Arraya Insights

by

cyber crime fraud coronavirus

Cyber scammers love a crisis and the current coronavirus outbreak is no exception. As employers and employees alike struggle to find their way in this new (and hopefully short-lived) reality, criminals are finding that business is booming. Fear and uncertainty are tools of their trade and both are, sadly, in ample supply. Compounding the problem is the fact that so many users are working remotely, in many cases for the first time. It’s up to security teams to ensure that, despite unnerving headlines and unfamiliar, potentially chaotic, work environments, users don’t let their guards down.

To keep users and, by extension, the organization digitally safe, it’s important to look at the tactics currently being employed by scammers. KnowBe4, a firm specializing in cyber security training and awareness, outlined one particularly cruel phishing campaign making the rounds. Researchers documented emails claiming someone the recipient knows had recently tested positive for COVID-19. It directs the recipient to download an attached form before heading immediately to a local medical facility to be tested themselves. The story is, of course, fictional, and the form is actually a backdoor for dangerous malware.    

That’s just one of the ways in which cyber criminals are weaponizing coronavirus fears. Cons involving fraudulent applications have also been observed in the wild. ABC News detailed a malicious Android application masquerading as a means of tracking local coronavirus cases. Once downloaded, the app would request broad control over the device and, if granted, would proceed to lock everything down. Victims would then be forced to pay a ransom in order to regain control.

Attackers have even exploited authentic sources of coronavirus information. For many, the Johns Hopkins coronavirus dashboard has served as a trusted resource and a regular online stop. Pooling data from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the tool offers a graphic, real time depiction of the disease’s spread. Criminals took notice of the traffic generated by the dashboard and began incorporating it into their campaigns. Emails circulated promoting downloadable versions of the dashboard, which proved to be password-targeting malware.  

For those wondering just how low criminals will go, here’s an indication. There have been cases of scammers posing as doctors in need of payments to treat a target’s sick relatives. Criminals have also attempted to pass themselves off as worthwhile charities in need of financial support to continue their lifesaving work. Other criminals have sought to take advantage of increasing economic and financial fears by posing as government officials with essential information regarding a target’s social security benefits or the cash payments promised as part of the stimulus package. Still others have disguised themselves as suppliers requesting payment for life-saving medical supplies.

Researchers have also observed coronavirus-themed malware strains that do more than lock down a user’s device. Presenting itself as ransomware, the malware is actually far more destructive, rewriting a device’s master boot record and effectively locking users out of their device. Some have been observed stealing passwords before trashing a device.  

These are just a few of the ways in which cyber criminals seek to benefit from the unprecedented situation occuring all around us. The threat facing security pros and users has never been greater. However, common best practices can still go a long way toward thwarting malicious actors.

9 keys to keeping users safe from coronavirus scams

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) shared some advice on how to stay digitally safe as the coronavirus outbreak unfolds. At their core, these tips may look familiar to anyone in the business of maintaining cyber security hygiene. However, they’re absolutely worth sharing with users throughout any organization as a steadying reminder during uncertain times.

CISA recommends:

  • ignoring unsolicited links and attachments in emails
  • seeking out trusted, vetted sources for coronavirus updates, including certain government sites and reputable news sites
  • keeping personal or financial information out of email communications, particularly from unsolicited sources
  • committing to charitable donations only after verifying an organization’s authenticity or sticking to more mainstream, well-known groups

Security pros can supplement that advice with some general anti-phishing, anti-malware best practices, such as:

  • looking closely at the sender’s email address, keeping an eye out for signs that the person may not be who they claim, including sneaky substitutions like two n’s instead of an m or an uppercase I in place of a lowercase L
  • hovering over – but not clicking – hyperlinks to see where they lead. Malicious emails may promise that a link leads to a government site. Hovering a cursor over the hyperlink could reveal a lack of a .gov address or, again, a suspicious misspelling that indicates a lack of authenticity
  • considering the sender. Emails from, say a healthcare organization, are typically triggered by something like attending or scheduling an appointment and not sent out of the blue. When in doubt about a message’s authenticity, reach out to a healthcare provider, insurer, whoever by phone and ask to speak to someone for more information
  • vetting unsolicited attachments. A phone call is a good way to validate a message as well as its attachments. Attackers have gotten very skilled at hiding malware in legit-looking email attachments. Before clicking on an unexpected purchase order or some other document, confirm the authenticity of it by reaching out to a manager, customer contact, or – to play it extra safe – security personnel
  • playing the role of grammar police. Grammatical errors and typos happen to the best of us. Not every dangling modifier is a sign of malicious activity. However, if the body of a supposedly domestic email reads like it was run through Google Translate once or twice, it may be worth putting on a detective cap and assessing the email further before interacting with it 

Next Steps: Putting security best practices to work for you

There’s no overstating the scope of the task facing security teams. Those in need of a hand with architecting or deploying the security tools and strategies necessary to keep their workforces safe should reach out to Arraya today. Simply head over to https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/ and let us know how we can help.

