Happy New Year - Now, What's Next!

Happy New Year.

We look forward to serving you in the New Year and in years to come.

We are eagerly anticipating new developments in the coming New Year in each area of our offered solutions including: Voice, Video, Data, and Security.

We have already learned of some advancements coming for the Toshiba VoIP premise and cloud based VoIP solutions. We have seen a tremendous uptake in both the VoIP premise and Cloud Solutions in 2015 and the trend is not likely to slow in the coming year.

Security and Video have also experienced a surge in the past year as new technology advancements have provided users with easier interfaces, mobility applications, and self-management tools that have not been available in the past.

Data services and infrastructure needs also continue to grow as companies grapple with securing their data while providing for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) service for their employees and guests. It has become more vital that companies protect their data from viruses and malware which can cause serious and costly damage but which can often be prevented through the use of good firewall devices and the implementation of a data security plan.

Data Bandwidth needs also continue to surge as more traffic moves to cloud services from the traditional in-house servers. Most every customer wants to explore the possibility of saving on their voice and data carrier service or at least the possibility of increasing their data bandwidth. Through our continued relationships with such a wide range of carriers we have been very successful at finding the savings or bandwidth increases desired.

We are committed to staying well versed in existing technology and to continued exploration and assessment of new technologies as they are released. While we enjoy this process, we do this so that we can provide our customer’s creative and thoughtful solutions. Through our experience and continued research we are able to engineer and propose solutions that are more than a passing flash of “trend-tech” but which are true solutions that work for our customer’s businesses and provide the benefits they expect and need in a technology investment.

We are here to help with any of your technology needs: Voice, Data, Video, Security, and Carrier Services.

Advanced Technology provides: Consultative Services, Sales, Service, and Ongoing Support.

We are here for you.

Sincerely,

You Advanced Technology Team

Phone: (314) 991-5050

www.atcstl.com

Happy Holidays!

The Holidays are here and "The Force is soon to Awaken".

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD

SAVE UP TO 50%

ON A NEW VoIP SOLUTION

BY USING A TAX CREDIT

This is no Jedi mind trick, these really are the savings you are looking for.

We recently announced great opportunities for savings in our Holiday enews letter. Contact Advanced Technology Consultants to find out more.

Check out our 2015 Holiday enews here: Holiday enews
Subscribe to receive our enews letters here: ATC enews Subscribe

 

Contact Advanced Technology Consultants for all of your communication, data, safety, and security needs.

 

email: info@atcstl.com

Phone: (314) 991-5050

 

 

Ways to Save

Finding Savings to Help get Needed Technology Upgrades.

From the Section 179 Tax Incentive to the ADA Tax Credit there are ways you may be able to save on the purchase of a needed Technology Upgrade.

Below is an informational brochure on how the ADA Tax Credit may be able to be used to help your office save on a technology purchase and help your office accommodate those with disabilities.

Do not assume that your finance professional will think of these saving opportunities. Please contact and review these options with your finance professionals to find out how and if these programs might benefit your business.



Contact Advanced Technology Consultants, LLC
Phone: (314) 991-5050

A True Systems Integrator

Advanced Technology is your single source for:
Communications, Data, Safety, and Security.

Learn more about Advanced Technology Consultants, LLC and our solutions.



Contact us today at (314) 991-5050 or info@atcstl.com

It's Thanksgiving Season, Time to Gobble up the Delicious Savings!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Dear Friends:

As we enter the Holiday Season we like to take a moment to communicate our appreciation and thanks to you.

To our own ATC team members, our technology partners, and our wonderful customers, thank you for your continued business, support, and valued friendship.

As we have done in previous years, we are issuing a special 2015 Holiday Savings Coupon which is included below. We have also extended our offer for Free Systems Review and Carrier Analysis which has been very successful in helping customer's find savings. But wait, there's more... This year we are giving away a Toshiba Flat Screen TV!

We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving and a Holiday Season full of joy.

Sincerely,

Your Advanced Technology Team


View our recent enews letter to review our special Holiday Promotions here: http://goo.gl/2hEkZ2
Sign up to review our enews letters here: http://goo.gl/qnml28

Could an Upgrade Save you Money?

System Upgrades & Bandwidth Increases at Minimal or NO COST

We are spreading the news. With an increased frequency we have been able to provide low or no cost system upgrades and carrier enhancements.

Get Upgrades & Service Enhancements
AND
Keep More of Your Cash in Your Hands

Advanced Technology is uniquely positioned to provide this service due to our experienced team members and longstanding relationships with a network of multiple carriers and technology partners. Additionally, Advanced Technology works closely with our technology partners to pass through special manufacturer promotions.

