Tips for Videoconferencing

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Today’s forward-moving, successful businesses simply must have videoconferencing in their arsenal. Whether you’re trying to make a sale, start a new partnership or communicate an idea, there is no substitute for being able to talk face-to-face. In today’s global, digital economy, where businesses have contacts all over the world and may have employees in a variety of locations as well, the most effective form of face-to-face communication is videoconferencing.

Not only should you use videoconferencing technology, but you should also practice effective videoconferencing. Here is a breakdown of some videoconference best practices so you can use this technology in the most effective way for your business.

Videoconferencing Etiquette

There are a few do's and don’ts that are important to keep in mind during videoconferencing.

First, whether you are the leader of the conference or simply a participant, try to check in a little early. There is always the chance that technical issues could pop up or a slow connection could cause unexpected delays, and it’s better to be early and have to wait a little bit for everyone to check in than to miss critical information or keep people waiting.

In general, you should treat a videoconference as if it were a live conference where everyone is in the same room, whether you are the only person checking in remotely or everyone is videoconferencing in. That means dress appropriately, don’t eat or bring food into the meeting. and make sure you are joining the conference from somewhere private where you can close the door and warn passersby not to interrupt.

Videoconferencing Software

Successful videoconferencing starts with the right videoconferencing software and hardware. In today’s environment, you have a number of videoconferencing software options to choose from. Some companies are fine with basic social videoconferencing software like Skype or Zoom, while others will want to adopt a more professional quality videoconferencing software platform like ezTalks Cloud Meeting, RingCentral Office for Business or Cisco WebEx.

Technical Requirements

The best software and the best etiquette won’t help you if you are dealing with technical glitches. That is why it is so important to make sure your system includes the highest-possible quality cameras and microphones for clear, reliable video and sound. You also must have a reliable internet connection and a dependable, connected network. Nothing kills communication faster than a feed that freezes, cuts out or is hard to hear.

If you don’t have enough internet bandwidth, freezing, delays, and choppy video and sound will result. You may find this happening when you have multiple cameras and many people are trying to talk over an internet connection that is inadequate for your purposes. When this happens, it’s easy to become flustered.

Fortunately, you can often avoid this problem by making sure you have an adequate internet connection beforehand. A professional network design specialist, like those on the team at Intellicom, can help you figure out just what kind of internet system you need to help ensure clean, uninterrupted videocommunications and can set it up for you as well.

Naturally, if your internet connection is great but your hardware, cameras and microphones, are subpar, you will suffer quality problems even though the signals are getting through. This can lead to a sense of lack of professionalism and inadequate respect for your own business or the time of the conference participants. That is why it is so important to make sure you have the best equipment and internet connection for the job.

Intellicom Videoconferencing Solutions for Businesses

Intellicom can provide complete, state-of-the-art audiovisual videoconferencing services for your business in the North Carolina area. We have a variety of videoconferencing systems to meet your needs and your budget, systems that can enhance collaboration, improve communication and provide you with clear, consistent video and sound meeting after meeting. We also have experienced personnel and tools to help you set up a reliable network and internet system so you never have to worry about being connected.

To learn how we can put our videoconference systems to work for your business, contact us today.

   

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Best Types of Alarm Systems for Office Environments

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While many people give serious thought to their home security and to the security of retail establishments, some may not be as careful when it comes to an office. This can be an unfortunate oversight. Offices are great targets for thieves, as they are often not heavily guarded and can contain plenty of treasures for the enterprising criminal, from computer equipment to televisions to office supplies.

On top of this, there is the ever-present threat of data theft or corporate espionage, which can have both short-term and long-term negative repercussions for your business. You need a reliable security system to protect your business, but there are so many different types of alarm systems for business. What are they, and which one is right for you? Possible options include:

 

Access Control Systems: An access control system gives you as a business owner total control over the comings and goings of your personnel. Your system can be a basic card reader system, where an employee has to swipe or pass a card over an access panel to gain entry. There are also more sophisticated options, such as a fob the employee carries in their pocket or even a biometric access method like a fingerprint or eye scan.

