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Why large companies opt the Cloud Phone System? (and why you should too!)

In Business Communication
September 17, 2020
3 Min Read
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Most Telcos today have already made the shift to a cloud phone system. Cloud Phone providers all over the world have successfully maintained the services and proven that a cloud phone system can successfully be installed and implemented as a full-fledged Business Phone. Business analysts have predicted that the global market for overall cloud services has the potential to reach around 160 billion USD. Cloud Phone Services form a large part of modern-day cloud services for business.

Tech-savvy business-minded people are keen to make the shift to the latest cloud-based offerings. Following is a comprehensive list of the benefits and considerations related to cloud-based phone systems for businesses.

Cloud Phone System is cost-effective

Adopting a cloud Phone system brings better cost-saving options for business. With an initial setup cost and no upfront changes, businesses flourish with the cloud’s pay-as-you-go model that is also applicable to Cloud Voice services. There are no maintenance charges (that we’ll cover in a minute) and potentially no extra costs.

Cloud Phone System is feature-rich for business

Features like auto attendants, voicemail, advanced email, video conferencing, and audio conferencing are all main features required for modern-day business Phone systems. Cloud Providers offer these features along with Voice and Messaging services.

Offering Flexibility at its best

Since there will be no hardware installation, up-gradation, or maintenance at the consumer’s end, the businesses have the full option to downsize or scale-up and thus adjust the payments for the cloud Phone features or services accordingly. The system, however, caters to potential growth within a business.

Better Disaster Recovery with Cloud Phone

Cloud Phone providers offer the best inline DR solutions so that any businesses opting for such a cloud-based service do not have to invest in an in-house DR solution. This means, in situations where the business is disaster-struck or situations like in the COVID-19 pandemic where employees have to make the shift to working from home, the business communication is intact. 

Increased Security for business

Most Cloud Providers offer the best inline security and have to keep their systems and services up to date with the latest security requirements. The growing threats in the Cybersecurity space require top-notch security for communication. Thus, with a Cloud-based Phone system, Businesses do not have to invest in huge numbers with security.

MachCloud – the all in one Cloud-based solutions provider for business

Whether you are an SME or an enterprise, MachCloud has got you covered. Enriched with solutions like MachCloud Voice services, MachCloud Solutions for Microsoft Teams, MachCloud PBX Integration with Microsoft Teams, Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams, and many others. With MachCloud, you can also Resell M365 services with profitable margins.

Gear up for the Next Gen cloud communication service and unlock the potential of your business with MachCloud’s Cloud Telephone services.

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Work from home simplified with Microsoft Teams and MachCloud

In Microsoft Teams
September 15, 2020
3 Min Read
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Work From Home has been a norm in the IT industry for a couple of years. After the advent of COVID-19 this year, a lot of companies that never had remote working policies had to make their employees work from home. Microsoft Teams is equipped with features that enable employees to work remotely and still stay in line with the happenings through the Modern Workplace.

What are Microsoft Teams features that facilitate remote work?

  • Conversation channels

Conversation channels make it easier to stay on topic and keep the conversation focused on one particular topic. You can have the same people within different conversation channels and thus stay relevant to the topic.

  • Reduced mailbox clutter

With communications channels in place, there is less need to communicate on e-mails thus reducing regular email clutter that may arise due to remote working.

  • Cross-platform service

While you are at home, you might not be able to get hands-on a range of devices. Here the Microsoft Teams feature of being cross-platform comes in handy. With this, you can work on Teams with the devices you own at home.

  • Increased Security

With remote employees, the biggest threat to a company is about the exploitation of communication channels. Microsoft Teams is end-to-end encrypted, thus it holds minimum chances of hacktivists attacking or exploiting any Teams related vulnerabilities.

Here are the top 5 tips for effective remote work

  • Stay updated: To be able to work efficiently from home, it is best to know the changing trend and also the changes in the origination.
  • Be responsive: Work from home is all about staying prompt. As a remote employee, you must know the right communication tools to opt for, to be able to become more responsive.
  • Invest in better broadband connection services: the Internet has become the backbone of communication. To secure your remote job, make sure the internet is stable 24/7.
  • Set your hours: IT is important to know the right time to work. This will make it easier for your co-workers to approach you when you are available.
  • Use the Teams feature “background blur”: while being at home if you have to attend video conferences, it is best to use Teams blur background feature for a professional look.

