If you can dream it, there’s probably an app for it. In fact, there are thousands of apps specifically focussed on the education sector, so how do you decide which ones to introduce to your classroom?

As tablets and iPads become an increasingly popular medium for learning in schools, it’s important to stay up to speed with the many amazing (and some not so amazing) learning applications that are available. With planning lessons, marking papers, and scheduling parent/teacher meetings, it can be difficult to do the extensive research required when choosing a new app to bring into your learning environment. That’s why we’ve done all the hard work for you!

We understand it can be overwhelming when there are countless apps offering the same or similar services, so we’ve compiled a list of the most popular and highly rated apps designed to make teaching seamless and learning fun.

You probably already have the basics down, like a solid calendar app and a way to communicate with parents and students outside of the classroom, so we’ve chosen apps that offer something a little different. All apps are recommended by teachers, suggested by

Scholastic and TED-Ed Innovative Educators.

To make teaching organised and seamless

Remind

Remind is a popular app that – you guessed it – sends out timely reminders for students and parents. But it’s also much more than that!

As you’re probably well aware, students and parents often don’t have the best track record when it comes to opening emails or answering phone calls. At its core, Remind provides an avenue for teachers to send out classroom announcements (think end of semester parties, school excursions, birthdays), due date reminders for homework or projects, or words of encouragement before a big test.

These messages can be sent via SMS or can be viewed in a web-based interface similar to a Twitter feed. It and opens a safe avenue for communication with parents and teachers (either via direct messaging or replies to announcements). Now before you start worrying about the implications of a direct line of communication with overbearing parents, you can disable this feature in the app. You can also set up ‘office hours’ so you cannot be contacted outside of school hours.

Remind can also be integrated with Google Classroom, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, so you can easily share materials and attach content to your notifications and reminders.

The best part? Remind is FREE. There are optional paid features, like voice calling and ‘urgent messaging’, but these are not at all necessary.

Check out the Remind website for more info: https://www.remind.com

Haiku Deck

Microsoft PowerPoint is so mid-2000s. While it is a powerful and popular tool, creating a slide show can quickly become messy, unorganised, and boring.

Haiku Deck makes creating presentations fast and easy, while producing stunning and engaging slideshows. With thousands of layouts, themes, and royalty free images, you no longer need to waste time sourcing them yourself. Plus, Haiku Deck Classroom gives students access to best presentation practices and slide shows that present their data and information clearly and precisely.

There are no free options for Haiku Deck, but the costs outweigh the benefits. Teachers can expect to pay about $11 AUD a month and has all the benefits of a Pro plan (unlimited deck creation, privacy control, YouTube embedding, custom branding, and access to thousands of professional layouts and royalty free images), plus you’ll get 150 student licences, with a classroom management dashboard and gallery, Google Classroom integration, and live web playback.

You can try a trial for free to experience the magic of quick, simple and easy slideshow creation: https://www.haikudeck.com/education

The TED-Ed App

The vast library of TED Talks and TED animations gives teachers the opportunity to incorporate videos that will enhance their lesson plans, and students the opportunity to discover and study the ideas of the world’s most influential and inspiring people.

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is devoted to spreading ideas in the form of short, powerful talks (usually less than 18 minutes). There are hundreds of incredible TED talks covering pretty much any topic under the sun. The TED-Ed initiative promotes discovery and learning through their growing library of animated lessons collaborated with experts in Science, Literature, History, and more.

View the Ted-Ed website here: https://ed.ted.com 

Animoto

Getting sick of slideshows that students have zero interest in? That’s where Animoto comes in handy. Animoto is a completely free tool for educators and students that allows you to create and share engaging videos with little-to-no effort.

With Animoto, you can quickly create video introductions to knew topics, recaps, educational videos and more. Start a project by choosing one of many templates, add the images and video clips that you’ll need, and drag and drop them right into your project. Within the app, you can adjust colours and fonts, use stock music provided by Animoto, and completely customise the design and layout of your video.

