Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony systems are more mobile, have greater functionality, and cost less than traditional landline phones. But like any type of IT, VoIP is vulnerable to disruptions caused by equipment failure, disasters, and cyberattacks. To make your VoIP systems more resistant to unforeseen and adverse events, follow these tips.

Choose your provider wisely

When choosing which VoIP system to adopt for your company, carefully evaluate the service level agreements offered by each provider. Inquire about the provider’s security and availability guarantees and how these will be achieved.

Ideally, you must partner with the firm that can host your VoIP systems in facilities that are safe from local disasters such as flash floods or earthquakes. Your provider should also employ advanced network security solutions to protect your calls and data.

Invest in VoIP monitoring services

Before implementing any of the next two VoIP continuity solutions, install a third-party VoIP monitoring service to keep tabs on the status of your phone system. This tool will identify all network issues disrupting your phone system, enabling you to resolve them quickly.

Have a backup broadband line

Since VoIP solutions are dependent on internet connections, you should have a backup or alternate internet service provider (ISP) in case your main network goes down.

Have one ISP dedicated to your VoIP service and another supporting your main computer network. Once you’ve installed both networks, you can then program them to automatically transfer services to the other should one network fail. Thus, if your main phone network goes down, your VoIP solution switches to the other network and suffers no interruptions.

Of course, subscribing to two separate ISPs will increase your internet expenses. But if you perform a cost-benefit analysis, you’ll find that the cost to maintain both is far less than the cost of downtime in case your only ISP were to fail.

Route calls to mobile devices

Cloud-based VoIP solutions allow you to choose where you receive your calls with call forwarding — a feature that automatically reroutes incoming calls to other company-registered devices. This enables staff to receive work-related calls when they’re out of the office on a remote assignment, working at home, or when your main office is hit by a local disaster or network outage.

To benefit from this feature, register all employee mobile devices to your VoIP system and configure such devices to receive rerouted calls. Don’t forget to set policies for remote working. For instance, you should forbid staff from connecting to public Wi-Fi networks because this can put them at risk of cybercriminals eavesdropping on VoIP conversations.

Test your continuity measures regularly

There’s little value in VoIP continuity and disaster recovery strategies if they end up failing when you need them the most. Test your VoIP service and check whether contact details are up to date, call forwarding features are routing calls to the right devices, and your backup internet service works. Ultimately, your goal is to find flaws in your strategies and make the necessary adjustments to avoid potential hiccups from occurring in the future.

If managing VoIP is too time-consuming and complex, call our professionals today. We design, implement, test, and monitor powerful, disaster-proof VoIP phone systems to ensure your communications are always online.

To get different tasks done, businesses need a dependable, feature-rich productivity suite like Microsoft Office. Included in Office is Microsoft Word, a time-tested word processor that millions of organizations use. Now, Word has a refreshed look and feel, and is packed with even more features for improving productivity.

Work online

Don’t have the Word app on your computer, tablet, or smartphone? Go to office.com, sign in with your Microsoft account, and open Word Online, the web version of Word. This is particularly useful for users who have limited free storage space on their devices, as the Word app can be pretty hefty in terms of storage space (2.11 GB for Windows and 1.2 GB for Mac). It allows for the same level of functionality without the storage burden.

Collaborate effectively

You and your colleagues can now edit the same Word document simultaneously and in real time. Simply save the document to your Microsoft OneDrive account, click Share, and send the link to the file to your coworkers. People with the link can access and edit the document using the Word desktop app or Word Online.

Maintain editorial control

Use the Track Changes function of Word to monitor all edits made to your document. To turn on Track Changes, click on the Review tab, and then select Track Changes. You will then be able to view all changes made to the file by every user, and you will also have the ability to reject or accept suggestions and edits as you see fit.

Use Smart Lookup for research

The Smart Lookup feature helps you do online research while you’re working on a document — no need to open another tab and type in a query. Simply highlight and right-click the word or phrase you want to look up, and select Smart Lookup from the menu that appears. Word uses Microsoft’s Bing search engine to conduct a search on the selected word or phrase, and displays the results in a pane that appears on the right side of your screen.

Format your documents

The Styles gallery contains predefined formatting options for text. You can also add your own styles, or those you use frequently, to the gallery. By saving your own style preferences, you can apply them anytime without having to manually format everything. Just follow these steps:

1. Select the text you want to format as a new style (e.g., a heading or a certain phrase).
2. Specify the formatting you want on the mini toolbar that appears. For instance, click Bold and Red if you want the text to appear as such.
3. Click the More arrow in the lower-right corner of the Styles gallery. Select Create a Style. This will open the Create New Style from Formatting dialog box.
4. Give the style a name and click OK. Your new style will appear in the Styles gallery, ready for you to use anytime.

