business applications, including manufacturing, retail, and even the office, IoT devices must be seamlessly connected to a reliable and fast network. Luckily, 5G can help in easing the pressure of IoT device connectivity by providing more bandwidth and faster speeds, thereby giving your business operations the flexibility to scale as your business grows. And with its ability to deliver on consistent connectivity thanks to multi-Gbps throughput, 5G will certainly transform every aspect of your business, from enhancing your employee experience to boosting productivity and even allowing you to tap into new revenue streams.

5. Real-Time Collaboration:

Businesses have gone digital, and now the ability to collaborate across geographic boundaries has become a necessity. Real-time collaboration has become the new norm, whether it's sharing information, managing projects, or just being available for your customers. But is your business ready for real-time collaboration? Real-time collaboration means near-instant access to data, allowing you to make the right decision with no delay. And this requires a network that can deliver consistent and reliable performance with low latency and high throughput. 5G will be the first truly global mobile broadband technology, capable of offering consumers, businesses, and governments access to a more reliable, and faster mobile network. Boasting ultra-reliable low latency communication, wider usage of allotted spectrum resources, and multi-gigabit per second data transfer, 5G will be the network of choice for all real-time collaboration applications. So, if you are ready to take your business to the next level, it's time to invest in 5G networking.5G with its innate ability to enable and deliver on real-time performance and constant connectivity, will certainly revolutionize the way we do business and interact with each other. And as the world continues to move towards a cloud-first, services-based computing model, 5G will play a key role in delivering the optimal user experience. From enhancing your brand experience to allowing for more seamless interactions with your products, 5G will be a great asset for your business and the way your customers interact with your business. Further assisting you in keeping up with the latest customer demands and preferences. So, take the first step into the future of business by investing in 5G networking and start experiencing the power of real-time performance and constant connectivity.Vivant is an expert in 5G networks and we are excited to share what this technology can do for your business. With improved speeds, lower latency rates, higher bandwidths, and the ability to penetrate walls more effectively than 4G or LTE networks, it's clear that 5G will play a key role in delivering the optimal user experience of tomorrow with better wireless connectivity. Does your company have any ideas on how you may be able to use these new advancements? Let us know! We would love to help plan a strategy that incorporates our expertise into an actionable marketing campaign for your business.Reach out todayif you want guidance on how best to take advantage of next-generation network infrastructure like 5G!For all our services and products visitwebsite.

Original blog source:https://vivantcorp.com/blog/5g-networking-and-its-effects-on-business/

7 Reasons Why a Fast and Reliable Internet Connection Is Business Critical

1. Faster Business Operations:

For most businesses, the internet is the workhorse of their business operations. Whether you're a multinational firm that needs to share documents across offices, an e-commerce store selling thousands of products to customers around the world, or a small accounting firm that needs to send and receive sensitive information, a fast andreliable internet connectionis a necessity. It empowers you and your employees to work more efficiently, which ultimately leads to quicker business operations. Moreover, you can take advantage of innovative tools that save time and money, such as VoIP, video conferencing, webinar platforms, and more to further boost productivity.

2. Cloud Storage Becomes Seamless:

Cloud storage has become an integral part of how businesses operate, and the availability of cloud storage providers like DropBox, Box, G Suite Business, and OneDrive makes it easy to store, share, and access documents online. Furthermore, integrating cloud storage into your business operations can help you improve efficiency and save on costs since you don't have to pay for expensive internal server storage. However, cloud storage is only as good as yourprimary internet connection, and a slow or unreliable connection means transferring data can take longer and cause unneeded downtime. Having a fast and reliable internet connection ensures your employees and business partners can work together seamlessly while enjoying 24/7 access to files from any location.

3. Faster Data Backup & Recovery:

Your business is the epitome of your hard work and dedication to your customers. It is your livelihood and represents the fruit of your effort and labor. Therefore, you'd want to protect it at all costs. Unfortunately, accidents are not uncommon, and many businesses have suffered catastrophic data loss due to server failures, natural disasters, human error, and more. Fortunately, you can greatly reduce the risk of catastrophic data loss with regular data backups. Having an off-site backup that continually syncs up with your primary server, or an automated backup solution for your computer is also a good idea. However, for seamless and fast data backup and recovery, having a fast and reliable internet connection is essential. Any connectivity issues could lead to no up-to-date backups — putting your business and all your hard work at risk.

