Simon Tennant, Author at SCG Connected

With the Big Switch Off already limiting businesses yet to upgrade, more than ever are moving to Cloud telephony and experiencing its many benefits. When speaking to those making the jump, the number one comment we hear is, ‘we don’t want our phones to go down if our internet goes down too’. This is a natural concern, but experienced telecoms suppliers will build multiple layers of resilience into their solutions to prevent this from happening. So, what should businesses be looking for to ensure their communications are protected when migrating voice to the Cloud?

In-built Cloud telephony resilience

The first point of resilience should lie with the Cloud telephony system itself. A robust solution should have the capability to cope with issues at both the end-user level, and at the data centres where it is hosted.

In the event of a local power cut or broadband failure, a Cloud telephony system should be able to detect this outage and activate failover functionality, such as automatically diverting all incoming calls to a pre-assigned mobile number. Softphone availability enables you to use an application to make and receive calls on a laptop, tablet or mobile device with an alternate internet connection (such as 4/5G). This means you can seamlessly switch to these devices, and if necessary, work remotely in an area unaffected by the connectivity outage.

When it comes to the data centres hosting your Cloud telephony solution, there are two specific factors to look at: one, that the service actively operates from multiple data centres (in the event of one going down), and two, that they have a high ‘tier’ rating. This tier system ranges from one to four, categorised in ascending order of seamless operation through elements such as security and redundancy. For the purpose of Cloud telephony, Tier 3 data centres ensure the required levels of business continuity.

Additional resilience measures

As these measures are intrinsic to a Cloud telephony solution, they would usually be included in the cost of a standard user licence. However, if your business requires further resilience, there are additional measures that a telecoms supplier should be able to put in place.

One option is to supply two circuits for your connectivity. These can be network diverse, carrier diverse, and exchange diverse; this gives you the highest degree of redundancy in the event of any kind of issue. It is worthwhile noting the difference between networks, carriers and exchanges here. Frequently, we’ve spoken to businesses who thought they had sufficient continuity in place by having connectivity through two different networks, only to discover that they both use the same carrier or exchange, creating potential vulnerabilities.

A diligent supplier will even look at providing these circuits through two different physical routes and points of entry into your premises. This means that in the result of nearby construction work severing a wire, you still have connectivity. A further step is to install a 4G/5G backup, which gives you a lights-on solution prioritising core business functions until regular connectivity is restored.

SCG’s Cloud telephony solution

As a complete telecoms solution provider, SCG offers all the above resilience options alongside the benefits of its own Cloud-hosted telephony solution, Evonex. Operational and synchronised across three Tier 3 UK data centres, Evonex increases productivity and flexibility across your business, with a simple and cost-effective licencing structure. Our industry-leading 4.9 Trustpilot rating reflects our approach to customers, working with them to understand their specific needs and ensuring we put the right level of resilience in place.

If you’d like to see how easy it is for your business to take advantage of robust and resilient Cloud telephony, contact us on 0800 090 1965 or sales@scgconnected.co.uk.

There’s no doubt that workforce mobility has increased dramatically over the past few years, with technology evolving alongside to support it. This has caused the very preconception of what is and isn’t possible whilst on the move to change; there’s an understanding now that you don’t need to be in the office, or even have a laptop with you, to undertake critical business functions.

The rise of Cloud applications, and the increase in power of mobile devices themselves, opens up a whole new world of possibilities. With Apple becoming a master of the iterative upgrade though, does the latest iPhone 15 range really enable your workforce to Be More Mobile?

The chipset

Although modern smartphones are far faster than their earlier counterparts, we all know how frustrating it can be when we’re trying to do something, and waiting for the device to catch up. Each new iPhone release represents an upgrade in chipset technology to improve speed, and this year is no different.

The iPhone 15 and Plus feature the A16 Bionic processor, whilst the Pro and Pro Max models feature the A17 Pro. Arguably overkill for some businesses, the A17 Pro is potentially the best smartphone processor currently available. The A16 has already been field-tested in last year’s iPhone 14 Pro but still remains one of the fastest.

Equipping your staff with this technology means that they get the very best mobile experience available, no matter what they need to do whilst working remotely.