What steps have you taken to ensure your teams don’t fall victim to the rising tide of coronavirus-inspired scams? We want to hear from you. Send us your thoughts and insights on social media. We can be found on: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While you’re there, follow us to stay up to date on our industry insights and unique IT learning opportunities.

by

Microsoft Basic Authentication passwords

As part of the company’s ongoing efforts to boost security throughout its solution portfolio, Microsoft has announced that, during the second half of 2021, it will pull the plug on basic authentication in Exchange Online. From that point on, applications and user identities must be validated via – what else? – modern authentication.

We checked in with our Workspace Team to learn more about basic authentication, modern authentication and the transition from one to the next. Here’s what they shared:

Arraya Insights: What’s the difference between basic and modern authentication?

Workspace Team: Not to get overly technical, but one is modern and the other one is not. Basic authentication uses only usernames and passwords to verify the legitimacy of actions taken on an application. As such, basic authentication is vulnerable should users have their credentials stolen. It’s also challenging to supplement basic authentication with greater security through multifactor authentication (MFA). Essentially, all of the things that keep security pros up at night. Modern authentication solves this by adding another layer of verification into the mix, incorporating OAuth tokens to ensure the person is who he or she claims to be.  

AI: What will (and won’t) be affected by this change?

WT: Specially, end of support for basic authentication will impact utilities like Exchange Web Services (including Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Mac), Exchange Online ActiveSync (EAS) as well as POP and IMAP connections. Admins take note: This change will also affect Remote PowerShell. It is worth singling out one thing in particular that will explicitly not be affected: SMTP Auth. At least, that is, it won’t be affected for the time being. Microsoft’s reasoning for exempting SMTP is straightforward enough: It would be too disruptive. Vast numbers of devices count on SMTP to send emails. Taking that out of the equation would, in turn, change this from a topic for a single blog post to a series.    

AI: Are all versions of Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Mac affected?

WT: Unless your organization is using an older or out-of-date version of either solution, you’re likely going to be OK on this front. Outlook for Windows began supporting modern authentication with its Outlook 2013 release, although it needed a registry key to activate. Outlook 2016 had support for modern authentication enabled by default. Outlook for Mac has also supported modern authentication since its 2016 edition. 

AI: What about my devices that rely on POP and IMAP? 

WT: If your POP or IMAP-synced devices can be updated to support modern authentication, then don’t worry. You’re in the clear and they should continue to function as expected once you make that changeover. POP or IMAP devices set to poll for emails and that can’t, for whatever reason, be updated will run into issues. Organizations with anything fitting that bill will want to make sure they’ve addressed it long before that point to avoid any service interruption.      

AI: How can I figure out the size of my basic authentication footprint?

WT: One way to see everything in your tenant still leveraging basic authentication is to use the Azure AD Sign-In Report. Microsoft recently added the ability to track authentication method to this report. If you’re unfamiliar, this tool can be found in a side menu in the Azure AD admin center under the designation: Sign Ins. In its default state, this report tracks sign-ins, dates, times, IP addresses, however it can be enhanced to include client app. You can then apply filters to the list to pare it down until only connections taking place through basic authentication remain. It’s also possible to root out basic authentication in Outlook by way of looking at the dialogue box that pops up, as demonstrated HERE by Microsoft. You can also hold CTRL and right click the Outlook tray icon and from there choose Connection Status. In the window that opens, any connection labeled “Bearer” uses modern authentication while those marked “Clear” use basic.

AI: What does this mean for PowerShell?

WT: In a recent blog post on the subject, Microsoft committed to supporting “non-interactive scripts” by way of Remote PowerShell and certificate-based authentication. This project, however, is ongoing and will likely remain so for the next several months. In the meantime, the company pointed admins-in-need toward PowerShell V2 Module as well as Azure Cloud Shell.   

Next Steps: Get reading for basic authentication end of support

Need help prepping your environment for basic authentication hits end of support? Arraya can help. Our team of workspace experts will help you track down and resolve any possible sticking points so that your organization won’t have to worry about any interruptions. Visit https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/ to start a conversation with our team now.

We want to hear your take! Leave us a comment on this or any of our blog posts by way of social media. Arraya can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While you’re there, follow us to stay up to date on our industry insights and unique IT learning opportunities.

by

WBA OpebRoaming wireless

Cisco’s OpenRoaming wireless solution got significantly more, for lack of a better word, open last month. In fact, OpenRoaming is now so open, it can no longer even be called a Cisco solution. In mid-March, the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) announced plans to assume control over OpenRoaming, elevating it to a global wireless standard. The alliance’s decision should give OpenRoaming a place in conversations at Cisco shops and non-Cisco shops alike. So, let’s clear up what the solution is and get a better idea of the opportunity the WBA’s move presents.       