ALSO READ: TECHNOLOGY MUST HAVES FOR ‘WORK FROM HOME’ SCENARIO

MachCloud – the distinct platform offering tailored solution for Microsoft Teams

MachCloud caters to the growing need for communication in the IT domain. Since “Communication is the key”, it can be perceived that miscommunication can lead to many work-related problems. MachCloud provides Solutions for Microsoft Teams, PBX Integration with Microsoft Teams and many others.

It takes only a single second of a call drop to lose your next customer. Invest in MachCloud and never lose your customers to your competitors.

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Lessons from the Microsoft Teams security breach

In Microsoft Teams
September 8, 2020
3 Min Read
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Security has become a top concern of companies in this era. Microsoft Teams security promises next-level security methods being deployed for more reliable communication across enterprises. Microsoft Teams security is equipped with the latest security methods like two-factor authentication and end to end encryption and is best suited nowadays. However, the need for security is still persistent after claims from Tech Giants given the recent Teams cyber-attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bigger picture

Since a huge number of users shifted to Microsoft Teams during the COVID-19 pandemic, much collaboration software including Teams experienced security breaches. It was reported in recent news. Around 15,000 to 50,000 employees were victims of this attack the attackers used Impersonation emails for Microsoft 365. These were convincing emails that looked exactly like notification emails from Microsoft Teams. The URLs redirected the users to landing pages that looked similar to Microsoft Teams web pages. One of the sender email id originated from the “sharepointonline-irs.com” domain which is neither related to IRS nor Microsoft SharePoint Online.

What was the payload of the Attacks?

The original URL that hosted the attacks was concealed under many different URLs. This made it easier to bypass malicious link detection. The links redirected the employees towards a Microsoft login phishing credentials site. Here, the username and passwords of the employees were obtained by the hacktivists, thus exposing thousands of mailboxes.

The effectiveness of Attacks was inevitable

As Cybersecurity solutions and experts suggest, it is always necessary to check where you are entering the credentials. But the attack became successful because it was very well planned and there had been a number of passive attacks before to gather enough knowledge by the hacktivists in order to carry out the active Microsoft Teams attack with success. The thing which supported the hacktivists was the timing of such an attack: during COVID-19, most people were working from home and became used to frequent Teams notifications.

5 Tips for a secure online presence

Given the increase in the number of cyber-attacks these days including the Microsoft Teams security breach incident, it is always important to make your online presence safe. Cybersecurity experts suggest these 5 tips that can keep your online identity secured and minimize risks of a security breach:

  • Prefer Private Browsing

A custom private web browser hides the traces of your online presence and makes it almost impossible to track your activity.

  • Use strong passwords

Cybersecurity experts recommend the use of strong passwords. It is because the sophisticated Brute Force attack makes password guessing an easier game these days.

  •  Limit social media sharing

The more you are active with your activities on social media, the more are you vulnerable to passive cyber-attacks where the hacktivists keep an eye on your activity to gather information needed for an actual attack.

  • Deactivate and terminate old accounts

Old accounts are hacktivists’ best friends. If you happen to own one but do not use it, it’s time to terminate it.

MachCloud – The secure and reliable digital business communication platform

MachCloud is a one-window for all your business communication and cloud hosting needs. It provides solutions like Cloud PBX, SIP Trunking, Microsoft Teams, Cloud provisioning, Microsoft 365 services, and all the many cloud automation and communication services you need for best inline cloud provisioning. MachCloud offers a secure setup with reliability and by following the CIA Trade (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability).

Get your business aligned with the latest and secure tools from MachCloud for better productivity.

DID YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING? WHY NOT READ: “4 TIPS TO BEEF UP MICROSOFT TEAMS SECURITY“? 

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Why can’t I add Planner to a private channel in Microsoft Teams?

In FAQ
September 1, 2020
1 Min Read
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The planner is inherently not designed for Private chats. Its underlying model makes it a service that is open and collaborative. Indeed, you can’t have a private planner, but you can always add the participants in a private chat to be added in a planner (not privately). Private channels were initially introduced to sensitive information within a Teams channel like budget, login credentials, resourcing, etc. Private channels can be composed of a subset of people within Microsoft Teams.

Since Private Channels are a new thing in Teams lately, according to Microsoft, Teams private channels do not support apps like Stream, Planner, and Forms. All other connectors and tabs are supported. Apps like Planner have a pretty tight integration to Office 365 groups and thus they are not yet supported in Teams.