4. Provide a Better Customer Experience:

Customer service is paramount to the success of any business. You want to provide your customers with the best service you can to keep them coming back and increasing your profit margins. Since most of your customers are doing business with you online, having a reliable internet connection is essential to ensuring a positive customer experience. The most common way for customers to contact you is by email, or live chat, which relies on your internet connection. Therefore, slow or unreliable internet can lead to frustrated customers that have to deal with the inconvenience of delays. You can lose them for good if your customer service is poor. So, it becomes paramount to have a fast internet connection and ensure that your internet connectivity has the lowest latency to provide the best customer experience.

5. Collaboration Becomes Simpler:

Collaboration between teams, including internal staff, freelancers, contractors, and vendors is crucial to the success of a business. Today's workforce is more mobile than ever before. The ability to quickly and easily collaborate with your team and partners helps you build your company faster and make better decisions. And when it comes to collaboration, the internet is king. Having a fast and reliable internet connection will enable you to host real-time video conferences, share files and presentations quickly, create online discussions, and so much more without compromising on quality. Moreover, having a solid internet connection can boost employee morale by providing a direct line of communication with the rest of your team — even if they're miles away. And this ultimately saves time and money in the long run since employees won't have to travel back and forth between locations just to keep everyone updated.

6. Access Online Tools & Applications Without Delay

As a business, you rely on a multitude of tools and applications to stay productive. From Skype, Slack, and Office 365 to project management platforms, accounting software, CRM's, cloud storage, and more — the list of applications and tools you use are seemingly endless. And to keep your business running efficiently and successfully, you need to be able to access these tools and applications without delay. Without a fast internet connection, your employees will waste precious time trying to just log in to their applications let alone do their work. Moreover, some tools and applications require low latency to provide a smooth experience to your users. Thus, a slow or unreliable internet connection can negatively impact your business by affecting productivity and creating user frustration – something no business owner wants to deal with.

7. Faster & Better Video Conferencing:

You don't always have the time to be physically present at a meeting to communicate your ideas or present important information. Instead, you might use video conferencing to be in multiple places at once. But like any other type of technology, video conferencing is also dependent on an internet connection. Due to a poor connection, slow speeds and constant interruptions can turn an efficient business meeting into a nightmare. Moreover, if you need to present a video or file in real-time, you must have a fast internet connection that can handle the high bandwidth traffic while ensuring the lowest latency for your participants. A fast and reliable internet connection will give you and your employees an edge in business meetings by allowing you to cut travel costs and reduce the time you spend away from your business.The benefits of having a fast and reliable internet connection are immense, and it goes beyond having your employees communicate with each other and share important files. A reliable internet connection also empowers entrepreneurs to grow their businesses by accessing the tools they need to accelerate productivity and run their business seamlessly from anywhere. In essence, the importance of internet speed can't be understated — as it's the foundation for growing your business.

Enhance Your Business Operations with SmartCONNECT™

SmartCONNECT™ is a revolutionary new tool that seamlessly optimizes your business's internet connectivity, ensuring you get the fastest and most reliable connection available. For businesses with varied locations across multiple cities,SmartCONNECT™is a perfect solution since it automatically improves the robustness of your primary and secondary connection within seconds while also allowing you to configure bandwidth prioritization rules. So, if you are a business owner or an entrepreneur, SmartCONNECT™ can help your business operate more efficiently and faster so you can reach your goals on time.

Original blog source:https://vivantcorp.com/blog/7-reasons-why-a-fast-and-reliable-internet-connection-is-business-critical/

Why a Business Needs a Back-up Internet Connection

The internet outage will halt the sales, cause date losses, set a negative impression for customers, and can cause severe financial losses in your business.To cope with these unforeseen situations, we recommend having abackup internet connectionfor your business. A backup connection will provide an immediate solution to your business in case of any internet issue in the primary ISP. In case of any issue with your primary internet service, the data and communications will be rerouted to a backup connection and your business will run smoothly. Enlisted are some of the benefits of having a backup internet facility for your business.