See an example of an educational video here: https://animoto.com/builder/templates/explainer/educational-presentation

https://animoto.com/builder/templates/explainer/vocabulary-lesson

This is a fun way to add some diverse media to your lesson plans that aren’t the usual slideshows or PDF documents. The best part is that Animoto is completely FREE to use. However, if you’re wanting to remove the Animoto branding in your videos or access their extensive library of stock images, you’ll have to pay about $25 AUD a month.

To make class fun

Kahoot!

Let your students’ competitive streak shine with Kahoot! Kahoot is a free application that makes quizzes fun and interactive. Create your on kahoot in minutes, or use one of millions of premade quizzes. Students can compete against each other or against their own previous scores, and the quizzes can be completed live in the classroom or during their own time.

Teachers can base entire lessons around Kahoot! by incorporating YouTube videos and slideshows, or use Kahoots to introduce new topics, assess prior knowledge, or as a fun way to recap a lesson. Download Kahoot reports so you can assess learning progress and topics that may need following up, plus find which individual students may need help. 

The best part about Kahoot! is that it’s completely free to either create your own quizzes, or access the library of over 40 million premade quizzes and questions.

Get started on fun, free quizzes here: https://kahoot.com

Wacki

Australian-made Wacki is an app boasting a plethora of fun indoor and outdoor games to engage with children, build bonds, cultivate confidence and instil important values. It’s perfect for team building exercises, and can be a fun way to the end the day or reenergise the class after lengthy sessions.

The app allows you to filter your search (filters include games for large/small groups, goofy games, icebreakers, and trust games) and provides a quick (2 minute) explanatory video that is engaging and simple to follow.

While this app probably won’t be a huge part of your daily teaching life, it’s a great way to get kids excited and ready to learn. Plus, it’s FREE to use.

https://funyouthgroupgames.com

Spellwizards

Spelling can be a real drag for kids and encouraging kids to practise spelling lists can be a hard task for both parents and teachers. Spell Wizards is an engaging, kid friendly online programme for primary aged kids (4-11) to help them improve their spelling in a fun and engaging way.

Essentially, children listen to a sentence being read to them while it appears on a screen. The key word is removed, and children must type it into the box on the screen and press enter. If it is correct, they move onto the next spelling, if not it praises them for good effort and encourages them to try and again with a hint. The game boasts fun cartoon character Avatars, colourful screens, star prizes, sound effects and positive reinforcement.

Teachers can create custom spelling lists that improve spelling, typing and listening skills, and get reports on individual child and class performance.

For parents, the app costs about $5, but teachers and schools gain access to exclusive deals for the education sector.

https://spellwizards.co.uk/about

We live in world where our entire lives can be accessed through our phones. Think of all the personal information that is stored on your device; photos, banking details, names and addresses, work/personal emails, social media profiles, and geolocation that tracks your every movement. It’s no conspiracy that apps are stealing and selling your data, so how do you retain your privacy and security when it’s so readily available?

The only way to guarantee no application or website will ever steal your personal information again is to throw your phone in the ocean, delete all social media, email and subscription accounts, withdraw every dollar from your savings, and spend a life ‘off-the-grid’. However, unless you’re a hermit living off the land in a wooden cabin situated in a remote area, this isn’t exactly feasible. That’s why we’ve put together 9 tips to keep your phone safe from hackers and your data hidden from prying eyes.

1. Use a Password Manager

I have been 100% guilty of using the same passwords across my internet banking, emails and social media accounts. Is this easy and practical? Yes. Is it safe? Not in the slightest!

In the case of a data breach, hackers can gain access to your login details. Using the same email and password combination for all of your logins means a cybercriminal can potentially own the master key to accessing every one of your accounts that use the same email and password combo.