Advanced Technology has recently issued a coupon to perform a free system review and/or basic voice & data carrier assessment to help determine if you may benefit from an upgrade or may be able to SAVE on monthly carrier bills.

To view our limited time promotion click here:
Special Promotion

Sign up to receive our e-news letter and special promotions here:
Keep Me Informed

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Your Advanced Technology Team

Phone: (314) 991-5050
www.atcstl.com

End of Year Projects 2015

We are here to help.

Dear Friends and Valued Customers:

It's mid-October already, the leaves are changing and there is a crispness to the evening air that we longed for during the sun scorched days of July, so long ago.
                       

Schedule Now for End of Year Projects

As the clock keeps ticking and the daylight hours get shorter it is time to start thinking about all the projects that have been on the back burner but which desperately need to be done before the end of the year.

 

Don't panic, just give us a call.

 

In order to make the decisions to get those projects done even easier we have provided a great October coupon to those on our e-news mailing list. Our recent e-news letter can be found by following this link:

ATC October 2015 eNews

                        

We are here to help, 24x7.

 

Sincerely,

                       

Your Advanced Technology Team
Phone: (314) 991-5050

Sign up to received future e-news here:
Advanced Technology e-news                       

ALERT! Notice of Current Data Hacking Scam

The Scam: Don't Open the Front Door:

We have been alerted that there is an active hacker scam in which the hackers are calling to business offices and even users cell phones. They are identifying themselves as being with Microsoft or with the “Microsoft Fraud Protection and Security Group” or just the “Internet Security Office.” They state that they have discovered a virus on the company’s data network or on the user’s computer and ask for remote access to the network or the computer to assist in cleaning it up and in finding the “bad guys!”

These are scams their goal is varied.  Many use Team Viewer or a similar remote control program and after they obtain remote access to the user’s computer they can then either lock the users computers and then demand hundreds of dollars to release the files, or they install software to log passwords and ultimately perform identify theft or steal corporate information.



Knock! Knock! Knock! Plumber... Flowers... Candygram,...

 NBC Saturday Night Live Video Landshark

Data Breeches are Not Funny:

As humorous as the SNL Landshark skit is the reality of opening the door to a hacker is not funny at all. The damage hackers can inflict on a company can be extremely costly. The importance of having a good data backup plan and firewalls that are continuously and automatically updated is more crucial than ever. Big name companies such as Target, Home Depot, Sony, and Anthem have recently been in the news regarding the breech of their data networks. Theses breeches resulted in the theft of sensitive company and customer information and millions of dollars in damage. While these events have helped bring the seriousness of data breeches and theft to the public eye there is a concern that some small business owners will think that hackers may primarily target big name companies. This is not the case. Not only are companies of all sizes being targeted but even individual computers. Please keep your data and your customer's data safe. Review, install, and update your data security systems and practices. Install and update firewalls, install a data backup system, and inform your staff of the threats they should avoid. Contact Advanced Technology Consultants, LLC to discuss your data security needs, (314) 991-5050 www.atcstl.com

From Warp Speed Internet to Hosted VoIP Cloud Service & Beyond. Why to Choose Advanced Technology Consultants.

Need Warp Speed Internet?
Give us a call: (314) 991-5050
www.atcstl.com

Why Choose Advanced Technology Consultants?

 

We Listen:

It is our job to understand your needs and use our knowledge to create custom solutions that help satisfy your business needs.

 

We are Experienced:

A foundation of continuous experience with emerging technical innovations spanning over 20+ years helps us make informed decisions and provide creative and complete solutions.

 

We Care About Providing Quality Solutions:

We care about your business.

 

We care about our future and existing customer's and we put a lot of skilled thought into the solutions we propose because we want our solutions to work as you expect them to and as you need them to.

 

We know if your vendor does not provide you a thoroughly thought out solution, their quoted price is irrelevant.

 

We know that any vendor that makes a sale to you now, knowing they will likely need to ask for forgiveness (and more money) later in order to make the solution work as you need it to is not a vendor that cares about your business.

 

We care about your business.

 

We are a Full Service Vendor:

Some technology partners may provide good ideas, help you understand available technologies, and may even sell some of the equipment, but they may not actually do the work. We are a full service vendor providing consultative services, sales, installation, and maintenance. We are an authorized representative for most major voice & internet carriers and we partner with top tier equipment providers to provide high-end communication technology solutions.

