Cisco SPA525G2 with 32 button sidecar

One of the best selling phones for the small and medium business (SMB) market is the Cisco SPA525G2 phone. The entire series of SPA phones are affordable, reliable and well suited to SMB use, but the 525 G2 is the current big daddy with its color display, ability to play MP3s from a memory stick, sync to your cell phone via bluetooth, built-in bluetooth for wireless headset usage and so much more.

On every system we sell that includes the SPA 525, we get a few questions like, ‘How do you answer another extension?”, and of course we answer it, but, with such a long list of these “star codes”, I can’t remember them myself.

Cisco Star Codes for SPA525G2 Phones:

• Call Return (*69)—Calls the last caller, regardless which extension.
• Blind Transfer (*98)—Allows the user to transfer a call to another number  without waiting for the other party to pick up.
• Call Back Act (*66)—Periodically redials the last busy number (every 30  seconds by default) until it rings or until the attempt expires (30 min by default), regardless which extension. Only one call back operation can be ordered at a time. A new order automatically cancels the previous order.
• Call Back Deact (*86)—Cancels the last call back operation.
• Call Forward All Act (*72)—Call forwards all inbound calls. Applies to primary extension only.
• Call Forward All Deact (*73)—Cancels call forward all. Applies to primary extension only.
• Call Forward Busy Act (*90)—Call forwards on busy. Applies to primary extension only.
• Call Forward Busy Deact (*91)—Cancels call forward on busy. Applies to primary extension only.
• Call Forward No Answer Act (*92)—Call forwards if no answer. Applies to primary extension only.
• Call Forward No Answer Deact (*93)—Cancels call forward no answer. Applies to primary extension only.
• CW Act (*56)—Enables call waiting. For example, if call waiting is turned off globally, this star code will turn on call waiting until the CW Deact code is entered.
• CW Deact (*57)—Deactivates call waiting. For example, if call waiting is turned on globally, this star code deactivates call waiting until the CW Act code is entered.
• CW Per Call Act (*71)—Enables call waiting for a single call. For example, if  call waiting is turned off globally, this star code will turn on call waiting for that call.
• CW Per Call Deact (*70)—Deactivates call waiting for a single call. For example, if call waiting is turned on globally, this star code deactivates call waiting for that call.
• Block CID Act (*67)—Blocks caller ID on all outbound calls. Applies to all extensions.
• Block CID Deact (*68)—Deactivates caller ID blocking on outbound calls. Applies to all extensions.
• Block CID Per Call (*81)—Blocks caller ID on the next outbound call (on the current call appearance only).
• Block CID Per Call Deact (*82)—Deactivates caller ID blocking on the next outbound call (on the current call appearance only).
• Block ANC Act—Blocks anonymous calls. Applies to all extensions.
• Block ANC Deact—Deactivates anonymous call blocking. Applies to all  extensions.
• DND Act (*78)—Activates Do Not Disturb. Applies to all extensions.
• DND Deact (*79)—Deactivates Do Not Disturb. Applies to all extensions.
• Secure All Call Act (*16)—Defaults to prefer to use encrypted media (voice codecs).
• Secure No Call Act (*17)—Defaults to prefer to use unencrypted media for all outbound calls. Applies to all extensions.
• Secure One Call Act (*18)—Prefers to use encrypted media for the outbound call (on this call appearance only).
• Secure One Call Deact (*19)—Prefers to use unencrypted media for the outbound call (on this call appearance only).
• Paging (*96)—Pages the number called.
• Call Park (*38)—Parks a call on an entered line number.
• Call UnPark Code (*39)—Retrieves a call from an entered line number.
• Call Pickup (*36)—Picks up a call at an entered extension.
• Group Call Pickup (*37)—Picks up a ringing call at a group of extensions.
• Media Loopback Code (*03)—A service provider can set up a test call from an IP media loopback server (the source) to a subscriber’s VoIP device (the mirror). The test call provides statistical reporting on network performance  and audio quality.

Depending on the source’s capabilities, the SP can see packet jitter, loss, and delay (although Media Loopback cannot identify an offending hop). This helps the SP identify an offending hop that could be causing issues in VoIP calls to a subscriber. The test results can also provide audio quality scoring, which lets a SP better understand the subscriber’s experience.

Referral Services Codes—One or more * codes can be configured into this parameter, such as *98, or *97|*98|*123, and so on. The maximum total length is 79 characters.
This parameter applies when the user places the current call on hold (by Hook Flash) and is listening to second dial tone. Each * code (and the following valid target number according to current dial plan) entered on the second dial-tone triggers the Cisco IP phone to perform a blind transfer to a target number that is prepended by the service * code. For example:
a. After the user dials *98, the Cisco IP phone plays a special prompt tone while waiting for the user the enter a target number (which is validated according to the dial plan as in normal dialing).
b. When a complete number is entered, the Cisco IP phone sends a blind REFER  to the holding party with the Refer-To target equals to *98 target_number. This  feature allows the Cisco IP phone to hand off a call to an application server to perform further processing, such as call park. The * codes should not conflict with any of the other vertical service codes internally processed by the Cisco IP phone. You can delete any * code that you do  not want the call server to process.

Feature Dial Services Codes: Tells the Cisco IP phone what to do when the user is  listening to the first or second dial tone.
You can configure one or more * codes into this parameter, such as *72, or *72|*74|*67|*82, and so on. The maximum total length is 79 characters. When the user has a dial tone (first or second dial tone), they can enter a * code (and the  following target number according to current dial plan) to trigger the Cisco IP phone to call the target number prepended by the * code. For example:
a. After the user dials *72, the Cisco IP phone plays a special prompt tone while waiting for the user the enter a target number (which is validated according to the dial plan as in normal dialing).
b. When a complete number is entered, the Cisco IP phone sends an INVITE to *72 target_number as in a normal call. This feature allows the proxy to process features such as call forward (*72) or BLock Caller ID (*67).
You can add a parameter to each * code in Features Dial Services Codes to indicate what tone to play after the * code is entered, such as *72‘c‘|*67‘p‘.

Following is a list of allowed dial tone parameters (note the use of back quotes surrounding the parameter without spaces).

