Home working and Mobility

The Way You Want It to Be

At Adodo we see the User as the most important component in a telephone call – not the device that they use to make or receive a call. Therefore why not use whatever type of phone you want to and seamlessly change that phone depending on where you are? At your desk you could be using an IP phone. Moving between offices you can take personal and departmental calls on your mobile. When visiting another office you could use a ‘softphone’ running on your computer, in conjunction with a USB or Bluetooth headset or handset. And once you get home you could choose to take all your calls on your home phone. All this flexibility from just a single User Licence easily controlled from anywhere.

Using a simple application you can turn any Windows or Apple Mac OS X computer into a fully featured IP Softphone. Connectivity is provided by a Virtual Private Network (VPN) broadband link to the head- office. To provide optimum speech quality this connection should support a Quality of Service (QoS) to ensure voice traffic is prioritised over other applications, or alternatively be dedicated to telephony use only.

However, IP Telephony is far from the only home working option with our solutions. Using the same application in conjunction with a home phone or your mobile, it delivers speech that is more reliable and consistent in quality than that obtained by using IP phones or softphones over the public Internet. Therefore you can provide the same functionality as if they were in the office and deliver Department, Group and Call Centre calls to your remote workforce in an identical manner to their office based colleagues. This makes it an excellent solution for home-based agents, after-hours support teams and anyone else who occasionally may want to work from home.

A very cost-effective way to work, appear as one and employees no longer have to give out their mobile or home numbers to be contacted when they’re out of the office.

A Definition of Unified Communications

The integration of real-time communication services, resulting in increased productivity. These services can be seen as different applications such as telephony, instant messaging, presence information, workforce mobility, video & audio conferencing, call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax.

Putting People First

Unified Communications reduces complexity by putting people at the centre of the communications experience. All of the ways in which people contact one another are integrated into a single environment. This way, you can use software to eliminate geographic boundaries so you can stay connected with team members and partners no matter what device you’re using, and no matter where you are. You can communicate in real time, from your office PC or on mobile devices while on the road, in a security-enhanced environment.

In its simplest form Unified Communications increases overall productivity by simplifying life for your workforce when it comes to internal and external communications. This is achieved by reducing the number of devices and interfaces used for communications during the business day, integrating (or unifying) applications so they work together and making them easier to understand, use and support.

Each individual business is unique. It therefore follows that the components encompassed by Unified Communications will differ on a company-by-company basis, based upon what is relevant and useful to a particular organisation. This means that Unified Communications will be the interaction of some, or all of the above applications.

The Rising Threat of Telephone Fraud

Everybody knows that when you surf the web, you need PC protection, but very few consider protecting their phone system.  Telephone fraud is fast becoming a global menace and requires urgent attention.

SME’s and non-profit organisations are particularly at risk from hackers whose activities can cost the business many thousands of pounds.  Last month Romanian authorities dismantled a cybercrime network blamed for causing more than 11 million euros in losses to firms in the US, UK, South Africa, Italy and Romania.  Here in the UK, a North Wales based charity recently faced a huge bill after their phone system was attacked.

Kieran Duff, Chief Officer of Flintshire Local Voluntary Council (FLVC) has been keen to warn schools, businesses and other charities to protect themselves against a scam that has cost his organisation the best part of £4000. Hundreds of calls were made to premium and international numbers over one weekend after faceless fraudsters hacked into their phone system.

The most common attack is carried out in two parallel moves.  Cyber thieves obtain account information and then contact institutions, changing information such as phone numbers, email addresses or even bank account numbers so they can later transfer money or empty them.  At the same time, they flood the business’ phone lines with spam calls in order to block verification calls coming in from the banks and other institutions.

It is a silent crime, so it is vital that all parties remain vigilant.  You should do what you can to lock down the switch, starting with traditional data network security investments.  Anti-hacking technology should now become a pro-active and standard element to every new quote.  In addition, carriers should be alert to any unusual call patterns.  However, even with all this in place, it is unlikely that any PBX is fraud proof particularly when connected to unsecure phone lines, so what can you do?

Have good passwords

Wherever required, particularly on voicemail, DISA (Direct Inward Station Access) and on the remote access support service.

Minimise access

That includes the amount of systems and software that has access to the phone system.  Also ensure that only trusted people are able to change configurations. 