 

Our Advanced Technology Team:

Our Advanced Technology team includes; Systems Engineers, Sales Engineers, Back Office Support, Assigned Project Coordinators, and more. They are all excellent at what they do. We understand that all customer's have a choice. We are honored and thankful when we are able to provide service to a customer.

 

We are in the business of helping businesses through technology.

Call us and find out how can we help you.

(314) 991-5050

 www.atcstl.com

 

Prevent Carrier Trouble Before it Occurs.

Prevent Carrier Trouble Before it Occurs

Contact your Telephone System Vendor before Committing to a Carrier Contract and Changing your Service.

• Wonder if you’re Paying too much for Voice & Internet Service?
• Wanting to Change Carriers due to Poor Service?
• Is your Internet to Slow, Need more Bandwidth?

Ask your phone system vendor for help.

Carrier service representatives often do not consider how your phone system has been designed. This can cause catastrophic problems when it comes time to switch over to your new service. Problems can result in hours of down time in which your customers can't reach you and it can take days to weeks to get all of the issues resolved. Read the example scenario below, this example is taken from many real experiences.



Seuss, Dr. (1960). One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. New York, NY: Random House



Example Scenario:

You have found and chosen a new carrier. The carrier seems decent, they have a reputable name, the sales representative was nice and funny, and your going to save big money.

The day of the change over to the new carrier arrives. You notice the sound of silence in your office, hmmm, the phones are not ringing?

Suddenly your cell phone rings and shatters the eerie silence. The person on the other end says when they call your office no one answers, it just rings and rings and rings? You test, and you get the same results, but you don't hear any phones ringing in your office? Then one of your employees walks up and says that no one can make an outgoing call.

You frantically search for the carrier reps business card and quickly call only to reach their voicemail, your hear the first few words, “Vacation Alert…” and you hang up. You call the carrier support line and hold until you reach someone in support. You explain the issue and they ask if your phone system vendor has been out yet. You state that they have not and ask why they would need to be, no one had mentioned that they needed to be involved. They explain that the phone system vendor must connect your new service to your phone system.

You hang up with the carrier support person and call your phone system vendor. They answer your call and ask if you would like emergency service. Of course you need emergency service, it's been hours now and you customers are getting ring no answer when they call your business. How much business has been lost? The dollar signs are rolling through you brain, what are customer's thinking with no one answering?

You phone system vendor routes an engineer to your location as quickly as possible. The engineer arrives and finds that the type of phone line service the carrier sold you is not the same as the type of service that connects to your phone system.

Now your phones are still not ringing into your office but the phone system tech was able to reach the carrier support desk and have them forward your main business number to your cell phone. This enables one call at a time can get to you, other callers calling at the same time still get ring no answer.

What happens next….
Sometimes the phone system vendor can provide rental equipment until the carrier service gets corrected. Sometimes a few other lines can be forwarded to other cell phones until the carrier service gets corrected. Maybe other options are presented but the end result is...

The End Result:

A Big Expensive Mess

Lost Business, Confused Customer's, A Huge Headache

 

The Solution:

To prevent trouble before it occurs, contact your telephone system provider before committing to a carrier contract and changing your service. Your vendor can be a tremendous asset in helping you work with voice and data carriers. Understanding and conveying the voice and data service needs of your business and helping you to understand the differences between carrier offerings can be very beneficial. Additionally, some vendors will do this for at no charge to the customer, though they likely get some incentive from the chosen carrier. One of the important and helpful reasons to use your phone system vendor to get your voice & data service is because they will likely have experience getting through the bureaucratic maze when you need help and when lost calls and internet service outages means lost business.

Choosing a VoIP Solution and Vendor: EXPERIENCE MATTERS

- VoIP THEATRICS -
The room is mostly dark only lit by a few fluttering HDD status lights. Slowly the swirling smoke begins to clear falling to rest on the raised panel floor. The droning of server fans begins to sound like majestic horns, suddenly a beam of light shines down on a covered form, fireworks suddenly explode while simultaneously a gust of chilled air blows and the shroud is lifted, quickly swept away for the unveiling, and then, there it is…

Viewing a demonstration of the advanced features that new VoIP solutions provide can be an extremely exciting, eye popping, edge of the seat moment. A plethora of ideas regarding how and where this new technology could be implemented immediately begin to flood the consciousness. The thoughts of the tremendous cost savings and gained efficiencies that this tech may bring are nothing less than fantastic. A dizzying joyful giddiness envelopes the senses and culminates with the feeling of a need to immediately sign the paperwork and request that the installation be scheduled for the next day if it can’t be installed sooner. VoIP! What took you so long? I’ll take two!

