Tuesday, 12 March 2013

When Unified Communications is just Dial tone replacement


 
 

 

In a recent customer conversation regarding Microsoft Lync 2013 we discussed a “Unified Communications” tender they had been completed just over a year earlier. To our surprise what the customer had actually done was not a UC tender but simply a dial tone replacement (change phone systems) that did not provide any of the UC features they actually wanted and hence why they are now looking at Lync to provide that functionality.

While the system they selected does have UC functionality available which in my opinion is not as good as what is offered by Microsoft Lync, items such as IM, Presence and conferencing, these were considered as extra in the agreement from the expensive VOIP phone system they actually purchased. 40% over budget the project was stopped and they have a VOIP phone system that does the same as their old phone system with no new functionality.

Don’t get me wrong it’s a good phone system; but it is not a Unified Communications system. Had they gone with Lync enterprise voice it would have cost them less (they already own the Microsoft Lync licenses) would have had all of the functionality they want and need built into the one client which is tightly integrated with their other investments in Exchange and SharePoint.

When you are thinking about modernizing your phone system, don’t just think VOIP, it’s largely just a replacement of the same functionality utilizing different technology. Think about what your business needs, tightly integrated with your business applications, full IM, presence and conferencing with integrated and affordable video conferencing, options for today’s modern workplace with work from home or remote working, seamless desktop and contact integration with social networks such as Skype to name just a few of today’s business requirements.

If you want all of these functions, you need to look at Microsoft Lync!

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Ubi Safe Worker App "How to Install" Videos completed.



The "How to install" series for the Ubi Safe Worker App is now complete for all supported platforms and available for your viewing pleasure :-) on our OneNimbus YouTube channel.  Thats one new video for iPhone, Android and WP7. 


-Courtenay

Monday, 19 March 2012

OneNimbus Announces Ubi Safe Worker

OneNimbus® Introduces Ubi™ Safe Worker, Reduces Exposure For Employees Working Alone Enables employees to maintain discreet regular contact using a smart phone or tablet device


 
Why Businesses Need Ubi Safe Worker
Ubi Safe Worker was created to help businesses implement a practical solution in support of the new model OH&S laws, which commenced on January 1, 2012, as defined in the Work Health & Safety Act 2011. Under the new laws, potential fines have tripled and Directors and Officers can now be held individually responsible for OH&S violations, in addition to business entities. According to Jason McClintock, CEO of OneNimbus, “The changes to OH&S laws now require every organisation across Australia to be much more active in providing an easy to use communications platform for their staff to assist OH&S requirements. Ubi Safe Worker helps make this easy to achieve.”

What Ubi Safe Worker Delivers
Ubi Safe Worker will help protect employees working alone or away from the office by providing discreet regular contact as well as an alert capability. According to McClintock, “Ubi Safe Worker provides an important OH&S capability for today’s mobile workers. Individuals working in the healthcare, government, real estate, social services, and maintenance industries, to name just a few, can take advantage of the benefits of Ubi Safe Worker.”
Employees can provide their current status at the touch of a button and should an emergency arise, simply press the alert button to automatically send a distress notification to their managers and the business to action. McClintock says “Ubi Safe Worker helps to ensure that employees can remain in contact at the touch of a button when it may not be practical to do so. Through an opt-in policy, Ubi Safe Worker can also track individual devices and provide ongoing reporting of the physical location of each device back to the business when an employee is in a distress situation. This makes it easier to accurately respond and identify where emergency resources need to be provided should the need arise.”

Availability
Now every employee with a smart phone or tablet can increase their safety using Ubi Safe Worker. Available today, this simple application is designed to assist in reducing exposure to working alone risks by maintaining discreet regular contact at the touch of a button. Ubi Safe Worker can also send alerts and features an opt-in location monitoring capability.
Ubi Safe Worker is now available on all major smart phone and tablet platforms including Android, Apple, and Windows Phone 7. The Ubi Safe Worker clients can be downloaded via http://messagelinx.onenimbus.com.
The Ubi Safe Worker service is delivered via a monthly subscription and charged per user. Subscribers receive free Ubi Safe Worker clients for smart phones and tablets as well as access to the Ubi Safe Worker portal, which can be customised for your organisation. Portal features include full reporting for all meetings and alert notifications; real time monitoring of meetings and alerts; escalation management; configurable escalation policies; full communications audit; and continuous communication, even if the smartphone or data connection terminates.
The Ubi Safe Worker Portal is available in both Hosted and On-Premise versions and volume pricing is available for larger organisations. McClintock said, “The Ubi Safe Worker application provides employees with an easy to use, fully integrated, smart phone capability that helps ensure workers are protected when working alone or away from the office. Businesses can now deliver OH&S oversight more easily and in real time, while helping to ensure individual workers can perform their day to day activities uninterrupted.”

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Endpoint Backup - Made Easy with EVault

EVault Endpoint Protection

Here in IT land we don’t often talk about laptop or notebook backup for whatever reason – could be that data is too large and costly to backup, too hard to have a solution for mobile computer devices that aren’t always connected to your corporate network, you have Mac OS X computers not just PC’s, it’s the mobile computer owners issue, it’s too complex for our staff to use or it’s just too hard!

EVault Endpoint Protection also known as EEP, may be able to help you out. EEP provides you with client computer backup for mobile computing on the move for both PC and yes, Mac OSX.

You begin with centralised administration policies to start with; what to backup and what each EEP client can do. That way after each computer is authorised with EEP, clients don’t have to do anything to start backing up their data. Of course for those power users there’s always that option – if you let them.

For those mobile computers that aren’t always connected, EEP will continue to backup locally in case you delete or need to get back an earlier version of a document, until you’re back online and EEP will automatically start transferring the locally backed up data to the cloud.

Apart from the standard data encryption on client and in transit to the cloud, EEP also gives you the capability for remote wiping protected data on a device. Hey - we’ve had it for mobile phones for a while – about time we had it for mobile computers!

While you may not so be inclined – if you’re concerned about data leakage EEP provides a way of allowing what data can copied to connected devices – again through a centrally managed policy.

The concept of self service is becoming more of a standard offering as IT departments need to become more efficient with their time and as technologies mature enough to make it easier to do so. The EEP restore interface makes it simple to choose what files you want back from your list of backed up files, choose the date from the calendar and restore the file.

Mobile computing backup shouldn’t be hard – so give it to someone who can make it easy, EVault Endpoint Protection.

Have a look at http://evault.onenimbus.com/ for more information and download a FREE copy of the eBook "Data Backup For Dummies".

Till next time
- Danny Grasso