Categories: Unified Communications

Leveraging Free Assessments for Business Success

Posted by Joe Salisbury on Posted in Enterprise, Free Assessment, Unified Communications Tagged ,

Why Such Offers Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

When was the last time your tech stack was put to the test? To ensure it is serving you well, assessments shouldn’t be ignored. While in-house evaluations have value, there’s distinct advantages to third-party reviews, especially when offered for free.

  • Free assessments – like those offered by NEC – provide a unique opportunity to gain a fresh perspective. A deeper understanding of emerging technologies as well as alternative approaches to what already exist. It’s access to insight that might not be available in-house or go unnoticed during an internal review.

  • No cost evaluations come with specialized knowledge and expertise. Decision makers can tap this wealth of experience and gain an alternative perspective, insight into industry trends and best practices, allowing a better understanding of the competitive environment that might be missed.

  • Solution provider free assessments are also driven by the latest technological advancements. This provides enterprises actionable insight and tailored recommendations specific to latest offerings and customized to business needs. Leveraging these proposals allow organizations to pivot based on informed decisions by prioritizing technology investments that best align with strategic objectives.

  • Taking advantage of free tech assessments can potentially lead to cost-saving opportunities by future proofing investments too. Provider evaluations can identify areas where technology can be optimized, consolidated or streamlined, reducing unnecessary expenses. Additionally they may uncover security vulnerabilities or compliance gaps that, if addressed proactively, can help mitigate risks at a later date.

So if you’re interested in improving your ability to make strategic investments that optimize tech spend, drive better results and generate long-term savings, don’t pass up an offer of a free assessment. What have you got to lose and what might you gain?

Interested in what NEC can do for you?

Call us directly at 1-844-NEC-SAVE or by using the form below … and let’s find out.

Click to learn more about our latest assessment offer

When Time Is Of The Essence … But Lasting Value Matters Too

Posted by Joe Salisbury on Posted in Education, Intelligent Call Routing, Unified Communications Tagged , , ,

A Wichita Public Schools Case Study

Certain circumstances demand swift action. And there is nothing wrong with getting results when pushed by necessity. But real value comes when there are benefits that extend well beyond the original situation.

Take for instance our customer – the Wichita Public Schools. As the largest school district in the state of Kansas, it supports nearly 50,000 students and 7,000+ teachers and staff across more than 90 schools and special program sites.

NETWORK CONNECTWhen the pandemic hit, the school district needed to quickly switch to virtual learning and remote work. It was only natural for them to turn to NEC. After all they were already a customer and were successfully using our on-premises Unified Communications solution.

In just 4 weeks after the request for help came in, we were able to deliver a modern approach to hybrid accessibility and academic achievement with our Microsoft-certified NETWORK CONNECT for MS Teams intelligent call routing solution.

Teachers and staff could route calls directly to specific numbers in Teams as well as to their NEC UC platform’s desk phones, providing seamless accessibility regardless of location. Additionally with unmatched carrier redundancy, regulatory compliance and failover assurance, our solution successfully delivered rich and reliable home teaching, remote advising and simplified teacher-parent support.

Read the complete experience: Download your free copy of this case study or read our press announcement.

NETWORK CONNECT For MS Teams Long-Term Effect

But what started from necessity has also become a long-range win for the school district.

“The silver lining during these difficult times is that we’re better prepared for disruptions, weather emergencies and other fast-changing circumstances thanks to our partnership with NEC,” according to Rob Dickson, CIO of Wichita Public Schools.

Take a closer look at the Wichita Public Schools experience

NETWORK CONNECT Has So Many Uses To Keep Your Organization Up & Running

Interested in exploring what NETWORK CONNECT could do for your organization?

Contact Us Today

How Prepared Are You For An Emergency Call?

Posted by Joe Salisbury on Posted in Intelligent Call Routing, Unified Communications Tagged , , , ,

Don’t wait for a problem to find out

It’s concerning enough should someone within your organization or facility find it necessary to dial 911. It’s even more worrying if there’s any uncertainty about your company’s ability to handle such a call.

Recent legislation has made improving onsite safety a company matter. Whether it’s Kari’s Law for direct 911 dialing and personnel alerts at locations using multi-line phone systems or the RAY BAUM’s Act that requires dispatchable locations of 911 callers, organizations must be confident in their compliance with such regulations.

