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	<title>ThinkBright - VOIP, Asterisk, Trixbox Blog &#187; VOIP and Technology News</title>
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		<title>Thinkbright.net Announces New Reseller Program for Business VOIP</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/thinkbright-net-announces-reseller-program-business-voip/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/thinkbright-net-announces-reseller-program-business-voip/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:47:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business VOIP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Reseller Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reseller program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VOIP reseller program]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=189</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thinkbright’s new Director of Global SMB Reseller Partnerships, Jeff  Jones, announced a new reseller program and a reorganization to support  it. The program will allow affiliates to generate online income by  referring customers for VOIP products and services. The program has received huge funding in the hopes that more business owners will become [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thinkbright’s new Director of Global SMB Reseller Partnerships, Jeff  Jones, announced a new reseller program and a reorganization to support  it. The program will allow affiliates to generate online income by  referring customers for VOIP products and services. The program has received huge funding in the hopes that more business owners will become aware of the new form of communication called VOIP. Business VOIP is affordable, inexpensive and tech savy and has everything a small business needs in order to look like a large enterprise business with multiple offices and departments. There are even software clients that could be installation your laptop or ipad that could allow business employees to stay connected with customers in and out of the office. Thinkbright will be fully launching its VOIP Reseller program in January 2011 and will be allowing a few beta testers into the program in December  2010. To register into the program just sign up at <a href="http://www.thinkbright.net/reseller_registration.php">http://www.thinkbright.net/reseller_registration.php</a> as an incentive Thinkbright is also having a contest,  where winners will receive a brand new ipad. All you have to do is enroll 1 customer into ThinkBright’s Services to be eligible. Each customer signup equals to one entry into the contest.</p>
<p>To sign up for the reseller program just go to</p>
<p><a href="http://www.thinkbright.net/reseller_registration.php">http://www.thinkbright.net/reseller_registration.php</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Small Business turns to VOIP for business communications</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/small-business-turns-voip-business-communications/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/small-business-turns-voip-business-communications/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:55:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=184</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[All small businesses need a phone line to run their everyday business. When a business grows and new employees are hired, more phones are needed. However, the act of having an additional line comes at a cost that is very expensive to most startups.  Now businesses are turning away from the old traditional communications and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>All small businesses need a phone line to run their everyday business. When a business grows and new employees are hired, more phones are needed. However, the act of having an additional line comes at a cost that is very expensive to most startups.  Now businesses are turning away from the old traditional communications and are turning towards professional business VOIP solutions like the services found at <a href="http://www.ThinkBright.net">ThinkBright.net</a>.  Thinkbright provides Enterprise level VOIP PBX solutions at prices that could save a small business hundreds even thousands of dollars per month on phone costs. In addition to the savings small businesses can now get access to features that only enterprise level businesses have. Auto Attendants, Queues, Ringgroups, Time Conditions and more. Times are changing fast and business owners are learning quickly that the key to staying in business is by increasing productivity and reducing costs. ThinkBright&#8217;s Business VOIP plans are just making it easier to stay in business.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>VOIP Smartphone use is on the move.</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/voip-smartphone-use-is-on-the-move/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/voip-smartphone-use-is-on-the-move/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:01:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smartphone VOIP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VOIP on Smartphone]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=168</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Smartphone use is on the appear. But then again you belike figured that out, as your smartphone use is also on the origin.
ThinkBright.net conducted a canvas late which constitute that:
1) Smartphones and having intimate relationships even (40%) for state the find one abstract respondents cannot unfilmed without.