•  ‘c‘ = Cfwd dial tone
•  ‘d‘ = Dial tone
•  ‘m‘ = MWI dial tone
•  ‘o‘ = Outside dial tone
•  ‘p‘ = Prompt dial tone
•  ‘s‘ = Second dial tone
•  ‘x‘ = No tones are place, x is any digit not used above

If no tone parameter is specified, the Cisco IP phone plays the prompt tone by default.
If the * code is not to be followed by a phone number, such as *73 to cancel call forwarding, do not include it in this parameter. In that case, add that * code in the dial plan.

Homeland Secure IT is happy to be a Cisco SMB Select Partner! If we can provide your business VoIP support in the Greenville / Upstate, SC area, please call upon us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com

Dear HP Channel Partners,

HP is deeply saddened by the recent flooding in Thailand. The extent of the damage is devastating and our hearts go out to each person in Thailand negatively impacted by this tragedy.

In light of this unfortunate turn of events and its potential impact on the technology industry, we would like to provide you with a brief update regarding the situation here at HP.

HP continues to maintain operations in Thailand and is in constant communication with our employees, customers and suppliers to optimize business continuity in this dynamic situation.  We have teams in place for each product category and are monitoring the situation closely.

HP has a small percentage of its Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) manufacturing in Thailand and we are mitigating any negative impacts through our business continuity planning. HP Enterprise Servers Storage and Networking (ESSN) and HP Personal Systems Group (PSG) do not have manufacturing facilities in Thailand.

From a component supply situation, Thailand is a major manufacturing source of Hard Disc Drives (HDD) and other sub-components used in HP products.

HP currently is reviewing potential supply constraints in an effort to optimize its manufacturing and meet your business needs.

As we work together through this industry wide constraint, we will implement business continuity plans to seek alternative sources of high quality components or raw materials. HP will notify you of any potential impacts if we are unable to locate other acceptable alternative sources. HP will provide this information through our existing business and planning processes in place with your sales representative.

Thank you for your business.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us directly with any questions.

Yours sincerely,

The HP Channel Leadership Team

Scott Dunsire, vice president, U.S. Channel Sales, IPG

Steve Erdman, vice president, Americas Channel Sales, Software

Tracy Galloway, vice president, Americas Channel Sales, Services

Mike Parrottino, vice president, U.S. Channel Sales, PSG

Frank Rauch, vice president & GM, Americas Channel Sales, ESSN/TS

Matt Smith, director, Marketing, Americas Channel Sales

—

We’ve received notification from just about every manufacturer of systems that we partner with. I spent 30 minutes on the phone with one this morning as they gave me the total run-down on how this hard drive shortage will be affecting us.

The general concensus is: It is going to get worse before it gets better.   We have been advised to buy now, not to wait until it actually does get worse.

We’ll keep you updated!

Copyrights & Wrongs

You’ve got a great phone system (hopefully you have moved up to a Voice over IP phone system by now!) and you want to use all the great features of it.

One feature that is common to (most) all VoIP systems is that you can use Music On Hold (MOH) which gives the poor caller who gets placed on hold something to listen to other than dead air, or beep, or, God forbid, constant ringing like I got the other day for 2 minutes solid when calling a very large vendor for support.  RING RING RING AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The trend for the last few years has been to get voice talent to record promotional messages, combined with music that makes the time spent on hold for the client productive. A large number of sales have been made due to a promotional message telling a holding client about services or sales specials offered. I guess the impulse buyers hear, “Did you know we offer Microsoft Licensing?” and immediately place an order for 1000 seats of Microsoft Office 2010 or something. Hmmm, maybe we should do that here at Homeland?

The costs of having these messages produced vary from 5 dollars (if you want an Indian accent) to thousands of dollars, with the average falling at about 500 dollars for high quality, professional voice talent and music to be provided.

Some businesses have gone the extreme budget route and recorded their own messages, complete with lots of “uhhhs” and the like and plenty of background noise.

A smaller organization may just want to plug in a radio to the MOH port on the phone system and let that play, or maybe use their iPod or other MP3 player to put on their favorite tunes. I mean, let’s get real here, if you like Adele and Rhianna, your clients should love it to!

There’s a slight problem with that. Okay, not so slight; You are using unlicensed music which could result in law suits and fines…

The music that you own already, which you purchased off of iTunes or Amazon, or even own the vinyl record that you converted over to an MP3, is not your’s for public performance. Confused? Me too! Basically, there is a difference between owning the right to play that music for yourself, and the right to play it for others to hear.

So what’s a soul to do in order to provide entertainment on hold in the form of music?

• You could find “royalty free” music, but be warned, it won’t keep a licensing organization from coming after you. You could STILL get a letter to cease the use of that music with the threat of lawsuit or fines if they believe it is owned by them. Make sure you can backup the fact that the music is in the public domain, the person/group performing it do not have a copyright on it and that it is not just released for listening or performance, that it has no “mechanical copyright” on it which would prohibit you from using it in the manner you wish to use it.
• There are licensing entities such as ASCAP and BMI which you can pay in order to use the music which you want to play. You can license a single song in some cases, or get a blanket license to use anything from their repertoire.
• There are “music on hold” providers, which take care of all the licensing for you (be careful here, there are some shady ones). These are the ones who will give you professional voice talent if you want that, along with a genre of music that is appealing to your callers, hopefully.
• You could find a local musician who writes and produces their own original content and tell them you would like to showcase their talent on your on-hold system. Get it in writing that they are giving you permission to use their original music for a set time, and what the cost is. It may be free!

I am sure I have overlooked something as I am no expert in this field. But, this may be give you an idea of what you are up against regarding Music On Hold.

Myself, I am sad I can’t use a loop of Sugarloaf’s “Don’t Call us, We’ll Call you” to play to telemarketers….

If you do decide to hire a professional voice artist in the Greenville / Upstate area, please email me and I may be able to point you in the right direction.

Homeland SECURE IT Achieves Select Certification from Cisco

Greenville, SC, November 1, 2011:  Homeland Secure IT announced today that it has achieved Select Certification from Cisco. The Select Certification recognizes Cisco® resale channel partners that focus on meeting the technology and service needs of small businesses.

Cisco’s portfolio of both Small Business and Small Business Professional Series products directly complement and enhance Homeland Secure IT’s Systems Design, Sales, Installation and Support of end-to-end communications and physical networks.

Cisco Select Certified

“The Cisco Select Certification was created in response to customer demand for channel partners capable of designing and implementing Cisco solutions purpose-built for small businesses,” said Andrew Sage, vice president of Worldwide Small Business Sales at Cisco. “With the Select Certification, Homeland Secure IT has made an investment in obtaining the training, skills and knowledge necessary to play a pivotal role in meeting this growing demand.”