These systems can help prevent people from sneaking into your office, although they may not be effective against a nighttime break-in attempt from an outside element.

 

Security Alarm System: This is a system that includes options like glass break sensors, motion sensors, door sensors and window sensors that activate when someone unauthorized attempts entry at a time they shouldn’t. These sensors should not only trigger a sound alarm, but should also be linked to a 24/7 monitor station for maximum security. A team will be waiting around the clock to notify you and the proper authorities the moment a break-in attempt is detected.

 

Video Surveillance: Standard alarm systems can do a lot to protect you and your business, but adding video surveillance can give you an even greater level of protection. Having a video-surveillance system in place, especially one linked to 24/7 monitoring, is like having eyes on your business at all times, wherever you are, day or night. Video surveillance protects your business in multiple ways.

First, it can act as a powerful deterrent to break-in attempts, as highly visible video cameras let potential intruders know they are being watched before they even think about breaking in.

Second, it can generate a fast response. The monitoring team can alert the authorities as soon as a break-in is attempted, and since it is verified by the monitors, those authorities can act fast without fear of a false alarm situation.

Finally, should intruders be scared off and escape capture, the high-definition cloud-based recording technology can store clear video of the criminal who made the attempt, facilitating easier apprehension so he cannot attempt to break-in at a later date.

 

What’s the Best Alarm System for My Business?

So which alarm system is best for your business? If you have a smaller business that is not an obvious target for thieves, a basic security alarm with window, glass break and door sensors will often be sufficient.

For a slightly larger business, you will definitely want to have an access control system as well, and may want to consider a few video cameras. Larger businesses should have motion sensors for both inside and outside the facility; door, glass and window sensors; access control; a full range of video cameras; and 24/7 monitoring. These systems can pay for themselves with the first attack they thwart.

 

Contact Intellicom for Alarm Systems for Businesses in North Carolina

When it comes to the best alarm companies in Durham, North Carolina, the company that stands out is Intellicom. Known for our structural cable and audiovisual solutions services throughout the Research Triangle Park area, we also have proven expertise in reliable security systems for office environments. Whether you’re a smaller business, a larger one or a midsized operation, we can help you find and install the right alarm system for your needs and budget. To find out how, please contact us for more information today.

   

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What Causes Cellphone Dead Zones and How to Fix Them

Dead Cell Phone Zone Solutions

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The cellphone is a miracle of modern technology, and it’s hard to imagine how we would get by today without them. A problem we still face when it comes to using cellphones, however, is the dreaded dead zone.

If you have dead zones in your office, you have a big problem. Without knowing how to minimize cellular dead zones, you limit the areas in your office building where you can effectively communicate when you need to. What causes a cellular dead zone, and what solutions are available for how to fix cellphone dead zones?

What Causes Cellphone Dead Zones?

A cellular dead zone is simply a place where the signal from the cell tower that facilitates your cellphone communication is not reaching your phone or other communications device, or is not able to send a strong enough signal to that device. This can happen for a number of reasons.

Simple distance can be one factor. The farther away you are from the nearest cell tower, the worse your reception. A dead zone is a place where you are as far from your primary cell tower as from the next tower in your area.

Obstructions can be another culprit. Everything from trees to various building materials have the potential to interfere with the signal. It’s why you rarely get service in places like tunnels and elevators. It’s also why there often seem to be dead zones throughout office buildings. Many materials in office buildings can be a challenge for cell signals to get through our around.

Other factors, like weather or how many people are accessing the tower, can also hurt cell reception. These are things your cell provider usually cannot do anything about. If you run a busy office where communication is vital, though, that answer is unacceptable. Fortunately, technology provides another solution.