Get in touch with a MachCloud Expert to know more details on Teams integration with other apps.

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What are the Unified Communication platforms?

In FAQ
September 1, 2020
1 Min Read
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Unedited communications form many different platforms of communications into one centralized and unified manner. Platforms like business phone systems having features like audio conferencing, instant messaging, and others like email, SMS, video conferencing, and Fax together make up the broader unified communication platform. Unified communications provide a way to centrally manage all the communication within an organization via different channels.

Technologies like Cloud PBX, SIP Trunking, and other platforms like Microsoft Teams form a part of the overall unified communication domain. A unified communication system provides the level of modern connectivity and reliability needed in enterprise communication. With multiple communication platforms working together to provide a unified communication experience within an organization, the employees can experience better connectivity and thus the business gets the required competitive edge.

Contact MachCloud experts for a smooth unified communication experience and enrich your business with modern-day collaboration services.

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4 Tips to beef up Microsoft Teams Security

In Microsoft Teams
August 21, 2020
3 Min Read
4

It is important to know Microsoft Teams Security measures before opting for business communication.  Since Microsoft Teams has emerged as a powerful tool for collaboration and increase in productivity, it has become ever more important to take its Security considerations into account. With Main features like Chat, Teams, Calendar and Calls, Microsoft Teams app can be vulnerable from various aspects including cloud storage.

Concerns with Microsoft Teams security

Microsoft Teams is a cross-functional application and thus, there are a few concerns of Microsoft Teams application like:

  • Guest Access exposure: Microsoft Teams provide an option to login as guest, allowing parties outside of Microsoft Teams to participate in a Team channel’s activities.
  • Permissions Model: This model allows users to organize and collaborate in a collaborative environment and make data sharing easier.
  • App Management Concerns: Apps can be added to Team channels from external sources.
  • Data breach concern: Information sharing is easier and that’s precisely why confidential information or data from cloud storage can get leaked accidently.

Tips to improve Microsoft Teams Security

  • Focus on app-management

With Team, you can have your hands on three types of apps including Apps provided by Microsoft, built by third parties or your custom-built internal apps. For extra security, it is best to restrict the use of third-party apps. This can be done via the Teams admin center > Manage Apps page.

  • Have a Global Teams Management setup

It is best to specify organization based preferences that are spread throughout the scope of the organization. It’s good to keep control over external communication and external file sharing. In addition to that, in order to access meeting content, the users must be again authenticated to make sure the internal matters do not fall into wrong hands.

  • Secure your Guest Access

Guest Access should be limited to the most extent during business communication in Microsoft Teams. In ideal case you must disable any guest login, however, if it is absolutely necessary, you can disable options like screen sharing or peer-to-peer calls or accessing cloud storage.

  • Focus on information Protection

Information protection should be focused and you must always stick to a pre-decided Information protection Architecture. This prevents maximum data leaks. To keep data trackable, protected, and compliant you can get hold of eDiscovery and legal hold. Advanced Threat Protection is also a good feature for increased protection and Microsoft Teams Security.

ALSO READ: MICROSOFT TEAMS INTEGRATION WITH BUSINESS PHONE: WHAT TO EXPECT?

MachCloud – the secure and reliable Digital communication Platform

MachCloud is a reliable and secure digital communication platform that has made its mark in the business communication sector in a short span of time. With its top-notch backend infrastructure and solutions like MachCloud PBX Integration with Microsoft Teams and MachCloud Calling Plans for Microsoft Teams, the platform provides smooth operation of its services to businesses of all kinds.

Get onboard MachCloud digital communication platform and experience a reliable Microsoft Teams experience for your business with promising Microsoft Teams Security.

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4 Compelling reasons to adopt unified communications in the cloud business

In Unified Communications
August 13, 2020
3 Min Read
4

Modern Unified communications is a way to streamline core business operations and increase productivity. With a state-of-the-art business phone in place, your employees can collaborate better and manage project communication much more eloquently via email, chat, phone, text, voicemail, audio conferencing and video conferencing. Having the right Unified communication setup lets you have an improved relationship with your customers too.

What are the few UC Solution options?

Modern born-in-the cloud PBXs are best to opt-in to a business. There are options to go for a SIP Trunking solution or a Hosted PBX system. In addition to this, Microsoft Teams is also a lucrative and emerging unified communication trend that satisfies most businesses’ communication needs. It offers Direct routing capabilities in which you can experience Teams Calls via your existing PBX.