Of course you can verify that your communications system supports a flexible dialing plan. Or you can check that your communications platform is upgraded with the necessary software or hardware. But perhaps the most important question is … is your carrier the best in supporting emergency situations? Are they equipped to handle Dynamic E911 calls quickly and efficiently? What’s their plan should a network issue occur when it’s needed the most?

If there’s any hesitation to these questions, then we have something for you – NEC NETWORK CONNECT. This intelligent carrier call routing solution is ideal for day-to-day business communications and collaboration. But for emergency situations that demand urgent E911 assistance, it’s unmatched in reliability and control.

So how does it work?

With NEC NETWORK CONNECT you gain open access to a network of Dynamic Emergency Service Providers with built-in automatic failover, re-routing capability and carrier diversity. We use M2M and AI algorithms to automatically route calls – including those to emergency services – through the network with the best quality service for optimal accessibility and performance. If a network issue exists, calls are simply rolled to the next preferential network in real-time, putting an end to possible carrier downtime and outages.

There are other benefits too

With NETWORK CONNECT you work with just one provider – us – for carrier service and support, as we consolidate over 375+ U.S. and global carriers into a single consumable provider-neutral service. No more relying on a single carrier or juggling multiple ones instantaneously. Call traffic and activity becomes totally transparent while billing gets consolidated into one monthly invoice. If you have more than one location, our Global Orchestration service can combine your multi-site, multi-vendor network for greater oversight and simplified management.

Explore the advantage of NETWORK CONNECT with the following short, informative video:

NETWORK CONNECTThen there are the cost savings. Standard carriers use retail pricing, rates that are rounded up and there might even be hidden costs. Not NETWORK CONNECT. We offer wholesale pricing, with no hidden costs. Our usage charges are accurate to the second for cost efficiencies. Plus, our services are quick and easy to deploy with minimal upfront costs … so you can get started and begin saving and feeling confident in E911 responsiveness quickly.

Let us show you how our global presence and unmatched carrier diversity can help ensure E911 compliance in the routing of emergency calls while improving carrier billing and cost savings.

Contact Us Today

Schedule a no obligation assessment with one of our NETWORK CONNECT experts NOW.

Low Cost Connectivity for MS Teams Isn’t Enough!

Posted by Joe Salisbury on Posted in Intelligent Call Routing, Unified Communications Tagged , , ,

Relying on MS Teams to drive your business requires a new approach to keep your business up and running.

There’s no denying it, during the COVID pandemic, Microsoft Teams provided a simple solution for enterprise customers who quickly needed to support a new at home mobile workforce. However, during the enablement phase, little time was spent assessing carrier connectivity, compliance requirements, enterprise integration, support and a host of other issues. The clock was ticking and the priority was to support the at home workforce as quick as possible with minimal business disruption.

An approach worth considering …

Looking back, there were many complexities to be considered when enabling Teams which made searching for the lowest cost carrier, while important, not the most important criteria. But now …

  • What happens when your carrier goes down?
  • Is it smart to be dependent on just a single carrier?
  • What could carrier diversity mean for your network dependability?
  • How are you meeting local regulatory and E911 compliance?
  • Do you have real-time visibility and control of your Teams environment?
  • Is your carrier delivering Direct Connect MS Certified Solutions?
  • And are you paying competitive rates?

If you can’t answer any of these questions with confidence, it’s time to consider an alternative.

Look no further than NEC NETWORK CONNECT Direct Routing for MS Teams.

Here’s how it works…

NETWORK CONNECT Free Brochure

Download your copy of our free brochure NOW


Why you should make the change…

Stop relying on a single carrier or being constrained by the complexity of multiple service providers.

With NEC NETWORK CONNECT for Teams we provide access to over 375 global carrier networks with a single contract! NETWORK CONNECT leverages M2M and AI to place each Teams call over the network that is providing the greatest quality of service at the lowest cost each time a call is placed assuring unmatched reliability and quality of service.

Simplify by putting a halt to billing complexity where a lack of transparency can lead to unnecessary costs.

With NETWORK CONNECT you have one provider and one bill that includes all communications and carrier costs. If you are an organization with more than one location, all sites can be consolidated into one monthly bill, making it easy to understand costs, activities and use to make informed decisions on where cost-cutting opportunities make the most sense.