The strongest passwords are comprised of letters, numbers and symbols in a string of no particular order or sense. These passwords should look like a cat just walked across your keyboard (for example: jR7z5$R?68<*G>M). However, while randomly generated passwords are difficult for computers to crack, they veer on being impossible to remember; especially if you are using a different password for each of your accounts (which you indeed should).

Fortunately, with a Password Manager you won’t need to frantically search for the scrap of paper you wrote your Netflix password on and then ‘hid in a safe place’, or compile a Word document listing all of your logins. Password Managers keep all of your passwords in one encrypted and password-protected app. They can also generate strong unique passwords and save your credit card and shipping information to readily autofill forms.

Check out LastPass for a free and secure Password Manager, accessible on both your phone and your computer.

2. Watch What You Download/Install

We all love checking out and installing new apps on the Google Play or Apple store, but how many of these apps are actually safe? When you install a new app, you may be asked to grant permissions including the ability to read files or access your camera/microphone and your location. Most of the time there are legitimate reasons for granting these permissions, but if an app won’t allow you to use it without permissions then think twice about downloading it. This is especially true for Android users, as the Google Play store’s vetting processes aren’t as strict as Apple’s.

Additionally, a quick Google search can generally tell you if the app is legitimate. These searches can reveal if data or privacy breaches are a common occurrence, and whether or not the app is a scam. Avoid apps that have been breached multiple times as this suggests they are aware of the breaches and are doing nothing to solve them.

Another sign that you may have downloaded an app with malicious intent is if you notice changes in your phone. If it is heating up or has slowed significantly, this suggests the app may be running in the background.

3. Review Apps and Permissions

If you’ve owned your phone for a while, you probably have apps installed that you haven’t looked twice at in quite some time. You should regularly review apps and delete ones you no longer have a use for. Not only do these apps take up unnecessary space, but they could also no longer be supported, creating avenues for potential cyber criminals to crack and gain access to your device.

On top of this, review the permissions on apps you already have on your phone. We suggest frequently going through each app and inspecting which permissions have been set. You should ask yourself whether it makes sense for the app to access certain permissions. For example, most games do not need to access to your location or your camera and microphone, and a calculator app certainly does not need to view your contact list.

4. Safeguard Your Social Media Accounts

Social media often plays a vital role in our daily lives, regardless of whether you use it to connect with loved ones on your personal profile or to share information with your clients and consumers. Apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are goldmines of personal information so it’s important that you follow these essential tips to keep your data and info safe.

Use a strong password

If you have a weak password, the chances of your account’s security becoming compromised grow exponentially. Use a unique and strong password (refer back to the Use a Password Manager section of this blog) and enable two-factor authentication. This can be enabled in the settings of your social media app.

Update your privacy and security settings

Security Settings: If you’re like me, you rarely ever check the privacy and security settings on your social media accounts unless you notice something fishy or strange going on. It’s important that you regularly revisit your settings and check the devices you are logged into. If you notice any devices or places that you don’t recognise, you can log out of any chosen (or all) devices and reset your password. In the security section of your account, you can also enable two factor authentication, change your password, and authorise logins and accounts.

Privacy Settings: In a world where anyone can search your name and find your social media account, it’s important that you set strict privacy settings to protect your personal information and the things you share on your social media. It’s recommended that you hide all of your posts and personal info (such as where you work, what town you live in, where you go to school) and display this info only to people who are on your friends list. That way if anyone tries to look you up, they will get the bare minimum of info (such as your profile photo and name) and will need to send a friend or follow request in order to get more information.

5. Update Software and Apps

Everyone dreads the ‘Update OS’ notifications, and it’s likely that you often forget to do so. However, failing to update your software can cause critical issues in the integrity of the security of your device, as these updates keep your phone one step ahead of hackers and the latest methods of exploitation. Set your phone’s setting to update automatically during the night so you don’t forget to install critical OS updates. Also set all of your apps (particularly your internet banking) to auto-update.