To earn Select Certification, Homeland Secure IT fulfilled the training and exam requirements for the Cisco Small Business Specialization.  Homeland Secure IT also met the personnel, training and post-sales support requirements set forth by Cisco.

The Cisco Resale Channel Program provides a framework for channel partners to build the sales, technical and Cisco Lifecycle Services skills required to deliver Cisco solutions to end customers. Through the program’s specializations and certifications, Cisco recognizes a channel partner’s expertise in deploying solutions based on Cisco advanced technologies and services. Using a third-party audit process, the program validates channel partner qualifications such as technology skills, business best practices, customer satisfaction, and presales and post-sales support capabilities — critical factors for customers choosing a trusted channel partner.

About Homeland Secure IT

Homeland Secure IT is headquartered in Greenville, SC, and serves Greenville and the Upstate of South Carolina.  Our goal is to deliver seamless design, implementation, and support to customers requiring both simple and sophisticated communications solutions.

• Unified Communications (VoIP)
• Wireless (WLAN)
• Video Surveillance
• Storage Solutions (NAS, SAN)
• Backup and Disaster Recovery
• Security (Firewall, A/V)
• Switching

For more information about this topic or to schedule meeting with our design and engineering team, please call 864-990-4748 or visit our website at http://www.HomelandSecureIT.com

Today, Cisco released 2.1.2 to the cloud for update which addresses that specific issue!

But wait, if you can’t log into the thing, how do you update your firmware so you can log into it?

First, you will need to downgrade your Flash Player to version 10.

To determine which version you are currently using visit here: http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

To download earlier versions of Adobe Flash visit here: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/142/tn_14266.html#main_Archived_versions

Once you have downgraded your browser to Adobe Flash Player 10 you will be able to log into UC320W Configuration Utility to perform the upgrade, and once complete can reinstall Adobe Flash Player v11.

The 2.1.2 firmware does not correct any other issues or add any features. If you are not experiencing login issues, you may want to hold off until 2.1.3 is released which does add some new functionality, or so we have heard!

Should you require assistance in updating or configuring your Cisco UC devices in the Greenville or Upstate, SC area, please give us a call at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com – We are a Cisco SMB partner!

Apple iPhone

Smartphones: Whether it is an Android, iPhone or even a Windows based phone, you cannot survive without one. These devices provide instant communication with your clients through email, text message and phone, along with the ability to browse the web and select from tens of thousands of applications to assist in your business. Your clients will not wait for you to get to your office to respond to an email. Even a quick, “I’m driving, will respond as soon as it is safe” auto-response is better than no response. The cost of a typical phone can range from 100 to 300 dollars per phone depending on features and term of contract from the carrier of your choice.

Square Credit Card Reader

Credit Card Processing: If you expect to get paid, then you need to accept every form of payment possible, including plastic. Yes, you will lose a little bit on the sale, but you will gain an instant payment. If you are just getting started, without purchasing a machine or paying a monthly charge, you can accept credit cards anywhere you have a cell signal using the Square credit card application with your smart phone and the free reader device that they provide to you. No per-swipe fee, and less than 3.0% charge. Fast, secure, and in your account the next business day. Find it in your phones’s marketplace.

Reliable & Fast Internet: There are a lot of choices these days for fast internet, from DSL to cable to fiber, and the old tried and true T1 standard, but some businesses may find that a wireless broadband internet plan may be enough for them. We recommend Charter Business in most situations, but that varies depending upon what is available at the business location. One advantage to using a cellular based broadband internet connection is that you can take it with you, which is great for businesses that are not tied to one specific location. Typical 4G plans will provide over 5 meg down and up to 2 meg up. Verizon Wireless offers the MiFi devices for around 50 dollars with 5GB plans for 50 dollars per month.

IP Surveillance Cameras

IP surveillance: Sure it sounds like the CIA, but IP security cameras at your business will decrease loss of inventory, increase productivity, and may provide an insurance savings. You can even keep tabs on your employees using a smartphone or any web browser to view these camera. Recordings can be reviewed after events occur, and most systems can email you when there is movement in a particular location. Prices range from $150 for a single entry level camera into the $2000 range to cover an entire business. You can install yourself, or get an IT provider to handle this for you for the most professional results.

Email: This is a no-brainer, but many small businesses will cut corners here. A Hotmail account will work for sure, but who wants AcmeWidgetCo@hotmail.com on their business cards. At the very least, your business should use a service that allows for linking a domain to your mail, such as Google Apps (Gmail) or Microsoft Office 365. This gives you a professional appearance, and provides for important features such as linking of your smartphones, sharing of calendars between users and so much more. Microsoft Office 365 costs about 5 dollars per person per month and gives you up to 20GB of storage.

Anti-Virus & Security: Far too often this is overlooked, or taken for granted. A business that is vulnerable to viruses or malware is a business that could experience costly downtime and repairs, not to mention, open yourself up for compliance violations and potential fines or legal issues depending upon the field you are in. The components of a secure network are as simple as a quality firewall like those offered from Cisco, Watchguard or SonicWall, an anti-virus software package from Trend Micro or Symantec, and taking the time to apply updates to the Operating System (Windows, Mac, etc) and support software (Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash, JAVA).

Backup: When disaster strikes, you need to be prepared for it. Having backups of your important files will insure you are not out of business when a computer or server fails. Backups technology can be as simple as an external USB drive or remote backup solution, or on the other end of the spectrum, as complicated as auto-loader tape drives. One thing is for sure, ANY attempt to backup your data is better than none. For automated cloud backup solutions, consider Servosity or Mozy Pro.

Here at Homeland Secure IT, we utilize a vast array of technology and we also help many small and medium businesses and even home offices stay up to date. If we can help you with decisions regarding your Greenville or Upstate technology infrastructure, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We offer sales, service, repair and consultation of everything from computers to VoIP.

What is your “must have” business technology? I would love to hear about it.  VoIP phone systems? iPad, Android or Windows based tablet computers? A favorite app (We love TiKL & Waze)?

The theft doesn’t look like your typical smash and grab either, because the thieve/s appear to have known the layout and went to great lengths to avoid detection. They entered through a skylight, after cutting power to the store, cutting video surveillance wires and disconnecting the alarm system backup power. A newspaper article about the break in and theft can be found here.