Search and use images quickly

With Word, there’s no need to open your browser to look for images for your document. Just place the cursor in the area where you want to insert the photo, click the Insert tab and select Online pictures (type “clip art” in the search box if that’s what you need), select an image, then click Insert.

Edit PDFs

Word’s PDF editing function allows you to make quick changes to PDF files without having to download and use a PDF editing app or software. But before you can edit a PDF file in Word, you have to convert it to a file format that Word can display. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Click File > Open > Browse
2. Choose the PDF file you want to edit, then click Open
3. Click OK to make a copy of the PDF file and convert its contents into a format that can be opened in Word. (Note: The original PDF will be preserved.)
4. Make edits to the copy of the PDF file.
5. When you’re done, click File > Save as > PDF

Microsoft is constantly rolling out nifty new features for its popular word processor. To stay updated on the latest Word features and functionalities, reach out to our Microsoft experts now.

Working from home is here to stay, and more businesses will continue to implement either a fully remote work policy or adopt a hybrid work model strategy. Some employees, however, may find it difficult to be as productive at home as they are at the office, especially if they don’t have sufficient internet bandwidth. But how much internet bandwidth is necessary to be able to work smoothly?

What is bandwidth?

Bandwidth refers to the maximum data transfer rate possible in a network or internet connection. It indicates the amount of data that can be sent over a connection in a given amount of time, and is usually expressed in bits per second (bps).

Imagine two computers with the same internet speed at 100 megabits per second (Mbps): the first computer only has a 50 Mbps bandwidth, while the second one has 100 Mbps. If they were to download the same packet with 500 megabits (Mb), the first computer would be able to do it in 10 seconds, while the second one could do it in just 5.

This is because the first computer’s bandwidth is capped at 50 Mbps — even with a high-speed internet service, the limit of transfer would still be low. Therefore, the higher the bandwidth, the more data can be sent over a connection, contributing to faster uploads and downloads and a better internet experience overall.

How much bandwidth do you need for remote working?

To answer this question, you need to factor in the type of work that you do and the apps that you use. If your job mostly consists of sending emails, editing and writing on Google Docs, and communicating on Slack, then you can do your job with ease even with a low bandwidth. On the other hand, if your day-to-day tasks consist of frequently attending meetings through video calls, then you’d need a plan with higher bandwidth.

Once you have a clear picture of how much data you send and receive on an average workday, you can start looking for plans that can support your needs. And while you don’t need to conduct virtual meetings in 4K quality, you also won’t want your clients and colleagues to appear pixelated during a meeting. Neither would you want a session that gets choppy or cut off mid-conversation.

Here are the minimum requirements for the most common video chat apps used by remote workers today:

• Zoom

For 1:1 video calling:

• • 600 Kbps (up/down) for high-quality video
  • 1.2 Mbps (up/down) for 720p HD video
  • Receiving 1080p HD video requires at least 1.8 Mbps (downspeed)
  • Sending 1080p HD video requires at least 1.8 Mbps (upspeed)

For group video calling:

• • 800 Kbps/1.0 Mbps (up/down) for high-quality video
  • For 720p HD video: 1.5 Mbps (up/down)
  • Receiving 1080p HD video requires at least 2.5 Mbps (downspeed)
  • Sending 1080p HD video requires at least 3.0 Mbps (upspeed)

• Google Meet

HD video quality:

• • Outbound signals must always meet a 3.2 Mbps minimum bandwidth requirement.
  • Minimum inbound signals: 2.6 Mbps with two participants; 3.2 Mbps with five participants; and 4.0 Mbps with 10 participants

Standard definition (SD) video quality:

• • Outbound signals must always meet a 1 Mbps minimum bandwidth requirement.
  • Minimum inbound signals: 1 Mbps with two participants; 1.5 Mbps with five participants; and 2 Mbps with 10 participants

• Skype

Video calling:

• • HD: 1.2 Mbps (up/down)
  • SD: 400 Kbps (up/down)
  • The more participants, the higher the bandwidth requirement for downloads: 512 Kbps for three participants; 2 Mbps for five participants; and 4 Mbps for seven people. Upload requirements remain constant at 128 Kbps.

