The document discusses unified communication tools that can help businesses operate remotely during COVID-19. It describes collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and G Suite that allow employees to communicate, share files, and work together virtually. It emphasizes that a managed service provider can help set up and support the appropriate tools, securing the network and guiding businesses to choose cost-effective solutions tailored to their needs. MSPs also relieve the burden on IT departments by monitoring systems and addressing any issues that arise.

1. z
Unified
Communication
Teams, SharePoint, and Phone Vendors

2. z
COVID-19
Since the beginning of COVID-19, the majority of the U.S workforce is working
from home. This has increased the importance of a safe and efficient remote
access plan and unified communication. According to Global Workplace Analytics
the post COVID-19 forecast is that the longer people work from home, the greater
the adoption we will see when the dust settles.

3. z
In today’s world, it is important to keep business moving as usual,
while ensuring the productivity of your employees. We are all adapting
to change, experiencing “new kinds” of distractions and most likely
implementing some type of work-around outside of standard practice,
such as saving everything to your desktop.

4. z
Managed
Service
Providers With one flat monthly rate, a Managed
Service Provider (MSP) not only saves you
money, but it relieves the concern for security
breaches.
Through their Managed
Security offerings it allow your business to
stay monitored and all of your endpoints
protected, while providing the tools necessary
for your team to work efficiently. The benefits
allow for positive financial gains and an
effective, positive workforce.

5. z
Managed Security
Security is more important now more than ever. This is due to the
fact that hackers are taking advantage of organizations with a lack
of a secure plan for their team to work from home. According
to threatpost 40% of companies that are currently working remote
have experienced an increase in cyberattacks.

6. z
z
Unified
Communication

7. z
Phone and Printer Vendors
Some of the biggest elements of
working from home are functional
hardware. Personal phones and
printers have come crucial aspects
of any home office. With a VoIP
phone system, your company can
stay connected quickly and
efficiently.
Recently, many companies have
had issues with dropped calls and
a lack of ability to finish a
conference call because the
connection isn’t strong enough.
This can immensely decrease
productivity.

8. z
Phone and
Print Vendors
Additionally, many users have issues changing their settings to meet
their needs or they have a bad experience with the
vendor. Depending on the vendor you’re using, sometimes they will
renew a contract without confirming your current package is still
appropriate for your changing business.

9. z
Phone and
Print Vendors
and Your
MSP An MSP will ensure that
you’re paying for the right
package with the right
vendor. Not only will they
help incorporate this into
your business, they will
handle interactions with
the vendor for you as well.
This is beneficial because
typically vendors are
quicker to get back to
MSPs they work with most
frequently. You won’t have
to wait as long for your
needs to be addressed
more quickly.

10. z
z Other
Communication
Tools

11. z
Microsoft Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 not only provides for secure remote
access, but it has a number of tools that make team
communication more effective. Office 365 comes with
different storage and sharing options that can be utilized
to your benefit.
SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams are all cloud-
based services from Microsoft that allow you to
organize information, and share and sync files
across devices. These applications are easily
accessible, from anywhere.

12. z
Microsoft Office 365
The Office 365 suite has built-in advanced security features that
protect against external threats and provide administrators with internal
access control. You will always know where your data is and who has
access to it.

13. z
Microsoft
Office 365
In addition, Mobile Device Management is a
component of the application that enables you to
secure and manage company data on employees’
mobile devices You have the ability to institute a
remote wipe of all data if a device is lost or stolen.
Office 365 Message Encryption is an online service
that’s built on Microsoft Azure Rights Management
(Azure RMS) and includes encryption, identity, and
authorization policies to help secure your email.
At this point in time, most businesses can’t afford to
lose money. Having a safe way to communicate
removes the potential concern of going out of
business due to a data breach.

14. z
zOffice 365
Communication
Tools

15. z
SharePoint
SharePoint is primarily used for collaborating on files or publishing
documents and files for colleagues to see. Team sites are great
for collaborating, while communication sites are perfect for
publishing. They are setup for specific users that are working
toward a common goal as it relates to work.

16. z
SharePoint
The teams may be set up by
department, projects or in any
manner that works best
for your organization. Team
sites are for pushing things
forward by allowing access and
editing rights to all users.
Documents that are
owned by your team or
specific projects that you
are associated with
should be stored in
SharePoint. It is similar
to working within or
storing information on a
shared drive on a file
server.

17. z
SharePoint
In terms of publishing documents, SharePoint is a web-based document
management and collaboration platform. Communication sites are usually
acceptable to just about everyone within the organization, but tend to have read-
only access. Company policies and other company wide information are housed
here.
SharePoint allows you to simplify everyday business activities by taking advantage
of workflows for initiating, tracking and monitoring business activities, such as
document review and approval.
The tight integration amongst other applications, email and web browsers,
provides a consistent experience.

18. z
SharePoint
No more wasted time redoing work
and merging documents. Office 365
also provides shared calendars to
keep everyone on track to reach
deadlines. It also keeps your team on
track and organized at a time when
everyone is in separate places.

19. z
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams, is another, less formal way to communicate. It also
uses SharePoint on the backend which allows your team to use this
application to access important files. This feature also allows for co-
authoring, which enhances productivity as we are no longer working
side-by-side with our co-workers.
Whether you are finalizing a presentation with multiple participants,
holding a meeting or working together in other applications or
within team files to complete a project, it allows for easy interaction
and timely responses.

20. z
Microsoft
Teams
An application like Teams, speeds up
communication and ensures that only the
correct people are accessing your company’s
private data. Another positive element of Teams
is it’s video conferencing feature. At this point
in time, this is one of the most efficient and
positive ways to communicate with your team
members. It also changes up your average
phone call meeting.

21. z
z
Google and
G Suite

22. z
G Suite
G Suite is another cloud-based
platform that allows your team
to securely communicate from
various places. G Suite allows
users access to all Google
applications like Docs, Sheets,
and Slide for example.
Similarly, to features of Office
365, it allows for co-authoring
as well. Just like Office 365, G
Suite is a safe way to keep
business operational during
these challenging times.

23. z
G Suite
Additionally, G Suite has Google Hangouts. This is a chat platform that is similar
to Teams. It allows for quick communication between team members and can be
as formal or informal as you’d like it to be. Cloud-based platforms have increased
the safety of open communication for many organizations.

24. z
How an MSP Will Guide you
One of the greatest aspects of working with an
MSP is that they will not only set up these
applications for you, but they will also guide
you in the right direction based on your
business.
Office 365 may work perfectly for one
business but not for another. It’s your
MSP’s job to ensure that you’re not
spending too much money on the wrong
products.

25. z
How an MSP Will Guide You
Along with guidance and installation, they will assess any issue
your team members might have with the product in question. They
will monitor your network 24.7 so you don’t have to worry about
anyone gaining access to your data that shouldn’t be.

26. z
z
If you’re interested in learning
more about how an MSP can
increase your security while
saving you money, contact The
TNS Group today.