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Is Your Mobile Device Management Making Your IT Infrastructure Vulnerable?

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Your team no longer just works at the office. They work around the world and around the clock. They need the flexibility to access organization resources from anywhere at anytime. But, while mobile devices may help your team get more work done, they may also be making your IT infrastructure more vulnerable to hackers and spies. You need a robust mobile device management solution that keeps your data secure and still gives your team the flexibility they need.

 

How Mobile Devices Threaten Your IT Security

When everyone uses computers and devices inside of a closed system, such as at an office, it is easy for IT to monitor who is accessing what files and to block dangerous or distracting outside websites.

However, when you have company mobile devices that are being used outside the IT home network, or team members using their own devices to access organization resources, it opens up the entire system to viruses, malware, and even data theft.

Mobile devices make it that much harder for your IT team to keep everything running smoothly and safely.

 

The Simple Solution to Enterprise Mobility Management Challenges

Mobile devices don’t have to be the weak spot in your company’s IT defenses. If you deploy an effective enterprise mobility management solution you can easily keep tabs on what devices are accessing which resources. Your IT team can be alerted to unusual activity. They can remotely block websites, wipe devices, and change passwords.

An enterprise mobility management system can be used to work with both company issued devices and BYOD situations. The right enterprise mobility management system will also work with a variety of different operating systems.

 

How CloudOgre Keeps Your Data Secure and Easy to Manage

CloudOgre understands that your mobile device management must meet two different goals:

  1. The IT infrastructure must be kept safe and secure
  2. Team members must have instant, secure access to company resources

CloudOgre helps you achieve these goals by working with a variety of different partners that offer the flexibility and security your company needs at the enterprise level. CloudOgre partners include AT&T and IBM.

Instead of spending months, or even years, building an internal system from scratch, CloudOgre is able to quickly deploy proven, customizable solutions that allow you to:

  • Manage devices on multiple platforms including: Windows, Mac OS, IOS, and Android
  • Remotely manage apps on devices
  • Patch and update devices
  • Secure mobile email
  • Secure mobile chat
  • Content management
  • Document sync
  • Manage mobile threat management
  • Remotely wipe or disable lost or stolen devices
  • And Much More

CloudOgre helps you implement systems and solutions that keep your data and IT infrastructure secure, make it easier to manage mobile devices, and give your team the flexibility it needs to work remotely.

If you are ready to implement an enterprise mobility management solution that is customized to your organization’s needs, but that can be implemented quickly, contact CloudOgre today.

Your security is too important to leave to chance.

Why is your Internet down?

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Woman at work frustrated by her internet is down

Is your internet down? The internet is pretty simple. If you want to know why or don’t want your internet down, there are only a handful of reasons. In fact, we’ll narrow them down to just three. The only other possibility is that you didn’t pay your bill.

The internet is composed of wires and switches. Wireless and cellular devices use wires to connect to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and to the Internet. Switches and routers need power. Here are your three reasons why your internet went down.

 

  1. There is a problem with your wires (or wireless)

Your internet may be out because you’re not connecting your LAN to the WAN. You can have an issue in your local area network like a bad wire or connector. Typically you’ll see a connector go bad because someone moves the equipment their plugged into too much and the connection goes bad.

If the problem is on the WAN, that means it’s the wires that your ISP or telephone company control then you have to wait for them to make the repair. FYI – Calling in more often won’t get the issue resolved any quicker. A fiber cut is a big deal and will take quite some time for service restoration. Here’s a post we did a while back on building out fiber, if you need high level network redundancy you may want to click here for more info.

Make sure wires, equipment & connections are working properly

  1. Broken or malfunctioning equipment

Again, it’s either on your side or the carrier’s side. You have a modem and/or a router and switches. Troubleshoot them and power cycle them as per my article on LinkedIn on what to do in the event of an outage.

Just like with your wires, if the problem isn’t on your side it is going to be in the carrier’s environment. You may be experiencing issues from a down GPON or Active Ethernet Router. IP Routers rarely go down without failover in place on the carrier side. You wouldn’t notice that. If a whole IP POP or data center goes down, this can cause a significant delay in service restoration.

  1. The long pole in the tent… Power

Power… are you plugged in and getting electricity?

This is the piece of the puzzle that is outside of your and your carrier’s hands. Many times it is also out of the power company’s hands and its governed by mother nature. A force majeur will take your internet down. Back-up generators are highly recommended, especially at high visibility, high profile settings and rural areas.

Typically, what we are seeing is a power outage in a certain area from a truck that hit a pole or some construction that cut the lines. Building management may also turn off power for maintenance which will also take your internet down. Many times they don’t alert tenants or the right folks within a company aren’t alerted.  Hopefully none of those are the case and it’s as simple as someone kicked the power cord out of a switch.