As a small business owner, I know the devastation the proprietor of the music store must be feeling, and I sincerely hope the perpetrator/s is/are caught and the equipment returned, and that there was insurance covering that inventory.

However, as a supplier and consultant in the security field, I have to wonder about a few details and offer some suggestions.

The article states the power was cut.  That would not normally matter to an alarm system, as it has a backup battery.  Now if the phone lines were cut before the power, then the system could not dial out.  UNLESS the alarm system has a cellular backup system as our home and our office both have.  This costs a few dollars more, but in the event of a power failure and loss of telephone connectivity, it can make the difference between the system working or not.

Dropping through a skylight SHOULD have been picked up by motion.  Was it not functioning? Was the system unable to call out?  The alarm should have sounded and strobe lights in equipped should have been flashing.  Pulling the battery on the alarm would have then silenced it, but not before it dialed out on the cellular backup system if it used that, or VoIP if the internet were not disabled too.

Which brings us to video surveillance. Obviously, no system is perfect, but many modern systems are capable of alerting staff of intrusion before it happens.  If you walk into my yard at my home, or come into the parking lot of our businesses, still shots will be emailed to me.  This functionality is easy to configure and helps let you know about sketchy things taking place. If I receive email at 10pm on a Saturday then I am going to be paying special attention to it, watching in real-time.

But what if someone were to manage to disable the internet connections? Wouldn’t that disable the ability to notify anyone?  Not necessarily. Businesses can consider secondary internet services, such as wireless broadband internet (3g/4g) for their video surveillance.  Total cost, 450/year and doubles as a failover for the business internet.

What if the power were cut to the building? The video surveillance system should be on an UPS (un-interruptable power supply) to keep it running for many hours. Our system is on an inexpensive UPS which will keep the DVR and the cameras functional for about 72 hours.  Total cost, 350 dollars.

WHAT IF (Lots of what if’s here!) the bad guys managed to actually get in without being detected… Couldn’t they just take the Digital Video Recorder?  Yes, they could, if it were not in a hardened enclosure.  But, there are ways to deal with that too. All video up until the time the DVR went offline can be synced to a remote location.

We have opted to sync our video to multiple machines, so if the DVR were physically destroyed or taken, the video would still be elsewhere.

If you would like to discuss how to better protect your Greenville /Upstate SC business or home, give us a call… 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com.  We offer CCTV, IP Video, Surveillance systems,  DVRs and NVRs. We can also help plan for failover systems, such as UPS and cellular / 3g/4g wireless backups.

Kabloooieeeeeeee! Mac battery meltdown...

Could your Apple Mac Macbook, Macbook Pro or Macbook Air be a ticking timebomb? According to one researcher, yes.

An interesting article over on PHYSORG.com states that a researcher with Accuvant Labs will be demonstrating an exploit on current Mac models that could result in a battery pack actually exploding if the vulnerability is leveraged by hackers.

It seems that the issue at the heart of this matter is a firmware password that, if known, could be used by someone with malicious intent to change parameters inside the Mac fairly easily.

This will be an interesting one to watch develop over time due to the nature of firmware updates. A large majority of electronics from your A/V system remote control to the computer in your car can receive updates in various ways. Smartphones can get updates OTA (Over The Air), automatically, and so do many internet attached appliances like VoIP, IP Surveillance and Security systems.

At the time I write this, I am unaware of an actual exploit in the wild for the Apple Mac products, however, after the upcoming demonstration to a group of  ”black hat” hackers, if un-addressed by Apple, we could see something out there in the next few weeks.

We don't just sell D-Link products, we know how to make them work within your environment!

Everyone is familiar with Cisco products, but not everyone may realize there are alternatives which can affect your bottom line drastically while providing an identical feature set and experience.

D-Link is a leader in the field and their products can often times go head-to-head with Cisco.

D-Link offers:

• Wireless network equipment, like access points, managed wireless switches for large scale deployments, and cloud managed systems. D-Link offers a solution for your small office or your large university campus and everything in between. Need wireless roaming of VoIP systems or to connect buildings and networks together wirelessly? They’ve got that covered.
• SAN – Network storage systems that can use your existing LAN infrastructure and compete nicely with NAS (Network Attached Storage). These work with VMWare and other virtual environments, as well as with applications like ProTools!
• Firewalls and routers, for the small or medium business to the large enterprise.
• Switches, from a single inexpensive switch to managed to stackable for your enterprise that can have a master replaced without taking the entire stack down. 10/100, gigabit, even 10GBE.

nexVortex SIP Trunking for Business

If you are currently using a SIP trunking provider for your business, have a look at what nexVortex has to offer. Compare it to your current provider and see how they stack up!

Homeland Secure IT became a partner with nexVortex after researching many other providers… We needed a reliable provider who could offer the features our clients needed at a price they could afford. We found that the quality of service and the feature set offered by nexVortex fit the bill, as did their pricing!

For instance, the nexVortex Business Elite Plan offers unlimited concurrent calls, 5000 minutes of outbound (US continental & Canada), 5 DID telephone numbers, E911 and disaster recovery for only $100/month. That is everything most of the businesses we work with require, though they do have a Business Pro Plan that is even less expensive at $40/month, and that has 2000 minutes of outbound calls, unlimited concurrent calls, E911 and one telephone number.

Need 50 DIDs? How about 100, or 1000?  nexVortex can provide that too, saving you lots of money in the process in many cases!

If you would like more information in the Greenville or Upstate, SC area, please call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. If you are outside of our area, that’s okay, click on the nexVortex logo and you can find everything you need on their website.

Unable to use SIP trunking due to an old phone system? We can help with that! We are have a solution that is right for your business!  Please call or email today!

In my previous post, we looked at a company we will call “Business One”, a local small business using PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) with their old key phone system and asked the question “Are you paying too much for your business phone service?”…

Obviously, there was money to be saved by simply changing how they have always done things, however, there was expense involved, which came in the form of the need for a new phone system. Let’s look at what is involved to move “Business One” from an aging key phone system to a new VoIP (Voice over IP) system.

First, let’s see what the current system comprised of:

• 8 total extensions
• 3 outside phone lines
• Paging to a speaker (broken)
• Paging to phones
• NO music on hold option
• NO Automated Attendant capability
• NO voice mail (Simple answering machine turned on manually)
• NO voice mail going to email
• NO Caller ID display

We’re talking a very basic digital key system. It has accomplished what they needed, and nothing more.

So what would we be putting in place?