2) The majority (79%) of respondents name the Smartphone [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Smartphone use is on the appear. But then again you belike figured that out, as your smartphone use is also on the origin.</p>
<p>ThinkBright.net conducted a canvas late which constitute that:</p>
<p>1) Smartphones and having intimate relationships even (40%) for state the find one abstract respondents cannot unfilmed without.</p>
<p>2) The majority (79%) of respondents name the Smartphone as the phone they utilized the most to convey commercialism, as compared to an staff sound or internal phone.</p>
<p>2) Smartphones are also invasive on computers as healthy, with 34% of respondents using the Smartphone more than the computer for mercantilism. In fact, 7% don&#8217;t change train their laptop when they travel for enterprise if they tally their Smartphone. Is this the kickoff of a upcoming hammy shift?</p>
<p>What does this mingy for your performing?</p>
<p>1. Your customers are going to be accessing your web position and interacting with your associate, solon from a smartphone application than a computer. Are you prepared?<br />
2. Your employees are leaving to poorness to &#8220;decline the laptop&#8221; (see my diary posts for AT&amp;T) and travel much with their smartphones. Are you set?</p>
<p>You need to ensure that your corporate data is readily available on mobile devices and ensure your team (employees or contractors) can work productively from anywhere, with any device. Yep, even the iPad.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Voip for improved video conferencing solutions</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/voip-for-improved-video-conferencing-solutions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/voip-for-improved-video-conferencing-solutions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:43:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=115</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
If you thought that the idea of  audio and video conferencing was the biggest thing that could have happened to your business, then here is  something even better. Voip is the new king in the realm of  business phone systems, which aim to improve your  video and audio conferencing experience.
Before the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
<p>If you thought that the idea of  audio and <strong>video conferencing</strong> was the biggest thing that could have happened to your business, then here is  something even better. <span id="IL_AD2">Voip</span> is the new king in the <span id="IL_AD5">realm </span>of  <a title="Business  Phone Systems" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.telcom-data.com/" target="_blank">business phone systems</a>, which aim to improve your  video and <a id="KonaLink0" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://pritecho.com/2010/07/voip-for-better-video-conferencing-solutions/#" target="undefined"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: static;"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">audio </span><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">conferencing</span></span></a> experience.</p>
<p>Before the introduction of Voip, organizations were using <strong><span id="IL_AD1">business phone systems</span></strong> like  Private Branch Exchange (PBX), Key telephone systems and Key less phone  systems (KSU). Although these systems were effective and provided  various services like audio <span id="IL_AD3">conferencing</span>,  video <a id="KonaLink1" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://pritecho.com/2010/07/voip-for-better-video-conferencing-solutions/#" target="undefined"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: static;"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">conferencing</span></span></a>, <a title="Voice Mail Systems" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.telcom-data.com/voice-mail.aspx" target="_blank">voice mail systems</a>, etc yet there was  something missing from them. They were expensive to install, difficult  to maintain and not easily compatible with different systems. So the  need was there for a better technology, and Voip came as the answer to  those needs. Through Voip, people can stay connected virtually over the  internet and take advantage of the integration of internet with <strong>video  conferencing solutions</strong>.</p>
<p>Voip has provided better <strong>video conferencing solutions</strong> to organizations. Not only has the cost of installing and maintaining  this system reduced, due to its minimal infrastructural requirements,  but several other eminent benefits are also present.</p>
<p>Portability is one of the major benefits of a Voip <strong>business  phone system</strong>. Employees can travel anywhere they want and they  can still remain connected with their organization through video  conferencing over a <a id="KonaLink2" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://pritecho.com/2010/07/voip-for-better-video-conferencing-solutions/#" target="undefined"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: static;"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">Voip </span><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">system</span></span></a>. All that a person  needs is a broadband <span id="IL_AD4">internet connection</span> and a camera.</p>
