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Telesys Voice and Data Blog

Telesys Voice and Data has been serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area since 1994, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

You Aren’t Wrong When You Say IT is Complicated

You Aren’t Wrong When You Say IT is Complicated

I was meeting with an old colleague the other day. We met over Microsoft Teams to just check in and see how they were doing—no real itinerary, just to check in with a familiar face that I haven’t personally talked to in a few years. They had a little trouble getting into Microsoft Teams, since they were used to Zoom. I patiently smiled and helped them through it, and told them “No worries, it’s always the little differences that complicate things!”

At the time, I said this just to be empathetic. At first, the nerdy computer-geek part of my brain told me that the process to get into a Zoom meeting vs a Teams meeting, from their perspective, is exactly the same. But after the call, I really thought about this small interaction, and you know what? Things have gotten complicated.

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Businesses Have Access to These 3 Powerful Communications Tools

Businesses Have Access to These 3 Powerful Communications Tools

What kinds of communication tools does your business utilize on a daily basis? Chances are that your communication infrastructure can benefit from some of the latest and greatest solutions on the market. Communication is one aspect of your business that you definitely do not want to skimp on, as failing to implement the proper tools can bleed into other aspects of your organization, including operations and, in return, your bottom line.

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Password Security: How do you Steal iOS Passwords, Just Ask for Them

If you have spent any time using iOS you been prompted to input your iTunes password. This measure can ensure that no one but you can access to your important account data. However, iOS will ask for your password quite often, and security researchers point out this good-intentioned practice could actually have the opposite effect.

Apple’s constant insistence that users enter their passwords leaves them open to phishing. It’s not only the frequency of requests, but the way iOS asks for that password makes it very easy for malicious developers to steal passwords. You might think you’re just typing your password into yet another Apple dialog box, but it could be a fake.

Until Apple makes some changes, users can protect themselves by pressing the home button before inputting their password in dialog boxes. If the box is spawned by the app, it will disappear along with the rest of the app. If it’s actually a system dialog, it will remain on the screen.  

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5 Tips for a More Secure Office

When thinking about securing your business from cyber threats, the mind quickly turns to phishing, hacks and viruses, but there are many security threats in and around the office that can expose your business to a host of threats and cybersecurity issues. In conjunction with a solid cybersecurity solution provided by your MSP, be sure you and your employees follow these office tips to protect your physical workspace from system comprises, unauthorized breaches and data loss.

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Why We’re Just Waiting for Break/Fix IT Services to Go Away

Why We’re Just Waiting for Break/Fix IT Services to Go Away

As much as we hate to admit it, the first thing that many people still think of when they hear the term “tech support” is the experience that comes with an antiquated approach to technology services: the break/fix method. Fortunately for us, we are seeing many businesses make the better decision, and turn to the clearly superior option, managed IT.

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Solid Vendor Management Leads To Solid Successes

Solid Vendor Management Leads To Solid Successes

In order to function properly, any business will need to procure certain pieces of equipment. Some of this equipment will be specialized to the business’ purpose, while some will be the sort that may be more commonly found in offices everywhere. This equipment must be procured from somewhere, and this is where vendors come in--but who in your organization is responsible for your vendor management?

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Investigating the Value of Managed IT Services

Investigating the Value of Managed IT Services

Managed IT services can present a lot of benefits for small businesses. Since not many smaller businesses can afford to staff expert IT technicians, managed IT services are an attractive alternative that allows an organization to get the IT support and management they need to keep their business running efficiently. Today, we’ll go over all the benefits a managed service provider can present a small business,and just how a MSP delivers significant returns on your IT support investments.

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How do you want your business phone system communications deployed?

If your organization is evaluating new business communications systems, no doubt it is looking seriously at voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP or just IP). VoIP streamlines the business network infrastructure, running telephone and data services over the same network. VoIP brings new features that the traditional digital phone system couldn’t dream of. Conversely, digital phone systems have many capabilities that many people are unaware of.

Of course you want users to be able to customize their telephone buttons, speed dials, directories and call processing. You also want features that enable your small business to perform like a much larger one—things like unified messaging (voice mail, email and fax in one inbox), unified communications (multiple forms of communication managed from a PC, laptop or tablet), and the ability to use a PC or laptop as an IP soft phone.

These capabilities are becoming essential requirements even for small businesses. With Telesys Communications, you have the power of choice in how you obtain enterprise-class communications for your business.

 Picture of ESI ephone

 

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Fort Worth Flu: How it has helped me evolve & some tips to help you avoid it in your office.

Fort Worth Flu: How it has helped me evolve & some tips to help you avoid it in your office.

Its flu season in Fort Worth and you can't go anywhere around this town without someone offering to poke you with a flu shot.

In my younger years, I would avoid getting a flu shot like the plague. I was firmly entrenched in the camp of folks that feel that getting a flu shot made no sense - why would I want to be injected with a virus I was trying to avoid? After all, getting sick is part of "natural selection"! Why would I want to go against nature? I'd be WAY out-gunned!

At the end of the day, your body does a pretty good job at fighting off the nasties that we call germs and bacteria. But, it could use an assist every now and then. Below are a few helpful practices that you might try to help you keep from picking up the dreaded germ arround your office.

1. Clean Your Keyboard and Mouse with an Approved Electronics Cleaning Cloth or Solution
It is a fairly easy process to accomplish, and worth the effort for sure. Think about it – you dug into the candy dish after multiple people at the office, you and Sally swapped TPS reports, you shook hands with a visitor and you used the doorknob to vacate the restroom. Then, you came back to your keyboard and started typing. You see where I am going with this. Speak with the office manager to see if you have any approved cleaning solutions on hand, then reach out to your IT solutions provider before moving forward with the scrub down.