6. Use a VPN on Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi offers the opportunity to get work done in cafes/restaurants and provides access to the internet when you are low on data or overseas, but it can also leave your phone open and vulnerable to other people lurking on the same public network. As such, we recommend downloading a VPN app to keep your data safe. A VPN not only shields you from potential hackers or snoopers but can also mask your data transmissions. There are dozens of VPN apps available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for free, but some may have questionable practices so conduct thorough research before installing one. The most popular VPN apps are:

Android: NordVPN, TunnelBear, Kaspersky

Apple: ProtonVPN, Hide.me, TunnelBear

7. Install a Security/Antivirus App

Similar to any antivirus apps you may have installed on your PC, it’s also recommended you install one on your phone. There are offshoots to desktop apps such as Avast, McAfee, and Panda, along with many others. These apps provide enhanced security by ensuring any apps, PDFs, images and other files you download are free from malicious malware or ransomware before you open them.

8. Use Built-In Smartphone Protections

Take advantage of your phone’s built-in security to safeguard your device if it is lost or stolen. By enabling Find My iPhone or Find My Device, you can locate your missing device on a map and automatically erase the information. You can also set the phone to delete all information after a set number of incorrect password attempts.

9. Prevent iPhone Apps from Tracking You (iOS 14.5)

iPhone recently added a new feature in iOS 14.5 that allows you to keep your online information more private by enabling the option to turn off ad tracking within your apps. This means that unless you give specific permission to an app, it can’t use your data for targeted ads, share your location data or use your advertising ID with advertisers or third parties. You can enable the App Tracking Transparency feature in Settings > Privacy > Tracking.

Conclusion

While we can’t guarantee that your device will lever be 100% safe from cybercriminals and hackers, following these 9 essential steps will ensure you have basic protections in place for the safety of your personal information and data.

Introduction

It’s not just the responsibility of IT professionals to be vigilant when it comes to cybersecurity. In order to ensure the safety of everyone in the school system it’s imperative that teachers, students and parents work together to encourage safe cyber security practices both at home and on campus.

You may think the education sector is last on the list of priorities for cybercriminals, but in reality schools and universities are data-rich goldmines. Think of all the personal information (credit cards, full names and addresses, academic research) schools have onsite. Now add on the fact that the education sector ranked least cyber secure among 17 industries, and you have a recipe for disaster.

The highest vulnerabilities were present in application security, keeping software up to date, and a lack of cybersecurity awareness amongst both staff and students, leading to successful phishing attempts.

What is Cyber Security?

By definition, cyber security is the practice of protecting and defending computers, networks, programs and data from malicious attacks.

Cyber security can (and should) come in many forms. Most people presume that implementing anti-virus software is enough to keep malware and viruses out of their systems and networks. Alas, this is not the case. Cyber security is an ever-evolving issue that must be tackled and reviewed on a regular basis. Furthermore, a large number of data breaches and cyberattacks occur as the result of human error. That’s why at eStorm we believe schools and teachers must take on a comprehensive approach in order to keep all aspects of their cybersecurity current and impenetrable.

Successful cybersecurity approaches have multiple layers across networks, devices, platforms and people. It’s imperative that these components cooperate in order to create an effective defence against cyberattacks. For example, you can have the most expensive anti-virus software in the world, but that won’t do any good if staff, students and parents are not able to quickly pick up on email or phone scams. While some layers of protection are certainly better than none, it is just as important to encourage cybersecurity awareness as it is to apply your focus on network and application security methods.

All in all, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to cybersecurity, nor is there a blanket approach that you can quickly implement to ensure your school and student data is protected. As mentioned, cybersecurity must constantly be advancing as hackers come up with new ways to attack digitally, therefore staying on top of your cybersecurity procedures will guarantee protection against corruption and the privacy of your school’s data.

How do Cyberattacks on Schools Occur?