• Microsoft Teams

Teams requires the same upload and download internet bandwidth for the following scenarios:

• • At least 30 Kbps for peer-to-peer audio calling
  • At least 1.2 Mbps for peer-to-peer HD-quality video calling at 720p
  • At least 1.5 Mbps for peer-to-peer HD-quality video calling at 1080p
  • At least 500 Kbps/1 Mbps for group video calling

If you’re worried about your internet bandwidth, you can opt for audio calls instead of video calls. This considerably helps lower the information you need to upload and download.

For more tips and solutions on how you can work from home without a hitch, call us. We’d be happy to help.

Incorporating technology into business operations can be challenging because it's always evolving. Many companies simply can’t keep up — this is why many of them turn to managed IT services providers (MSPs) for their tech needs. Read on to learn more about them.

MSPs defined

MSPs are companies composed of specialists from various IT fields. They deliver various IT services (e.g., cloud computing, cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery) and proactively manage their clients’ IT systems under a subscription model.

Selecting the best MSP

While there are numerous MSPs out there, not all of them are equipped to meet your company’s unique needs. You can only achieve optimum IT results by selecting the right MSP.

Here are some criteria to keep in mind:

• Depth of skills and experience – An MSP should have the skills and experience that go beyond basic software installation, maintenance, and upgrades. They should also have strong expertise in advanced IT functions, such as database management, cloud technology, security, and cross-platform integration, so they can keep pace with your company’s growing IT requirements.
• Financial stability – With IT being the backbone of your business operations, you need an IT partner who will be there for the long haul. Assess their stability by looking into their annual reports and financial statements. Check how many clients they have and their customer retention numbers. Also, read customer reviews and testimonials online customer reviews and testimonials.
• Competitive service level agreement (SLA) – An SLA is a contract that dictates the standards that your MSP must meet. It should be able to answer these questions: Do they offer 24/7 support? Can they conduct remote and on-site support? What are their guaranteed response and resolution times? If they fail to meet their committed service levels, do they offer rebates or money-back guarantees?
• Third-party vendor partnerships – Pick an MSP with an ongoing relationship with the technology vendors (e.g., Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce) whose products you already use in your IT environment. Verify the partnership the MSP has with those vendors. The higher the partnership level, the more vendor certifications the provider has, which means they can provide plenty of expertise to your business.

Choosing the right provider is a crucial decision that will impact your business’s performance and success. If you want to learn more about how MSPs can support your business, contact us today.

You may have the habit of putting apps and files that need your immediate attention on your desktop, but not moving them to proper folders when you’re through with them. What you end up with is a mess that makes it hard to find what you need and easy to lose important files forever. Prevent this by following our tips for clearing your desktop.

1. Arrange, sort, and prioritize

Before you delete everything from your desktop, think about what you really want to keep. This will vary from person to person, but most people use their desktop for storing files, folders, and apps that they want to access quickly.

Take the time to sort your files and folders. An easy way to do this is to right-click on an empty area of your desktop (where there are no icons), mouse over on View, and select Auto arrange icons. This will organize your icons into a grid format. Then, right-click on the empty space and hover your mouse over Sort by and select Date modified to arrange the icons by the date they were last opened, with the latest on top.

2. Create a folder for holding files and another for keeping app shortcuts

People often use their desktop to store downloaded files, photos, screenshots, and even email attachments, which can lead to a messy desktop.

However, you don’t need all these on your desktop. Instead, create a folder on your desktop that will serve as your dumping ground for all your nonessential files and folders. If you don’t intend to keep a file, icon, photo, etc. for long, put it in this folder. Revisit this folder every once in a while to delete the files you no longer need.

It also helps if you create a shortcut folder. When you install new programs on Windows, a shortcut icon is often automatically added to your desktop. But these desktop shortcuts should be for frequently used programs only. Create a separate folder for programs that aren’t used that often.

3. Clear out unnecessary files

Once you have your folders set up, it’s time to get rid of the clutter. If you haven’t used a file, folder, etc. in the past two months or so, get rid of it. Examine your desktop and uninstall programs you no longer use. You’ll also want to delete outdated files you no longer need and place the rest in relevant folders.

4. Use the taskbar or Start menu for apps

In Windows 10, you can pin apps to the Start menu and the taskbar. This is a great alternative to having program shortcuts on your desktop. To pin apps, open your apps list (i.e., click the Start button at the bottom-left corner of the screen) and right-click on the application you would like to pin. Select Pin to Start or Pin to taskbar for the option you want.