Cisco’s new UC320W Unified Communications system, which is one unit that controls the local VoIP system, provides a security router, gigabit switch, wireless 802.11n and more.  This is the baby brother to the UC540 system, and it supports up to 24 extensions, 4 copper phone lines, and a fax/phone/credit card machine port.

With additional modules, it can support even more phone lines, at the expense of losing one extension for each additional outside line over 4.   (If you had 8 phone lines, you could only have 20 extensions).

For desk sets, Business One has determined they need only the basics, no color display, bluetooth or MP3 player needed here.

We opted for the Cisco SPA504G, a 4 line display phone with outstanding audio quality, crystal clear speakerphone, dedicated headset port, message waiting indicator and an AUX port to connect the optional 32 button sidecar which allows the programming of single button speeddials, transfers, etc. These phones also have a network passthru for the connected PCs and Power Over Ethernet (POE).

To enable the two people who answer phone the most there the ability to easily transfer calls to other worker voice mail and extensions, we added two of the 32 button sidecars (SPA500S). They can tell if someone is using their extension at a glance, and transfer a call they answered easily to another extension, or send it straight to that extension’s voice mail with the push of one button.

The old phone system does not use CAT5 wiring, so new wiring was required to several extensions, and since there are no power outlets in some of those locations, a Cisco ESW-520-8p switch was in order. This switch provides 8 ports of 10/100 ethernet WITH Power Over Ethernet (Meaning, all 8 extensions would not require to have a power adapter plugged into the wall)

The client had an existing 10/100/1000 (gigabit) network for their computers, but it was decided that keeping the networks isolated would be desirable. That fact, combined with the desire to have Power Over Ethernet and long runs of cabling that were required to the warehouse area made for a more costly solution than may be necessary in many cases. However, the complete, turn-key solution rang in at about $4500 dollars. By turn-key, we mean, start to finish: Consultation, installation, configuration & training.

By switching to to this VoIP solution and to the SIP trunks as outlined in the previous post, in less than 2.5 years, the new VoIP system will pay for itself, while providing many features this client has never enjoyed!

New features that Business One can enjoy:

• Automated Attendant (Many calls are handled by the phone system)
• Voice Mail for each extension (will replace a single answering machine)
• Night Attendant will provide different greeting/functions after hours
• Music on Hold
• Voice mail is sent to their email to listen to on a smartphone
• Caller ID so they can screen those salespeople!
• Display phones loaded with features
• Ability to transfer a call to their cell phones, or even forward all calls
• Full call logging, see at a glance every incoming/outgoing call
• 8 Simultaneous calls through SIP (instead of the 3 they had before)
• Ability to use inexpensive SIP trunks for service!

That’s just the tip of the iceberg! Their old system has seen better days, so switching to a full fledged VoIP solution and taking advantage of a decrease in service will pay for itself…

Now, if they would just consider the Cisco SPA525G2 phone, with its beautiful color display, built-in MP3 player, bluetooth connectivity to headsets and cellphones, then they would be stylin!

If you would like to talk about how a system like this could be implemented at your business, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We are your Greenville / Upstate SC Cisco SMB Select Partner!

SIP Trunking Provider - nexVortex

In assisting clients recently with their IT needs, we have been discovering a number of them are paying too much for their business phone service. After thinking about it, I decided to contact a sampling of our clients, all in the SMB (Small and Medium Business) segment, and ask them if they would share some information with us so we could compare what they are currently paying with what they COULD be paying if they made the change to a technology called Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking from standard copper phone lines, T1s or PRIs.

First up, we have “Business One”, a small custom manufacturing and sales place, has a total of  three usable voice phone lines with one incoming number, they have one additional phone line used for their FAX, alarm and credit card machine. Their internet is provided by AT&T via a 6 meg down, 0.5 meg up connection. Their current costs are $433.31 including taxes for their long distance and local phone service and their internet connection.

$433.31 is not too bad, however, we thought we might be able to beat that…   We had our Charter Business req quote a 25 meg down, 3 meg up connection, and bundled one single phone line with that in the quote, which will handle the FAX, alarm and credit card machine. Then we opted for the Business trunk package from our SIP provider (NexVortex) which includes 5000 minutes of incoming and 5000 minutes of outgoing talk time, UNLIMITED concurrent calls, 5 DID telephone numbers, Disaster Recovery Routing.  Total cost?   $270.oo

Improvements:

• Bandwidth up from 6/0.5 meg to 25/3.0 meg (400% increase)
• Usable phone lines up from 3 max in use to unlimited
• Ability to give five key personnel their own individual direct phone number
• Cost savings of $163.31 per month or $1959.72 per year

The cost savings could be increased to over $220 per month ($2640/year) if they only needed ONE phone number, 2000 minutes and no disaster recovery.

Of course, the main thing to consider is, the old analog phone system at Business One is unable to support SIP trunking. Their 15 year old system will need to be totally replaced…

In my next post, I will give an example of the cost to upgrade Business One to a brand new VoIP (Voice over IP) phone system from Cisco that can handle the SIP trunking and give them new features that they currently do not have, such as Caller ID, voice mail that goes to email, display phones, etc.  I also hope to give several other examples similar to this one.

Here is a link to the Wikipedia article on SIP

Would you like more information about SIP trunking and how it can save your business money? Please email us at info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864.990.4748. We are your Cisco Select partner in Greenville & Upstate SC, offering the latest in Cisco VoIP technology, as well as a partners with SIP trunking providers such as NexVortex!

We have always wanted the most features that we could get, so a VoIP (Voice over IP) solution was the only way to go! We initially used enterprise class Cisco 7960 VoIP phone sets with an Asterisk based system and a couple phone lines provided by Charter, and a couple provided by Vonage.

We had everything we wanted and needed with that system…

• Automated Attendant
• Voice Mail
• Voice Mail sent to our Email
• Full featured SIP phones with multi-line, displays, etc
• Call tracking, with full logs showing incoming/outgoing call detail
• Music On Hold
• Ability to forward calls to cell phones
• Good audio quality, speaker phone capability

We never really wanted for additional features, but along comes the Cisco UC 320 series which is an ideal fit for many of our own clients. Obviously, we want to provide support to those who may be using this type of system, so we purchased one for ourselves and at the same time purchased a few of the latest SPA 525G2 phones from Cisco and some SPA504s and even the SPA301.