OpenRoaming’s role in a modern workplace

Plenty of technologies seek to lay claim to security and simplicity as mission statements and so in that regard OpenRoaming is not unique. The platform’s ability to deliver on those objectives, however, is what set it apart – and drew the WBA’s attention. Adhering to standards laid out by the WBA as well as the Wi-Fi Alliance, OpenRoaming automatically connects users to a wireless network and allows them to move seamlessly and safely from one network to another. More notably, they can do so without having to authenticate their identity repeatedly, across multiple login portals, as they go.

This unencumbered access is possible because OpenRoaming serves as a kind of wireless connective tissue between some of the industry’s most trusted access providers (Boingo, Cisco, GlobalReach, Intel, etc.). Essentially, these organizations have agreed to allow free and open travel between their networks. By moving under the stewardship of the WBA, OpenRoaming can achieve greater neutrality as well as device and technological flexibility.  

Identity authentication is still occurring, but it takes place automatically, using information such as device type, cloud ID or some other identifier. OpenRoaming further balances out that freedom by layering on enterprise grade security standards, protocols and solutions. Users get flexibility. IT gets peace of mind knowing it isn’t coming in the form of an easily-exploitable backdoor.

Who could benefit from OpenRoaming?

Now let’s consider a few non-industry specific scenarios where the WBA’s recent OpenRoaming’s expansion could make the most sense.

  • Supporting next generation wireless. Wi-Fi 6 is set to become the present for wireless connectivity. As adoption increases, the generation of mission-critical, bandwidth-hungry applications those technologies give rise to will need consistent, reliable access to continue delivering value.
  • Enabling the spread of IoT. Many organizations are seeing every piece of their work environments become connected. Some of these devices, like sensors, are stationary. Others, like autonomous vehicles, are very much not. Organizations will need to ensure all connected devices are able to remain connected, whether they’re locked in place or are always on the go.
  • Increasing onsite wireless usage. For some, one access portal can be enough to deter users from connecting to a wireless network. Multiple portals only drive those usage statistics lower. By simplifying both initial sign in (think: at a large event venue) and continued access – without cutting essential security – organizations can ensure their wireless solutions was worth the investment.
  • Gaining greater insight into trends, user habits. On the topic of statistics, organizations can’t improve what they can’t measure. Pairing OpenRoaming with a solution like Cisco’s DNA Spaces can increase the volume of metrics available to network admins. That data can in turn be used to drive improvements across the network.
  • Reduce operational expenses. Disjointed Wi-Fi environments may lead to users leaning more heavily on cellular data as they search for consistency. It’s likely the expense of that will find its way back to the organization in one form or another. By providing a more seamless Wi-Fi experience, organizations can spare themselves from covering expensive cellular data bills.   

Next Steps: Securely opening your own organization’s connectivity options

Want to learn more about how solutions like OpenRoaming can help your organization deliver wireless that is more reliable, increase user satisfaction and, ultimately, drive better business outcomes? Arraya’s network team can help. Our in-house experts can help your organization take stock of its current needs and capabilities, project long term goals, and architect a solution informed by all three. You can start a dialogue with our team by visiting https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/. 

Also, don’t forget, you can leave us a comment on this or any of our blogs through social media. Arraya can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While you’re there, follow us to stay up to date on our industry insights and unique IT learning opportunities.

by

Kubernetes Support (Plus 3 Other Features to Know in vSphere 7.0)

March was a busy month for vSphere. On March 12, VMware officially concluded support for vSphere 6.0, essentially marking the end of the road for the nearly half decade old virtualization platform. However, it was a case of out with the old and in with the new for the solution. Just two days earlier, VMware released the solution’s latest incarnation: vSphere 7.0. Heralded by some as “the biggest release of vSphere in over a decade,” vSphere 7.0 belongs on the radars of organizations planning for the future of their data center. After all, vSphere’s next busy month is already on the horizon as vSphere 6.5 and 6.7 share a November 2021 end of support date.

Keeping that deadline in mind, here’s a behind-the-hype look at some of the capabilities that set vSphere 7.0 apart from its predecessors.