Keeps the sales up

Internet outages can happen due to different reasons. They can occur due to weather conditions, construction works, or some technical faults in the service provider's equipment. Aredundant Internet connectionkeeps the orders flowing even in the absence of internet from the primary service provider. This backup connection provides your network with an instant and alternate path to the internet and helps your team to keep on working. This will help your business to keep on serving paying clients, maintain reliable connections between branch offices or retail stores and have a100% up-time.

Lowers financial loss

An internet outage can severely hit small businesses. It can make your business unable to process orders and credit card payments and can cause a big loss of revenue. Abackup internet connectionwill ensure100% up-timefor your business by allowing the staff to process orders and payments all the time. This will help your business to lessen the financial loss.

Prevents interruptions

Full outages of the internet are very harmful to your business. However, small interruptions can also have very serious implications. Aredundant Internet connectionhelps your staff to switch to a good internet connection in case of slow speed, or sudden disconnections in primary internet service. This effective and timely backup provides an immediate solution to any internet issue your business can face.

Meets legal regulation

A backup internet facility is essential for the industries relying on access to critical data and communications. For instance, regulators, in the healthcare industry, require businesses to resume operations with no disruptions. They also need to have a disaster recovery plan in place to cope up with any event of a disaster. A backup connection helps these businesses to ensure uninterrupted connections and maintain legal regulations.

Saves the data

Data, your business store and carry, is one of the biggest assets for your business. It is essential to have seamless and secure internet connections for your business to mitigate the risks of data loss. Aredundant internet connectionreduces the risks of data loss by providing an alternate and instant path for your network. So, it is necessary to ensure consistency in the internet facility to your business by having a backup connection.

Makes your business stand out among the competitors

Abackup internet connectionmakes your business stand out from your competitors. In any case of internet outage due to infrastructure failure or extreme weather conditions, the fail-over internet connection will allow you to provide non-stop service to your customers. As the availability and effectiveness of your service determine your sales, the backup connection ensures100% up-timefor your business to increase sales. This will increase your customer's trust in your business and they will choose your services over competitors.

Decreases stress:

A fail-over internet connection will save you from a lot of unnecessary stress caused by sudden internet outages. During any case of an internet outage, your employees will not be able to work effectively. This can cause a very stressful situation for you due to financial loss, negative reputation of your business, and inability to get back online. So having a backup connection will reduce stress and will allow you to concentrate on crucial business matters without worrying about internet supply.

Is budget-friendly

The cost for a backup connection mainly depends upon the bandwidth needs and budget of the business. However, a backup connection must cost less than your primary internet connection. Despite costing less in the budget, a backup connection saves you from heavy financial loss and sets your business as a reliable brand.

In Conclusion

As seen from the above-mentioned reasons, a backup internet facility is essential for the success of your business. It will keep your sales up, save you from unnecessary stress and revenue loss, and help your business grow. To help you choose a budget-friendly and reliable backup internet connection, we atVivantoffer cutting-edge solutions for 100% connectivity uptime with varying bandwidth speeds. For more information about all our services please visitwww.vivantcorp.com.

Original blog source:https://vivantcorp.com/blog/why-a-business-needs-a-back-up-internet-connection/

Choosing a VoIP System: Things to Consider

Know the Benefits of a VoIP System

Having a VoIP system for your business phone system can make a huge difference in the way that your company is managed. That's because VoIP systems are easy to use, affordable, and reliable. Not only that but they're set up to be exceptionally cost-effective for most business owners. However, there are other benefits of VoIP services that you should be aware of, such as the following essential features that they offer:

  • VoIP services make it possible to make calls from anywhere that there'sinternet access.
  • If you use the right VoIP services, it will be possible to ensure that you get the best possible price that you can on communications services for your businesses.
  • You can always ensure that you pick a VoIP company that offers exceptional customer service, and this will ensure that you have every question that you may have answered as soon as possible.

So, How Do You Pick a VoIP Provider?