<p>Due to the fact that Voip enables <a title="Video Conferencing Systems" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.telcom-data.com/video-conferencing.aspx" target="_blank">video conferencing  systems</a> to connect via the internet, members of the <a id="KonaLink3" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://pritecho.com/2010/07/voip-for-better-video-conferencing-solutions/#" target="undefined"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: static;"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">conference</span></span></a> can also share  presentations, files and other forms of data during a conference. This  has created a virtual environment which is a close replica of a physical  meeting. Moreover presentations can even be made over the internet  through a <a id="KonaLink4" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://pritecho.com/2010/07/voip-for-better-video-conferencing-solutions/#" target="undefined"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: static;"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">video </span><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">conference</span></span></a>, thus enabling  better video <a id="KonaLink5" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://pritecho.com/2010/07/voip-for-better-video-conferencing-solutions/#" target="undefined"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: static;"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative; border-bottom: 1px solid #0072bc; background-color: transparent;">conferencing </span><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative; border-bottom: 1px solid #0072bc; background-color: transparent;">solutions</span></span></a>.</p>
<p>A virtual whiteboard can be created on the screen of every member  during the video conference and notes and other information can easily  be shared and explained. This has been possible only through the use of a  Voip to connect <strong>video conferencing systems</strong>.</p>
<p>The most prominent benefit that businesses perceive in <a id="KonaLink6" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://pritecho.com/2010/07/voip-for-better-video-conferencing-solutions/#" target="undefined"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: static;"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">video </span><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">conferencing</span></span></a> over the  internet is the fact that it is very cheap, thus a huge burden on their  expenditure has been removed.</p>
<p>The introduction of Voip in video conferencing has revolutionized the  way people look at video conferences. However you need to consider a  few facts before installing this system in your organization. There are a  numerous <a id="KonaLink7" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://pritecho.com/2010/07/voip-for-better-video-conferencing-solutions/#" target="undefined"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: static;"><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">Voip </span><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">service </span><span style="color: #0072bc ! important; font-family: tahoma,lucinda,verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">providers</span></span></a> in the market.  You should conduct a thorough research of thee the alternatives  available and choose the one that enhances your present <strong>video  conferencing solutions</strong> the most.</div>
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		<title>TwitterFone &#8211; Cool New Voice to Text Message Service</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/twitterfone-cool-new-voice-to-text-message-service/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/twitterfone-cool-new-voice-to-text-message-service/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:15:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=111</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TwitterFone, a  voice-to-text-message service for Twitter launched just earlier today.  From their press release: “Twitterfone voice-enables Twitter, a text  message rebroadcast service and the hottest social networking service at  the moment. With Twitterfone, people can dictate text messages via  their mobile to be sent out to everyone on their Twitter [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.twitterfone.com/">TwitterFone</a>, a  voice-to-text-message service for Twitter launched just earlier today.  From their press release: “Twitterfone voice-enables Twitter, a text  message rebroadcast service and the hottest social networking service at  the moment. With Twitterfone, people can dictate text messages via  their mobile to be sent out to everyone on their Twitter social  network.”</p>
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		<title>Are People Listening to Your VoIP Calls?</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/are-people-listening-to-your-voip-calls/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/are-people-listening-to-your-voip-calls/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:06:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=92</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[VOIP can connect you to the world. But what can you do to keep the bad guys from listening in on your calls?
It&#8217;s no secret that Internet telephony is vulnerable to eavesdroppers, much more so than conventional phone calls. That&#8217;s because IP phones aren&#8217;t part of the public phone network, where tapping requires a specific, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>VOIP can connect you to the world. But what can you do to keep the bad guys from listening in on your calls?</p>
<p>It&#8217;s no secret that Internet telephony is vulnerable to eavesdroppers, much more so than conventional phone calls. That&#8217;s because <a href="http://www.voip-news.com/comparison-guides/ip-phones-comparison-guide/">IP phones</a> aren&#8217;t part of the public phone network, where tapping requires a specific, physical wire connection. Calls transmitted via a LAN, a WAN or the Internet can be easily intercepted by anyone with a protocol analyzer, simply by capturing and analyzing the voice packets. This means that just about anyone can snoop on your business and personal calls, including employees, business partners, competitors, law-enforcement authorities and government officials.</p>