Seeing as how change was coming, we also switched to a SIP trunk with 8 channels (simultaneous lines in use) in addition to the two lines from Charter, so we should not be hurting for available phone lines and nobody should get a busy signal…

The Cisco VoIP solution is very nice for small to medium offices like our own! Out of the box, it supports everything we had before, but here are a few of the details:

• Support for four copper (standard) phone lines from MaBell (or Charter, or a Vonage ATA, etc)
• Support for sending out to analog devices (you can give your FAX  its own extension number for instance or use analog phones)
• Support for using SIP trunks (cheaper than analog lines)
• 24 phone extensions (more on this further down)
• Built-in gigabit switch
• Built-in router
• Built-in 802.11 n/b/g wireless for phones and data
• Music On Hold
• Automated Attendant
• Call logs for external calls
• Supports the full line of Cisco SPA series phones

If you need MORE incoming copper lines, you can add them 4 at a time (up to 12 total) with another device, but you lose an extension for each line you add.

The old 7960G phones rocked for their quality, phone books, and their ability to use external XML scripts to get the weather, etc, but the new phones do not make me miss them at all!

The SPA 525G2 desk sets have too many cool features to list without you getting bored and your eyes glazing over! Here’s a few:

• Color display
  

  Cisco SPA525G2 with 32 button sidecar

• Built-in MP3 player lets you listen to your favorite music directly on your speaker phone (pauses when an incoming call comes in)
• Bluetooth headset support
• Bluetooth linking to your cell/smartphone – Lets you use your smartphone as an additional extension. Answer your cell via your desk phone, place calls on it, even load the cell phone’s directory directly onto your desk phone. Also view the battery charge and signal strength on the SPA 525G2.
• Ability to link up to two 32 button consoles
• Outstanding audio quality on handset and speaker phone
• View Cisco Small Business security cameras on the color display of the SPA 525G2 phone (you can place a camera and a one line phone in your lobby for instance, view who is there, and speak with them)
• Built-in web applications, let you get the current news and weather on your phone’s display

If you are considering a new phone system for your business and you never need more than 12 lines or 24 extensions, then this may be the system for you! In fact, if you did happen to expand past its capabilities, Cisco has a trade-up program to move you to a larger system and you can continue to use the existing phones with it.

We are offering the Cisco UCW320 and the complete line of Cisco Unified Communications systems for Small and Medium Businesses for sale, but also offer consultation, planning, installation and support of these amazing VoIP solutions. In Greenville / Upstate, SC, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for more information.

With businesses going global, video conferencing has become the new standard for communication. ThinkPad Edge E420, featuring a low light-sensitive 720P HD camera and multimedia function keys, delivers a high-quality video conferencing experience. These features coupled with noise reduction technology and the new 2nd generation Intel^® Core™ i3 processors make it a perfect choice for SMB customers.

• 2nd generation Intel Core i3-2310M processor
• Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 bit
• 320GB/7200rpm hard disk drive
• 4GB memory
• Spill-resistant keyboard
• Digital microphone
• HDMI 1.4 for projecting HD
• 4.6lbs
• 4.2 hr

All that for $579.oo!

Homeland Secure IT is proud to be your Greenville / Upstate Lenovo partner. We offer the full line of Lenovo products, including the new E420! Call us today at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com.

If you have one of these phones, you can associate it with your smartphone via Bluetooth and then do the following:

• Make a call from your smartphone’s number, using your Cisco phone
• Answer your incoming smartphone’s incoming calls from the Cisco phone
• Download the contacts from your smartphone to the Cisco phone
• See the signal strength and battery charge of your smartphone on the Cisco display
• Charge your smartphone using the USB port

Want more information about the Cisco SPA series of business VoIP phones? Email info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864.990.4748. We are your Cisco Small Business Select Partners in Greenville & Upstate, SC!

One interesting option is the Cisco Small Business Unified Communications 300 series.  A few features include:

The UC320 system’s specific features:

If this sounds of interest to your Greenville / Upcountry business, please give Homeland Secure IT a call at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We are a Cisco Small Business Select Partner offering sales, support and consultation!

In the past, Internet Cleaning Day has taken place during a 24hr period, but due to new techniques, ISPs have managed to narrow it down to only 1 hour which they have conveniently scheduled for 12pm to 1pm in each time zone.

While normal analog phone systems are not going to be affected, VoIP systems WILL be… This is often overlooked! You should follow the same procedure if your business is using Voice over IP technology. If you are unsure, it is best to disconnect the cables and place in the same container as your network cables.

Let's hope your server room never gets THIS hot!

We are helping a client move their entire network (servers, computers, switches, firewalls) to a new facility. Unfortunately, the new digs do not allow for an optimum placement of their servers. They are to be relegated to an upstairs location in the building, and an air conditioner system is being installed to provide the cooling required to keep everything from melting down.

The worst part is that this far removed server room will contain 4 servers, a computer used for remote access, switches, backup solutions, VoIP system, UPS and various other components, and nobody will be close by to hear if alarms are going off for the RAID, UPS or overheat conditions.

What to do? We will use software to monitor the device temperatures, and we are suggesting a remote temperature sensor for the entire room which will maintain a chart of temperature trends, and allow us to set email alerts in the event the room itself exceeds a determined threshold.

These devices are inexpensive insurance against a meltdown that could cost thousands of dollars to recover from, not to mention downtime for the business affected. We will also be recommending an IP camera in that room that will allow remote visual monitoring, including alarms should something move in the room itself (there will be a log of who entered the room this way). And should the server and room temperatures rise beyond the threshold and alert someone via email, they can then view the camera with a browser or smartphone (Android, iPhone or Blackberry) and see if the room is in flames.

Should you be interested in one of these devices for your Greenville / Upstate server room, or wiring closet, please contact us at 864.990.4748 or info@homelandsecureit.com to discuss options that are available for you.

While we have been able to offer the Cisco product line since we first opened our doors, we can now offer the entire SMB line of products which are designed with the Small and Medium business in mind. The Cisco SMB Select Partner is specially trained and certified to assist businesses with less than 250 users with this line of products designed especially for them!

Some of the products include:

Network video cameras to protect your business from slip, trip & fall type claims, theft, vandalism and even terrorist or violent criminal activities.

NAS or Network Area Storage, which allow centralized storage of your video from cameras, data from users and even backups.

VoIP or Voice over IP phone systems that permit your business to have state of the art features, such as a single number for people to dial that rings your desk phone and cell phone simultaneously, voice mail that goes to your email, automated attendant, etc.

