Sufficient security is paramount in using mobiles for business – in particular, the security of business information now stored on smartphones.

The use of smartphones by employees is creating a growing risk for every organisation – smartphones collect and compile an increasing amount of sensitive information to which access should be controlled to protect confidential data and intellectual property of the Company.

Mobile Threats
Smartphones aren’t exactly Fort Knox – as standard, they don’t come with impenetrable security. This is a serious threat to all of the sensitive data that is kept on yours and your employees’ smartphones.

Mobile technology is becoming more and more essential for the running of any business – innovation is at the heart of mobile technology after all.

What would you say if someone told you that you could reduce this risk substantially, from one centralised point?

Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Mobile Device Management allows you to secure, monitor, manage and support all of your mobile devices remotely. Not only does this protect your sensitive data – it also allows you monitor the location and usage of the devices.

MDM is also a way of ensuring that your employees are always productive and do not breach corporate policy. It’s a method that many organisations use to control the activities of their employees.

In a nutshell – Mobile Device Management is intended to optimise the functionality and security of a mobile communications network, whilst minimising cost and downtime.

But, how does it work? 
Using encryption techniques – Mobile Device Management keeps your corporate information separate from the device owner’s personal information.

So, essentially, whilst your corporate data and information is on the device – at the same time, it isn’t.
 
Your Business Opportunity
How does this apply to you and your business? One word – privacy. Mobile Device Management gives you the opportunity to maintain, support and manage all of your devices with the click of a button.

​It gives you the peace of mind knowing that any device, containing enough sensitive information to really do some damage to your organisation, can be wiped clean within a matter of seconds. Not only this, but the location of every device is tracked remotely – you will be able to see where every device is, every second of every day.
 
Would your Company benefit from taking advantage of a Mobile Device Management product? ​

Read our review of reviews of phones that are most appropriate for business use.
 
The biggest decision when it comes to rolling out mobile phones to your organisation has got to be deciding which mobile handset you want to equip your workforce with.

Do you want seamless integration across PCs and mobile devices? Or, maybe you want a handset which provides security when it comes to reviewing confidential client information?

We take a look at the top mobile phones for business – helping you to choose which mobile phone handset will best serve the needs of your organisation.
 

• Microsoft Lumia 950/950XL
  

Looking for a phone which provides you with the opportunity for a seamless Windows user experience across applications and displays?
Microsoft Lumia transforms into a powerful desktop PC with the addition of the Microsoft HD-500 display dock which is great for enterprises.
But that’s not all, with the latest generation octa-core processor and fast charging, Lumia boasts 3GB of RAM, providing your employees with the speed they need to juggle projects and tasks.
 

• Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge
  

We couldn’t overlook the latest phones from Samsung – with the inclusion of Microsoft Office Android applications as well as professional and slick designs.
The introduction of Knox and Knox Workspace means employees can benefit from multi-layered mobile security but also separate their work and personal life effortlessly.
And with a fingerprint sensor, there’s an extra layer of security for phone access.
 

• BlackBerry Classic
  

There are still BB fans out there – the Classic has an old-school QWERTY keyboard, an easy-to-use operating system and user interface, complete with an optical trackpad.
Running BlackBerry OS 10, the handset can be synched with a computer using BlackBerry Link software which supports data as well as media files.
Not only this, the BlackBerry Classic has a stellar battery life – lasting for up to 22 hours, in addition to supporting a microSD card up to 128gb.
 

• iPhone 6s/6s Plus
  

Combined with one of the best display screens, the iPhone has the A9 processor which regularly ranks as the most powerful in the market.
Supporting more LTE bands than most other smartphones as well as the added inventions of 3D touch, touch ID and Siri, the 6s or 6s plus also provide great security to protect information.
And don't forget the benefits of the iPhone video calling services through FaceTime available over Wi-Fi and mobile networks.
 
You decide
Choosing a mobile phone handset to roll out to your workforce is a driven by the unique requirements of your business. Once you have established the blend of security, integration, control, user popularity and the many other potential elements, then look more closely at the phones on offer and find out which suits your need most closely.
 
There are plenty of choices available – looking at the detail will help you make the right one.

Making business more efficient

In the world of business, there is a lot of room for improvement – even for the largest companies in the world.  From security to vehicle tracking and office control, sensors, SIMS and software can transform the way you do business, or automate parts of what you do already.
 
Businesses are always looking to make their processes quicker, whilst seeking to exhaust fewer and fewer resources. This opens up the potential to automate processes and add new innovative processes to businesses – improving speed and fluidity. A lot of automated systems and processes are self-managing – they can be left on their own to do their own work.

Internet of everything?

The Internet of Everything “refers to devices and consumer products connected to the Internet and outfitted with expanded digital features”. Make sense? No? 

Let’s go back to basics – consider a light switch. When it’s off – there is no light. When it’s on – there is. Nowadays, Internet is accessible in the same way as light – through an ‘on and off’ switch. So, the Internet of Everything is the concept of being able to connect any device that can access the Internet either to the Internet or to each other, through this ‘on and off’ switch.

How can everyone afford to automate their systems? One of the main drivers of this transition towards everything being Internet-related is the reduction in costs of the sensors to transmit data, and the reduction in costs of developing and designing new devices.

Your business opportunity

How does this apply to you and your business? One word – opportunity. The Internet of Everything gives you the opportunity to think bigger than you could have ever thought before. Everything within your business can be fitted with sensors to allow it to communicate with everything else. Is there anything that you have to meticulously check on a daily basis that uses a lot of your time? There’s a sensor for that.