<p>Since you probably don&#8217;t like the idea of everybody and anybody listening to your conversations, you&#8217;ll want to take action to ensure your VoIP privacy. The best way to accomplish this is with <a href="http://www.itsecurity.com/features/encryption-101-010308/" target="_blank">encryption</a>.</p>
<p>As you probably already know, VoIP voice traffic is data that is transmitted over networks. This means, like any type of computer data, VoIP can be protected by encryption. Unfortunately, while VoIP encryption tools are widely available, not many people have taken the minimal time and effort required to use the technology. That&#8217;s a shame, because encryption can make it make it nearly impossible for someone to snoop on IP telephony calls. Here&#8217;s a look at five different VoIP encryption approaches.</p>
<p><strong>Zfone:</strong> Perhaps the easiest way to encrypt VoIP calls is with <a href="http://zfoneproject.com/getstarted.html" target="_blank">Zfone</a>. The software&#8217;s chief designer is Phil Zimmermann, who created PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), the world&#8217;s most widely used email encryption software. The technology is simple enough to be installed and used by just about anyone. The latest beta version of Zfone can be downloaded for free. The software&#8217;s biggest drawback is that it requires both callers to install the application. This means that calls to people you already know, at least those who are willing to install Zfone, will be secure. But calls to banks, brokers, government agencies, and various other organizations and strangers won&#8217;t necessarily be protected.</p>
<p><strong>Internal Encryption:</strong> Many VoIP clients have responded to customer security concerns by incorporating encryption into their software. <a href="http://www.voip-news.com/vendors/skype/">Skype Ltd</a>., for example, has installed encryption support into its proprietary software. Check your client&#8217;s provider to see if any encryption services are available.</p>
<p><strong>TLS (Transport Layer Security) and IPsec (IP Security):</strong> TLS and <a href="http://www.itsecurity.com/whitepaper/ssl-vpn-vs-ipsec-vpn-nsj/" target="_blank">IPsec</a> are handy ways of encrypting VoIP calls. TLS encrypts VoIP data traveling between two applications, while IPsec encrypts information for two devices and all the applications running on them. Both protocols aim to keep unauthorized parties from interfering with or listening to calls, and they are almost impossible to manipulate externally. Both approaches are well worth considering.</p>
<p><strong>SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transfer Protocol):</strong> SRTP is ideal for protecting VoIP traffic because it has a minimal effect on call quality. For each call you make, a unique encryption key is created, which makes eavesdropping almost impossible. This attribute alone makes SRTP a good choice for day-to-day calls, as well as highly confidential conversations.</p>
<p><strong>VPN (Virtual Private Network):</strong> If your business has a <a href="http://www.itsecurity.com/vpn/" target="_blank">VPN</a>, you can leverage its built-in encryption feature to protect your IP telephony calls. Best of all, this protection is extended to all users — even traveling employees who log in to the VPN from a laptop. Remember, however, that a VPN can only secure the data from gateway to gateway. Once calls are on your LAN, you&#8217;ll need additional protection.</p>
<p>People expect their phone calls to be as private as when they&#8217;re speaking to someone in their own office or home. VoIP technology by itself can&#8217;t guarantee this level of protection, so it&#8217;s up to you to provide the safeguard — encryption — that will keep your conversations confidential.</p>
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		<title>How Hosted PBX Solutions Help Small Businesses Level the Playing Field</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/how-hosted-pbx-solutions-help-small-businesses-level-the-playing-field/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/how-hosted-pbx-solutions-help-small-businesses-level-the-playing-field/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:00:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=89</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a small business owner, it could be the best thing that ever happened to your company. Technology, some people fear it, some resist it, and others embrace it. With the technology available today, small businesses are increasingly leveling the playing field between themselves and big business. It used to be that only Fortune 500 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As a small business owner, it could be the best thing that ever happened to your company. Technology, some people fear it, some resist it, and others embrace it. With the technology available today, small businesses are increasingly leveling the playing field between themselves and big business. It used to be that only Fortune 500 companies with hundreds of employees and 10- story office buildings could afford and maintain a PBX telephone system. But now, with toll free virtual PBX services, anyone with a telephone can reap the benefits of this powerful communications tool. A virtual PBX has all the advantages of a traditional PBX and more without the hassle, hardware and expense. With virtual PBX (Private Branch Exchange) telephone systems, small businesses are combining today&#8217;s technology with traditional customer service to take their business to the next level.</p>
