Is your company ready for not just survival but growth as we enter the “new normal” after COVID-19? Withstanding the weeks of change and uncertainty have given businesses some challenges, to say the least. But as multiple states reopen in phases, there are some promising lessons we can learn. It would be quite a stretch to suggest there is a “silver lining" in a pandemic. There will, however, be innovative, and newly discovered ways to bounce back from this event. Many businesses can exceed their recovery expectations and emerge stronger. Moving ahead, we will know how to be prepared for unforeseen...

If you are a business owner or executive, then obviously you want to find ways to save money — especially these days with so much uncertainty about the future. Switching from a landline telephone system to a cloud telephone system will save your business anywhere from around 20%-50% per year (and possibly more). Plus, your staff — regardless of whether they are in a home office or workplace location — will have access to a full range of enterprise-grade calling features like voicemail-to-email and auto attendant that will help them be more productive and efficient. On top of this, your customers...

As the world advances toward reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic, your business needs to be prepared. Carolina Digital Phones has solutions to your communication needs through our dependable, affordable Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services. Our partners at AT&T IoT (Internet of Things) are preparing integrated solutions for businesses with public spaces in need of real-time monitoring of body temperature through Thermal Analytics. In the new economy, being able to monitor a large number of people without bringing your company to a halt will ensure your business or institution runs smoothly without major bottlenecks or delays. Being able to adapt...

This week, Twitter announced that many of their employees will be allowed to work from home not just for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, but forever. Other companies are grappling with when to reopen their physical offices and, how many of their employees to allow to work remotely. Barclays and JPMorgan Chase & Co may not bring all employees back at the same time. Austin, Texas-based Dell Computers says that more than 50% of their more than 160,000 employees may never return to the office. The decision by Twitter and other employers signals a growing shift in attitude in...

Medical institutions and professionals are constantly looking for ways of evolving and being able to give the best possible healthcare and treatment to patients. The need for more readily accessible healthcare is growing. One in five adults in the United States is believed to live with some sort of mental illness or mental health problem. For three years running, life expectancy has dropped in the US, which only serves to highlight the need for greater access to behavioral care and treatment in day to day life. Telehealth is one of the greatest tools available to behavioral healthcare providers when it comes...

When the going gets tough, local businesses get going As a longtime business owner in the Triad, I have always been a big supporter of backing local companies and following the principle of “give where you live.” But as we all know, relationships are a two-way street. And right now, as we grapple with this unprecedented crisis caused by COVID-19, I am seeing local businesses step up and give back to their customers in ways that are both practical, and inspirational. As the saying goes: In bad times, you find out who your real friends are. Since the beginning of this crisis,...

In today’s current climate, video conference security has become more important than ever before. More people are remote working in light of the coronavirus lockdown. Getting used to remote working isn’t easy. You need to get your routine figured out and you need to get used to the different tools you will be using while working from home. It’s a big shift! And, this is represented effectively when it comes to the different statistics out there in regards to collaboration tools and the usage of online video context. Let’s take a look at the case of Zoom...

A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts traffic between a device (e.g. computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone) and a network. Since hackers don’t have the encryption key, they can’t snoop and steal data. That’s the good news. The bad news is that because millions of people are working from home right now due to the coronavirus pandemic, VPNs are getting overloaded with traffic. Reports show that the global use of some VPNs has increased by 165 percent since March 11. This is causing some remote workers to experience sluggish data connectivity speeds, which is making it frustrating (and sometimes impossible) to participate...

As COVID-19 continues to sweep across the United States, government bodies, commercial organizations and individuals are already looking forward to how we’ll build a new future. The impact of COVID-19 may be unprecedented in living memory, but the compassionate and courageous response is nothing new. Like everyone, my outlook has been changed by COVID-19. As we’ve seen the speed at which a previously unknown threat can affect our country, it’s natural to feel shocked and wary. Now that we find ourselves reaching the peak of the outbreak, however, these initial emotions have given way to altogether more positive ones: optimism, hope,...

Most of us have more time on our hands than ever before. We’re locked down in our homes, with nothing to do. We’re probably reading the news more than we ever have been, actively searching for updates on the coronavirus and information on how many people have died and when we will be able to resume to normal life again. It can be easy to become wrapped up in all of the doom and gloom that is on the television and the internet. However, there are plenty of great news stories out there at the moment; you simply need to...