A refurbished phone is a tested working and cleaned phone, with new cords and handset.
A remanufactured phone, has been disassembled down to the circuit board, which is then tested and repaired if needed. Then the circuit board is installed into a new plastic phone shell. Basically, they are making the phone over again, hence the term "remanufactured". Since we are reusing the old Nortel circuit board and since the phone is not manufactured by Nortel, we technically cannot call it a “New” phone but many of our competitors sell remanufactured office phones as "New".
A used phone purchased from Standard Telecom has always been refurbished as explained above. Many of our competitors will sell a "used" phone that has simply been picked up off of the previous owner's desk and put in a box. You get what you pay for, as they say.
]]>The device you see on the table in these pictures is a gang charger. Its both a battery and a step down transformer, and with one or two hours charge it will keep all fifty -six delegates' phones charged. The photo above is from the Welcome Party where the delegates first discovered the charger - it became a popular fixture at every event throughout the entire 'Experience Week' thereafter; the delegates would come to each new location looking for the cellphone charger.
Rhinocharge is made in Quebec and sold all over the world to law enforcement and disaster response teams. Its a remarkable gizmo that puts 100 000 mAh into 8 smart USB ports which will charge your phone or computer battery in a short period of time. The rig is perfect for charging both Android and Apple phones, iPads and even tablet computers. The equipment is very robust, inside and out. Rhinocharge's electronics are protected inside a sturdy aluminum case which we had decorated with our brand name as you can see in the photos.
The unit was shipped to Toronto complete with manuals, more decals and stickers, and ten different lengths of charging wires (with all different types of connections to USB), and all this was packaged alongside the rig in a thick black plastic Pelican case with perfectly cut foam cushions.
We tested the rig before donating the unit and found that everything worked perfectly. We could see exactly how much charge there was in the unit by pressing and holding a button on the side which lit up a series of LED lights from red to green. We had four of five lights worth of charge in just one hour.
John Conn the CEO of Standard Telecom was very impressed with the device and is considering carrying the merchandise in the store.
The device was the single best donation to the beauty event series, and one that will be useful for many more seasons in the sun at this annual summer event.
]]>See the video below, where Standard Telecom CEO John Conn is instrumental in helping remedy a phone network breach in the telecommunications systems of a busy local wrestling league.
With regards to office phone hacking, as we have described many times here on the Standard Telecom blog, our Nortel Networks phone systems and indeed all major suppliers’ office phone networks are most commonly infiltrated by users not setting proper passwords.
Therefore, when we were contacted by Hogtown Wrestling, live wrestling in Toronto and asked if we would appear on camera to talk about their alleged phone hacking story, we agreed, hoping simply to help get that message out. At that point we didn’t know what to expect, or if they’d even been hacked for real, and we’re still not sure.
#HogtownPro wrestling is ‘now actively 'myth making’ by creating video backstories around their performers and main events. When a fast-talking wrestling promoter named Hutch Henries arrived at our office on Laird Dr. on Thursday 27 Oct 2016, he had the script and the scene he wanted to shoot in his mind - but no paper copies for anyone else to read!
Through the course of him spoon-feeding John his dialogue,one line at a time, we slowly came to understand our role in the narrative. We are the good guys. We're helping Hutch Henries sort out the hack and rescue his semi-fictional sports organization from being hacked again by bad wrestlers looking to change the roster and eliminate opponents without having to engage them in the ring. Yes of course, now we understand. Its all a devious scheme to steal the Title Belt that is soon to be uncovered. As you can see in the video, some of that drama plays out right here in our work space.
So when asked how the phone hack actually happened? Our CEO told the truth by and large, as that is generally what always happens – somebody gave up the password to the phone system or worse, the administrator forgot to change the default password that was set at the factory, most commonly ‘1,2,3,4’.