Explore the advantages of NETWORK CONNECT with the following short, informative video.

Secure Teams connectivity by leveraging a Direct Connect solution that eliminates carrier downtime and outages that can bring Teams to a standstill and disrupt group collaboration and customer appointments.

With a global presence and unmatched carrier diversity, our Microsoft Teams certified carrier platform delivers turnkey access to hundreds of carrier networks for greater flexibility, reliability and redundancy. Automatic failover eliminates downtime and outages. Should a network issues occur, Teams simply gets re-routed, bypassing the problem to the next available network for optimal business continuity.

Save and put an end to high usage rates that round up, surcharges and hidden costs that traditional carriers tack onto your bill.

Standard carriers use retail pricing and network usage charges with hidden costs and rates that are rounded up. Not NETWORK CONNECT For Teams Integration. We offer wholesale pricing, no hidden costs and usage charges accurate to the second for cost efficiencies that quickly add up. The service also is quick to start and with minimal upfront costs you can begin saving fast too.

If your Microsoft Teams costs need trimming, let us show you how our intelligent call routing solution can drive costs down and bring savings with greater control and transparency.

Contact Us Today

Interested in a free lunch and learn demo? Fill out the form and someone from our team will get back with you.

Compassion and innovation can be a positive force for the social justice movement

Posted by Mark Ikeno, President & CEO on Posted in Analytics, Biometrics, Cloud, Contact Center, Customer Experience, Education, Enterprise, Events, Finance, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality, Law Enforcement, Legal Articles, Retail, Security, Servers and Storage, Software-Defined Networking, Unified Communications Tagged , , , , ,

As a technology industry leader with deep research and development roots, NEC is guided both by strong principles around scientific exploration, as well as the ethical implications of our projects.

I wrote recently that a brighter world “will never exist while systemic racism and other forms of social injustice continue to oppress the Black and other marginalized communities.”

Globally, NEC Corporation President & CEO Takashi Niino has stated previously that as a supplier of public safety technologies, we are committed to maintaining an open and broad dialogue with employees, customers, partners, citizens, civic leaders and our colleagues in government.

NEC is a company with developed core values, including AI & Human Rights Principles, and we are committed to helping to end racial injustice in our society. Our efforts to operationalize our values and AI & Human Rights Principles help us responsibly develop and sell biometric technologies, including face, iris, fingerprint, palm print, finger vein, and others.

Today in the United States, many law enforcement agencies use our technology as a tool for investigative decision-making and determining possible leads in a case. As noted by numerous legal experts and scholars, a match using facial recognition alone is not a means for positive identification. Additional police work is required.

police in the communityAlthough current events have brought the topics of social justice, law enforcement and technology to the forefront of national discourse, NEC, through continued research and development, has long thought about the ways in which facial recognition algorithms can affect people of color. We have gone to great lengths to ensure our facial recognition algorithms are accurate across racial and other demographic groups.

For over a decade, our algorithms have ranked highest in accuracy in tests by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), widely considered a global authority on testing of biometric algorithms. Unlike many facial recognition algorithms that in last year’s NIST report, showed a pervasive problem with demographic disparity, NEC’s high-performing algorithm did not demonstrate this issue. As the matter of fact, our algorithm was singled out for being “on many measures, the most accurate algorithm we have ever tested.” This holds true across the diverse array of races and genders represented in the image test database.

This brings me to what NEC believes on the issues.

We believe it is possible to have compassion and actively work to improve conditions for America’s vibrant communities of color, while supporting our law enforcement customers and supporting reforms that encourage responsible use of our technology by law enforcement.

Furthermore, we believe that public safety agencies should responsibly use advanced facial recognition and other innovative technologies to help correct inherent biases, protect privacy and civil rights, and fairly and effectively conduct investigations for social justice.

On the topic of policy and regulation, we have and shall continue to support the development of legislation that provides and enhances existing guidelines for the responsible use of facial recognition technology.

We are dedicated to working with our law enforcement customers, the diverse communities they serve, and the policymakers who represent those diverse communities to find the best possible path forward. As we continue to work toward a brighter world, we plan to find ways to participate in ending systemic racism in America, and to use the best technology to do so.

Sincerely,
Mark Ikeno
President & CEO
NEC Corporation of America