Call Barring lists

Make sure you keep all call barring lists up to date.  Furthermore, that those lists include allowances for the fall-back route through BT.

Adopt a security device

If you haven’t already, invest in a dedicated security device that allows you to keep your PBX features but increase security.

Call Management Software

Add software that can alert you when calls are made outside of your expected patterns.

Goodbye Credit Card, Hello Mobile Wallet

More than forty years since we were introduced to the credit card, a new revolution in shopping is bubbling under the surface.  As early as this summer, we could be paying with a simple wave of a phone.

The technology will allow consumers to make purchases by waving their mobile phone over a till scanner. Barclaycard and the UK’s biggest mobile phone network, which includes Orange and T-Mobile have signed a partnership to bring the system to 40,000 tills.  Mobile phone networks and banks are in talks with the manufacturers including Apple, BlackBerry and Nokia about incorporating the technology into their devices. 

The system uses a tiny chip and antenna built into the phone, which links the handset to the owner and their credit card or bank account.  The antenna sends a radio signal to a till scanner which recognises the handset, authorises the payment and then deducts the money from the owner’s account.  Customers will be able to increase their security with an optional PIN.  Initially there will be a £15 cap on transactions but the banking industry expects this to rise. 

Are you comfortable with another move towards the mobile being a must-have tool in modern life?  Handsets have already gone beyond calls and texts with video, music and internet access, but are you ready for a virtual wallet?

Quote for the Week!

“It is always the simple things that change our lives.  And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen.”

Donald Miller

O2 to launch Free Wi-Fi Nationwide

The existing UK-wide wi-fi network is undergoing big changes as O2 announces that it is launching a free wireless nationwide.

O2 had previously offered free wi-fi on some of its tariffs via BT Openzone and The Cloud, but The Cloud is rumoured to be close to sealing a buy-out deal with Sky, and O2 is widening its scope independently.

Initially the hotspots will be available in 450 O2-owned sites, which won’t offer great coverage but there are plans to expand to other locations, including shops and restaurants which is a step in the right direction. O2 said access to the hotspots would be through a simple sign-up process and would be free to both O2 and non-O2 customers, which they plan to fund through advertising.

There are some big boys in the market already with BT Openzone and Fon the biggest in the UK, but not enough people use it.  With that in mind, O2 want to help kick-start more wi-fi usage

"Only 20% of people who have access to free public wi-fi on 02 tariffs actively use it despite the majority of devices being wi-fi enabled," said O2's business development director Tim Sefton

Hi-Tech Criminals turn attention to Business Mobiles

Net giant Cisco has suggested that mobile phone operating systems are becoming increasingly popular with hi-tech criminals.

In their annual report they have predicted that 2011 will see a significant number of attacks directed at smartphones, mobile software and users.  That said, the vast majority of criminal activity continues to be aimed at Windows and the programs that run on it.

2009 brought a significant turn in trend for mobile malware with the appearance of a virus call Zitmo.  This was a mobile version of the Zeus Windows trojan that has proved hugely popular with criminals keen to steal logins to online bank accounts.

Apple products are proving to be a target as statistics gathered by Cisco suggest a growing number of vulnerabilities are being found in Apple operating systems.

The relative youth of the Android Operating Systems makes them a vulnerable platform to.  Trojans aimed at Android, that booby trap apps that run on phones, or bury premium rate links in ads were also starting to turn up. For instance, in late December 2010 the Geinimi trojan for Android was found that can steal almost any of the data on a handset.

Bandwith Problems Solved by Space

A small spacecraft system manufacturer has announced that they plan to put 78 small satellites into orbit to carry the internet.

Microsat Systems Canada Inc (MSCI) have called the project "CommStellation", and plan to deploy the system from 2014-2015. It will require six rockets to take the platforms to an altitude of 1,000km.  From there, the network will act as backhaul, linking the traffic of local telecoms and internet service providers to the global fibre infrastructure.

It seems that there is a new wave of manufacturers recognising the fact that space may offer a simple solution to the bandwith problem facing the world. 

David Cooper, President and CEO of MSCI, said that “There are immense backhaul shortages now and it's going to get worse”

CommStellation is planning something very similar to O3b, which is planning a constellation of eight internet backhaul satellites in a medium-Earth orbit (8,000km) around the equator. This system is also expected to start to roll out in the middle of the decade.  However, CommStellation would be very much lower in the sky than O3b and would circle the Earth via the poles.