There are a multitude of ways that cybercriminals can infiltrate school systems, with the most common being:

Phishing: 

Phishing is the practice of sending fake communications (most commonly emails) that seemingly come from reputable sources with the intention of tricking teachers or students into supplying private or financial information or installing malware. Using this information, cybercriminals can then gain access to student/teacher portals to either exfiltrate personal and financial data or upload viruses/malware.

Ransomware: 

A ransomware attack occurs when a school’s system is infiltrated by a virus, bringing operations to a halt. Cybercriminals will hold the system hostage until the school agrees to pay a certain amount of money. The data held can include lesson plans, school portals, financial information, and personal employee/student records. Given the sensitive nature of information pertaining to children and minors, this should be avoided at all costs.

Options are limited once a school’s system is held for ransom, especially if the school does not have multiple backups in place, which means oftentimes schools have no choice but to pay up.

CYBER SECURITY TIPS FOR TEACHERS

1. Back Up Your Data: 

Ensuring you are consistently backing up your data (including cloud or external back ups) means you will not be locked out if your school is the victim of a ransomware attack. Visit our best practices for data back up blog post for more info!

2. Password Management: 

Maintain unique passwords for your accounts. Re-using passwords means that in the event of your information being obtained during a data breach hackers may be able to access other linked email, social media and bank accounts.

3. Follow Your School’s Cybersecurity Policies: 

It’s more than likely your school already has some cybersecurity policies in place (such as not accessing schoolwork/portal via public wifi or letting other people use your work devices). These policies are in place for a reason, and following them provides better protection for your school and your students.

More resources: https://security.berkeley.edu/education-awareness/back-school-cybersecurity-tips

CYBER SECURITY TIPS FOR STUDENTS

1. Avoid Sharing Personal Information: 

Always be mindful when sharing personal information online (such as your school name, email and home address, and phone number). This protects your identity from online predators and scammers.

2. Watch What You Click: 

Avoid following links to unknown sites and downloading software or apps from untrusted sources. When receiving emails, always check the email address is from a trustworthy source before opening attachments or clicking on links to avoid phishing attempts and virus downloads.

3. Keep Software Up-To-Date: 

Keep on top of software, app and browser updates to ensure they have the maximum protection against hackers and viruses.

4. Virus Protection: 

Ensure your devices (phones, tablets, computers, laptops, etc.) have some level of virus protection to protect against phishing and viruses, and run a virus scan weekly.

More resources: https://www.cisa.gov/publication/stopthinkconnect-parent-and-educator-resources

CYBER SECURITY TIPS FOR PARENTS

1. Monitor Internet Usage: 

Protect your children by implementing parental controls on devices and monitoring their online activity.

2. Communication: 

Teach your children the importance of privacy and password protection. Discuss what information is appropriate to divulge to strangers and how they should conduct themselves on social media, and encourage them to create strong passwords.

3. Use Secure WiFi: 

Ensure your wifi includes encryption and has a strong password to restrict access to others. Only share your password with people you trust, and set up parental controls to restrict access to inappropriate or dangerous sites and downloads.

More resources: https://staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/managing-your-privacy/tips-parents-raising-privacy-savvy-kids/ 

Are you worried your school’s cybersecurity policies and systems aren’t as strong as they could be? Check out our Cyber Security page for more info on how eStorm can help keep your school and your students secure from cyber threats.

eStorm has partnered with HubSpot to provide a CRM solution suitable for organisations big or small.

One of the most important assets of your company is your customers. Knowing who they are, where they are, and how they interact with your store or brand is vital in ensuring they are happy with the services you provide and that they keep coming back.

As a business grows, it becomes more and more difficult to track customers across spreadsheets and documents. This is where Customer Relationship Management solutions like HubSpot CRM come in handy.

What is HubSpot CRM?

Customer Relationship Management solutions (or CRM) provide a centralised place for you to access information about your customers. The most basic CRMs will provide details like the contact info of your customers and when they last interacted with your business, allowing you to track your customer growth on the most fundamental level.

