So you’ve done your research and decided that fiber Internet is right for your business. Sadly, your work is not over! An important part of telecommunications cost management is carefully selecting your provider so you can get the services you need at the best possible price. Consider these points when choosing a fiber Internet Provider:

• Run a cost analysis. A cost analysis will help you determine what you are receiving, how much you are paying and whether the cost vs. services is an efficient use of money.
• Check for coupons and promo codes. Coupons and promotions are often offered online and are available to anyone who is willing to look. Search for these deals and see what offers are being made by each provider. The presence (or lack thereof) of promotions can save you money and may tip the scales in favor of a particular company if the decision between them and their competition is a close one.
• Consider how fast your Internet actually needs to be. It’s important to remember that you don’t necessarily need the fastest Internet out there — just the fastest Internet for your needs. Anything more than that, and you’re just throwing away money.
• Don’t just look at the bottom line price. Consider what you will be getting for the price charged by each provider. Don’t be afraid to ask the provider for a list of anything and everything you get for the price they charge.
• Consider bundling packages. Bundled packages include more than just online services and can often help your business save money. Get quotes on different packages from each provider and see which is the most cost efficient.

The downside to all of these considerations is that they take time and effort. However, the amount you will save in the long run far outweighs the cost of the time spent researching your options. And, if you just don’t have the time, you can hire a professional consultant to do the work for you and present you with a selection of top choices.

For more help, or to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.

For more than 20 years, telecommunications consulting firms have been finding telecom billing errors on monthly telecom invoices. The scary thing is that many of the billing errors and overcharges still being found today are the same ones that were being found in the beginning.

Some of the problems being detected by telecom audits 20 years ago were tax errors, rates higher than what was stated in the contract, charges for lines not being used, charges for features that aren’t being used or weren’t ordered and mismatched calling plans. So why is it that these same errors and erroneous charges are still being found today? Why haven’t phone companies fixed these problems? Because they’re profitable.

This is the sad truth of the business telecommunications industry. It is the telecom vendors’ dirty little secret. These errors amount to billions of dollars of free money every year, and while many errors are not included on your bill on purpose, a little negligence goes a long way. Phone companies have no incentive to fix these problems because they are profiting from them. And the only change they have initiated on their own is to reduce their liability for refunding customers’ money.

While detecting errors and getting a refund from your telecom provider is an admirable endeavor, if it were an easy task, these errors wouldn’t be profitable for telecom companies. The reason it remains profitable is that it is incredibly difficult to get a refund on your own. Providers have become experts in giving the runaround and have developed policies and contracts that help get them off the hook for issuing refunds. Even when they do issue refunds, these policies and contracts also help them avoid going back very far.

A professional telecom consultant can help you identify errors and get the maximum possible refund from telecom providers. For more information or to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.

There are many telecom solutions that were once exceptions (and in some cases, not allowed at all) that are now becoming normal or commonplace in modern businesses. The presence of these factors in the workplace can attract employees, while their absence can turn away the perfect person for your team. Four practices what were once exceptions in the workplace but are quickly becoming the norm are:

• BYOD, or bring your own device. It used to be that employee devices were a rarity, and often were not allowed except for business leaders, high-performing workers and the relentless employee who complained until IT caved. Now, however, BYOD is common in the workplace and is often a consideration for potential employees when offered a job. Given the choice between a workplace that allows BYOD and one that doesn’t, provided other factors are equal, the employee will often go with the company that allows them to bring their own device. This change partially stems from the fact that while individuals in the past feared technology and left those decisions to IT, many users today feel their home technology is better than workplace technology.
• With the iPhone and iPad becoming commonplace in the home, many employees are now attracted to Mac computers in the workplace. Seeing Macs in a workplace environment used to be the exception, but more and more businesses are buying and supporting them now that users are more comfortable with them.
• Video conferencing used to be scarce in the workplace, despite the fact that video capabilities have been available for decades. It used to be that a significant amount of IT time had to go into making video conferences happen. However, now that nearly every device has a camera and videoconferencing has been made easy, we are seeing it occur more and more in the workplace.
• Working from home is another area of telecom that has become much more commonplace. In years past, telecommuting required a significant amount of effort to implement for each employee. Not only is telecommuting accepted in the present, but it can be a factor in attracting the right employees and increasing employee productivity. For more information on telecommuting, see the previous blog post, “Can Your Business Benefit from Telecommuting?”

