“Customers will need new skills, in fulfilling the technology and the integration into their service delivery – so embrace that change despite the bewildering rate of uncertainties,” Rob Lister said. “The start point is ensuring you have the right internet access for your business. “Whether that is ‘big boy’ Fibre Ethernet Circuits, Fibre to the Premises Broadband, Fibre to the Cabinet Broadband, 5G Mobile, or a combination of these for added resilience. “This enables Cloud Services for your IT, CRM, VoIP Telephony and ever-growing trend for video calling. “UCaaS, or Unified Communications as a Service, has become key as organisations seek to gain a competitive advantage. “The possibilities are exciting, but businesses should and must take steps now to make sure they are safeguarded against the threats that could result from increased broadband connectivity.” One of the end goals of the Digital Britain strategy is the planned rollout of a nationwide fibre broadband network, and businesses need to make sure they are prepared for the consequences. More connections will be needed so that employees can log-on remotely, all of which will start to stretch networks as laptops and mobile
devices with hundreds of apps need access. All the access points and hardware will need to be protected, managed, secured and controlled. While the possibilities are endless, the risks and challenges are too. Rob Lister added: “For example, if your teams work away from the office and are handling devices that contain sensitive data, these will need to be secured for both business and privacy reasons. “Previously we might have looked at something like perimeter security. A barrier that you can put around it.A firewall that you can put around the organisation. “You need more than that now. The walls have fallen down. You have to protect the streams and flows of information of the services themselves. That's another part of the challenge. “Changing legacy technology can be seen as a burden, as your workforce may not feel as though they are ready for a business communication overhaul. “By adopting a consultative approach for businesses and recognising the challenges they are facing, Lister Unified Communications can provide tailored solutions" l For more information about Lister Unified Communications, visit www.lister-communications.co.uk or call 01453 829 200
Rob and Tom Lister, Lister Unified Communications
February 2020 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 25
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