Put yourself in the shoes of the individual that fills vending machines. Odds are, they will go to fill at least one vending machine each day that is still full from the day before. So, they’ve just wasted their time travelling to fill it when it didn’t need filling. What if there were an automated system that would let them know which vending machines needed filling, and which didn’t? That would make their life so much easier, and their work more efficient, wouldn’t it? Welcome to the stage – the Internet of Everything.

Take a look at your processes, and the way you do things. What do you currently do, that you would like to do quicker? Or, in some cases, not even have to do because a sensor does it all for you. Is there a process that you would like to be more efficient and fluid?

Shaping tomorrow

The Internet has the ability to massively impact the World of today, and shape the World of tomorrow. There are endless opportunities for improvements to automation. There is no such thing as ‘impossible’.

Weigh up the costs, and the benefits – it could make everything so much easier. Are there any of your processes that you could automate?

What if you could offer staff the benefits of lower cost, tax free mobile phones as a benefit of working for your business, and at the same time save money? All hassle free and managed externally.
Salary sacrifice for mobile phones works on a similar premise to cycle to work and childcare voucher schemes – the employee pays from their gross salary, and the employer doesn’t pay NI on the monthly amount.
And the phone cost is significantly less than high street prices as your staff take advantage of a business tariff.
So consider setting yourself apart as an employer today by finding out more about offering lower cost mobile phones to your staff. There is no minimum requirement, and no charge to your business.

Download more information here, or contact us for more details.

0121 794 9297 or [email protected]

​Smartphones have revolutionised the world – with an app available for just about everything, it’s no wonder that there are now thousands of apps that can supposedly make a difference to your working day.

But with so many different features and functionalities available, how can you possibly know which apps will have a real, positive impact for your business?

We believe that the right apps, used correctly can make a big difference to you and your team.

So as a business we recommend to our clients that they take advantage of low-cost, and often free ways to speed processes,, cut wasted time, and ensure team efficiencies.

In our time, we’ve recommended a number of apps to create smoother workflows within organisations – and to help you achieve the same, we’ve created a run-down list of some of our favourite apps to get you started. 



Creating to-do lists? 

We’ve all fallen into the trap of spending so long on creating a list of tasks to complete, that we’ve exhausted ourselves from actually getting the job done. Well, Wunderlist makes a huge difference if you’re a checklist kind of person.
Not only does Wunderlist manage different lists for different projects at any time, but it’s really simple, easy-to-use and will remind you of deadlines to help manage your time.
Unlike other apps, Wunderlist gives you the opportunity to share your lists with anyone – streamlining team projects and tasks, or sharing with actions with Board Members as well as making it even easier to create a weekly shopping list!

We say – “Straight forward, efficient list making and sharing”

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Real-time Team Work

​Highly visual as well as incredibly flexible, Trello goes beyond basic lists to create highly appealing and functional pin-boards. Integrated with Google Drive, Dropbox and other such platforms, Trello uses a ‘card’ function to track project progress, exchange comments, add checklists, labels – the list goes on.
Trello’s engaging user-interface and multi-platform use across all devices means that working in teams (even on a global scale) becomes far simpler – not to mention, a whole lot more fun. The style, combined with the drag-and-drop functionality makes Trello really easy to use and work with.
Trello updates in real-time, so virtual working becomes much more engaging, exciting AND efficient.
 
We say – “visual impact will help embed this as a team tool of choice”

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Ultimate communication

Do all visitors to your website get the attention they deserve? Can they interact with one of your staff with questions and queries?
With a simple website plug in, Live Chat allows you and your team to be on stand-by to talk to your potential or actual customers who are browsing your website.  Interface via pc, but also iOS or Android, Live Chat gives your team the opportunity to engage with customers at the touch of a button in the office or on the move.
Additionally, reporting and feedback options make it easier to review the level of support and customer service your employees are providing – improving your processes as well as interacting with your customer-base in a familiar way.
 
We say – “Make sure you are ready to help web visitors at all times”

 
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Phone flex

​More complex than the other apps feature here, Aircall is an App accessed, cloud based phone system.
Allowing you to adapt your telephony solution to your specific needs in a way that traditional phone systems aren’t able, Aircall allows you to set up numbers locally to your clients across the world, all within the same online structure and then manage the calls and their distribution to your team via one portal.
Other functionality associated with hosted communications solutions including call recording, and message to inbox (voicemail to email) are also available.
With 27 features and counting, the app is designed to be flexible – allowing teams to make unlimited concurrent calls, openly share contacts and call inboxes, assign working hours to define availability, and well, the list goes on.
So with no additional hardware requirements, easy set-up and super flexibility, if you’re in the market for a simple and fast solution to manage company calls Aircall might be right for you.
 
We say – “Hosted communications for the smaller business with multiple locations including home offices”
 


An App for every occasion
You’ll find thousands of apps available with a quick search on your phone or PC. There are many that perform similar functions to those listed here – perhaps slightly more suited to your needs, and other categories that we haven’t covered here.
 
Please leave a comment below if you have a favourite app not listed here, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions
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Introducing Cohesion Communications ……
 
Cohesion Communications are based in Solihull and specialise in providing businesses with communication platforms that moves with the times.
For more information on working with business applications, or other communications requirements including business mobiles, Machine to Machine technology or cloud based telephony solutions, then please call us on 0121 794 9297