But we know your business deserves more than the basics, and with eStorm and HubSpot CRM you can take your customer relationships to the next level. HubSpot CRM will give you access to a variety of tools that aim to make the lives of your salespeople, marketers, customer service representatives and yourself easier in every possible way.

HubSpot for your Sales Team:

Get a constant view of your sales pipeline on a dashboard that is modern and intuitive. With access to detailed reports on productivity, individual performance and sales activity you’ll always be on track with quotas, and you’ll have all the data you need to coach and improve your team.

HubSpot’s free Outlook and Gmail integrations means you’ll spend more time building relationships with your customers and potential leads. Receive alerts the minute a lead opens your email so you can follow up with them, and quickly send a response by adding a personal touch to your saved templates. Alternatively, you can call directly inside the CRM!

HubSpot for your Marketers:

Expand your marketing reach beyond the leads you already have. Create professional landing pages with HubSpot’s landing page builder, attract more visitors with free ad management tools, and propagate your database with tools that can convert website visitors into leads. Create stunning mail outs using drag and drop templates and optimise your campaigns for higher clickthrough rates. Use live chat to connect and convert visitors in real time and utilise chatbots for one-to-one conversations – no coding required!

HubSpot for your Customer Service team:

Manage all of your customer communications from one inbox. Connect with your customers using free tools for live chat, ticketing, and shared team emails. HubSpot’s Universal Inbox supplies one place for your whole team to view, assign and reply to every customer conversation – regardless of which messaging channel it’s from. Each customer contact record is available inside the inbox, so you have a clear view of every interaction and the context to create a helpful response.

HubSpot for You:

Organise and manage your contacts in one powerful and intuitive database, and say goodbye to piles of business cards, confusing spreadsheets and unorganised LinkedIn connections.

HubSpot CRM takes no time to learn and makes it infinitely easier to track the details of your business relationships in one unified hub. Manage your sales pipeline, organise and respond to your customer support issues, monitor your website activity, and identify new visitors to your site all with one tool.

How can we help?

eStorm is your Brisbane-based HubSpot consulting and implementation expert. By assessing your current CRM infrastructure, we’ll determine how HubSpot can improve your business or organisation and will strive to help you get the most out of your customer relationship management software.

Contact us for a free consultation! Call 1300 378 676 or email [email protected]  and one of our HubSpot specialists will get in touch.

eStorm is pleased to announce that we have partnered with Mobile Guardian to provide modern and reliable Mobile Device Management solutions to both businesses and schools!

To preface, here is a quick explanation of what Mobile Device Management is:

What is mobile device management?

Mobile Device Management (MDM) is a type of software used by IT professionals to monitor, manage and secure mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks, etc) that are deployed across multiple operating systems and service providers.

MDM solutions provide your school or business with end-to-end security. This means the mobile applications, network and data used on the device – along with the device itself – are managed by a single mobile device control device.

What is Mobile Guardian?

Mobile Guardian is a powerful Mobile Device Management solution fit for businesses and schools alike. The multi OS platform currently supports iOS and macOS, Chromebooks, and Android devices.

They have customers across North America, the United Kingdom, the EMEA ande APAC regions, along with a growing global partnership network of which eStorm Australia is now a part of.

Mobile Guardian – For Business

Mobile Guardian has everything you need to manage every device within your company. Save time, decrease costs and improve efficiency amongst your employees with Mobile Guardian!

• Increase productivity: Configure settings on devices to prevent procrastination and increase productivity
• Save time: Send apps and software updates to every device within your organisation at the touch of a button
• Track devices: Lower the chance of loss and device theft by monitoring and tracking devices to ensure you know where they are at all times.

Mobile Guardian – For Schools

Mobile Guardian was designed for education. As such, it boasts plenty of incredible features to manage devices and ensure the safety of students on – and off – campus.