What are the Major benefits of unified communications?

Apart from better collaboration, Unified communications provide many other benefits. Let’s have a look:

  • Top-notch infrastructure

With cloud communications, you get top-notch infrastructure at your hands to carry out inbound and outbound calls within your office. Cloud communications also provide geo-redundancy which inherently provides your business communication structure, resiliency against any disaster, or more specifically against a pandemic.

  • Improved business flows

Well-crafted unified communication solutions of today are designed to keep People’s communication in mind. Either they are your customers or employees; you’ll have to deal with people at the end of the day. With improved people communication your business processes eventually improve that gives you all the productivity needed for a growing business.

  • Reduced Shadow IT effects

In modern workspaces, it is getting difficult to combat the effects of Shadow IT. With a centralized cloud communication solution, you can stop shadow IT in its tracks. This keeps cyber criminals at a bay.

  • Better customer experience

Once you’re internal and external comm channels are better connected, you get faster response time. This makes things easier for the sales team or the customer support people to tackle customer things. 

Also read: A GUIDE TO DEPLOY MICROSOFT TEAMS DIRECT ROUTING

MachCloud takes your business to the next level

With MachCloud, your organization can get a modern communication system within no time. MachCloud provides best-in-line solutions for business communication. With services like Cloud PBX, SIP Trunking, Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, and Calling in Teams, MachCloud stands out from others. The Calling in Teams Solution can be obtained via MachCloud Solution for Microsoft Teams Solutions. In addition to this, there is a MachCloud Voice solution for better Calling options.

Keep your business communication updated with the latest MachCloud offerings and take your business phone to the next level.

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Can Microsoft Teams chats be monitored?

In FAQ
August 12, 2020
1 Min Read
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No, it can’t be monitored by some user who is not part of the chat. Only the users involved in the chat can view it. However, there are ways in which Supervisors can control the way they interact in Teams. For example, the administrators have a right to control what appears in the Teams user’s activity feed, the admin can control the way users tag and interact on Tagging in a Teams chat. The admins can also turn on or off Email integration so they can control whether the users can send emails to a Teams channel or not and they can also turn off file-sharing altogether. There are options to turn off cloud file storage as well.

The admins also have a right to manage external access. However, conversations that are a part of Teams channel are maintained in Microsoft Teams Mailboxes. For the education sector, Microsoft has provided teachers to view the students’ chats to keep a check on aggressive or bullying behavior, however, little benefits are given to Teachers to stop or interact immediately during the Chat.

Contact a MachCloud expert to get more information about Microsoft Teams. 

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Can I change an existing Office 365 “Group” to a “Teams”?

In FAQ
August 12, 2020
1 Min Read
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Yes, it is possible. Or put it another way, you can create a Team from an existing Office 365 group. This is done from the Microsoft Teams app. Select Join or Create a Team; you’ll be presented with two options, Create Team or Join Team with a code. From that, choose Create Team and then select Create From… You’ll be presented with Teams or Office 365 group, there you must select Office 365 group. Next, you’ll be presented with a list of your existing Office 365 groups. Select the group for which you wish to create a Team. This will permanently add Teams to your existing Office 365 group.

The Team is now created and next, you can view its landing page. To verify members, select Manage Team All the owners, members, and guests from the Office 365 group must be there.

Contact a MachCloud expert to get more information on Office 365 to Teams migrations. 

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What are the benefits of Microsoft Teams?

In FAQ
August 12, 2020
1 Min Read
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Microsoft Teams has provided many business benefits to organizations like IT companies, Educational institutes, Government sectors, Hospitals, and many more. Microsoft Teams provide collaboration to its users that results in the next level of interaction between the users of the same type.

MS Teams let users interact in a variety of ways such as video conferencing, audio conferencing, persistent chat, and many others. Microsoft Teams is native to Microsoft 365, so sharing is a lot easier than via OneDrive. Microsoft Teams are easily set up using an existing Cloud PBX system. Microsoft Teams are easily adoptable due to Teams Calling Plans and Teams Direct Routing options. Microsoft Teams also provide features like Guest login, app management, admin rights, and much more. It is cross-functional in nature.

From a security perspective, MS Teams have various benefits since the chats remain private. Microsoft deploys best security practices in Teams like end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication. Microsoft Teams, thus, serves as a secure mode of business communication.

To know more about Microsoft Teams benefits, contact a MachCloud expert today. 

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