There are lots ofVoIP business phone systemproviders that you can choose from, but each provider offers something completely different. Therefore, it's important to pick one that is set up with the needs of a company like yours in mind. Here's what you need to know to pick the right VoIP provider as the owner of a small business:

  1. Compare Prices

The price is not the most important thing to compare from one provider of VoIP services to another in many cases. However, it's crucial to ensure that you have a realistic view of what to expect. Luckily, the internet makes it easy to compare prices between a wide range of manufacturers. This can ensure that you get the lowest possible rate. Keep in mind that prices tend to be higher for plans that will allow you to use the VoIP services on multiple devices.

  1. Compare Multiple Providers

Always ensure that you compare each of the features that each plan you're considering offers. This will help to ensure that you're able to know everything that you'll be getting before you sign on. Here are a few of the most important features that you need to compare from one provider of VoIP services to another:

  • It's important to make sure that you pay close attention to the number of devices that can be included in the plan. As a small business owner, it will be essential to make sure that all of your employees have access to VoIP services.
  • It will be crucial to make sure that you compare the data limits of the provider that you're considering with its competitors. This will ensure that all of your employees have internet access and mobile data. Bandwidth limits vary significantly from one provider to another.
  • Consider whether or not it is possible to get a discount for bundling multiple devices on the same VoIP plan. Many providers offer this, and it can be a great way for small business owners to save money without sacrificing anything.
  • Always make sure that you are entirely familiar with the unique needs of your business. This will ensure that you know what to look for when you're comparing specific features that are offered by individual policies.
  1. Know How to Read Reviews

If you are reading reviews of aVoIP provider, it's important to make sure that you know what to look for. Luckily, it's easier than you'd think to pick out an exceptional provider if you know what you need to look for when you're reading reviews of VoIP services. Here are a few of the most important things that you need to look for when you're reading reviews of a service that you're considering:

  • Consider whether or not the reviews indicate that the provider will offer easy-to-access customer support if you have any unexpected problems that come up.
  • Think about whether or not the provider is generally considered to be reputable by people who have subscribed to VoIP services that they offer.
  • Consider whether or not there is a sharp divide between highly negative and highly positive reviews. If there is and some of the negative reviews refer to the company as a scam, it's important to avoid the provider for VoIP services and any other services that they offer.

Why You Should Choose Vivant Corp

If you're looking for a reputable provider of VoIP services, then you can rest assured that Vivant will have exactly what you need. There are several reasons why their services are the best on the market. However, these are a few of the most important ones to be aware of:

  • Vivant Corp is a well-known provider of VoIP services, and they offer a wide range of services for business owners. This will ensure that all employees can communicate with one another easily.
  • Vivant has received excellent reviews from people who have used their services, and you can find these reviews on Yelp, Google Reviews, and various social media websites.
  • Many business owners feel strongly thatVivant Corpis one of the best providers of VoIP services on the market.
  • Vivant offers a wide range of policies that are geared towards small business owners, and they're offered at an affordable price.

Furthermore, if you have any questions about what Vivant offers, it's easy to get in touch with one of their customer support representatives. Vivant will ensure that you get the information that you need as fast as possible, which will allow you to decide as to whether or not their services are right for you.

Original blog source:https://vivantcorp.com/blog/choosing-a-voip-system-things-to-consider/

Why Having a Redundant Network Is a Must For Any Business

Businesses rely on their internet provider for a service that allows them to carry out cloud processing, marketing, outsourcing, eCommerce, client relationship management, video conferencing, remote operations, data storage, and communication. Consequently, a breakdown in this internet connection can cripple the business resulting in heavy losses.

The apparent problems resulting from internet breakage and downtime have necessitated an innovative solution. Therefore, redundancy is a vital consideration for all firms that have a framework that relies on a steady connection. This connection forms a vital part of business operations, and it ensures this connection runs optimally despite unforeseen mishaps and externalities. Network redundancy entails incorporating additional networking devices and configuration to ensure that the business enjoys an uninterrupted internet connection throughout its operations. This article looks at why having network redundancy may be one of the most worthwhile investments for your business.