How Technology Can Help You Minimize Cellular Dead Zones

Installing a DAS, or distributed antenna system, can help resolve a lot of your office dead zone problems. This is a network of separated antenna nodes that essentially split your signal so you need less power to provide signal coverage to a location. Your DAS will often work with a repeater system or wireless amplifier, technological innovations that can significantly boost the range and power of your cellphone network.

Contact Intellicom for Cellular Dead Zone Solutions Today

If you have a company in the fast-moving business environment of the North Carolina Research Triangle Park area, you can’t afford to not be able to connect. That’s why if you are struggling with dead zones, you need to get in touch with Intellicom right away. We have installed over a million square feet of improved signals in commercial buildings over the last 11 years, and we are sure we can help you with your dead zone problem.

At Intellicom, we can design and install a custom signal-boosting system, including affordable small cell, repeater and passive technology, and a complete DAS system encompassing design, installation, maintenance and emergency service. We can customize your system to fit your business, whether your biggest concern is cellphones, RFID sensors, radios or another type of device.

Our design takes into account the design of your building, so your system won’t look the same, whether you need it for a warehouse, a factory or a traditional business office.

Our DAS and other dead zones can help you reduce dropped calls, increase network speed at certain locations in your building, cut excessive power costs for your communications system and more. To find out how, get in touch with us today to request a quote or to find out about a project design.

   

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Top Business Collaboration Tools for the Office

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In the modern world of business, collaboration is key. Studies have shown that good collaboration between colleagues can lead to more engagement from all employees, including those that work remotely. It also improves the ability of new employees to get up to speed faster and helps a company move more effectively toward its goals.

Today’s best collaboration tools for business are ones that enhance communication among employees, preferably in real time. What was considered collaboration in the past, such as two employees splitting a project or one employee giving a presentation and getting feedback, is not quite what we mean by effective business collaboration today.

Today, business collaboration means multiple employees developing and perfecting an idea at the same time, thanks to the advanced digital technology we can now access as tools for increasing collaboration.

Best Collaboration Software for the Office

There are a whole host of great business collaboration applications available today, but here are a few that are the cream of the crop to consider.

Asana

Asana is a project management platform that is famed for its flexibility. You can assemble Asana’s features in a variety of ways to suit your company’s specific needs. When configured the right way, Asana becomes a member of the team, making it incredibly simple for the right employees to work together to get each project or module of a project done effectively.

Kaltura

Kaltura takes advantage of the way video can communicate a lot of ideas to a broad base of people quickly and effectively. Large corporations and educational institutions use the platform, which allows executives to publish informative videos. It also lets employees contribute feedback as well as their own videos, bringing staff together in heretofore unimagined ways.

Collokia

Collokia is a Google Chrome plugin that’s sort of like Google on steroids. This intelligent software takes your Google search results and turbo boosts them by overlaying them with feedback from fellow employees, annotations and ratings.

Your employees are probably using Google constantly, and many times they may be doing the same searches independently. With Collokia, there’s no need to keep reinventing the wheel. Information employees gain and conclusions they draw can be shared instantly with the next employee, turning your office into a hive mind with exponentially greater knowledge and capabilities than before. The amount of time and productivity you can gain is virtually limitless.

Making Collaboration Work

Of course, great business collaboration is about more than just software. Software is only as good as the hardware it runs on, and in the end, it’s the hard equipment that allows all this collaboration and communication to take place. You need a powerful network to make these tools work, and they work best in conjunction with effective hardware communication tools like video conferencing equipment, audio visual solutions and organized structural cabling to bring it all together.

That’s where Intellicom comes in. Our ability to help you design, install and run effective, high-value technology solutions for your business communications is unparalleled. If your business is located in or around the Durham Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina, we have the technicians, tools and equipment to turn your office into the perfect hub for business collaboration, with high-tech and reliable wireless displays, cabling, videoconferencing solutions and more.

For more details on how Intellicom can help you supercharge your business with enhanced communication techniques and state-of-the-art business collaboration hardware, contact us today.

   

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