Some of Mobile Guardian’s key features include:

• Multiple enrolment options: Bulk enrol students through Apple Manager (DEP), Apple Configurator 2, G Suite and Android EMM. OR enrol devices using QR codes or URLs.
• Remote app management: Install, update and remove apps on devices from your desk
• Off-site web filtering: Whether the device is at school or at home, your school’s Acceptable Usage Policy is always honoured.
• Inventory management: Ensure all your mobile devices and hardware are accounted for, check their battery usage and make sure they have the latest software updates.
• Multiple filtering options: Filter web content by category, keyword, URL or YouTube channel.
• Track lost or stolen devices: Quickly identify lost of stolen devices and receive alerts when the stolen device comes online.
• Remote media distribution: Distribute media such as websites, PDFs, web clips and audio files at just the touch of a button.

On top of these key MDM features, Mobile Guardian also provides classroom management tools that empower teachers and help keep students focused during class.

With classroom management tools you can:

–  Quickly communicate with students and keep the lesson on track by instantly locking devices, activating ‘eyes up’ or    messaging the students.
– Set devices to single-app mode to keep students focused during lessons or exams
– Message students directly to remind them to stay focused or to assist with any questions they may have
– See what content the device can access and push learning content to devices during lessons
– Check what students are doing on the devices and how much time they are spending on certain applications

Check out the Mobile Guardian Classroom Management Tools Brochure for more information!

Ready for a quote and a no obligation assessment of your MDM infrastructure? Contact eStorm at [email protected] (or call 3120 0640) today!

Get the most of your email signatures with eStorm and Exclaimer

Did you know that around 269 billion emails are sent worldwide every day?

Even with internal communication software such as Microsoft Teams and Slack, emails are still predominantly used for communication in businesses across the globe.

Your email signature can be the first impression that a new potential client gets of your business, and we all know that first impressions last. Having a personalised and consistent email signature across your organisation not only ensures brand consistency, but also delivers a professional attitude in every email sent.

A branded email signature. . .

What is Exclaimer?

We understand the importance of having an email signature that matches your corporate identity. That’s why we’ve partnered with Exclaimer – so we can help you present the best image of your company. Exclaimer provides world-class centralised email signature management solutions. This enables organisations of any size to achieve brand consistency, legal compliance, and customer engagement from anywhere, on any device. Their email solutions for Microsoft 365, G Suite and Microsoft Exchange are used by over 40,000 companies worldwide!

Ensuring brand consistency across all employees, branches, and departments can be a difficult task and you may find there are multiple out-dated or improperly formatted emails in rotation. With Exclaimer, you will have total control over everything from professional email designs to promotional banners and legal disclaimers, and eStorm will be there to guide you from set-up to deployment.

Different signatures can be designed for different departments. A marketing team can showcase an event while customer services receive a signature with the company’s trading hours.

Achieve more with your email signature by incorporating dynamic marketing content such as social media icons, promotional banners and award logos.

Benefits of Partnering with eStorm and Exclaimer:

• Exclaimer provides the perfect solutions for centrally designing and controlling email signatures across your entire company.
• Every company email will get a full, dynamic, and professional email signature when sent from any web-enabled device, including mobiles and Macs.
• You can easily customise signatures for different branches, individuals, and replies or forwards.
• Set up specific promotional banners for different departments and track clicks for marketing purposes.
• Be confident knowing your brand identity will be protected and consistent across every email, every time.
• With the help of eStorm, integrate Exclaimer with Microsoft 365 or G Suite

Ready to get started? Contact the friendly eStorm team today at [email protected] or call 3120 0640!

Take Your Business to the Next Level with Teams Calling!

If you’re already an avid user of the Microsoft Teams software you’ve probably heard of the external calling capabilities you can utilise as an add on to the app.

