For information on any of our partners please contact us at (888) 300-6600 or email info@universal-tel.com

News you can use every month…

Keep up with technology, telecom and networking. Learn about new ways to communicate with your employees, partners and customers.

This month we offer more tips to protect your business during this hurricane season.  We also provide advice on dealing with a popular phone scam that can inflate your telephone bill.  And with so many choices of carriers and services, we offer a great way to simplify your life.

Phil Liberty, pliberty@universal-tel.com

Christine Maly, christinemaly@universal-tel.com

Marilyn Goldberg, mgoldberg@universal-tel.com

Mervyn Gervis, mgervis@universal-tel.com                  

Batten down the hatches...  Hurricane season is here!

If you’re like most businesses, you rely heavily on voice communication systems and data networks to such an extent that any disruption to these vital technologies will disrupt operations – impacting employees, customers and your bottom line.

Now that hurricane season is upon us, it’s a good idea to take stock of your systems and networks to determine what’s needed to protect these assets against a possible outage. Here’s a few things you should do right now…

1. If you use business lines, make sure you have remote access to setting up Call Forwarding, especially on your main line and fax line.

2. Consider purchasing a few multi-line analog phones and have separate lines and jacks installed so you can use these phones if your Phone System loses power. [We were able to do business in the dark last season because we had this setup ready to go.]

3. If you have T1 circuits, arrange for Crisis Link or a similar disaster plan to have the T1 forwarded in case of an outage.

4. You can also have calls forwarded to a Unified Messaging mail box that has the capability of calling out to a variety of alternate numbers, including mobile phones.

Last hurricane season it wasn’t damage to telephone poles and wires that caused the most telephone system outages - it was the loss of commercial power. BellSouth worked in conjunction with Florida Power & Light to restore telephone service but not until permanent power was restored first. Even hospitals and other high priority facilities were out for days - not because the lines were cut but because they lost power.

Don’t wait until you experience an outage... Take these preventive measures now. On our web page we have a list of emergency contacts for all our carriers, which you should bookmark for future reference.

If you need help with your disaster prevention plan, just call us at (888) 300-6600 or email us at info@universal-tel.com

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Did you know hackers can access your business voice mail system? They poke around until they find a mailbox that still has the vendor’s default password. Hackers know what system you have by how the voice mail answers and they are familiar with the default passwords such systems come with. Once they get in, they can use your system to dial a specific number, usually a 10-10 dial around to call international locations. You don’t know you’ve been scammed until you see your next phone bill.

 
We have had several customers experience this problem and have spent many hours fighting on their behalf to get them credits. But a little diligence can save everyone a lot of hassle. Here’s what you can do to avoid this situation…

1. After installation of a new voice mail system, change the default system password immediately; make sure users set new personal passwords as well.

2. Even if you’ve been using a voice mail system for awhile and have experienced no intrusions (that you’re aware of), check immediately for any default passwords.

3. It’s good company policy to change passwords at least every 6 months; more often if circumstances change, like when any IT/telecom staff members leave the company.

4. Scrutinize your phone bill for calls to international locations and check for length and frequency of such calls to unusual locations. Look for calls from third-party long distance carriers instead of your primary LD carrier. Report any suspicious activity immediately.

According to Robert Seiden, President of Fortress Global in New York City, an investigative and security services firm, “Universal-Tel understands what many companies are just finding out – fraudulent use of telecom systems continues at an alarming rate. Companies must take steps to keep out intruders. The risks from inaction are high, the least of which is getting stuck with a surprisingly big phone bill.”

If you need help with securing your voice mail system, we can help. Contact us at (888) 300-6600 or email us at info@universal-tel.com.
 

Want to reach customers with your own message? Contact Ascent Solutions Group or call (410) 551-3504.