2. Don't Eat around your Computer
Those crumbs that fall between the keys might as well as be a smorgasbord for infection. If all of those germs described above have collected on your keys as you type away and take a bite of your McMuffin – well that is pretty gross. You are eating those germs, and then incubating them in your body. Long story short, you may not want to eat at your desk.

3. Wash Your Hands, Please
I know, we are not six years old anymore. Still, too often people neglect to wash their hands or do so properly, hence why I'm reiterating this. Just do it. A good rule of thumb is to massage the soap into your palms, between the fingers – basically every crack and crevice – while singing happy birthday (in your head). All in all, it is just the respectful thing to do for those around you as well, since it will help prevent the spreading of germs.

4. Sneeze Away from Your Computer
Take a walk over to an employee that you do not like, and sneeze on their computer instead. JUST KIDDING. However, I have witnessed co-workers sneezing in their cubicles, and not covering up their mouths. As a result, their workspace becomes a breeding ground for whatever ailment they are carrying. When you sneeze, cover your mouth like Count Dracula. Sneezing into your elbow is a good practice when there aren't any tissues readily available. Keep a roll of cleaning wipes in your desk drawer, and give your work area a good wipe down once a week – or more if needed.
I've evolved a bit in recent years. I've got kids now and I've had them bring sniffles home from school, wipe their runny noses across my shirt in the afternoon only to find myself on the floor of the bathroom the next morning after a night of sweating and shivering and other bad things that make my stomach hurt to think about.

I think I've reversed my position on flu shots in recent months. I'm proud of myself for that. Perhaps the flu actually has helped me to evolve after all. I hope these tips will help you to keep from enjoying the Fort Worth flu but if you do get it, maybe it’ll help you evolve too, and you’ll be better for it.

 

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Tip of the Week: 11 Technology Buzzwords Every SMB Should Know

Tip of the Week: 11 Technology Buzzwords Every SMB Should Know

Run your Windows Updates and be very skeptical about opening unsolicited emails. Failure to do so may result in a very dangerous strain of ransomware that could infect your entire network and spread to your clients, partners, and prospects.

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What Exactly Do We Mean by “Managed” Services?

What Exactly Do We Mean by “Managed” Services?

Managed services - what are they? The short answer, other people managing the IT systems that you rely on every day to be productive and accomplish your tasks. In essence, they are a freedom from dealing with the troublesome and time-consuming parts of leveraging technology. You may have heard this much about managed services before, but have never been given a deeper understanding of what they entail. That is precisely what we aim to accomplish below.

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Our Top 7 List of IT Myths and Wild Conspiracies

Our Top 7 List of IT Myths and Wild Conspiracies

Being in IT, we’ve seen and heard it all. Between the campfire horror stories of technicians to the outlandish IT conspiracies and ‘home remedies’ that get passed around, we’ve decided to compile a list of some of our favorite IT and technology myths.

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65 Bitcoin Ransom Paid by Florida City

65 Bitcoin Ransom Paid by Florida City

65 of any currency doesn’t seem like a lot of money, but when you are dealing in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, it adds up quick. One city on Florida’s Atlantic coast is finding that out the hard way after getting hit with a ransomware that stymied the city of 35,000 government’s ability to function. Let’s take a look at the situation that made the city’s leaders agree to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to scammers.

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Why is My Network Slow?

Why is My Network Slow?

That’s an interesting question, as there are many things that can create some form of lag in a business’ network. Let’s go into some common causes of this slowness, starting with one clear indication that something is up.

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The Internet Continues to Change Business

The Internet Continues to Change Business

With so many people depending on the Internet for a litany of reasons, there might not be the general acknowledgment of just how powerful the ubiquitous use of the Internet really is for businesses. From the storage and redundancy of business’ data to virtualized computing platforms to browser-based interfaces that provide access to productivity and communications software, today’s Internet is filled with solutions for the modern business.

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Tip of the Week: You Better Test Your Backup

Tip of the Week: You Better Test Your Backup

Data backup can be the difference between a business that fails and a business that succeeds. After all, if an organization suffers from a data loss incident so bad that it has to deploy its data backup, it wouldn’t be able to survive without it. With a data backup and disaster solution, you can ensure business continuity. But what does this kind of system need in order to succeed, and how can you make sure your organization benefits from a data backup system in place?

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Human Error is a Major Problem for Businesses

Human Error is a Major Problem for Businesses

There is always going to be user error in the workplace. Even the best workers make mistakes sometimes. You naturally want to reduce these occurrences as often as possible, but for the purposes of training and whatnot, you want to assume the worst: that any worker, even the most dedicated veteran, could potentially make a business-ending mistake. Thankfully, there are ways you can make sure this doesn’t happen for your business.

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Network Security is Crucial for Every Organization

Network Security is Crucial for Every Organization

Avoiding risk is important for every business, unless your business is as a daredevil, then mitigating risk will have to do. Nowadays, with technology being an omnipresent element in most businesses, technology-based risks have grown in concert. As a result, the modern business owner and IT administrators need to understand the new risks and how to proactively work toward avoiding (or mitigating) them.

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Tip of the Week: Working Around Windows’ Restore Point Issue

Tip of the Week: Working Around Windows’ Restore Point Issue

One would think that a program called System Restore would be one that would be prioritized as one to get right. Unfortunately, this seems not to be the case, as utilizing one of your restore points after performing a Windows Update can cause some serious issues. For our tip, we’ll go over how to avoid these issues with a workaround.

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