 

- THE TAKEAWAY -
OK, maybe not everyone gets that excited when reviewing new technology but the potential for a VoIP solution to provide great benefits to a company is real. The common features that a new VoIP system offers can often truly deliver on the promise of helping streamline certain business processes. Helping to make the office more efficient, reliable, and safe, which in turn helps to increase the bottom line should be a basic requirement when looking to invest into a new technology solution.

 Reality check - always remember,

The coolest most helpful technology is a waste of money if it does not get used.

 

- RESEARCH THE PRODUCT & THE VENDOR -
Before embarking on a research journey into the world of VoIP, take time to create a list of the needs and wishes that a new VoIP system should fulfill. There is a lot to learn when reviewing a new communication technology. Product demonstrations can be overwhelming and inflict glazed eyes and mind numbing headaches. In such a dazed state it is no wonder that attendees often overlook a few important questions. Many of these questions focus on the vendor selling the system and are equal in importance to the research of the system. The answer to these questions can be key to increasing the likelihood of a successful VoIP launch. A few of these questions include:

• What experience does the vendor have in the actual communication industry, (not just the data industry)
• How many communication systems has the company installed with a similar configuration
• Are they a local “brick and mortar” company or are they solely web based
• Will they install the system and do they provide ongoing on-site service
• How many communication engineers do they employ and what certifications do they have
• Do they have 24x7 on-site support available
• How long has the actual brand of VoIP system been around
• If the VoIP system is cloud based / hosted solution what equipment will need to be purchased

- VoIPARTNER or VoIPREDATOR – KNOW THE DIFFERENCE -

The number of “pop-up” VoIP solutions and vendors in the marketplace is surprising. Some are better than others. The experience of a vendor can be an important consideration when reviewing a solution.
 

Point of interest:

When IT & VoIP vendors go to hire engineers a qualification they often consider is that the candidates have at least six years of “real world” experience in the field. It is then completely reasonable when considering a VoIP purchase to set a qualification that the VoIP vendor have been in business in the communication industry for at least six years and have a good history with verifiable references.

Better vendors will alert consumers to the importance of performing data network assessments. They often take a consultative approach in an effort to provide a more complete solution. Some hosting platforms even provide a basic network assessment tool that is available to the consumer at no cost. More thorough network assessments are not often free. Vendors who have the requisite experience will recommend and perform assessments even at the risk of deflating some of the excitement that a consumer may have gained from reviewing articles, ads, and demonstrations. This is done in the best interests of the customer and the vendor. It is an indication that the vendor likely understands what is needed to provide a successful solution. Additionally, it is a building block for establishing a good foundation for a VoIP solution and what will be a long term business partnership with the vendor.

Startup VoIP solutions attract many fledgling resellers with the promise of quick sales and an ongoing monthly revenue stream, MRR. Theses resellers entice customers with oversimplified descriptions of GUI dashboards and talk of low monthly payments. They may forgo network assessments and any discussion of what is needed for a data network to accommodate VoIP traffic. This can lead to a miserable experience and large unexpected costs.

A costly situation to avoid:

Within the first few weeks after the installation of the VoIP solution users and customers experience dropped calls, poor audio quality, one-way speech, slowed network traffic, and other issues that are detrimental to everyday business.

Finding that the new VoIP system is having some trouble after it has been installed can be the first blow of a bludgeoning “one-two” combination. There is a certain feeling of no turning back after the system has been installed. Ongoing business stresses the urgency to get the system working properly.

Then the second blow comes when it is found that the VoIP system is working fine and the issues can only be remedied by purchasing costly upgrades for the data network.

This situation can leave any CEO, CFO, or CTO frustrated and wishing that more research had been done prior to the purchase.

 

Even now these resellers are out there stalking their prey. Their price tag may be low and their demos may be slick but lack of experience and up-front research should be a red flag. A good, knowledgeable vendor will provide a more holistic solution and a better overall experience. Most consumers do not desire, and should not need, to become SME's of the VoIP Communication field. With some basic knowledge and the right questions consumers can better determine a vendors capabilities and can use this insight to help make a more informed decision in their selection of a vendor and a solution.

 

- CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS PARAMOUNT -

Technology companies are commonly run by and employ technophiles who have a passion for the latest state-of-the-art tech. It is important for these companies to remember that the customer’s satisfaction is far more important than the technology. Most businesses do not want to be an “alpha” testing site for a solution or a vendor when it comes to their communication system. Choosing a company and a brand with industry experience can help avoid an unpleasant and costly VoIP experience.