The painful look of embarrassment that flashed across Hutch Henries’ face was also real, or really well acted, as this is the reaction we most often see when we report the cause of the network breach as being ‘human error’. And when Mr. Conn referred Hutch to ‘go see Ahmad’ on Dundas St W., he did the local wrestling promoter another favour, for real, as A2ZPC computer repair shop in Toronto is indeed the best place to take your PC or laptop when you know its sanctity has been violated. Ahmad Zehour is a real live computer engineer who specializes in data recovery. He can find and recover information from all types of data storage systems, including drowned device drives and crushed camera chips and even firmware or what many people now call device-ware.
So, in conclusion, if a touch of make-believe tech drama in the backstory of a popular wrestling show is what’s needed to bring more awareness to phone network password security and help reduce this type of easily preventable data breach, then you can bring your cameras by our shop anytime Hutch Henries. Let’s hope your audience gets the message.
Hogtown Wrestling has its own Rogers TV show, and you can watch this video play-out live at the next live show on Friday Nov 11th downtown at the Super Wonder Gallery.
All in a day’s work at Standard Telecom; we view this as helpful community messaging, regardless of the medium, which does look very exciting. With all these guys have to worry about in the ring, the wrestlers shouldn’t also have to wonder if the dressing room phone has been hacked.
]]>The majority of small businesses don’t even have a radio playing for their customers when they place a call 'on hold'. They have dead air or an annoying double beep every few seconds. You know how much fun that is to listen to! So why put your customers through that kind of treatment. After all, this is someone who is trying to do business with you.
Placing a caller on hold is unavoidable, but are you missing out on an opportunity to inform, entertain or inspire them?
On-hold music or professional recordings are one of the most-requested “new business telephone system” features because many people think they need a new telephone system to get music or commercials to play on hold, or they think it is very expensive--which it can be.
Radio On Hold Is Not The Answer
One easy solution that many businesses use is to play a radio station to their on-hold customers. For many companies there is no installation cost since their office phone system has a pair of wires coming out of it and terminating on a headset jack, that simply plug into the audio port of a radio.
But this is a lack-luster solution. Callers on hold, are left listening to a radio (sometimes drifted off the station) instead of listening to music or information about the company and its products and services. They might even be listening to a competitor's radio ad!
Turn 'On Hold' Time Into Sales Time
For only $199 you can have a “Salesperson on Hold” who turns your customer dead time into productive time. Inform, sell or entertain your customers while placed on hold with an iProMOH-One digital music and message announcer. It's easy to setup and comes with Simple Audio Mixer software so you can quickly craft your own brilliant messaging or professional-quality recorded music and messages.
]]>For a small business, the answer is "maybe". The real question you should ask is, "is it worth the trouble and bother of implementing or switching over to a voice-over-IP office phone system for a small business?"
For large multi-location businesses and multi-national corporations, there are clear benefits of VOIP technology. But for a small, single-location business, the advantages of VOIP office phones are not quiet apparent.
So, if your current telephone system is working well and doing a reliable job for you, our advice is to keep it and save the money it would take to switch to a VOIP business phone system.
We'd be happy to help you in making this decision. We can supply parts, service and warranty for traditional office telephone systems through to 2030.
We also offer complete small business office phone systems at a fraction of the cost of new systems, service, support, and extended warranties.
For more information: 416-425-0052 or toll-free 1-800-810-1075
Or contact us by email
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Those words are not in the Standard IP Solutions vocabulary!
With tight budget management, many companies and organizations, including most small businesses and non-profit agencies are keeping that Nortel Networks Norstar telephone system or Meridian Option PBX, alive for just one more year, and then another, and then another…well if you have one of these, you understand. If you are responsible for telecom and/or data in your organization, chances are that you have been told to endure a costly upgrade because your equipment has been deemed ‘End of Life’ or ‘Manufacture Discontinued’.
Do not let someone tell you that your perfectly good phone system should be tossed away and sell you a new telephone system, just because you want to add a few phones, lines or features Standard IP Telecom has been helping customers keep their Nortel Norstar meridian and other telephone systems in fine working condition, with replacement parts, for over twenty years. We offer a complete selection of new and used equipment with a Two Year Warranty on all equipment sold.
Upgrade when you need to, not when your telephone service company wants you to.