5. Choose a wallpaper you love looking at

An interesting way to minimize clutter is to pick a wallpaper that you enjoy looking at — whether it’s your favorite motivational quote, a photo of your family, or a picture of your dream house, car, or destination. Having an image you like serves as a reminder to keep icons to a minimum, so if you can’t see the image anymore, then you have too many icons, and it may be time to get rid of a few.

If you are looking to learn more about how to use Windows more effectively, contact us today.

People rely on email to do a wide array of tasks. We use it to sign up for websites, apply for jobs, make payments, get in touch with friends and family, and many more. However, email is also commonly exploited by hackers to steal information or launch malware attacks. Here are crucial steps to take to safeguard your email account.

Use separate email accounts

Most people use a single email account for all their online tasks. As a result, all information from websites, newsletters, shopping deals, and messages from work gets sent to one inbox. But what happens when someone breaks into that email account? Hackers could gain access to all the stored information and connected online accounts and use these in fraudulent dealings.

To prevent this from happening, create separate email accounts: a personal account to communicate with your friends and family, and a professional email account solely for work-related tasks.

Set strong passwords

Some email users often overlook the importance of having strong email account passwords. You might be surprised to learn how many people use weak passwords like “123456,” “qwerty,” and “password” and reuse passwords across multiple accounts. To keep all password-protected accounts safe, use strong passphrases that are unique to every account.

You should also consider enabling multifactor authentication. This creates an extra layer of security by requesting another method to verify your identity, like a fingerprint scan or an answer to a security question.

Beware of email attachments and embedded links

When you see a link in an email, don’t click on it unless you’ve verified its authenticity. You never know where those links might lead you. Sometimes they are safe, but other times they can infect your computer with malware or send you to a compromised website.

Be wary of downloading and opening email attachments as well. If the attachment is coming from strange email account names such as “@yahoo6753.com,” then it's likely unsafe.

Watch out for phishing scams

In phishing scams, cybercriminals pretend to be someone else — commonly high-profile companies like Amazon, Facebook, or Bank of America — to trick you into performing actions that enable them to breach your accounts. They typically write emails intended to elicit panic, such as claiming that there’s an issue with your account and that you should send them information or click on a link to “confirm” your personal details. This link will either install malware on your device or lead you to a fraudulent site.

It’s important to remember that legitimate companies would never ask such requests over email. If you get those types of messages, contact the company directly through a verified website or phone number — not the contact details in the email.

Monitor account activity

Periodically watch over your account activity. Check for any suspicious activities in your logs, such as unusual devices and IP addresses that have accessed your account. These indicate that hackers may have successfully broken into your account. If this is the case, sign out of all web sessions and change your password as soon as possible.

Encrypt emails

Email encryption ensures that any message you send can’t be understood by unauthorized users, even if they manage to intercept it.

Keep all email security software up to date

Install the latest updates for your anti-malware, firewalls, and email security software. This will filter potential email scams and fix any vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.

Implementing multiple email security measures can be daunting, but with our help, you can rest easy knowing that your email accounts will be protected from various cyberthreats. Talk to us today for all your cybersecurity needs.

The positive effects of business intelligence (BI) and big data analytics on healthcare management are becoming increasingly apparent — especially when it comes to reducing hospital readmission rates. Take a look at why many hospitals and clinics are beginning to embrace the potentials of data-driven business.

At its core, BI software is all about data analytics. BI software is capable of accepting staggering amounts of data in short periods of time. It uses advanced analysis algorithms to search for trends in the data that even the most experienced statistician cannot find. Because BI can quickly provide deep insights, businesses across industries have utilized different BI software to gain competitive advantages and streamline their workflows. For instance, healthcare organizations use BI to manage their readmission rates.

What is readmission?

Readmission refers to the instance a healthcare institution admits a patient within 30 days of that patient’s previous hospital stay. Readmissions usually occur because of:

• Complications arising from the preceding treatment
• Errors committed by hospital staff (e.g., leaving a sponge in the patient’s body after surgery)
• Patients not following their doctors’ recommendations
• Insufficient access to proper medical services and medications in the patient’s community

Why should hospitals want to reduce their readmission rate?