In the past, Microsoft’s calling plans were exorbitantly priced and furthermore were only available in 16 countries, making the decision to switch your traditional VoIP to the cloud almost impossible. However, Microsoft now has another option – Direct Routing.

Read on to discover what Microsoft Teams Calling is; how you can get it; and whether it’s right for your business!

What is Microsoft Teams Calling?

Microsoft Teams has a multitude of capabilities that allow you to communicate via instant message, video chat, or conference calls within your team – whether you’re in an office of 10 people or 1,000. If your organisation is currently using Teams it may be possible for you to consolidate your inbound AND outbound communications into one unified hub within the app.

By adding Teams Calling capabilities, you can connect to external phone lines and use Teams as a fully-fledged business phone system (PBX). This means you can make and receive phone calls, and enjoy traditional call handling functions like call hold, transfer, forwarding, and voice mail – all for a potentially more affordable rate than your current PBX system.

Additionally, the cloud-based system allows you to retain your current phone number and make/receive calls from anywhere and from any internet-enabled device (including tablets, desktops, laptops and mobile phones!). For a full list of call handling features you can visit: https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE4owMT.

Maintain your professional image by making and receiving calls from your business phone number whether you’re in the office or on the road

How Does it Work?

As mentioned before, businesses in the past would need to purchase a Microsoft Calling Plan that was pricey and limited to only a few countries. Now, with Direct Routing, anyone can gain access to Teams Calling.

First of all, you will need to contact a CSP (Cloud Solution Provider) such as eStorm. Your CSP will assist you with getting the correct PSTN connectivity (more on that soon) and will help obtain Microsoft 365 Business Voice licensing.

The Business Voice add-on to Microsoft 365 includes the following under one licence:

• The Teams cloud-based phone system with advanced features (make/receive calls and set up call transfers, multi-level auto attendants and call queues)
• Microsoft PSTN Dial-in for up to 250 people per meeting
• 24/7 customer support
• And user phone numbers (which users are able to transfer from their previous phone system)

Once you have purchased your licence, you are able to use direct routing with your telephony provider in order to access affordable Teams calling plans.

WHAT’S DIRECT ROUTING, you ask? Your business may currently be using a Public Branch Exchange phone system, which is traditionally how internal and external calls are delivered in organisations. With Microsoft Teams, you can replace your PBX system (and all the associated costs) with its cloud-based alternative via Direct Routing. Direct routing is a way to provide a public switched telephone network (PSTN) connection to Microsoft Teams users in order to make and receive external phone calls on ANY device using Teams. To make things even simpler, you can use your existing telecommunications provider to directly connect their SIP trunks to Microsoft Teams.

Use your exisiting telecom provider to make external calls in Microsoft Teams

Is Microsoft Teams Calling Right for my Business?

So now you know what Microsoft Teams Calling is and how it works, you’re probably wondering; is it right for me?

The Microsoft Business Voice Add On integrates flawlessly with Teams (as it should) and is generally the perfect solution for businesses who are already using the app for their internal communications. There is a catch though; as of writing, if your business has requirements such as call centre functionalities, call recording , or multiple business hours for different stores (Teams currently only allows for one set of hours), you may need to hold off on MS Calling until Microsoft expands to converge these features. (Visit our Business Telephony page for alternative PBX solutions)

Another reason you may hesitate in getting MS Teams Calling is if you currently do not incorporate Teams and Microsoft 365 plans into your business. You absolutely need to have these licences in order to access the capabilities of MS Teams Calling, and purchasing them can put you out of pocket more than your current PBX and VoIP solution.

HOWEVER

If you’re a business currently using Teams and seeking a collaborative space for all your communications then we’re confident Teams calling is the perfect solution for you!

Visit our Microsoft Teams Calling page for more info

Contact us at [email protected] (or call 3120 0640) for more information and a free, zero obligations quote!

Use any app-enabled device to make phone calls (including tablets, desktops, laptops, traditional desk phones, or mobiles)