Kubernetes support comes to vSphere

For some, the most eye-catching development in vSphere 7.0 is its support for Kubernetes. This support is being billed as native, though it does require an organization to also adopt VMware Cloud Foundation before they can take advantage of it. It’s worth pointing out here that the newest edition of VMware Cloud Foundation, version 4, was announced at the same time as the new vSphere. Those leveraging both will have access to:

  • a common platform for containers and VMs. Previously, containers and virtual machines occupied separate technology stacks and required different administrator skills. Upgrading to vSphere 7.0 and pairing it with VMware Cloud Foundation can reduce environmental and operational complexity by enabling organizations to run their containers and VMs in the same place, on the same technology. Additionally, managing containers and VMs will no longer need two skillsets allowing for more focused teams.      
  • dual streamlined Kubernetes development options. When it comes to developing containers, organizations will find a pair of options in vSphere 7.0 and VMware Cloud Foundation. VMware’s Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service option delivers containerized applications with full Kubernetes compliance. Organizations that still wish to leverage Kubernetes (but are unimpeded by compliance requirements) would do well to consider vSphere Pod Service. Compliance aside, organizations that upgrade will find performance, security, and a DevOps approach to containers.          
  • intelligent infrastructure management. As part of its newfound integration with Kubernetes, vSphere 7.0 will include a capability called “application-focused management.” Essentially, this will let admins organize multiple objects (e.g., containers, clusters, etc.) into logical groupings. Then, they can push new policies out to that entire grouping instead of having to do so separately, to each individual object. In addition to putting valuable time back on admins’ calendars, this can also prevent the errors typically associated with repetitive manual processes.      

What else is vSphere 7.0 bringing to the table?

Even though vSphere 7.0’s Kubernetes capabilities are drawing plenty of attention, they’re not the only features worth looking at more closely. Other notable changes and additions include:

  • seamless lifecycle management. VMware’s vSphere upgrade pledges help organizations keep up with the fast-paced update cycle of their infrastructure solutions via enhanced features admins may already be familiar with: Lifecycle Manager and Update Planner. Admins can use these tools to bring infrastructure firmware in-line with a designated “desired state” automatically. This capability actually extends over into vCenter Server by way of the just-added profiles feature.
  • heightened security and admin control. Whether a data center exists on prem or lives in the cloud, cyber security must be a top-of-mind concern. In its latest version of vSphere, VMware has added a host of new defensive mechanisms. Trust Authority is a new tool that handles remote verification of sensitive workloads. Identity Federation further locks down access to vCenter Server deployments. Added support for Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX) offers additional protection for the applications users depend on.
  • improved workload performance and resiliency. In an effort to continue raising the bar on vSphere’s performance levels, VMware has packed 7.0 with a significant amount of alphabet soup. A revamped Distributed Resource Scheduled (DRS) pulls together a variety of metrics to manage workloads instead of simply looking at balancing clusters. Additionally, resource pools can be governed by AI/ML while PTP can keep all facets of an environment in sync. On the whole word front, Persistent Memory can speed up storage without driving up the cost and vMotion is back and updated to support mission critical workloads live.      

Next Steps: Planning for the future of your IT environment

Ready to start planning for the future of your vSphere environment? Arraya’s data center and virtualization team can help. Our experts can help you document current environmental realities whole also projecting future trends all to help you begin laying the groundwork for what comes next.  Visit https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/ to start a conversation with our team today.

We want to hear from you! Leave us a comment on this or any of our blog posts by way of social media. Arraya can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While you’re there, follow us to stay up to date on our industry insights and unique IT learning opportunities.

by

Recent events have transformed remote work from a perk into a necessity. However, many industries have trended towards increasing remote work capabilities for quite a while now. As such, remote work should’t be looked at as merely a temporary fix. Instead, those organizations that have embraced it – or that are planning to do so – can expect to see long term benefits.  

Released last fall, Owl Labs’ State of Remote Work 2019 report dove into the realities and drivers of workplace flexibility. Here are a few statistics cited in this report that caught our eye:

  • More than half (54%) of those surveyed work from home at least once per month. Just shy of half (48%) do so at least once a week.
  • An overwhelming number of those surveyed (83%) said that workplace flexibility would make them happier.
  • Happiness is important, but equally high numbers of survey participants also felt the ability to work remotely would lead to greater productivity (79%) and increased company loyalty (74%).

We put together the following infographic to highlight the main points and benefits of enabling and managing greater workforce flexibility.

Managing the transition to (and fallout from) a remote work culture

Even with the right tools, supporting increasingly, or entirely, remote workforces can present a unique set of challenges for IT teams. The move to a primarily remote posture is bound to generate a mountain or more of support desk tickets, especially during the early stages. Needy users – who may have once been only a short walk away – are suddenly separated by a computer screen and an internet connection, complicating issue resolution and potentially driving up frustrations on both sides.  

In these cases, it can help to bring in a Managed Services partner who is already intimately familiar with the world of remote support. By serving as a scalable extension of an organization’s Service Desk, a partner can keep the volume of work in front of in-house IT teams at more manageable levels. Additionally, this provider should also be able to help maintain the technologies upon which more modern work-from-home strategies are built.