Firewalls and other security products required to protect your internal infrastructure from external intrusion and to keep your business in compliance with regulations, as well as stopping spam and virus at the gateway before it enters your network.

Connectivity devices, like switches (both managed and unmanaged), routers, wireless access points and bridges.

In addition to offering these products, we also offer complete service and support for the entire Cisco SMB line and licensing of SMARTnet, Trend Micro / Cisco Spam & Virus Blocker subscription sales and renewals and more!

If you would like more information about the Cisco SMB offerings, please visit our Cisco Showcase,  email info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864.990.4748. We are proud to be your Cisco SMB Select Partner in Greenville and Upstate SC!

It seems that many of these systems are being setup without any consideration for security at all. Leaving the potential for a malicious person to do things such as attack your system by sending a DoS flood to it, or even to make phone calls from your VoIP system! (This is referred to as “Toll Fraud”)

So how do you protect yourself? The best thing to do is to cut off access to your VoIP server via a firewall. If you don’t need access to something, disable it.

Try not to put your VoIP system in the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) that offers no protection.

The most obvious way into your system is via the web configuration, usually on port 80. If that is wide open and default passwords are in use, a person could log into your box, add extensions, voice mail, etc. So be sure to change your default passwords and disable access to the machine from outside, unless you NEED access from outside, and then if that is the case, setup your firewall to allow connections ONLY from specific IP addresses you use.

The standard SIP port of 5060 is another gaping hole. If you must have SIP open to the outside world, consider changing the port from the default to something else so it doesn’t easily show up on the radar of people who might be doing port scans. You could also set your firewall to only allow connections from known outside IP addresses.

Either of those options can help prevent a SIP flood which could make your VoIP system unusable.

The SIP extensions probably have default passwords when you create those, depending upon which VoIP system you are using. Do not be tempted to use easy passwords…

One of the best ways to protect your SIP VoIP system is to use a VPN connection from any location that will be connecting to your main site. Cisco SPA 525g phones have the capability built-in to connect via VPN, making them a great phone to deploy to those who work out of their home.

If you would like further information, please call 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com. We sell Cisco, Polycom, Digium and other VoIP systems, phones and components, and offer consultation, installation and service in the Greenville / Upstate SC area.

These predictions are based upon industry news, social media and blog rambling as well as some personal wishes.

Will any of it come to fruition? I guess at the end of 2011 you can remind me how wrong I was.

A few IT Predictions for 2011:

• Google Android based devices will continue to dominate the market in smartphones, pads, and everything else from alarm clocks and personal weather stations to set top boxes.

• Wireless carriers will discover that loading their own “value added” bundled software on top of the phones they sell is really a turn off and that keeping the smartphone just as the manufacturer and OS provider intended it to be will enable a faster rollout of updates and make for happier customers.

• Dish, DirecTV & cable TV providers have a fight on their hands… Services like Netflix and a whole slew of streaming providers will fight to bring first run movies, and streaming of networks via the internet. We will see many new set top boxes, TVs with built-in streaming capability. The most exciting thing will be an the legal battles around this, not really the technology itself.

• Tablet and pad wars will continue. Apple’s iPad II will provide some stiff competition for the Android pads, but be prepared for Android based pads to spring up everywhere as more are cleared for import to the USA.

• Internet Tax? Yep, 2011 is the year. So much revenue is being lost that I predict we will see taxes placed on our online purchases. I believe it will be both good and bad. Some online retailers may no longer be able to beat out the local brick and mortar prices, so that could be good for us smaller guys, but it may slow down the injection of money into the economy. Either way, it’s coming.

• Cloud Computing: Over half of all businesses will look into using cloud based services, whether it is online storage, online backup, online applications like Microsoft BPOS or Google Apps, hosted anti-virus, hosted anti-spam or even hosted VoIP solutions. Of these, 10% will actually make the switch, and half who do make the switch will be totally happy, with the other dissatisfied due to bandwidth or network reliabilty. The number of fully satisfied people will go up as the technology matures.

• Malicious software will affect more Macs and Linux based machines in 2011. We’ve already seen a sharp increase in the number of exploited machines, expect this trend to continue. Add to this smartphones as a target.

• Network Connectivity: Charter Business has just come out with a 75×5 meg Pro75 package. This is great, but I expect this to reach 100×10 by the end of 2011, possibly as a free upgrade like they upgraded the 20meg to 30meg…

What do you think the very near future has in store for us? More solid state storage devices? Hard Drives reaching 5TB?

Either way, we hope you have a very Happy New Year!

What do these terms mean? To over-simplify the definition, it means that something is not stored at your location. It is stored “in the cloud”, or on a remote server, and accessed via the internet. The “it” could be data, as in your databases, email, files, or it could be programs / applications, such as web based suites of software like Microsoft Office suite, including Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word or custom applications.

All this talk about moving to “the cloud”, a term which is generically used for the internet, has people thinking about how it can be used for their business. Let’s take our own small business and use it as an example.

Currently, we use a large server which has Microsoft Server 2008 loaded on it and functions as our domain controller, DNS, DHCP, and other standard server tasks… It also serves as our file server, and it hosts Microsoft Exchange for our in-house email. Other tasks this one piece of hardware is responsible for are: TFTPd for management of our VoIP phone system’s configuration files, backup of data (Using multiple backup systems such as Servosity Online Backup Solution, an “in the cloud” product, and MozyPro) and Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security Advanced for anti-virus and anti-spam.

We have a second server which hosts additional files, Blackberry Enterprise Server (not currently in use due to the switch to Android phones), and is a test bed for us. Then we have two other servers, a Voice over IP server based on Linux OS which is in control of our phone system & voice mail, and a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) for storage of video from our CCTV cameras.

In order to reduce some overhead, we could potentially maintain a smaller main server with only Windows 2008 R2 running on it as a domain controller, then utilize Microsoft Aurora, or even Microsoft BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite), allowing mail storage and transport to take place outside our building.

We could then switch from Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security Advanced to the Trend Hosted solution, relieving our server from those duties.

Since we are already using a remote backup solution, we would not have to worry about that, and our backup requirements would actually drop since we would no longer need to backup the Microsoft Exchange Store (Microsoft would handle that for us with the BPOS solution).

As you can see, eliminating the main server entirely from the equation here is not going to be possible, however a considerable amount of storage, backup, and resources could be moved elsewhere.

