Month: June 2015

Today, DAS offers customers a telephone solution to eliminate any equipment on-site with lots of added benefits to being in the cloud. The features and savings of DAS VOIP only require a broadband Internet connection.

Voice Over IP (VOIP) has changed telephone service around the globe. Yet, many business still use Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).

If your business uses voicemail and extensions, you are using a Private Branch Exchange (PBX). Most businesses are still using an old PBX that works the same as it did decades ago. They have lots of expensive equipment in a closet, and have to pay a phone service company to make any and all changes.

Some business have a hybrid of POTS lines connected to a VOIP PBX.  Digital Age Solution has installed these for customers over the years.

DAS Cloud PBX moves all of the equipment to the cloud. You only need a VOIP phone, or a softphone on your computer or smartphone. Once programmed by DAS, that phone or app is a live extension wherever you plug it into the Internet. That provides real disaster recovery, because you are not tied to the phone lines in your building.

Best of all, the DAS Cloud PBX is easy to use and manage. You can set-up Auto-Attendants, voicemail, call forwarding, and unified communications in your web browser.

Our reliable, feature-rich hosted phone services adjust as you need them to. We make it easy for our customers to deploy the communication apps and solutions that your business needs, creating an in-office experience right at your fingertips, wherever you are on whichever device you choose. Commonly used features include: full call center capabilities, listen live, find me follow me and more.

Mobility is paramount in today’s business world. DAS VOIP keeps your company connected with a wide array of mobile features—from simultaneous ring to remote call control to help you conduct business anywhere through any device.

We’re here to support your business at every level with our local, personable support team. We’ll help you with your specific needs and concerns, while giving you personalized customer support you won’t find anywhere else.

Digital Age Solution will come out to your location to develop a custom DAS VOIP solution for you. We’ll check your Internet connections and provide an on-site demonstration of just how easy and feature-rich our product can be for your business.

 

We’ve had a lot of customers with equipment damaged by the recent storms already this year. As another line of storms enters the area, Digital Age Solution reminds you that we can help protect your information technology.

We have surge protectors and unlimited power supplies in-stock for just that purpose.

Its important to check to see if you are using a power strip or a surge protector. A decent surge protector will warranty equipment connected to the surge protector. Power strips do not offer protection for your equipment.

An unlimited power supply offers the best protection. These stop surges, and continue providing power through a battery. This gives you time to save any documents you may have open and shut down your computer properly.

Our Voice Over IP telephone service provides further support through storms. If you lose connectivity, our systems recognize that your home or office is not online. All your calls will automatically be directed to a cell phone, another location, or any number you specify.

DAS Sync protects your data by backing up to the cloud. Even if lightning takes out your hard drive, DAS Sync has your data ready and accessible.

If you are victim of the storms, Digital Age Solution technicians will be ready to help you repair, replace, or recover from the storm!

Dropbox exposes companies to risks of data theft, data loss, corrupted data, lawsuits, compliance violations, loss of accountability, and loss of file access. Considering all these risks, it’s no wonder that Dropbox is the No. 1 blacklisted application by IT and business owners.[1] However, simply blacklisting applications that employees consider vital to their productivity is rarely effective or constructive.

Here are four practical steps to prevent Dropbox use in the workplace:

1. Create a formal policy against applications like Dropbox

Communicating that Dropbox is not acceptable on work devices is the first step in protecting your data. This communication needs to take multiple forms, especially written, so that employees have no excuse for continuing to use Dropbox. Creating a formal, written policy, with specific consequences, communicates that “Dropbox is strictly prohibited.” Remember, if it’s not written, it doesn’t exist.

2. Communicate this policy from the top level of the company

Lead by example. Schedule internal meetings with managers and subordinates to make sure that they understand why Dropbox is prohibited. By arming senior employees with the education and resources that they need to quell the problem, you will avoid embarrassing conversations and nip problems in the bud. More importantly, by taking a top-down approach, you ensure that the individuals with the most access to sensitive data are aware of the problem first.

3. Block applications with the company firewall

Most companies use a corporate firewall to protect their employees and data. Today, company firewalls can also be set to detect and prohibit certain types of applications and websites. While this functionality was typically reserved for leisure applications, the focus has now shifted to applications that can be used to transfer data. Fiberlink, a company that specializes in mobile device management, conducted a survey of 4,500 corporate- and employee-owned devices and found that the top blacklisted iOS and Android apps included Dropbox, SugarSync, Box, Facebook, and Google Drive, in that order. System administrators should consider blocking these applications to protect sensitive data.

4. Replace Dropbox with a business-grade file sync application

The best way for businesses to handle the “Dropbox problem” is to deploy a company-approved application that will allow IT to control the data, yet grants employees the access and functionality they feel they need to be productive. A business-grade file sync service, like DAS Sync, – besides replacing Dropbox – will include features that make the business more secure and employees more productive. For example, unlike Dropbox, a DAS Sync can cloud-enable the file server so that employees can sync files and folders between the company’s file server and their mobile devices and computers, without the need for cumbersome technologies, such as VPN and FTP.

Any piece of software that your employees use should not jeopardize your organization’s security and credibility. Communicate openly and formally with your employees, take the steps necessary to protect your business, and provide an alternative that empowers all parties involved.