Does your business offer a BYOD environment, Macs, video conferencing and/or telecommuting? If not, your employee productivity could be suffering and you could be losing out on good employees. For more information, or to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.

Some of the most important telecommunications solutions today have to do with security. However, many IT departments approach security in a reactionary way. When confronted with a disgruntled employee or data breach that leaves information compromised, IT attempts a retroactive fix. And this is not for lack of trying to proactively fix problems; most IT departments have security protocols in place but fail to measure their effectiveness. An IT department can have all the firewalls, filters and antivirus programs they want, but there is no such thing as 100 percent secure. Therefore, IT departments need to look at quantifiable metrics in order to evaluate data, networks and systems. In short, you need to collect data in order to secure it.

The following are three metrics that should be evaluated by IT departments:

• Threats Detected Over Time: Most businesses have security tools that notify them of threats, such as spam, malware and externally-launched attacks. However, you should bring the data from all of these tools together and map them out in order to get a big picture of threats. Doing this will allow you to see problematic situations such as a significant increase in spam or external attacks. This could indicate that your business is being singled out and that more intense security measures should be taken. In addition, you should be able to identify general abnormalities in the environment, such as dramatic jumps in server CPU utilization and a significant increase in the number of files being opened or copied by a particular user.
• Risk Tolerance: Many businesses use a risk-based approach to security, and with good reason. It is an effective way to figure out what your business owns, its overall worth and what threatens it. However, are you asking what risks your business is willing to accept? This is a question that is often overlooked but is vitally important because no business is 100 percent secure and residual risk can never be completely eliminated. Residual risk should be quantified, explained to stakeholders and periodically re-evaluated. This process is incredibly important in order to understand the overall level of acceptable risk. Furthermore, you might consider getting senior management to sign off on a written statement of risk so that if something does go wrong, no one will be playing the blame game.
• Prescriptive Configuration Baselines: A high number of assets like workstations, servers, laptops, routers, etc., means a higher likelihood that there is a hole somewhere that can be taken advantage of by a threat. You can minimize this risk by measuring prescriptive configuration baselines against your assets. Prescriptive configuration baselines are available from a wide variety of sources including publicly-available guidance and vendor security recommendations.

With so many businesses today conducting their telecommunications using computers or VoIP phones over their IP network, even IT personnel tasked with only telecommunications must be concerned with security. For more telecom solutions, or to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.

The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) vs. corporate-owned mobile device policy debate has been a hot topic in business telecommunications for quite some time. Most businesses are either trying to decide whether to allow employee-owned devices or trying to determine if their current policy is the most cost-effective telecom solution. Many businesses allow a BYOD policy for two main reasons: First, employees often want to use their own device. Second, it may — at first thought — seem cheaper. After all, employees may pay for a portion of their bill, along with the cost of the device and any consecutive devices. However, there are many factors to consider when determining the cost effectiveness of using a BYOD policy.

When determining the cost effectiveness of any telecommunications solution, you must not only consider initial cost, but also the potential for savings. For example, if you manage a significant number of mobile devices, you will have many savings opportunities with a corporate-owned fleet through data and voice pooling, bulk carrier discounts, internal calling options and greater availability of more lucrative features and plans. These options are typically not available to individual customers and, therefore, will most likely be unavailable to you if you use a BYOD policy.

In addition, mobile device management is typically easier with a corporate-owned fleet. Finding billing errors is much simpler with corporate accounts as opposed to individual customer accounts. You save money by uncovering billing errors and the amount of time spent trying to find them decreases, which leads directly to saving money through greater employee productivity.

In addition, potential problems with down time are more cost-effective when mobile devices are issued to employees. If a mobile device breaks, the company can simply issue a spare rather than waiting for the employee to deal with getting a new device through their carrier. Finally, there is the issue of security. While it is possible to maintain security in a BYOD environment, to do so in a corporate-owned environment is much easier.

As with any other aspect of business telecommunications, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Businesses must take into account their individual needs and abilities. Telecom cost management will be affected by a number of factors including business size, needs, sensitivity of data, etc. For more information on mobile device management, or to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.

With the summer vacation season quickly approaching, it’s imperative that all businesses think about how employee vacations could affect their telecommunications system. The sad fact is that many IT departments are understaffed and overworked. This means two things for businesses: First, your IT staff desperately needs a vacation. Second: That vacation could have adverse affects on how your telecommunication system runs — unless you have telecom solutions in place to ensure that no one employee is your first line of defense against any one problem (hint, hint).

