Technology Today: December Edition
Quick tech news for the busy professional! Here you will find:
- Cloud Telephony: Is it best for your business?
- Microsoft: what’s new?
- Tech Facts: did you know?
- Q & A: what everyone’s asking
- Quiz Time: test your team!
What is Cloud Telephony?
You’ve built a solid business from the ground up. You’ve hired a talented team, your services are in demand, and customers are calling in regularly. But there’s a problem: Your old phone system.
You’ve heard Cloud Telephony could be the solution – but what is it, how does it work, and is it best for your own business?
Imagine an old-fashioned phone system: It relies on physical wires, and if something breaks, you’ve got to call in a technician to fix it. With Cloud Telephony, everything is virtual.
It’s like having your entire phone system hosted in the “cloud,” which simply means it’s managed over the internet by a third party service provider. Unlike traditional phone systems where all the hardware sits in your office, everything in Cloud Telephony happens remotely. Your business calls, voicemail, call routing, and even advanced features like call analytics are all handled online.
Your provider handles all the technical work remotely, which frees you up to focus on running your business. It does rely on a strong, reliable internet connection. However, providers usually offer backup options, like forwarding calls to a mobile phone during an outage.
If you’re looking for a phone system that’s easy to manage, flexible, and designed to grow with your business, Cloud Telephony could be a great option.
Read our PDF guide to find out more ‣
What’s new to Microsoft?
Finally, you can declutter Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge has started to look cluttered with its toolbar, sidebar, and context menu, and that can be distracting. A new pop-up lets you clean it by hiding the apps you use less regularly. It even gives you a helpful list, complete with tickboxes, to select which ones you want to hide and which you’d like to keep in view.
Did you know?
Tech Facts:
- The original Apple logo from 1976 featured Sir Isaac Newton sitting beneath a tree, with an apple about to fall on his head. It included a quote from a poem: “Newton…a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought…alone.” Catchy!
- In 2004, the @ symbol was added to Morse code making it possible to communicate email addresses. The character is called a “Commat” and consists of the signals for A and C.
- Hal, the computer in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, got its name by taking the letters IBM, and selecting the preceding letter for each one.
Q & A
Q: How do I dispose of old PCs?
A: First make sure they’re completely wiped so your data can’t fall into the wrong hands. Then you could sell them, recycle them or donate them. Get in touch for help.
Q: Should we trial new software features before general release?
A: No! Patience is a virtue. If you try early release beta features, you can be hit by bugs and glitches. Let others f ind these and wait for the stable general release.
Q: Is WhatsApp a good business tool?
A: We don’t recommend WhatsApp for business communications. Instead use a business-specific communication tool, like Microsoft Teams. This gives you maximum security and control.
Time for a Tech Quiz!
- What common element is used in the manufacture of computer chips?
- What’s the name of the computer language named after a French philosopher and mathematician?
- Retro tech question: How many feet/metres of tape would you find in the typical C60 compact audio cassette?
- What was the first website to display banner ads?
- Before it became Photoshop, what was the early version of the software called?
See answers below
Until next time,
The GZD team
Quiz answers: 1. Silicon. 2. Pascal.
3. 281 feet / 85 metres.
4. Hotwired.com. 5. ImagePro.