There are three main reasons why hospitals must strive to keep patients from returning for additional treatments:

1. Readmissions are financially crippling and more medically risky for patients
   Medical care in America is one of the most expensive in the world. While the degree of how much medical expenses affect people’s decisions to file for bankruptcy is up for debate, such expenses are nevertheless a contributing factor. Having to be treated more than once is therefore backbreaking for Americans, especially for those who are living paycheck to paycheck. Not only that, but the likelihood of getting hospital-acquired infection also increases the more one visits and/or the longer one stays in a healthcare facility. This results in a costly downward spiral no one wants to be in.
2. Medicare and Medicaid won’t pay for complete coverage
   Readmissions also take a toll on Medicare and Medicaid. This is why the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) impose a payment reduction penalty of up to 3% upon hospitals that exceed certain thresholds for readmission rates. That is, CMS only pays 97% of covered medical costs instead of the entire 100%. The penalty is arguably also a tool to keep hospitals from profiteering.
3. Having a high readmission rate can reduce a hospital’s reputation
   Once people find out that your hospital has a high readmission rate, they may begin to avoid your institution, thinking it provides poor-quality care.

How can business intelligence help hospitals with readmission rate reduction?

BI can help reduce readmission rates in several ways. For instance, by using patient-centric data points such as income level, English proficiency, housing conditions, and community resources, hospital administrators will have greater insight into the welfare of their patients. This knowledge will enable healthcare professionals to factor in their patients’ circumstances, create special care plans to increase the likelihood that their patients will abide by their medical recommendations, and help them prevent expensive readmissions.

Furthermore, by using BI software to merge socioeconomic data with electronic medical records, medical professionals can easily create individual profiles that will predict how likely a patient is going to require readmission, even before care is provided. Predictive analytics allows doctors to adjust the initial care they provide certain types of patients so that the likelihood of readmitting such patients is dramatically reduced.

In addition to helping you lower readmission rates, BI software can also provide your practice with unprecedented levels of care and efficiency. Call us today to get started with proven IT experts.

Among Google Chrome’s many productivity-enhancing features, the ability to sync across devices is one of the most helpful. This feature allows users to access their Google accounts and all related apps and data from anywhere, at any time, enabling them to work efficiently and conveniently. For more of the benefits of syncing Android with Chrome, read on.

View recently opened tabs on your Android device

This is especially useful when you need to bring your work outside of the office. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Chrome app on your Android device.
2. Tap the three-dotted menu icon on the upper-right corner.
3. Tap Recent tabs. You’ll see all the tabs you’ve opened recently while logged into your Google account regardless of device.

Use your Android device to access your computer

For this to work, you need to install the Chrome Remote Desktop app from the Google Play Store on your Android device and the Chrome Remote Desktop extension app on your computer. This will work regardless if your computer runs on Chrome OS, Windows, macOS, or Linux. Each device you want to connect must have Chrome installed, and each Chrome browser must be signed into the same account.

With everything in place, you can remotely control a system that’s turned on, such as your desktop, via your phone. You can move around your desktop, open and edit files, and run programs from your mobile. You could also allow one-time access to give or receive remote support.

Set reminders via Google Assistant or Google Keep

You can use voice commands on your Android phone to set reminders. Simply say “OK Google” or “Hey Google,” or press the mic icon to activate Google Assistant, then say “Remind me to buy milk at the grocery store” or whatever it is you want to be reminded of.

Once the “Add a reminder” screen appears, you can edit reminder details, such as when and where you want to be alerted. For instance, you may want your device to remind you of your grocery list when you enter a grocery store.

Alternatively, you can install the Google Keep extension app in Chrome or the Google Keep app on your Android. To do this, open the app, click the “Take a note” field, type in your reminder, and click the “Remind me” icon. Then click on either Pick date & time (to set when you want to be reminded) or Pick place (to set where you want to be notified).

As long as you have syncing turned on for your Google account, you can use Google Calendar, Google Assistant, or Google Keep on one device to set and get reminders across all your devices.

Send directions from your computer to your Android device

To send driving, walking, or commuting directions from your PC to your Android phone or tablet, do the following:

1. Click on a specific location on Google Maps, or enter a location in the search field and click on the desired result.
2. Click on the “Send to your phone” button in the pane on the left side of your screen.
3. Choose to have the directions sent to your mobile device via text or email.

Find your lost phone

As long as the Wi-Fi or data on your smartphone is turned on, you can find the device by entering “find my phone” in the Google search bar, which will then display the phone’s current or last known location. Click on that to bring up the Android Device Manager interface, from which you can lock or wipe your phone. On top of that, you can also use the Device Manager to ring your device for five minutes — even if it’s set to silent — in the hopes that a kind soul answers it and tells you where you can get your phone back.