What causes internet downtime

There are numerous possible causes for these troublesome internet breakages; a provider may be affecting infrastructural or firmware upgrades resulting in internet breakages. These outages may also result from a failed link between your devices and the internet provider. This broken link may be due to a storm or any other externality. Faulty or worn equipment can also be a notable culprit. Internet providers quite often rely on backbone networks which can interrupt internet connections when they go out. Power outages may also result in internet breakages as most internet frameworks are dependent on the availability of power. Given their nature, hardware components tend to wear out over time, resulting in failures that can sever internet connections. Upgrades may also cause problems in internet connectivity, especially when incompatible components are being used for firmware and hardware. It is a competent way of ensuring that these hazardous instances do not vastly impact the performance and productivity of your business.

Benefits of a redundant network

Having a redundant network is vastly beneficial for a business firm with notable bandwidth demands. A single connection may not be able to handle these tasking demands, resulting in slow connectivity and lagging. Processing large tasks become next to impossible in this case. Setting up a redundant network such as a Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) allows you to merge various ISP connections into one that can handle the business's bandwidth requirements. Not only will it be faster, but it will also be able to operate optimally in case one ISP connection goes out.

Internet interruptions can be quite costly for any business. The internet tends to go off for moments at a time, which can interfere with your firm's productivity levels. Once this connection is severed, it takes a considerable amount of time to return to optimal levels of operation. Utilizing technology such asSmartCONNECTallows your business framework to switch to another connection in case of internet outages seamlessly. This switch allows the business to run smoothly and consistently.

Effecting network redundancy allows you to better prepare for sudden internet outages that can last for long periods. It is not uncommon for internet providers to have downtime lasting up to 24 hours or even more. These long periods without connectivity can be quite detrimental to any business. Clients will not be able to reach your business, and you will not be able to offer your products and services in a timely and efficient way. Having a redundant network allows you to operate consistently, even with externalities that interrupt your steady internet connection.

“Redundant ISP connections allow you to keep operations even when other competitors are unable to. Offering uninterrupted services when other similar businesses can't do the same gives you an absolute advantage on the market scene. Your business will be able to pull in more clients as they seek out the next most reliable option. Clients tend to find the consistency and reliability of any business quite appealing, and this could vastly improve your sales”.

It is commonplace for businesses to lose their clients as a result of unavailability and inconsistency. A poor internet connection makes it hard for businesses to reach you and may also worsen customer experience. Bad customer experience is one of the most notable causes of any business's decline, hence the need for an efficient customer support framework.

Network redundancy can be used as a security measure for your business. Quite often, businesses allow their clients to connect to their internet via unknown devices. These devices pose an apparent risk as they can allow for espionage, infiltration, and malware attacks. Having numerous ISP connections allows the business to segment each sector based on their different connections. Therefore, clients can be given a dedicated connection that will not interfere with the business's vital sectors. Internet security is very important, and segmentation coupled with it can be quite formidable in shielding off apparent vulnerability. Having a redundant network will also keep internet traffic from different endpoints separate. Sensitive information from one department will not be relayed across the same network, which unauthorized parties can easily access.

Tips on how to set up a redundant network

A well set-up redundant network has vast benefits, as seen above. Setting up redundancy is an intricate process that professionals should do for the best results. It would be best if the entire network were made fully redundant. There should be backups for power, ISP, devices, cables, and even VoIP. This backup framework should be as simple and neat as possible to make repair and maintenance easy. Businesses may also consider using 4G as a viable alternative for backing up primaryinternet service providers. These measures will ensure that your business gets the most out of setting it up.

Conclusion

Internet downtime can result from a myriad of factors, including technological errors, natural phenomenon, or simply human error. For a business to avoid these costly implications resulting from internet downtime, it would be best to employ a reputable internet wireless provider who guarantees unlimited uptime or a competent fixed wireless provider. In the long run, internet redundancy is a worthwhile investment as it provides a competent buffer against losses resulting from a broken internet connection.

For more information about Vivant'sSmartCONNECTtechnology orSD-WANofferings, please refer to the linked pages.

Original blog source:https://vivantcorp.com/blog/why-having-a-redundant-network-is-a-must-for-any-business/

How to handle calls during the pandemic and streamline phone orders?

We had aclient todaywho was not able to cope with the number of calls ringing to their 30 locations and was looking to find a way to not lose the orders. There are a few creative ways to cope with the surge in demand during thispandemic.

