Monthly Archives: February 2021

Prepare Your Network for Unified Communications with Software-Defined Wide Area Networking

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Over the past several years, both Unified Communications (UC) and Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) have grown more popular. Even a few years ago, IDC predicted that the SD-WAN market would grow to $8.05 billion by this year. Together, Unified Communications and SD-WAN allow your company to stay connected at all times. Read on to learn more about the connections between these two technologies, and to discover whether your company’s network is up to the task.

 

Software-Defined Wide Area Networks Support Unified Communications Performance

 

Unified Communications is technology that allows workers to work from anywhere, at any time.  Unified Communications, or UC, supports the ability to communicate by voice or email and send information back and forth. This technology brings together various modes of communication–phone, text, web conferencing and email–providing a streamlined way to keep businesses connected, using Voice-Over IP (VoIP) technology. 

Employees can hold video conferences, share data with other workers, and handle customer service tasks–even from remote offices. However, UC depends on a robust and secure network to keep traffic moving. This is where Software-Defined Wide Area Networks come in. 

 

SD-WAN Provides Performance at Competitive Cost

 

Unified Communication can test your network. Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) can provide a mix-and-match solution, using multiple carriers so that if one carrier goes offline another can keep traffic moving. A company can fall back on this robust network to keep workers communicating with each other and with customers. What’s more, SD-WAN can help a company transition from legacy systems and enjoy more flexibility.  At its best, SD-WAN can provide excellent performance at a competitive price. 

 

Considerations for Your Network

 

All of this sounds wonderful, and it is. However, your network needs to be ready. On the technology side, your network needs to have current anti-virus and anti-malware definitions. While SD-WAN can supply failover and dependable connectivity, it also needs a strong, secure network. What’s more, your workers need to be trained in cybersecurity policies and best practices. This, along with network monitoring, can help your network remain secure.

 

To learn more about the potential of SD-WANs to support Unified Communication, and to assess your network’s readiness, contact us today. 

Role of Your Employees in Cybersecurity

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It’s sometimes thought that employees can be a “weak link” in your cybersecurity plan. This need not be so. Rather, your employees–when well-trained in cybersecurity policies and practices–can be your greatest asset. Reason to learn about training your employees in keeping your network safe.

 

Assess Cybersecurity Knowledge

 

Employees can be the most important line of defense against cyber attacks, when aware and well trained. Do your workers know your company’s cybersecurity policies? Do they know and implement best practices with passwords, like having unique credentials that are changed regularly. Also, you can make sure they are up on the most current cyber threats like malware and phishing attempts, and know what to do when faced with a possible attack. For example, do they know what to do when they get an email designed to look like it’s from their supervisor? Training sessions could be done routinely via video-conferencing on an ongoing basis for remote workers.

 

Security Considerations for Remote Work

 

For nearly a year, remote work has become the rule. According to an article from CompTIA, remote workers may not be prepared for increased responsibility for the safety of their devices. Are the devices connected to your company’s network checked and sanitized to ensure malware can’t get in? Do they have the most current antivirus and anti-malware definitions? Another issue to consider is physical security. Do your workers know to do simple things like log off when leaving the computer? Will they have a workspace where phone and video-conferencing communications can’t be overheard? These are just some of the topics to discuss with your staff to keep your network safe. The more devices connected to the network, the more chances there are for cyber attack. Having workers know what to do to prevent or mitigate an attack is essential.

 

Instead of employees being cybersecurity liabilities, they can be your greatest assets. For assistance in training your staff to be your best line of defense against attack, contact us today.