[1] ZDNet, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, “Top 10 banned apps on iOS and Android BYOD devices,” June 7, 2013

Dropbox is recognized as the first company that made cloud file sync simple and free. Today, with 300 million users as of May 2014, the service is one of the fastest growing in the world. But amidst this rapid adoption, business owners are asking, “Is Dropbox safe for my business to use?” Before we answer that question, let’s take a look at why employees are using Dropbox.

1. “Dropbox is easy to use.”
2. “Dropbox is free.”
3. “It’s what I use at home.”

All of these reasons explain why Dropbox is popular among consumers. But they do not justify the major security risks that the free version of Dropbox creates in a business environment. Which brings us to our last reason why people use Dropbox:

4. Because they don’t know any better

Dropbox’s free service lacks the security, administrative, and productivity features that a business needs. Any business that uses Dropbox exponentially increases their risk of data being lost, stolen or shared with the wrong parties.

For example, imagine that a disgruntled employee leaves the company; because Dropbox Basic does not allow a business owner or IT administrator to remote wipe devices, that employee can take sensitive files and folders with them. Or, as another example, businesses that work with contractors and use Dropbox Basic cannot share securely with a third party, set expiration dates, enforce download limits, and enforce passwords. Instead, any files and folders that they share with Dropbox are made publicly available through a URL that anyone can access.

We frequently meet business owners that will say, “But I use Dropbox at home.” The overarching theme is that just because something is good for personal use or for one employee does not mean it is good for your business as a whole. Personal needs vary substantially from business needs, especially as it relates to data and security. Your business is your livelihood and your data is of quintessential importance – there is a good reason why you use a basic lock and key on your home front door and an alarm system in your office.

We also hear business owners and employees say, “But Dropbox is easy to use.” To that, we explain that simplicity and security are not mutually exclusive; business-grade file sync solutions that are easy to use, yet secure are available. These solutions include all of the benefits of Dropbox, and are supplemented by features that business owners and IT administrations can use to keep track of their data. There is a way to sync and share files and folders in a simple and secure manner.

Each software decision demonstrates what value you place on your data. If you get what you pay for, and Dropbox is free, what are you actually getting?

DAS Sync from Digital Age Solution provides a secure, managed, and locally supported platform that is easy to use.  Drop the box, find out how DAS Sync can cloud-enable your business today!

There are more than seven, but these are big ones.

Just today, a client called because a hacker used a fake Dropbox login e-mail to get access to his accounts. With DAS Sync, you aren’t working with an anonymous, face-less, cloud.

When you’re ready to move your files to the cloud or adopt a more secure cloud sync platform, give Digital Age Solution a call at 301-662-7386.

Consumer-grade file sync solutions (referred to as CGFS solutions) pose many challenges to businesses that care about control and visibility over company data. Below are seven of the biggest risks that these solutions pose in a business environment.*

1. Data Theft

Most of the problems with CGFS solutions emanate from a lack of oversight. Business owners are not privy to when an instance is installed, and are unable to control which employee devices can or cannot sync with a corporate PC. Use of CFGS solutions can open the door to company data being synced (without approval) across personal devices. These personal devices, which accompany employees on public transit, at coffee shops, and with friends, exponentially increase the chance of data being stolen or shared with the wrong parties.

2. Data Loss

Lacking visibility over the movement of files or file versions across end-points, CFGS solutions improperly backup (or do not backup at all) files that were modified on an employee device. If an end-points is compromised or lost, this lack of visibility can result in the inability to restore the most current version of a file or any version for that matter.

3. Corrupted Data

In a study by CERN, silent data corruption was observed in 1 out of every 1500 files. While many businesses trust their cloud solution providers to make sure that stored data maintains its integrity year after year, most CGFS solutions don’t implement data integrity assurance systems to ensure that any bit-rot or corrupted data is replaced with a redundant copy of the original.

4. Lawsuits

CGFS solutions give carte blanche power to end-users over the ability to permanently delete and share files. This can result in the permanent loss of critical business documents as well as the sharing of confidential information that can break privacy agreements in place with clients and third-parties.

5. Compliance Violations

Since CGFS solutions have loose (or non-existent) file retention and file access controls, you could be setting yourself up for a compliance violation. Many compliance policies require that files be held for a specific duration and only be accessed by certain people; in these cases, it is imperative to employ strict controls over how long files are kept and who can access them.

6. Loss of Accountability

Without detailed reports and alerts over system-level activity, CGFS solutions can result in loss of accountability over changes to user accounts, organizations, passwords, and other entities. If a malicious admin gains access to the system, hundreds of hours of configuration time can be undone if no alerting system is in place to notify other admins of these changes.

7. Loss of File Access

Consumer-grade solutions don’t track which users and machines touched a file and at which times. This can be a big problem if you’re trying to determine the events leading up to a file’s creation, modification, or deletion. Additionally, many solutions track and associate a small set of file events which can result in a broken access trail if a file is renamed, for example.

Consumer-grade file sync solutions pose many challenges to businesses that care about control and visibility over company data. Allowing employees to utilize CFGS solutions can lead to massive data leaks and security breaches.

Many companies have formal policies or discourage employees from using their own accounts. But while blacklisting common CFGS solutions may curtail the security risks in the short term, employees will ultimately find ways to get around company firewalls.

The best way for business to handle this is to deploy a company-approved application that will allow IT to control the data, yet grants employees the access and functionality they feel they need to be productive.

That’s why Digital Age Solution offers DAS Sync. A tool that allows businesses to securely sync their data to the could with the support of a trusted partner. To find out more, give us a call at 301-662-7386.