Next Steps: Bring greater flexibility to your workforce

The health and well being of employees and all of our surrounding communities should take priority as this situation unfolds. If your organization needs a hand adapting to a less centralized work style, reach out to Arraya today. Our team can provide more info on the above solutions and services, as well as others, allowing for greater flexibility. Head to https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/ to start a conversation with our team now.

by

remote work solution

Efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus have forced organizations everywhere to embrace a remote work culture – but not all were fully prepared to make that transition. Researchers from Gartner learned 88% of organizations have either required or encouraged employees to work remotely regardless of whether they feel sick or not. That number is impressively high considering, just last fall, a study from Owl Labs found only about half (54%) of employees worked from home at least once a month. However, there was a second statistic, buried further down in Gartner’s research, which really captured our team’s attention.

Gartner also discovered that more than 3-in-10 organizations have had to deploy new tools to enable remote collaboration. That’s a lot of organizations stuck trying to roll out new capabilities on the fly and under pressure. In the rush to keep users connected, organizations may not have time to vet solutions to their usual high standards. However, there are a few important points to consider when choosing a platform for remote meetings and collaboration.   

  • Security: Every platform out there wants to convince organizations that it’s the best and it likely has a crack team of marketers working to do just that. This can make it hard to separate the facts from the fluff, particularly for those in need of a quick decision. Still, security is one area where no one can afford to take a chance. Organizations should look for tools that use full encryption to protect audio and text conversations. Security features should be enabled by default and not things to be turned on later, as users see fit. Also, solutions should keep meeting IDs private to avoid drawing the attention of unwanted intruders.      
  • Compliance: Whether it’s GDPR or the CCPA or HIPAA, organizations in all industries have spent the last few years navigating increasingly tangled webs of regulations. Those protocols aren’t going out the window just because home offices have replaced traditional offices. Organizations will need to find a platform that meets the standards laid out by those regulations. This is another instance where marketing hype can lead potential buyers astray. IT would be advised to bring in subject matter experts from across their organization to ensure a solution can deliver as promised from a technological and a compliance perspective. 
  • Flexibility: Workdays and workspaces have been turned end over end in recent weeks. The ability to adapt to the changing needs of a workforce is an essential component of any collaboration and communication platform. For example, a solution shouldn’t lock users into one communication channel, like VoIP. Instead, it should leverage a combination of avenues for connecting separated workers, including VoIP, call back, etc. This allows employees to connect in the way that works best for them at a given moment.    
  • Privacy: What exactly is a prospective collaboration partner doing with the data traversing its network? Ideally, those communications – be they audio, text, etc. – will be free from outside eyes and ears. Some partners, however, may transmit that data to third parties for advertising purposes. This kind of relationship obviously could represent a major gap in both security and compliance. Before signing off on a solution, it’s critical to know how and where a vendor stores data and who – if anyone – will have access to it.     
  • Innovation: Remote work shouldn’t exclusively be a symptom of our current global crisis. Instead, it can offer long-term value to those that choose to make it part of their culture. As such, a platform should be invested in for the long haul. This solution should be ready to grow and evolve as the industry does, always looking for the latest way to improve the user experience. In recent years, organizations have seen the benefits of advances like transcription, digital assistants, intelligent noise suppression and others. Whatever platform an organization elects to go with, it should be one committed to constant innovation and improvement.    

Next Steps: Achieve immediate and lasting results from remote work policies

Does your organization need a hand connecting a newly-disparate workforce? Arraya Solutions can help. Our team has the insights and experience needed to analyze your existing environment, learn your goals and help you plot the right path forward for your individual needs. Start a dialogue with our team today by visiting https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/.     

Also, don’t forget, you can leave us a comment on this or any of our blogs through social media. Arraya can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While you’re there, follow us to stay up to date on our industry insights and unique IT learning opportunities.

by

Cisco Webex Room USB

Early last year, Cisco released the Webex Room Kit Mini, a solution custom-built for increasingly fragmented, condensed conferencing spaces. That solution catered to those looking to orchestrate meetings in one of two ways: via Cisco’s Webex platform or by simply connecting through a USB port. This dual approach meant organizations had options, but what if organizations weren’t quite sure of one of those options yet? Cisco heard these rumblings and is back with an answer.         

Cisco’s Webex Room USB is an even more cost effective version of 2019’s Webex Room Kit Mini. It retains that solution’s USB connectivity (as the name implies) while turning off access to its ability to connect to the Webex codec. Outside of this key point of differentiation, the two solutions are identical.

