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  CLOUD COMPUTING * MANAGED IT  
CONVERGED COMMUNICATIONS
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TopVar 360 Award Logo 
The SynerTel Sentinel  
March  2014   Issue 187
In This Issue
Top 10 Award
What firewall?
Got an Extincto-Saurus Phone System?
Toshiba Users -- Upgrade with Free Phones
Windows XP - its all over
RECEIVE FREE INDUSTRY NEWS AND HELPFUL TIPS
 
Join Our Mailing List!
Knocked my socks off ... thank you!
I'm thrilled to announce that SynerTel was honored as the best of the best last month by Channel Partners ... and its because you, our customers, entrust us with your critical business technology.  Thank you!

Tick-Tock -
its the Bill Gates Clock! Windows XP support
ends in just 35 days. Plan your upgrade with us now.

Got an old Nortel, Avaya, Lucent, Mitel, InterTel, or NEC phone system? Just 20 days left. See our limited time special trade-up offer.

Toshiba system users - we've teamed with Toshiba to offer 3 awesome trade-up programs - including FREE IP phones thru March 25th. Now you can afford to migrate to reliable hosted VOIP telephony, or upgrade your in-office system to take advantage of mobility, twinning with smart phones, & much more.

Planning a move or re-sizing? Get us involved early - best results and cost savings occur when we're part of the planning process with your team.

   

Ben Stiegler, CEO 
415 746 1811
 
  SYNERTEL recognized as one of the TOP 10 SOLUTION PROVIDERS in North America!
Last year, Channel Partners recognized us for leadership in delivering a wide constellation of services to improve technology (and cost) for Wu Yee Childrens Services - a multisite SF non-profit serving pre-school children and their families.

This year, from a field of hundreds of applicants, CP surprised us by again selecting us as a featured solution provider - and also naming us in the top 10 of all solution providers evaluated. Wow!

This year's case study detailed our improvements to a rapidly growing multi-location SF health care provider -- and we'll feature them in our next Sentinel!

So how do we get to design, deploy, and support these cool solutions that make businesses hum smoothly?  Only because you, our customers, entrust us to do it!

Without you, we'd be nothing more than a technology sandbox. 

Thank you, SynerTel customers, for entrusting us with your critical business technology! 
We love partnering with you, bringing order to your chaos, and calm to your concerns -- and we strive every day to perform better than the day before.
 
What firewall???







 
It may just be coincidence, but we've met an unusually large number of new clients recently who either don't have a hardware firewall protecting the edge of their network, or whose firewall updates had expired.

Either way ... this is dangerous and probably unintended risk for your business.

What's a firewall do?  A properly configured Universal Threat Management Firewall provides several critical layers of protection:

- detect and block attacks, ransomware, zombie hijacks, etc.  on your servers and workstations (logging the events, of course)

- validate, encrypt and control remote access to your network -restricting it to authorized users who are taking proper security precautions.

- selectively filter activities and traffic - for example, allowing limited bandwidth for social media use during business hours ... even allowing access to Facebook, but blocking Farmville within Facebook. Many business owners choose to block porn, gaming, and other non-business activities from gobbling their bandwidth.  Additionally, such sites are often infected with malware that attempts to penetrate your network, mining for data or PCs to enslave as zombies.

- Log activity by users - providing objective data on how people are using their time ... and perhaps why Fred in accounting can't get payroll posted fast enough.

- helps ensure regulatory compliance for those dealing with health care, financial, or sensitive customer information.

Imagine a data breach which wiped out your receivables records. Or your client database. Not pretty.

If your broadband connection plugs directly into your network switch - you've got problems.  
Call us today at 415 746-1801 to learn how an affordable UTM firewall provides protection for your critical business assets.


 

Own or lease a system listed below?
TRADE IT UP FOR A SYNERTEL - TOSHIBA SOLUTION!



smiling-man-sm.jpg Big6We've created a special trade-up program with Toshiba just for you!  For a very limited time, the promotions below ALSO apply for you! 

 

Talk to us today about how Toshiba will help you trade in your aging (and boring) old phone system for a mobility-enabled premise or cloud based solution that will drive higher customer satisfaction and business efficiency for your staff.

 

Call us at 415 746-1801  or email us and we'll design your new solution promptly!

 

 
UPGRADE TO VOIP WITH FREE TOSHIBA PHONES - EXTENDED THRU MARCH 25
 
OldToshibaIf your business has an existing Toshiba phone system of ANY age or vintage, you'll want to check out these 3 amazing (but time limited) offers, which will put you in the driver's seat with all today's must-have features such as

-  twinning (ring my desk and cell at the same time),
- presence (see if co-workers are reachable, and whether they are open for chat or phone calls)
- receiving and sending faxes without paper, toner, or ink - right in the phone system
- voicemail arriving in email
- mobile device control of call forwarding
- originating calls from mobile devices out thru your normal land lines
- leveraging WiFi to save cell minutes
and much more.

1. Interested in the most reliable hosted cloud phone system available today? Trade up to our VIPedge™ Cloud-Based Telephone Solution! We'll provide FREE new IP telephones for each Toshiba EKT, DKT, or IPT1000/2000 set you trade in from now til December 24th. 

2. Prefer an on-premise state of the art  VOIP system? Trade Up to IPedgeŽ On-Premise, Pure-IP Telephone System, & get up to 50% off IPedge user licenses with Toshiba's award-winning Call Manager!

3. Prefer a hybrid  on-premise system capable of VOIP, digital, and analog modes? Trade Up To StrataŽ CIX670™ & receive $50 Trade-In credit for each Toshiba EKT, DKT or IPT1000/2000 series phone you turn in.

 

Not sure what's best for your business, but don't want to miss out on these amazing promotions?  Call 415 746-1801  or email and we'll explain the differences and help you choose what's best for your business.  

 

 
Last call for Windows XP & Office 2003 - April 8th is the END.  
Upgrade your lagging workstations today.
 


 
 
XPThey really mean it this time. No more security patches or updates.  As hackers continue to attack PCs worldwide (and use them for way-stations to move data stolen from others to anonymous repositories), business workstations should NOT be running XP - even with a firewall in front of your network.
 
Got straggler PCs still running XP? Or tired of the almost-works Vista experience? Give us a call (415746-1801) or click here to discuss cost-effective migration strategies and an implementation plan to get your organization on safe ground before April 8th rolls around.  

Don't be a "last-minute Louie" ... get your organization updated now!