<p>A virtual PBX allows small businesses to:<br />
* Project a professional, more established company image<br />
* Have one unified number for office phone, cell phone, fax, and pager<br />
* Make information available to their customers 24/7<br />
* Have web-based, real time access to their system</p>
<p>Small and home-based businesses are using all of these features to sound and operate like a Fortune 500 company everyday.</p>
<p>Project a Professional, More Established Company Image<br />
Right or wrong, consumers assume a company with a toll free number is a more established and secure company. When a toll free number is attached to a virtual PBX with an automated attendant, that powerful image is perpetuated. An automated attendant answers all incoming calls with the same professional and courteous message every time, day or night. Professional greetings can be recorded by the business owner themselves, or even by a voice talent, and customized for the needs of the business. It doesn&#8217;t matter if the business is operated out of a home office or the Oval Office. The caller hears a professional greeting each and every time they call.</p>
<p>Unified Voice and Messaging System<br />
With a virtual PBX system, small businesses only need one telephone number. This number can be an office phone, cell phone, fax, and pager all in one. Gone are the days of having to put 3 or 4 different numbers on business cards. Now a virtual PBX toll free number can replace them all. When a call comes in, it can be routed to any local number. It can even be programmed to route to different numbers at different times of the day or on different days of the week. That kind of flexibility is unheard of with a traditional toll free number or a hardwired PBX. If the call is not answered, or is sent to voicemail, the virtual PBX system can even send out a page or email to let the user know that there is a message waiting for them.</p>
<p>The toll free number also acts as the fax number. When a fax is sent, the system recognizes it as a fax and can store it in a fax mailbox for later retrieval, forward the faxed document to a local fax machine, or even send the fax to an email address as an attachment. Unified messaging unchains business owners from their home or small office and allows them the flexibility to get out and build their business while still being available to their customers.</p>
<p>Powerful Automation<br />
No matter how efficient a small or home-based business is, they simply cannot be available to their customers all the time. If a caller has questions they want the answers now. If they don&#8217;t get those answers when they call, chances are they&#8217;ll look some place else. Making sure information is available, even when a live person isn&#8217;t, can be the difference between someone becoming a customer or moving on to the competition.</p>
<p>A virtual PBX allows the storage of an unlimited amount of information for callers to retrieve 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Menus broken down into what kinds of information a caller might need make it easy for them to navigate the system and get what they are looking for. Faxes can even be attached so the caller can request an automated fax back. These automated processes not only save time, but they also make sure callers can get the information they need when no one is available.</p>
<p>Web Based System Access<br />
A toll free virtual PBX is just that, virtual. What that means for a small business owner is that one, there is no hardware to maintain or software to buy, and two, that they can access their system from anywhere with Internet access. Online system access is one of the biggest advantages of a virtual PBX system. Web-based system access allows users to check their voice and fax messages over the Internet or have their messages delivered directly to an email address. Of course, messages can still be checked from any touch-tone phone.</p>
<p>Real time reporting allows users to check the call logs of all incoming calls to their phone number and use the call capture feature to not only capture the phone number of the person calling, but many times their name and address as well. It also allows a user to run reports based on different criteria chosen. For example, reports could be run to show when the busiest time of the week is for customer service or if the call volume increased after a specific ad campaign was released. The applications are endless.</p>
<p>With all these powerful features, and most times more, it&#8217;s amazing that virtual PBX systems can be found at a reasonable price. Most providers offer systems that are between $10.00 and $50.00 depending on the capabilities and size of the system. Many providers will offer a varying number of voice mailboxes and features. A quality virtual PBX service provider can also customize systems if needed.</p>
<p>Technology is ever changing in today&#8217;s fast paced world. Many of these technologies allow small businesses to compete at a higher level along side their bigger competition. Small business owners should embrace them or risk being left behind.</p>
<p>Source:  <a title="http://www.articlesbase.com" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/level-the-playing-field-small-business-vs-fortune-500-199743.html">http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/level-the-playing-field-small-business-vs-fortune-500-199743.html</a></p>
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		<title>Video Tutorials on VOIP</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/85/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/85/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:03:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=85</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are great Video Tutorials on VOIP!