 

So that’s basically it, why is your internet out? It’s either your wires, equipment, or power. It’s as simple as that. Prolonged outages are very rare but there are only a few reasons to take your internet down. Always check with your neighbors to see if they’re connected and check blogs that monitor network performance.

What You Need to Know About Your Hybrid Data Center and Cloud Migration Strategy

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Do you know the answers to these four questions? Don’t start a cloud migration until you do.

Failure is not an option when dealing with your data center or cloud migration. You need to ask these 4 questions as you consider your strategy.

When you are looking to move to a hybrid data center and migrate some of your function to the cloud, it is critical that you have a clear execution strategy. You data center is the brain of your business. If something happens to the data center your business will begin to suffer right away. When assessing your options, you need to make sure you know the answer to four key questions to make sure you have a smooth transition.

 

Question 1: How Much Bandwidth do you need?

 

The biggest mistake you can make with a cloud migration is underestimating the amount of bandwidth you will need. You always want to make sure you have access to more bandwidth than you need. As Big Data becomes more important to businesses in every industry, your bandwidth needs will only grow in the future. Make sure you know how much bandwidth you need currently and make sure your partner is equipped to meet your current needs as well as any future bandwidth increases as your business grows.

 

Question 2: Where Do You Need the Bandwidth Most?

 

When you are using a hybrid strategy for your data center, you need to make sure you have the right amount of bandwidth in the right places. Too often companies and their data center partners fail to take into different bandwidth needs of different departments and locations. This can cause costly bottlenecks that diminish productivity. You should talk to potential vendors about where you most need bandwidth to keep your business moving smoothly.

 

Question 3: Who is Responsible for What During the Transition?

 

You cannot afford for anything to fall through the cracks. You need to have clear lines of communication with your consultants and partners. You need to have the peace of mind of knowing who is in charge of each part of the transition. You need to know who to contact to get issues resolved and to get updates. You want a partner who is proactive and who not only has the expertise to execute on the strategy, but the communication skills to make sure you are never out of the loop.

 

Question 4: How Does Adding a VAR Improve the Experience?

 

Data center and cloud migration services are not cookie cutter. Your business has unique needs that cannot be met with a one-size fits all approach. Making sure your partner is a value added reseller (VAR) will help you get the exact products, services, and solutions your business needs. Adding a VAR to your project increases your options and adds additional expertise to your transition team. Companies often discover a VAR will be able to solve problems the company did not even realize they had yet.

 

If you want to stay competitive in this global marketplace you need to have a strong, reliable data center and the flexibility to quickly add more capabilities as the market changes. Make sure you are dealing with partners that are up to the challenge from both a technical expertise standpoint and a strategic execution standpoint.

Five Reasons why you need the ShoreTel Dock to replace your phone system

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ShoreTel Dock

Shoretel Dock with iPad for business

I have been selling phone systems for years and the ShoreTel Dock is one of the coolest, most innovative, and most cost effective phones I’ve seen. It allows for so much flexibility and functionality. Here are five reasons why you need to consider the Shoretel Dock when upgrading your phone system.

 

  1. User friendly – The Shoretel Dock takes advantage of the user friendly ease of Apple products. It works with all iPads and iPhones so it’s pretty easy to learn to use. What’s more important, it’s easy for users to adopt the additional features like voicemail to email, eFaxing, and out of office messages to make their day more productive.
  2. Reliability – QoS is available through a layer 2 connection from ShoreTel but the phones work just as well over a WiFi connection. In fact, if your device has cellular service then you have a built in redundant connection which will turn your iPad into a business phone. The app works with or without the docking station.
  3. Cost – The Shoretel Dock starts at $49 and the iPads and iPhones start at $300 or so. You can have a whole user environment, phone and computer, for under $500. Most decent desk phones are in the $200-500 range so it’s not hard to justify. With virtualization on the rise, an iPad can serve as your desktop environment.
  4. Portability – As long as you have cell coverage, you can be connected back to your environment. This is basically built in DR for your voice platform. If the iPad is used as an end user terminal, it’s safe to say your employees can take their whole work environment with them on the go. Did I get too technical?Shoot me an email with your questions.
  5. Hedging your bets – Many people think the desk phone is dying. It’s easy for people in some positions who can take calls on their cell to feel that way but some employees are tethered to their desk and telephone. The Shoretel Dock provides the best of both worlds. When it’s time for your hardware refresh, you simply upgrade your iPhones or iPads… They just sit on the dock.

Basically, the Shoretel Dock will turn your iPhones and iPads into a business phone system with more functionality than your traditional telephone system. It’s a very low cost and high reliability solution that will give your office environment the cool factor. The coolest things is that the Shoretel Dock and iPad combo is so easy to learn that we can even bring you up to speed if the last device you used was a rotary phone! Call us at 844-OGRE-NOW or contact us here.

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1615 S Congress Ave, Suite #103
Delray Beach FL 33445
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