So, with an assist from our collaboration team, we dug in to where the Webex Room USB fits into Cisco’s portfolio and what some of its ideal use cases might look like. Here’s what we discovered:

  • Smaller, budget conscious organizations. The Webex Room USB enables BYOD meetings that run off the laptop or device of one of the attendees as opposed to a dedicated Webex codec. Attendees simply connect and get going. This streamlined functionality allows for a lower sticker price, opening the Webex Room USB market up to smaller organizations that may have otherwise been priced out of enhancing their huddle space experience.
  • Organizations in search of a Webex Room gateway. The Webex Room USB doesn’t have to be the end of the line for huddle space evolution. It certainly can be that, but it can also be the first step in a much longer journey. The Webex Room USB was built to support the Webex Room Kit Mini codec and Touch 10 Room Controller, making it easily ungradable to a more substantial, capable solution should the need or interest arise later on.
  • Performance-focused organizations. The knock against some huddle space solutions is they leverage so-called “fisheye” lens cameras to capture the full landscape of a meeting in a tight space. The Webex Room USB’s camera forgoes this distorted look, replacing it with a clear, 120-degree field of vision. This can make it a perfect option for organizations in need of a meeting solution with crisp and clear views. The Webex Room USB also includes automatic participant detection to keep meetings in frame and noise reduction to remove common audio irritants.
  • Organizations seeking freedom from dongles. It’s a nightmare scenario for anyone who hosts meetings on the regular. Everything is all set, everyone is either in the huddle space or logged in remotely. The only thing missing? The dongle needed to connect their device and share content. Did it get moved to the huddle space next door? Did the room’s previous occupants accidentally walk off with it? The Webex Room USB solves this by allowing wireless sharing. Hosts can connect and share content via a browser, making dongle hunts history.
  • Organizations that want more from huddle spaces. The Webex Room USB provides value beyond displaying meeting content. It can integrate with Webex Control Hub to enable digital signage. When a screen in a huddle space isn’t in use, the Webex Room USB can use it to display an organization’s logo or branding, key organizational updates, or even just an engaging background image.     
  • Organizations looking to streamline management while expanding insights. Besides giving employees more places to meet, huddle spaces have also given IT more to worry about. As these types of environments spread, it could only continue to stretch IT teams thin. The Webex Room USB can help curb IT responsibility creep by way of integration with Cisco’s Control Hub. This provides IT with a single pane of glass portal from which they can provision devices and manage existing deployments. This integration can expand IT’s access to analytics, giving teams insights into room usage, productivity stats, and more.          

Next Steps: Right-size your organization’s meeting spaces

The Webex Room USB is a powerful solution in its own right, but it also makes for an easy entry into Cisco’s Webex Room portfolio for organizations’ with long-term expansion goals. Want to learn more about the Webex Room USB, the Webex Room Kit Mini and more solutions that can help you modernize and right-size your organization’s meeting spaces? Arraya’s collaboration team can help you sift through the crowded marketplace to find the right solution for you. You can start a conversation with our team today by visiting: https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/.

Leave us a comment on this or any of our blogs by way of social media. Arraya can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Remember to follow us to stay up to date on our industry insights and unique technology learning opportunities.

by

David Finnegan Arraya Tech Summit

Cisco Webex Contact Center is a unique tool, one that unites the flexibility, scalability and low maintenance of the cloud with the reliability and security of the company’s on-premises call center solutions. Recently, Arraya received a unique designation, joining a select group of partners nationwide to earn the Webex Contact Center Authorization. This certifies the Arraya team has the skill required to sell, design, deploy and support Webex Contact Center.

We checked in with David Finnegan, Enterprise Architect and head of our collaboration practice, to learn more about Webex Contact Center, its capabilities and its use cases.

Arraya Insights: What is Webex Contact Center?

David Finnegan: Cisco Webex Contact Center is the new name for Cisco’s cloud contact center offering. It was also known as Cisco Customer Journey Platform and before that as BroadSoft CC-One. I’m going to refer to the solution as Webex CC for short going forward.

AI: How does Webex Contact Center differ from other call center solutions?

DF: Cisco Webex CC is a native cloud contact center solution that enables enhanced customer experiences across voice, email and chat channels. Being completely built in the cloud, the solution is focused on being secure, scalable, flexible and cost effective.

AI: What are the capabilities of Webex Contact Center?

DF: Cisco Webex CC comes with all the Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), Onmichannel (Voice, Chat, email), Outbound Dialer, Call Recording and Analytics that you would expect in an enterprise grade contact center. In addition to that, you can also enable a very powerful Workforce Optimization (WFO) package that includes quality management, workforce management, and speech, text & desktop analytics. Lastly, one of the features that has me very excited is the ability to create robotic process automation (RPA) chat and voice bots. I really think that we are going to see a lot more RPA in the contact center space for most routine requests.

AI: What role do analytics play in Webex Contact Center?

