Cyber Security And Cloud

The biggest buzz words in business and in our government are CYBER SECURITY and CLOUD. The evolution of the “cloud” has gone from where we’ve stored pdf and pictures to hosting our telecommunications and basically storing our entire business. Critical and sensitive business and personal information is exchanged and stored making it a hacker’s personal heaven. One do non-tech people really understand what “The Cloud” is,  and two if you don’t really understand what the cloud is how can you really have piece of mind that you’re safe and protected? Brace yourself, but the easy and unpleasant answer…You are never nor will you ever be 100% safe.  Now, hold on to your pants because there are very basic and very key steps that you can take to ensure that your exposures are reduced almost down to nothing. The key is, hire experts and then listen to your experts! Here’s why Towner Communications the Cloud Telecommunications Experts in the Midwest…Yes we can claim that, are telling you to get in the cloud.

Here’s our top 3 reasons we propose Cloud Solutions to almost if not all of the small to medium size partners we consult for.

1. Physical Real estate in their office: Premise telecom solutions can be massive and take up more space in your office than you can give up. The entire concept the cloud is that everything is off site and tucked into a server in a far off land. Use that extra room for your ping pong table, or an extra office.
2. Cost Savings: Unlike on premise solutions, unless you purchase the equipment you’ll be using, there is little to no upfront major cash lay out. Flexible plans mean you can rent the equipment and ALL your telecom services and needs are wrapped into one nice tight little monthly payment.
3. Flexibility: As your business grows so can you’re solution. As you’re business becomes seasonal so can your solution.

These are all great selling points of the cloud and are the apex of what small and medium companies need to grow and stay competitive. HOWEVER please proceed with caution when you’re evaluating a provider!!! You have to ask the right questions and receive the responses that are clear and accurate and fit the culture of your business. Not all carriers are created equal and not all fire sale tactics (like tossing in phones for free) or promising the lowest prices in the industry mean you’re getting a great deal. Usually these companies deal in volume and aren’t concerned about your specific business needs. This is why you’ll experience more frequent outrages, less than desirable customer service, and more importantly cookie cutter cyber security measures that leave you exposed to costly attacks.

These are the exact questions you have to ask when looking for the perfect telecom partnership:

What solution offers the most cyber security VIOP or cloud?

Best Answer: It’s important to understand that VoIP is a universal term for Internet based telephony which also includes cloud. If they don’t tell you that VOIP and Cloud are virtually the same RUN. Both terms mean that the calls are delivered via the internet. Now here’s the key point…Any call that is made over public internet is going to have a high level of exposure.

Who has control of your data if you go cloud?

Best Answer: Here’s the deal…Cloud is a sexy word that everyone throws around to seem like their on the cutting edge and super with it. The magical cloud is simply a system (much like you would have on site) that resides in a data center somewhere in a location that doesn’t even have to be remotely close in proximity to your physical location. This means that any and all security concerns are no different to when there is a physical phone system. What’s really important is the promise of the security level that your partner is giving you. On site the it would equate to the level of security your IT guy is promising you.

Is VOIP more vulnerable to hacks?

Best Answer: HECK YES! Analogue phones are by definition secure. Often times when companies think about cyber security and getting hacked, the last thing they realize is that their phone systems are one of the most vulnerable. Because of this, they don’t encourage their staff to update passwords as frequently as they do with their computers, they don’t educate their team members on the things to look for to identify possible security breaches. The key here is that any expert provider  knows that they can give you that ISDN security with call encryption on VoIP.

Key take aways here are that you don’t buy on price or promise. That you buy on reputation. Cloud solutions are amazingly reliable and secure and can take most if not all of the headache of the telecom portion of your business off your plate. However it’s not the solution that you need to evaluate it’s your provider. Look at reviews, talk to your peers. Throw the lowest and highest prices out and by all means, pick a local vendor who can give you customized and speedy service and solutions!