Having access to Google Chrome across all your devices boosts your productivity and efficiency. If you want to learn more about how to get the most out of Chrome and your Android device, contact our experts today.

If you’re one of many people who regularly or permanently work from home, you’ve probably thought about how much more convenient it will be to work using two monitors instead of one. Mac users who wish to use two monitors but don't know how should follow these tips.

First, check which displays your Mac device supports by doing the following:

• Click the Apple Menu (located on the left-hand side of the screen) then click About This Mac. Then click Support > Specifications (under Mac Resources).

You will then be directed to an Apple web page indicating your device’s technical specifications. Under Display and Video Support, you will see some details similar to the following:

This is for a 13-inch MacBook Air (M1, 2020) model.

Extended mode versus mirror mode

Connecting to an external display lets you choose between:

• Extended mode – uses the external display to extend the image displayed on your main Mac device. To activate extended mode:
  •  Click Apple menu > System Preferences > Display > Arrangement.
  • Make sure the Mirror Displays checkbox is unticked.

Note: This may not work on older Mac devices such as early 2015 models or older.

• Mirror mode – reflects or “mirrors” the exact same image on your main device onto the external screen. To activate video mirroring:
  • Click Apple menu > System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement.
  • Tick the Mirror Displays checkbox.

AirPlay mode

Those who have an Apple TV can use AirPlay to use their TV as a second screen. Apple TV is designed for use with TVs, but it can also be used to connect to HDMI-enabled computer monitors.

To use AirPlay mode as a second display:

• Turn on your TV and Apple TV.
• In the menu bar (the topmost bar on the screen), click the Control Center icon.
• Click Screen Mirroring then select your Apple TV.

To enable AirPlay to mirror your main Mac device:

• Click the AirPlay icon and select Mirror Built-in Display.
• To use your TV as a separate display, click the AirPlay icon, then choose Use As Separate Display.

To turn off AirPlay:

• Click the AirPlay icon, then select Turn AirPlay Off.

Your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, and other Apple devices have functionalities you may not have yet explored. To get more productivity hacks and/or hardware support, call our IT experts today.

Mobile devices are indispensable. Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile gadgets play a big part in everyday processes, especially for individuals and companies that value connection and convenience. But as the number of mobile devices used in business operations increases, so do the cyberthreats that target them. Be sure to follow these steps to safeguard company mobile devices.

Ensure mobile OS is up to date

The updates to Apple and Android operating systems (OS) improve overall user experience, but their most important function is to fix security vulnerabilities. Reduce your business’s exposure to threats by installing updates for all devices as soon as they become available. Don’t delay updates, as doing so gives cybercriminals ample time to exploit vulnerabilities on devices that run on an outdated OS.

Install business applications only

Downloading apps seems harmless. However, lenient policies on what should and shouldn’t be downloaded on company mobile devices could lead to staff installing non-business-related apps, many of which are notorious for malicious advertising codes and other threats. It’s imperative that employees download and install only business applications necessary for their work on their company-issued mobile devices.

Be careful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks

Emergencies may compel your staff to use password-free Wi-Fi networks in hotels, airports, cafes, and other public places. Connecting to an open network can expose your confidential information and sensitive company data to cybercriminals connected to the same network.

You can avoid this by providing a practical internet data plan, preferably one that includes roaming services, for remote workers. And if connecting to a public Wi-Fi network is really necessary, using a reputable virtual private network (VPN) can help protect your sensitive data. A VPN creates a direct, secure connection for data from your end to your intended point on the internet.

Enable phone tracking tools

Losing a company-issued mobile device is unfortunate. Devices can be misplaced or stolen, but enabling Find My iPhone for iOS devices, GPS Phone Tracker for Android, or any device-tracking app helps users locate lost phones. Some also have the option to delete data on stolen devices. Downloading and setting up such an app takes only a few minutes and it will give you peace of mind knowing that even if your phone is lost or stolen, its contents will not be compromised.

Screen SMS carefully

SMS phishing can be used to trick you into clicking malicious links. Cybercriminals send messages purporting to be from someone you know, asking you to urgently disclose confidential information. Should you encounter such an SMS, you can either delete it or alert your IT department. You can also block unknown senders without even opening their messages.

Mobile devices are becoming more critical to operations. And with more devices open to attacks, businesses must bolster their cybersecurity efforts. Malicious actors will exploit every possible vulnerability and that includes those in unsecured smartphones and tablets. Get in touch with us if you need comprehensive security solutions for your business.