Centralized Order Management

If you have the ability to push phone orders to your locations remotely, this is by far the most effective way to manage phone orders. Reroute all of your calls for orders to your corporate office or one location that you may have 5 or 6 employees just simply taking orders. This allows you to free up manpower at the locations and more importantly to share resources. Instead of having one person per location answering calls and going back & forth to making food, you have a handful of staff at the corporate office to take the burden away and allow the restaurant to just make food and push it out. During this pandemic when sales are down, the goal is to capture as much revenue as possible.Let's go through an example of a real case point. Customer calls the Dallas phone number and presses option 1 to place an order․ The call is routed to the HQ office where it rings 5 phones and it displays the call is from the Dallas location. Employees then can answer the call as if they were in theDallaslocation, take the order and push that order to the Dallas office. This is where agreat POS systemwill be helpful that allows that employee to enter orders remotely for any given location, otherwise, you will be forced to manually key that transaction in the legacy POS system at the location just like UberEats.

Call Queue Management

The next option is to route the calls to the specific location and as soon as you hit capacity, route the calls to a queue system where you announce a message to the caller: “thank you for calling our restaurant”, “we are busy taking phone orders from other customers but hang tight, and we will be with you in a few minutes”, “while waiting on hold, you can browse our menu at restaurant.com or even place an order online”. Then you can queue the call and play some infomercials to clients while they are waiting to be connected to the staff in the store. As soon as a phone is free, the system can wait 10-15 seconds and then connect that call to the newly free employee to take the next order. This eliminates the risk of your clients calling in and hearing ringing for a minute or two and then assuming you are closed due to the current situation and calling your competitor who has a system like this in place.Though today ahigh call volumecan be difficult to deal with, these methods will help you to cope with increasing demand. Well treated customers become your loyal customer, which means many more happy sales for you. Spare no effect and you will survive the pandemic. Good luck to you!

Best Voip Phone System and Service Provider in Dallas, TX

Difference between Hosted and On-Premise Phone System

There are two different types ofphone systemsthat you can consider. we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each system so you can make an informed decision. We will start with the most common solution, hosted VoIP phone system

Hosted VoIP Phone System & Service

A hosted VoIP phone system and phone service simply mean that the actual brain of the phone system is installed at a data center rather than in your physical premise, i.e. office building. Hosted systems have gained a new level of attention in the past five years due to their feature set, cost, and reliability if the right vendor is selected.

Advantages of a Hosted VoIP Phone System

  • Cost savings– a hosted VoIP Phone system is drastically less expensive than a traditional phone system. Part of the reason for such drastic cost savings is the ability to use software-based phone systems vs the more traditional hardware-based. This allows the cost of the phone system to be broken across many customers, therefore, reducing the setup and installation cost
  • Reliability– because the phone system is hosted in a data center, a hosted VoIP phone system can be much more reliable than a traditional PBX. A reliable company with a carrier-grade software switch is typically hosted in a data center with backup internet service, back up generator, power and more importantly geographical redundancy
  • Scalability– hosted VoIP Phone systems are extremely scalable. A great VoIP Provider will have its own carrier-grade software switch that allows you to grow from few extensions and phone numbers to virtually unlimited extensions and phone numbers routed globally.
  • Feature Set– Carrier Grade Software Switches used to operate a VoIP phone service is nearly always loaded with all of your feature sets needed to run your business efficiently. These feature sets can include auto-attendant or IVR, Ring Groups, Voicemails, Voicemail to Email, Music on hold, and many other features to make the small business feel like a large nationwide company.
  • Maintenance– Hosted VoIP Phone Systems are maintenance-free for the end-user. This is because theVoIP Phone provider in Dallaswill typically maintain the phone system for all of their clients in order to keep everything up to date. For the end-user, this is one less headache to worry about

Reliable Internet Service is essential for reliable VoIP Phone Service

High-quality internet service is an essential part of any VoIP Phone service. Without a reliable internet connection, no matter how good your VoIP phone service is, you will experience business losses. There are few things that are extremely important when VoIP phone service is selected, those are your typical Download, Upload, and more importantly latency and jitter that most people ignore.