Let Standard IP Telecom supply you with telecommunications equipment for your legacy or IP telecom system. All Standard IP Telecom equipment comes in New or a "Like New" re-manufactured state and all equipment comes with a Two Year Warranty. It doesn’t matter if it is traditional legacy or the newest in IP/VoIP technology, Standard IP Telecom will help your organization save 25% to 40% on equipment prices. We provide most legacy Nortel Networks, Norstar, Meridian, Avaya, and Cisco, products.
Call for more information: 416-425-0052 or toll-free 1-800-810-1075
Or contact us by email
]]>Call for more information: 416-425-0052 or toll-free 1-800-810-1075
Or contact us by email
]]>If you detect or suspect telephone system or voicemail tampering, or that you are the victim of telecommunications fraud, take immediate action. Telecom fraud charges can mount quickly - you can't afford to lose a minute. Your first call should be to your equipment vendor and your second call to your long-distance provider. Together they can begin to pinpoint the fraud source and block further fraud attempts. While no telecommunications system can be made entirely free from the risk of fraud, diligent attention to system security can reduce the risk considerably. One thing you can almost count on - when fraud happens it won't happen at a convenient time. These criminals often will direct their heaviest assaults on your network when vigilance is at its lowest, during non-business hours, in the middle of the night, on weekends or holidays.
Voicemail fraud is the most prevalent type of fraud and the most significant threat to businesses that use a phone system with voicemail. An unauthorized third party can gain access to a business's phone system and place long-distance calls directly through your lines. They gain access most commonly through voicemail menus protected with only simple passwords (1111, 2222, 1234, etc.) or unchanged factory default passwords. Voice mailboxes that are suddenly locked or passwords that have somehow changed can all be signs of an intruder making changes to the voicemail. Once inside your system, an unauthorized third party can use the system commands to gain a dial tone and place calls that appear no different to your service or equipment provider than any other call originating from your business. Having a good password management policy and practice is a strong start towards protection.
Continuous monitoring of your company's calling patterns will help you to identify fraud at an early stage and minimize loss. It's a good idea to regularly monitor your Telephone Company’s (Bell, Allstream,etc.) call detail records. Learn to spot patterns such as an increase in after-hours calls, calls to countries you don't do business with, multiple short duration inbound calls (especially after working hours).Watch for numerous incoming calls on your 800 lines followed shortly thereafter by a surge in long duration outbound 800 calls, which may indicate that an unauthorized third party has entered your phone system through your 800 lines and is dialling out. Our next Blog post will focus on what you can do to safeguard your telephone and voicemail system from Long Distance Telecom Fraud. You can always call our Service Department for advice and help at any time. We are happy to help.
]]>Never use default passwords or default access numbers for your system as they are easy to crack and almost everyone knows them. One of the most effective security measures is to select hard-to-break passwords and remote access codes. Use the maximum number of characters, mixing the pound sign (#), asterisk (*), and numeric digits (0-9). Avoid passwords that contain the following: - Predictable patterns, such as ascending or descending digits (7654321) - Repetitive digits (5555555) - The same digits as your extension number (or the reverse of your extension number) - Numbers that align to or identify the owner (room number, employee ID number or even a social insurance number)
It's a good idea to change passwords and access codes at least four times a year for both switch (software based/remote access) and hardware-based voicemail systems and automated attendant services. Always change or remove authorization codes when authorized users leave the company, especially when technicians depart. Do not write down remote access codes or passwords, or program them into auto-diallers.
Prohibit or restrict calls to countries you do not do business with - Consider block all calls to Asian or East European countries, which are popular calling destination for telethieves and call resellers - Limit international calling to only those employees who need to place international calls. Limit calls to domestic area codes if calls to these states are not permitted - Put time-of-day restrictions into effect, such as prohibiting or limiting outbound calling at night and on weekends - Restrict 800 access from non-essential areas that are known toll-fraud centers Call our service department at any time you have questions and consider having one of our technicians check out you telephone system before telephone fraud happens to you.
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