Just visit http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-tutorials/
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are great Video Tutorials on VOIP!</p>
<p>Just visit <a href="http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-tutorials/">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-tutorials/</a></p>
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		<title>Battery Cooling Solution to Reduce Network Cost for Operators</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/battery-cooling-solution-to-reduce-network-cost-for-operators/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/battery-cooling-solution-to-reduce-network-cost-for-operators/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:02:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=58</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[SiteStar is a cooling cabinet that can increase battery life by three times, and reduce the electricity consumed for cooling batteries at a base station site by up to 95%. The life of a battery is inversely proportional to the temperature under which it operates, and is reduced by 50% with a mere 10°C increase [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="background: white;">SiteStar is a cooling cabinet that can increase battery life by three times, and reduce the electricity consumed for cooling batteries at a base station site by up to 95%. The life of a battery is inversely proportional to the temperature under which it operates, and is reduced by 50% with a mere 10°C increase above the optimal temperature of 20°C. Service providers therefore have to undertake significant capital and operating expenditure to ensure that the batteries remain cool, or to replace them at regular intervals.It is ideal for countries with extreme climatic conditions and particularly for emerging markets where power supply can be scarce making battery back-up essential.</p>
<p style="background: white;">&#8220;SiteStar can replace expensive shelters and power hungry air conditioners which are often needed only for battery cooling,&#8221; said Prashant Agnihotri, Head of GSM/EDGE Product Management, Radio Access, Nokia Siemens Networks. &#8220;It eliminates the need for expensive indoor sites, while reducing the OPEX of an outdoor site thereby helping an operator not only reduce the cost of roll out and operation, but also its CO2 footprint.&#8221;</p>
<p style="background: white;">SiteStar&#8217;s unique design provides better resistance against external thermal radiation. This allows it to maintain a constant optimal temperature in very hot or cold climates, and increase battery life by three times in operating temperatures of 35°C, compared to a fan based cabinet. SiteStar also reduces electricity consumption for cooling batteries by up to 95% when compared to traditional air conditioned cabinets as it typically consumes only 40W. It thus helps operators reduce ongoing expenditure in battery replacements, site visits, electricity and diesel costs.</p>
<p style="background: white;">SiteStar&#8217;s operating range is from -40°C up to +50°C and it can therefore bring similar advantages in very cold climates too.</p>
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		<title>Encrypting Voice Calls Between Offices and Mobile Cell Phones</title>
		<link>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/encrypting-voice-calls-between-offices-and-mobile-cell-phones/</link>
		<comments>http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/voip-news/encrypting-voice-calls-between-offices-and-mobile-cell-phones/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:51:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The VOIP Expert</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[VOIP and Technology News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thinkbright.net/voip_blog/?p=54</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Security vendor, Cellcrypt has announced an application which enables encrypted voice calls from smartphones to conventional office landline phones. The Cellcrypt PBX Gateway integrates with commercial office PBX systems and allows users to complete encrypted voice calls from existing landlines to mobile smartphones that are running Cellcrypt Mobile software.
The PBX Gateway also enables encrypted voice [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Security vendor, Cellcrypt has announced an application which enables encrypted voice calls from smartphones to conventional office landline phones. The Cellcrypt PBX Gateway integrates with commercial office PBX systems and allows users to complete encrypted voice calls from existing landlines to mobile smartphones that are running Cellcrypt Mobile software.</p>
<p><script type="text/javascript"></script>The PBX Gateway also enables encrypted voice calls between landline locations that have PBX Gateway installed; for instance between offices in different locations.</p>
<p>Cellcrypt technology is currently undergoing certification to the FIPS 140-2 standard approved by the US National Institute of Standard (<strong>NIST</strong>).</p>
<p>“Organisations spend significant amounts of effort and budget securing their data but until now have not had a viable solution for voice data,” said Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO at Cellcrypt. “While traditional secure voice solutions have provided poor call quality and fail across most international boundaries, Cellcrypt offers unparalleled voice quality, government-specification security and global coverage never before experienced, all using standard smartphone and PBX technology.”</p>
<p><strong>Source</strong>: Cellular News</p>
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