DF: Analytics are huge in Contact Centers. The built-in Customer Journey Analyzer can pull together data from multiple sources such as, the IVRs, the queues, the customers CRM applications and other sources into a single repository in the cloud. With all this data, you can have a complete picture of the customer journey, also agent and/or customer activities can be directly linked to business outcomes. This gives contact center managers all the information they need to optimize the customer experience from beginning to end.

AI: Do I need a Cisco on premises phone system or Webex Cloud Calling to use Cisco Webex Contact Center?

DF: No. Webex CC can be configured to work with almost any calling solution. This also allows agents to work on premises or remotely easily. Agents can even take calls from their home or mobile phones, if necessary. Obviously, there are benefits to using Cisco Webex CC if you have adopted the rest of Cisco’s Collaboration platform as the solutions all work well together, but this is not necessary.

AI: What type of organization would be a good fit for Webex Contact Center?

DF: I think most businesses are a good fit for Webex CC as small businesses through large enterprises are using Webex CC today. Many Webex CC customers no longer want to manage their contact center infrastructure themselves and they prefer to consume SasS product. All customers can benefit from Webex CC’s rich feature set.

AI: How can I make the move into Webex Contact Center?

DF: The move to a cloud-based contact center is not as daunting as you might think. Arraya can have the site provisioned and completely working for acceptance testing and agent/supervisor training before any cutover happens. We also see many businesses that start by just moving a portion of the overall call center into the cloud, even one department or business unit at a time. Depending on the dial plan and PSTN access, we might not even have to port numbers. At Arraya, we take pride in making the transition as seamless as possible.

Next Steps: Is Webex Contact Center the right fit for you?

Have some more questions for David about Webex Contact Center? You can reach him at dfinnegan@arrayasolutions.com or by visiting https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/.

We want to hear your take! Leave us a comment on this or any of our blog posts by way of social media. Arraya can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While you’re there, follow us to stay up to date on our industry insights and unique IT learning opportunities.

by

Cisco voicea webex assistant

Let’s be honest: Meeting attendance may be a bit spotty over the next few weeks. The attention spans of those actually in meetings? Even spottier. Freshly homebound users may be tempted to keep one eye on news reports and social media updates about the coronavirus during their 9-5s. Or, maybe they’re sharing their new workspace and available internet bandwidth with a spouse. It could also be they have a few young children – recently separated from school and after-school activities – demanding attention. Whatever the case, meetings may not be as immediately productive as they once were. However, help may be on the way to restore value.   

Last spring, we put Cisco’s effort to improve and modernize meetings, called cognitive collaboration, to the test by stacking it up against some of the most commonly-cited meeting headaches. Our team was enthusiastic about the early returns, but there was room for more. More is coming soon. Last fall, Cisco acquired Voicea and that company’s enterprise voice assistant client will be debuting on Webex sometime this spring. 

We connected with our own collaboration experts to find out how Voicea’s technology could help preserve meeting value even as employees adjust to changing workday rhythms. Here’s what our team had to say:   

  • Real time transcription. Admittedly, transcription services are rapidly becoming table stakes for platforms like Webex. What sets this version apart however is the level of accuracy. Webex and Voicea combine to make sure employees who were unable to call in to a meeting due to, say, childcare obligations, have access to a full and complete accounting of what was discussed. It will be like they were there, perhaps even better, as they’ll be able to scroll past the talk tracks that don’t apply to them.     
  • Highlight reels. The last thing most of us want to do after a long day is to go back and experience the meetings we missed line by line. Cisco gets this and so Webex will soon be able to provide an editable highlight reel of a meeting’s most important moments. Highlights are gathered in-meeting in three ways. First, they can be designated manually, by someone selecting the target text in the transcription. Highlights can also be captured automatically. Webex Assistant will listen for keywords or phrases like “agenda” and “that’s a good point” and record the moment as a highlight. The Webex Assistant will also respond to a voice command by an attendee asking for an interaction to be marked as a highlight during a meeting.
  • Emphasized action items. Action items and takeaways can sometimes fall by the wayside once a meeting wraps. Webex will soon be able to help prevent this by making meeting objectives more durable – and easier to locate. In addition to highlights, Webex will be able to listen for action items and put them front and center for attendees to review later on. Attendees can also mark action items manually during a meeting. Whether it’s a highlight or an action item, these reminders can be preserved in either text or recorded audio – or both.
  • Context clarification. Meetings, for better or worse, rarely exist in a vacuum. Instead, they often build on the action items and highlights that came before. With that in mind, Webex will try to make it easier for attendees to see that complete context for themselves. Webex Assistant will soon allow attendees to search for topics or action items across multiple meetings. This keeps meetings in context and lets attendees better monitor and track progress over time.  