Redundancy of VoIP Phone Service

Most of the VoIP phone companies do not own their software and rely on third parties to provide them with the core of their phone systems. This causes a problem when providing service that the service provider does not understand. With Vivant, we have specifically built a carrier-grade phone system that is referred to as Highly Available Fault Tolerant (HAFT) system. In simple terms, such systems are geographically redundant and are deployed across multiple regions in order to ensure that no matter what happens, the phone system is always functional.

Read the blogStrategic Expansion: How Multiple Numbers Transform VoIP Business Phone

Will Internet Service Provider Ever Rule the World?

The Internet maximizes business profit, employee efficiency, and improves risk-taking abilities. High-speed broadband and backup internet connection have drastically changed the way people work in the companies for the positive growth and development of their businesses. From the communication between the company and the external world to transmitting vital business information and creating perfect documents, companies and business organizations are using the internet. Companies prefer using high-speed internet to increase their business profit, enhance productivity and operational efficiency. Some time ago, many business owners and managers didn't see the advantages of using the internet to complete their daily tasks. They took the internet as the platform of entertainment and communication, the others didn't have confidence in new technologies. However, sooner or later every company admits the great advantages of the internet. Here are some reasons why the Internet service provider will rule the world and make the business processes more productive:

Creating new opportunities: Backup internet connection

What would happen to your business if the internet stopped working for a few hours or even a couple of days? The outages are unavoidable if you are working with the internet. Whether it's a disconnect on your end, an issue on the provider's side, or a weather emergency, an outage can cost your business a significant amount of revenue. Most businesses had a problem finding a fast and reliable internet connection and it seems like they have found the solution. Luckily, in the 21st century, there is a perfect solution for dealing with these outages. The backup service is a safety net, that makes it possible to have an uninterrupted internet connection unless the primary connection experiences a failure. Whether your internet service experiences spotty service or the internet is slow, companies can use the backup to keep productivity up. Moreover, a consistent internet connection will help your employees respond to customer inquiries promptly. Having a backup connection means you'll never have problems with your internet and will find a solution to any issue.

Making payments easier: POS

Today payment systems allow companies to do business online and collect money from their customers fast. Due to the internet, businesses accept payments from anywhere in the world. In the case of receiving payments at the store, businesses need to have POS. POS systems require an internet connection, so you'll need a modern router to get online. The POS serves as the central component for your business, so make sure your internet provider is good enough to make the payment process simple and fast. The Internet greatly expands the payment systems opportunities for businesses and their ability to make sales.

Giving the ability to communicate easily and fast

Whether it is the matter to communicate with your employees regarding different business-related issues or interact with your customers to improve customer experience and respond to their questions in real-time, the internet plays a vital role to make your communication easier and faster. With the help of high-speed internet, companies can interact with their overseas partners and sign contracts or discuss the details of their future cooperation. Having fast internet your company can hire a lot of remote workers and organize the company work process more productively. Social media platforms, chatbots, and emails are the most effective ways to communicate with your clients in the best possible way. The communication will lead to customer satisfaction due to your ability to react to their request intensively that will be possible due to fast internet connection.

Making information share faster

Years ago if you had to send business documents or letters via mail today you don't need to wait a few days because today the email can do it within just seconds. Companies use emails, file storage, and synchronization services (e.g. Google Drive) to store and share files in real-time to speed up business processes ultimately. Most companies are using the latest business management software and tools to facilitate business processes and company management. Managers and technicians can share and get the necessary business details and information quickly to make company operations more efficient. Most companies use file storage services and software to make the data and information accessible for everyone who needs the information for the work process. By working and storing data, your employees will benefit from efficiency and ease of use. To take advantage of the cloud you should have a fast and reliable internet connection.

Finding out new marketing approaches to reach more customers

Several years ago a new term has appeared and changed our notion about marketing. Internet or digital marketing has totally changed the way we present and promote our products and services. The Internet has made possible to get closer to your potential customers and present your product in the best possible way. Having a fast internet allows companies to respond to the latest trends, keep in touch with potential customers and never miss anything in social media.