One thing to take into consideration before moving to these hosted solutions is, what if our internet is down? That is a good question which still has many people concerned about these technologies. In the case of online file storage, if you do not have cached storage at your location, you simply have no access to it. In the case of mail, if you are caching the information locally, you CAN see your old/existing email, but you cannot send or receive new mail until the connection is reestablished. It is important to note that cloud based email will still RECEIVE email when your business is without an internet connection and you will get it as soon as the connection is reestablished, something that doesn’t happen now if you use an onsite Exchange Server, unless you are using a mail hold & forward (spool) system at your ISP or other provider.

Should you desire to discuss your needs and how products like Microsoft Aurora, BPOS, Google Apps, Servosity and other cloud services can fit into your infrastructure, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com for a free consultation!  We are partners with Microsoft, Google, Servosity, MozyPro and other cloud providers. We also offer a full line of computer, server & network service, support, sales and consultation here in Greenville & Upstate SC!

Microsoft is offering a free 30 day trial of their Business Productivity Online Suite if you would like to see it in action.

One lightning strike can ruin your whole day...

Last night was scary for some people here in the Upstate of SC. Easley was hit hard in the business area of Main Street and Pendleton Street and residences along 135 by the passing storms.

As I watched the news and saw the video footage of damage, I felt horrible for the business and home owners affected. We turned on the scanner radio and listened as emergency crews went street by street, clearing each house they came to. We heard that business owners would not be allowed back into their business until 8 AM today, and an entire condo was evacuated and they were not allowed in until after power was restored.

Those who did not suffer structural damage from the wind, or trees falling on their building and the water that poured in, may have suffered in other ways. Servers and workstations that were not on an UPS (Un-Interruptable Power Supply) went down when the power went out, losing any data that was not saved, and potentially corrupting hard drives or data that was being written at the time.

Then there is the damage to electronics, especially computers & servers, when the power attempts to come on, spikes, surges, brownouts. These power events have the potential for destroying sensitive components.

A simple and relatively inexpensive device such as an APC or Eaton UPS could help prevent costly damage, lost productivity and save your data by automatically shutting down the computer after a power failure, saving data properly, and during the continual power up/power down cycles, provide the filtering necessary to protect your systems. Your insurance company may offer discounts for coverage of equipment covered by UPS due to the reduced chance of costly computer server repair or service, or even replacement.

Another nice feature of an UPS would be to supply power to internet routers / switches, CCTV system and VoIP systems to allow you to view your security cameras to assess possible damage before you can even enter your building (If the internet connection is not severed), and your phone systems can continue to function if you have a large enough UPS so that Voice Mail and FAX can still come in.  An UPS can serve to power your systems until your generator comes online if you have one, so your Microsoft Exchange system may never go offline assuming your building is not one of the ones affected by structural damage.

The obvious next layer of protection is a backup solution, such as an onsite backup, whether it is an LTO, DLT or other tape drive, external hard drives, NAS / SAN etc, which could help if the need to restore data comes up… Taking that idea one step further would offer an offsite, or online backup solution, placing your data “in the cloud” safely away from your geographic location, so if a fire, tornado, flood or even a theft occurs, your data is located elsewhere and can be downloaded to a new computer or server.

If you would like to discuss how power protection and backup solutions can safeguard your systems or if you require assistance with a business continuity plan, please email info@homelandsecureit.com or call 864.990.4748. We are partners with APC, Eaton, Symantec, Quantum and Servosity.  We also offer a FREE trial of the Servosity Online Backup Solution….

Free Servosity Online Backup Trial

DON'T Dial 911! Dial 990-4748

Nobody expects an emergency to happen to them, but it is nice to know that when you do need assistance, you can pick up your phone and dial 9-1-1 and a dispatcher will arrange for the appropriate response.

What do you do for your IT network when an emergency arises and you do not have in-house IT support? If you have an IT professional or company who maintains your infrastructure, you likely have their contact information programed into your phone, know it off the top of your head, or at least have their business card. If you do rely on the computer to access that information, in a time of crises you may be unable to open your address book, so having a hard copy of important names and numbers is always a good idea.

If you don’t already have a company you rely on for business computer repair, service or support, you might find that during an actual crisis, you will have difficulty even locating one because of a lack of internet connectivity, leaving you cut off from Google or your favorite search engine, and who has an actual phone book handy anymore?

Remember the Boy Scout motto?  ”Be Prepared”…  Now is the time to do some research and find a service provider who can meet your day-to-day needs and rescue you during critical outages. Call around, talk to some computer service companies and write the contact names and numbers down! Ask what their response times are, and if they charge an “emergency response” fee (some companies charge a 2 hour minimum for rapid response, while others may charge a higher per-hour rate).

Many companies will offer you a free consultation, take advantage of that to learn more about them, and allow them to learn more about your company and network.

Ultimately, who you choose should make you feel comfortable with their personality, level of expertise, and be willing to give you references. They should give you an idea of how long it takes them to respond if your server goes down. Better companies will give you after-hours numbers or even personal cell phone numbers. (Almost all companies charge extra for after-hours or holiday response, be sure to ask what their policy is).

Homeland Secure IT offers computer & server service to Greenville, Anderson, Simpsonville, Clemson, Duncan, Taylors, Travelers Rest, Spartanburg and the rest of the Upstate. We do not charge additional fees for emergency calls.  We do not charge based on the technology, you get the same rate no matter if it is a standard computer, Microsoft Exchange Server or VoIP system. We also do not charge a fuel surcharge, travel time or mileage at all within the Upstate.

Please print out or write down our number, you can put it right next to the “In case of emergency, dial 9-1-1″ sticker on your phone: 864-990-4748

Several forums discuss workarounds that should get you going, such as having the VoIP system convert the audio file to MP3 format, but there is an easier way than that.

We found a great Android app in the Market Place that handles this perfectly! For the price of only 99 cents, you can open your emails, and if they contain WAV file attachments, play them, instead of possibly saving them, then using another media player to listen.

There are probably free apps that will do the same thing, however, this one tested well and performs as expected, so I will recommend it to you.

Search the Android Market Place for “WavPlayer”, it is by Dennis Lockshine.

Once installed, open an email with a voice mail (WAV) attachment and you can then PLAY. When prompted, select the WAV Player app…

If you are using another app, maybe a free one, or a more full featured one, I would love to hear from you… If you are in the Greenville / Upstate SC area and need help with this app or your VoIP system, please call us at 864.990.4748 or email info@homelandsecureit.com