Next Steps: Can cognitive collaboration help you modernize your meetings?     

Cisco’s Voicea acquisition and the enhancements made to Webex and Webex Assistant can help your team meetings stay productive no matter where attendees are (or what’s going on around them). You can start a dialogue with our team by visiting https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/.     

Also, don’t forget, you can leave us a comment on this or any of our blogs through social media. Arraya can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While you’re there, follow us to stay up to date on our industry insights and unique IT learning opportunities.

by

As we’ve discussed previously on this blog, the growing threat posed by the coronavirus has transformed remote work from a perk into a necessity. Workplaces around the world – including Arraya’s home base in Montgomery County, PA – have asked office-based team members to stay home to help stem the spread of the virus. Here’s the thing, many industries have trended toward increasing remote work capabilities for quite a while now. As such, remote work shouldn’t be looked at as merely a temporary fix. Instead, those organizations that have embraced it – or that are planning to do so – can expect to see long term benefits.  

Released last fall, Owl Labs’ State of Remote Work 2019 report dove into the realities and drivers of workplace flexibility. Here are a few statistics cited in this report that caught our eye:

  • More than half (54%) of those surveyed work from home at least once per month. Just shy of half (48%) do so at least once a week.
  • An overwhelming number of those surveyed (83%) said that workplace flexibility would make them happier.
  • Happiness is important, but equally high numbers of survey participants also felt the ability to work remotely would lead to greater productivity (79%) and increased company loyalty (74%).

Owl Labs’ report underscores both the perceived value of and the trend toward remote work even before the coronavirus forced the subject into the public health discourse. If you’re new to this conversation, it can be a little overwhelming. There’s a lot to consider and tensions are running high right now. Here’s a quick primer of just a few of the tools and techniques organizations can use as a point of entry into the world of greater workplace flexibility.

Preserving the normal rhythms of the workday

Remote work shouldn’t become an obstacle separating employees from some semblance of their normal routines. In an earlier post, we highlighted steps taken by Microsoft and Cisco to keep teams connected even as they are forced to spread out. Leveraging Microsoft’s Teams or Cisco’s Webex can help keep those lines of communication and collaboration open and strong.

However, Teams and Webex only address one facet of remote work. Employees also need access to the galaxy of applications and programs that have become integral to their workdays. Solutions like VMware Horizon and Microsoft’s Windows Virtual Desktop virtualize desktops so that they’re not tied to any specific device and instead can be accessed from wherever employees are, from multiple devices. If changes need to be made or new tools need to be pushed out to users, IT can do so via the single pane of glass created by these solutions. With virtual desktops, not only can workers do their jobs from wherever they happen to be, IT can too.  

Here’s a brief flyby of each:

Windows Virtual Desktop:

  • virtualizes Windows 10 desktops as well as industry-leading productivity apps included under the Office 365 ProPlus brand
  • unites management of Windows 10, Windows Server, and even – if you’re still using them (hopefully you’re not) legacy Windows 7 desktops and apps
  • can be scaled up or down as dictated by an organization’s usage demands
  • multi-session, pooled capabilities allow for high quality employee experiences while keeping costs down by capping virtual machine usage  

VMware Horizon:

  • supports both Windows and Linux workloads
  • is part of a suite of VMware offerings (including vSphere, NSX, etc.) designed to get organizations up and running with a software-defined data center quickly and with minimal overhead
  • simplified authentication that balances security concerns with usability, ensuring that employees can access the applications or workflows they need safely and hassle-free
  • allows for rapid deployment of necessary resources across the entirety of a user base to prevent performance lag

Managing the transition to (and fallout from) a remote work culture

Even with the right tools, supporting increasingly, or entirely, remote workforces can present a unique set of challenges for IT teams. The move to a primarily remote posture is bound to generate a mountain or more of support desk tickets, especially during the early stages. Needy users – who may have once been only a short walk away – are suddenly separated by a computer screen and an internet connection, complicating issue resolution and potentially driving up frustrations on both sides.  

In these cases, it can help to bring in a Managed Services partner who is already intimately familiar with the world of remote support. By serving as a scalable extension of an organization’s Service Desk, a partner can keep the volume of work in front of in-house IT teams at more manageable levels. Additionally, this provider should also be able to help maintain the technologies upon which more modern work-from-home strategies are built.  

Check out our infographic: Enabling and Managing Greater Workforce Flexibility

Next Steps: Bring greater flexibility to your workforce

The health and well being of employees and all of our surrounding communities should take priority as this situation unfolds. If your organization needs a hand adapting to a less centralized work style, reach out to Arraya today. Our team can provide more info on the above solutions and services, as well as others, allowing for greater flexibility. Head to https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/ to start a conversation with our team now.