Fast 24/7 Customer Support

One of the biggest advantages of the internet is the possibility to get new customers and to be closer to their needs and claims. Customers don't like waiting. They want to get the answers to their questions in real-time even without leaving their homes. To respond to customers' needs and to always be on the alert to resolve their problems the company should have fast and reliable internet. That's why many companies prefer to invest in having a backup internet connection that will never face outages. The role of the internet in business cannot be overstated. Businesses are taking advantage of the huge role of the Internet and choosing the best Internet provider for being fast and reliable. To get benefits companies should understand the way they can add the power of the internet to automate daily manual tasks. Be up to speed as the Internet can make millionaires and billionaires.

PCI Compliance Checklist: Find Out If You are Compliance

What is PCI Compliance? How can companies benefit from being PCI compliant?

PCI DSS stands for “Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.” It's a set of requirements for companies to ensure that online payment processing is safe and secure. Complying is not only a requirement but also a perfect investment for your company's reputation. Below we will discuss how PCI DSS compliance can benefit your company's security:

Decrease the Risk of Data Breaches

Companies are no longer a physical space, so you can't lock all the doors and ensure your business security. Your business data can be accessed and hacked anytime if you don't care about your virtual place security. With PCI compliance, you will get “virtual locks” that will protect your company and customers' data from external attacks․

Earn Customer Loyalty

Would your customers patron your company if they know there is a risk of their card information breach? Customers may not probably understand what PCI compliance is until they experience a data breach. Your customer is the key to your success so make them feel confident that you're keeping their data safe unless less likely to spend money with your business if they don't feel the confidence of their data security.

Avoid Fines

Data breaches can cost you a lot of money and customer trust. Ignoring the importance of becoming PCI compliant can cause costs of replacing credit cards, paying fines and customers' compensations. The average costs of a data breach can range from $77,000 to $875,000. Moreover, it will result in losing customer loyalty.

2020 PCI Compliance Checklist

Becoming a PCI Compliance sometimes can seem quite a complicated and boring process․ Having a checklist guide to refer to will allow you to complete all the necessary steps to become PCI compliant. Your company should rely on the PCI DSS audit checklist to ensure it meets each requirement. Requirements depend on the volume of transactions so you should monitor the transaction to define your compliance level. We have created a short checklist of PCI self-assessment to make this process easier for you. Read the points carefully and make sure you haven't missed any essential steps։

1. Install and maintain a firewall

To meet PCI requirements, install a strong firewall to protect your network. A firewall helps to block unauthorized access to your network, so it's a key factor for protecting cardholders' data.

2. Avoid using vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords

Compliance with PCI requirements means generating unique passwords. Include lower-case, numbers, capital letters, numbers, and symbols to make passwords secure.

3. Protect stored data

The customers, that put trust in you need to make sure their data is stored securely. Security measures should include successful password policies, locked servers, authentication protocols and more.

4․ Encrypt cardholder data transmission

Protecting stored data is a strong requirement for complying with PCI standards, but one can't ignore the importance of protecting the transferred data. If the cardholder data is being sent through an open network, you should ensure to encrypt it.

5. Install and update anti-virus software

To comply with PCI standards and protect customer data, your company should use anti-virus software. Always make sure that your anti-virus system isn't up-to-date.

6․ Restrict physical access to cardholder data

As an entrepreneur, you should hire the employees you can trust. However, you should restrict access to your customers' data even for employees to minimize the risk of an internal data breach.

7. Set unique IDs to all users

Setting a unique ID to each user is a simple but essential step for PCI compliance. When you assign a unique ID and password, so you can monitor who accesses stored data.

8. Manage access to cardholder data

If you want to keep your cardholders' data secure, you need to invest in a tracking system. Any strange or unexpected access by employees should be taken into consideration immediately.

9․ Write and Enforce a Security Policy

The final and essential step on your PCI DSS checklist should be creating and implementing a PCI security policy. If your customers know that you care about their privacy and want to protect their data they will put trust in your company. SmartPROTECT is a PCI compliance system that helps companies ensure the security of credit card transactions in the payment industry. If you seek effective ways of securing your cardholders' data and want to reduce the risk of a data breach occurring you should invest in SmartPROTECT.