Read more on O3b:

http://adodolive.blogspot.com/2010/11/broadband-satellite-launches-in-5432.html

http://adodolive.blogspot.com/2010/11/satellite-broadband-update_30.html

Google Android Driving Spacecraft with Mobile Phone

In recent years we have seen mobiles used at higher and higher altitudes, but until now, they have never gone into space several hundred kilometres above the planet, but that is exactly what the team at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford want to do.

Their plan is to see if the sophisticated capabilities in today's phones will function in the most challenging environment known to man.  Although we do not yet which handset model will be sent into orbit, we do know that the phone will run on Google's Android operating system.  The hope is that the equipment will be used to control a 30cm-long satellite and take pictures of the Earth during the mission later this year.

Messages and pictures will come back via the satellite's radio link, so the phone won’t be “calling home” in the normal sense.  For the first part of the mission, the mobile will simply act as the back-up to the main computer on the spacecraft.  However, at some point, the phone will actually be put in charge of the craft.

The venture is part of the company's quest to find more inexpensive, off-the-shelf electronics that can be used to lower the cost of its spacecraft designs.

Microsoft Explain Windows 7 Data Problems

Early January has seen "a small (low single-digit) percentage of Windows Phone customers" complaining on net forums of data issues.  The problem seems to consist of the phones software sending and receiving "phantom data".

In some cases, particularly in the US, customers claimed that that their phone was sending "between 30 and 50MB of data" every day; an amount that ate a hefty chunk of their 20 day, 1GB allowance.

Microsoft said its investigation found that most problems were caused by an unnamed "third party" service.  They are currently in contact with said “third-party” working on potential solutions, and in the meantime, potential workarounds to pacify customers.   

However, the cause of the issue does not appear clear cut, as Microsoft has also admitted that there may be more than one root cause.

Quote for the Week!

“The first step toward change is awareness.  The second step is acceptance.”

Nathaniel Branden

Cheaper Broadband for Rural areas under Ofcom plans

This Summer, following a period of consultation, Ofcom are expected to publish plans that could mean cheaper broadband for rural Britain.

The proposal is that Ofcom will instill pricing controls on BT in parts of the country where they are the sole provider of wholesale broadband services.  This will affect how much BT can charge internet service providers (ISPs) in those areas.  The hope is that the changes could increase competition between retail ISPs.

The telecom regulator wants BT to reduce its wholesale charges by between 10.75% and 14.75% below the RPI measure of inflation. The plan could benefit an estimated three million homes and businesses.

Whilst Consumer Focus welcomed the move by Ofcom, they have highlighted the fact that in some remote areas people were still waiting for broadband to reach them, and the emphasis needs to remain on government plans for everywhere in the UK to have faster broadband by 2015.

Mobile Phones seen as Art

Cellphone's with Grid
and Binary Code

Rob Pettit is an artist that uses mobile phones as a medium for much of his work.  He feels that we have become a technology-dependent generation, completely entangled with technology.


"What used to be simple smoke signals used by our cavemen ancestors have grown to alphabets, letters, telegraphs, and now telecommunication. Mobile phones used to be a fad, now it has become a commodity. With human culture leaning more towards globalization and a fast paced lifestyle, mobile phones will become a more prominent part of our existence."

Source:  http://www.robpettit.com

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T-Mobile Clarify Data Cap

Last week T-Mobile announced that they would be slashing the amount of data consumers would be able to consume of their handsets.  They said it was necessary to provide "a better experience for all our customers who use internet on their phone".

Following an angry response from its customers, the mobile giant has had to clarify their position.  Initially T-Mobile said that it would slash the amount of data all of its customers could use to 500 MB.  In real terms, this meant, that for Android handset owners, previously allocated 3GB per month, the drop would have been more than 80%.

But the company has now said that the changes would be introduced from 1 February, "to new and upgrading customers only".

"There will be no change to the data packages for existing customers for the duration of their contract and we apologise for any confusion caused," said Lysa Hard, VP for T-Mobile UK.

Quote for the Week!

"Change is the only constant"


Proverb

Tablets go to war in Las Vegas

Between the Thursday and Sunday last week, innovators and industry leaders took to the battle at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and it was the tablets that were making the headlines.

It has been estimated there were over 100 tablet computers on display at the annual gadget show.  Google boasted a number of devices powered by their Android operating system at the show, one of which has caused quite a stir.