Many IT departments consist only of a few people, and this means that they are stretched pretty thin. When someone takes even one day off (much less a week-long vacation), the result can be a backlog of work that everyone must scramble to finish once the employee returns. What’s even worse, however, is what happens when the employee on vacation is the only one with access to or knowledge of a particular area of the IT infrastructure.

This is an extremely poignant — and very common — problem with telecom security. If an employee needs new access or changes made to security settings but the employee with the log-in credentials is absent, that employee may have to go without the access they need for a week or more until the absent employee returns. Not only is this frustrating to everyone involved, but will affect employee productivity and, therefore, business income.

At the very least, there should be someone who can serve as a backup to an absent employee, even if that person isn’t completely proficient at all the tasks the absent employee performs. Ideally you should have at least two employees at all times who can perform the same tasks so that when one goes on vacation, the other can deal with any issues that arise.

For other telecommunications management tips, or to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.

The advent of VoIP technology and other telecommunications solutions has made it possible for more and more businesses to adopt a global, rather than local, business model. In fact, many localized businesses are simply not surviving in today’s worldwide communications world. In the past, if one wanted to adopt a global business model, doing so would require expensive airplane tickets, hotel costs and pricey international calling in order to have business meetings which may or may not yield financial fruits. The overhead costs of such endeavors were high enough that only a few corporate giants could afford to be global. Therefore, most businesses were localized, leaving room for other strictly localized businesses to survive. However, telecommunications is bringing the world together, allowing businesses to make sales pitches across the globe with tools such as video conferencing — all at no additional cost. This is great news for businesses who want to expand, but it can be dangerous for companies that have remained limited to a localized business model.

But if you’re looking to go global, there’s no better time than now. International calls used to be terribly expensive and were often disconnected mid-conversation. However, VoIP technology allows businesses to use laptops to communicate with overseas clients without incurring costs above and beyond the cost of their existing plan. Another service, Voice Logging, has become incredibly valuable for businesses. Voice Logging records audio such as VoIP conversations, telephone lines and business radio channels, and files it away for future reference. Extensively used in call centers, Voice Logging allows businesses to review calls in order to maintain more detailed records of conversations. Voice Logging is also known as phone recording, call logging and call recording.

Using a normal broadband connection with Internet-based phones, rather than a traditional system of exchange and switches, even small businesses can make unlimited international calls with minimum expense. Because of these advances in telecommunications technology, small businesses can have access to a global clientele in order to expand and thrive.

For more information on VoIP technology, and to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.

When choosing a telecom service provider, many businesses tend to go with a larger company with a lot of clients, because they feel a sense of safety in numbers. After all, if all these people continue to go to a particular carrier, they must be safe, right? Sadly, this is not always the case. Many larger carriers have hidden fees snuggled between the lines of their monthly invoices and, in some cases, it isn’t even the carrier who is at fault for telecom billing errors.

In a previous blog post, “Cramming: The FCC’s Proposed Crackdown,” we discussed cramming scams in which unauthorized and unwanted charges are placed on a landline or wireless bills. In many cases, unauthorized fees such as $1.99 per month for a “monthly service charge” can go unnoticed by the customer for years.

However, there is another side to cramming scams. Any telecom carrier, but especially larger ones, can be used as a vehicle for scam artists that act as third party billers in order to tack on extra charges to your monthly bill. So how do they do it? A third party company will call a telecom provider’s customers and attempt to get them to answer some type of question about the carrier with a simple “yes.” The question usually doesn’t feel invasive and can be as simple as asking if you would like your business’ number to be listed in an online telephone book. The question can be anything, but as long as the scammers get a recorded “yes,” they have what they need. They can then tack extra charges onto your monthly telecom bill for any amount they feel they can charge without being noticed. This is often a small amount — but for large companies with extremely high, complicated bills, they can sometimes slip in a charge as high as $30 or $50 per month.

You should regularly inspect your monthly invoices for a third party business logo. There should not be any other businesses listed on your bill except your carrier and your own. Some examples of bogus phrases associated with cramming charges are “online business listing,” and “business Internet optimization.” However, crammers can be incredibly creative with their scams, so examine bills carefully and trust your instincts.