The Dynamic Island

Another feature previously available on the iPhone 14 Pro, the Dynamic Island is now available across all iPhone 15 models. Here, Apple has decided to go in another direction than rival smartphone manufacturers; instead of trying to camouflage a front camera using hardware solutions, they have hidden it in plain sight by blending it into a more kinetic interface.

As you might expect from the name, this new display element changes shape dynamically depending on its current function. Not only does it provide more visibility for Apple alerts, but it enables simultaneous functionality with a raft of apps running in the background. With smartphones now used for longer, continuous periods rather than just to quickly check email or voice messages, these benefits are even more valuable. Remote workers now have a better tool to keep track of upcoming appointments and tasks, and improved multitasking capabilities.

USB-C charging

Apple has been slow to switch over to the standard USB-C port for device charging but has finally made the change following the EU ruling. Regardless of the motivations, this will undoubtedly make things easier for users; now there’s no more desperate searching for a colleague with a Lightning charging cable when your device is on the brink of battery death.

Although batteries improve with each iPhone version, the constant push for better user experience can result in apps with increased battery drain; this is why in real terms, battery life improvements often seem minimal. Utilising a more universal charging technology gives your employees more freedom to use their mobile devices without as much fear of the dreaded zero percent.

SCG give customers the power of choice, with the ability to pick the devices, airtime providers and plans which best suit their business and budget. If you’d like to empower your workforce with the very latest iPhone 15 range, contact us now on 0800 090 1965 or sales@scgconnected.co.uk.

Our Product Director for Mobile, Ian Boyce, explains what Mobile Device Management is, and why it’s important for every business utilising mobile devices.

Why Mobile Device Management?

Developments in mobile technology, combined with changes in work patterns following COVID, have resulted in more businesses embracing remote working and deploying mobile devices to employees.

However, as organisations increasingly rely on mobiles, the ability to secure data held on these devices and protect the access they provide to company networks becomes essential. No business would consider deploying a PC or laptop to a member of staff before installing anti-virus software and securing it behind a firewall; the same should be true for mobile devices as they are equally vulnerable to cyber threats and data theft.

What is Mobile Device Management?

Mobile Device Management (MDM) is any type of software that allows IT Departments to automate, control and secure administrative policies on laptops, smartphones, tablets, or any other device connected to an organisation’s network.

Alongside device enrolment, typical functionality includes the ability to control device configuration, protect data, monitor the status and compliance of devices, and manage enterprise-approved apps, all across multiple platforms and operating systems.

Organisations looking to obtain Cyber Essentials Certification will require their mobile devices to be managed via MDM.

Which Mobile Device Management?

Following the recognition that an MDM solution is required, the first important decision is which solution to use. Like any piece of software, solutions will range in price and feature set, so a business will first need to establish what their requirements are and the budget available.

Some key suppliers include Samsung Knox Manage (compatible with Android and IOS), SOTI, Microsoft Intune, MaaS 360 and Manage Engine. These all provide a strong, feature-rich solution, although some are more basic than others. To help provide a better understanding, we’ve included an overview of some of these solutions below.

Microsoft InTune is a part of the overall management suite. It is the least feature-rich and has the most complex configuration as it deals with the entire Microsoft estate and all managed devices. Unlike other solutions, Intune does not have remote management access to devices, location tracking and other advanced features, as MDM is a by-product of the solution. The benefit of using Intune is that the licence is often included in the Microsoft suite, which means there is no need for additional licensing costs beyond what has already been invested.

SOTI is an established Premium MDM solution, offering a full suite of features included for more complex requirements, such as detailed location tracking and excellent functionality to manage usage when abroad.

Samsung Knox Manage, although built and provided by Samsung, is compatible with Apple devices making it the most inclusive solution for your mobile fleet. Features include Geo-fencing, remote wipe and remote support. Knox is the most cost-effective and a wide selection of useful management features meaning it offers great value.

Setting up

After selecting a preferred solution, the setup process becomes the next challenge. If there is no in-house knowledge or resource available internally, setting up and maintaining all devices to ensure proper management can become time-consuming. If not managed correctly, you run the risk of a security breach or loss of service across your fleet of devices. If your company is operating a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, there is also the risk of potential disruption to the employee’s personal handset.

How can we help?

SCG are experts in the design and deployment of a range of MDM solutions to suit all business requirements. If you would like to discuss deploying Mobile Device Management and securing your devices, please contact us on 0800 090 1965 or sales@scgconnected.co.uk.