Apple has sold 7.5m iPad’s since its release, marking Apple, quite clearly, as the one to beat.  However, Motorola's XOOM has been hailed by a number of bloggers and reviewers as a possible iPad killer, even though the Android 3.0 software which it will run on is not finalized yet. 

Motorola was only able to show a prototype of XOOM, with a final version ready to ship in the US in the next couple of months. There is no official advice as to when it will be available for sale in Europe at this stage or more importantly, the price of the device.

In order to wet your whistle though, it has a 10.1 capacitive screen with the ability to show full HD video playback. It will also feature the expected features like accelerometer, gyroscope and Adobe Flash and there will be a rear and a front facing camera for making video calls.

Of course it wouldn’t be much of a battle unless, in response to the gauntlet being laid, there was speculation from the other team about a soon to be released upgrade or better still the mouth watering prospect of a release from HP that will really throw the cat among the pigeons.  In other words, watch this space; the battle of the tablets is just heating up.

3G Switchover May Cause Unfair Advantage

After a long period of deliberation Ofcom has finally given the go-ahead for mobile operators to use their 2G spectrum for 3G mobile broadband.

The result will help mobile operators to "increase mobile broadband speeds" as well as offer more mobile broadband coverage in rural areas, meaning that consumers will receive a better service. 

Currently the 2G spectrum is used for making phone calls and sending texts, but this decision could ease some of the pressure on current 3G services.  They are feeling the strain due to the massive increase in the use of smart phones and mobile internet.

However, not all UK mobile phone operators were happy with the decision; Kevin Russell, chief executive of Three UK said the decision would give "unfair competitive advantage" to the operators that hold 2G licences.

Ofcom’s verdict comes ahead of the Digital Dividend auction planned before 2012, in which we will see the government sell off frequencies for next-generation mobile services, which will offer speeds faster than today's 3G networks.

It was the issue of “competition” that delayed Ofcom’s decision for so long.  Mr. Russell called on Ofcom to ensure the 2012 auction would create a market where all operators could compete on a level playing field.

Quote for the Week!

 

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Maria Robinson

2011 Promises the introduction of Common Charger

2011 looks to be the year that the Common Charger will be introduced to the mobile phone market as technical specifications for chargers drawn up by the European Commission have won the backing of 14 phone firms.

The EU said many Europeans resented the inconvenience incompatible chargers caused and wanted to be able to use chargers for different smartphones.  The response is a design based around micro-USB technology and excitingly, could see the end of proprietary power ports on handsets.

Nokia, Research In Motion, Apple and Samsung are amongst the companies have pledged to make chargers to the common standard, and they are expected to be available early this year.

Currently, the specifications only cover chargers for smartphones because, these are likely to be the most widely used type of phone in Europe within the next two years according to the Commission.  

Mobile security cracked open

A pair of security researchers have demonstrated an eavesdropping toolkit that highlights potential holes in many parts of the most widely used mobile technology.

Using four cheap Motorola telephones and open source software, Karsten Nohl and Sylvain Munaut are able to eavesdrop on mobile calls and texts made on any GSM network. 

In a demonstration at the Chaos Computer Club Congress (CCC) in Berlin, the pair took attendees through the layers of the snoop.  Starting from locating a particular phone to seizing its unique ID, then leap-frogging from that to getting hold of data swapped between a handset and a base station as calls are made and texts sent.

Mr Nohl said the motivation for carrying out the research was to create awareness around the problem and perhaps prompt operators to improve security.  He acknowledged that a few simple steps could make it much harder for potential eavesdroppers.

Another Alarming Glitch for the iPhone

Getting back to work after Christmas and New Year is hard enough (speaking from personal experience) however, Apple iPhone users have had more to complain about than the rest of us.

A software glitch affected single alarm settings on the iPhone 4 and earlier models for two days after New Year.  This left many users to oversleep, thus arriving late for work, or missing planes and trains.  Of course, many were able to the then use their mobile technology to blog and tweet their complaints on a social network of choice.

A similar problem hit the iPhone alarm when the clocks went back in November, again causing many users to be late for work or for transport arrangements.  Whilst the glitch has now been solved, commentators remain unimpressed that lessons weren’t learnt from November’s issues.

Quote for the Week!

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”

Bill Vaughn