If you find evidence of cramming on your monthly invoice, there are a couple of things you can do to stop it. Usually, you will find a telephone number listed under the logo next to the bogus charges. Call that number and first get as much information from them as possible, such as the name of the person you are speaking with, their supervisor’s name, company name and address. Next, insist they cancel the service, and demand reimbursement for back charges. Keep in mind that they will work hard to keep their stolen money and may say things like the charge was authorized by someone at the company and canceling it may cause disruptions in service. Insist they do as you’ve asked and tell them you will file a complaint with the FTC, or Federal Trade Commission.

Your second option for dealing with crammers is to enlist the help of a telecommunications consulting firm. A good telecom consultant will perform a thorough telecom audit to uncover all unnecessary charges on your bills. They will then act on your behalf with companies in order to get the charges fixed and secure reimbursement for back charges. Because telecom consultants deal with crammers and other types of overcharging scammers every day, they are often more successful at getting a higher percentage of money back for businesses.

For more information on how your business may be getting overcharged and to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.

An important part of Mobile Device Management (MDM) is the way in which a business permits mobile devices onto the corporate network. Many businesses provide wireless access and can choose to make it available to employees only, or allow guests to access the wireless as well. This must be done in a secure fashion in order to maintain security and protect corporate data. There are many telecom solutions available, but when establishing an MDM Solution Policy, there are three scenarios that need to be addressed:

1. Employee/Corporate Devices: These devices are managed by the corporation and will have full network access.
2. Contractor/Personal Devices: These devices are personal devices owned by employees or contractors. They will have partial or full access to corporate data, depending on your policies.
3. Guest/Personal Devices: These devices are owned by guests and should not have access to corporate data. In addition, you will not manage or access internal data.

Most MDM solutions address items one and two, while access control technology addresses the third. MDM vendors typically take one of two approaches:

1. Sandbox: Also known as secure container technologies, this offering provides the most security. It protects corporate data through data loss prevention and limiting data access and establishes policies for encryption that can be controlled with MDM-issued access methods, as opposed to what is offered by the manufacturers of the devices. The sandbox solution protects corporate data regardless of user rights. However, native device applications such as built-in email are not utilized with the sandbox approach.
2. Endpoint Management: This solution compliments existing native applications and supports specific vendors. Endpoint management controls applications and issues commands (e.g. remote wipes) by leveraging an agent on mobile devices. This solution is typically more suited for businesses that allow employees to use personal devices, while a sandbox solution favors businesses that only allow corporate-issued devices.

When considering MDM vendors and policies, there are several questions you should ask:

• What MDM security features does the vendor offer?
• Is the policy flexible enough to accommodate corporate and personal devices?
• Does the MDM solution provide remote wipe capabilities that target corporate data only?
• Can employees’ personal devices be registered with a GUI or will an administrator be required?
• Are corporate-controlled mobile devices assigned and managed effectively by the MDM?
• What are the MDM’s standardizing and upgrading software maintenance options?
• Does the MDM solution provide reports of applications being used on mobile devices?

It is important that each business finds an MDM solution that fits its needs and policies for mobile device use. For more information on mobile device management, or to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.

If you’ve decided that a T1 or T3 line is right for your business, the next step is to find the best provider for you. Entering into a contract begins what may be a long-term relationship, so it’s best to find the right provider so that you get off on the right foot. Most T1 and T3 contracts last between 1 and 3 years. However, according to telecommunications consulting firms, 3-year contracts will usually offer the best pricing. The length of the contract shouldn’t be an issue as long as you have a good relationship with your vendor. However, with the wrong vendor, a long contract can be a terrible burden.

In order to prevent falling in with the wrong vendor, consider enlisting the services of a telecommunications consulting firm. Doing so will ensure that providers are compared effectively in order to find the one with the best options for your specific business. This can save a lot of time and money by reducing the amount of time you will have to invest in the project. Just think: One in-depth meeting with your telecom consultant will replace multiple meetings with individual vendors.

Furthermore, consultants will be aware of any questions they need to ask you, as well as the providers, in order to ensure the vendors they present to you will be the best possible match at the best possible price. The most important thing to remember is that vendors’ sales representatives work for the vendor. It is their job to complete sales and bring in clients. They probably won’t care if their product is your perfect match. A telecom consultant, however, works for YOU. It is their job to find the right match, regardless of what provider that ends up being. The result is an unbiased report of possible vendors that can be trusted when making a decision.

For more information on finding a T1/T3 vendor, or to receive your free telecom audit, contact The Sygnal Group, a telecommunications consulting firm, by calling (310) 463-8400.