The acquisition of IT solutions company TCG America establishes greater opportunities for Exact IT and their clients
November 1, 2023 — INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Exact IT Consulting, a premier managed IT services organization, is excited to announce the acquisition of Technology Consulting Group America, LLC (TCG America), which will broaden Exact IT’s presence across the Country, offering additional support and resources to its growing customer base.
Exact IT currently serves clients across the country, maintaining a successful track record of helping businesses make strategic, long-term IT decisions to align technology with business objectives and improve operational efficiency.
This acquisition will further Exact IT’s mission of providing proactive and innovative technology solutions to businesses, along with adding experienced talent to the team. Due to the recent acquisition, Exact IT will be opening an office in Lexington, KY—three hours southeast of its headquarters in Indianapolis, IN.
TCG America was established in 2006 in Lexington, Kentucky. For the past 17 years, TCG has experienced steady growth while maintaining strong, close relationships with its clients. Known for its exceptional customer service, TCG’s services include APC Power and Cooling, Left-Hand HP SAN, Barracuda Networks Devices, Disaster Recovery Planning, Network Engineering, Backup and Recovery, Hardware, and Software. This acquisition will further its mission of providing a solid infrastructure foundation, steering clients toward proven technologies that improve productivity and reduce the total cost of ownership.
"It was imperative to us that we found an IT partner we could trust with our long-term clients," said Tina Watson, Vice President of TCG America. "Exact IT's focus on delivering exceptional customer service, along with their long-lasting client relationships, provided reassurance that our clients would be in great hands now and in the future."
Duane Law, owner and founder of Exact IT adds, “We are always searching for the opportunity to join forces with companies that hold the same values that we do. The merger allows us to expand our customer base just south of our headquarters, providing even more clients with premier IT solutions and unbeatable customer service.”
The onboarding of TCG’s IT sector clients will not impact any services or products currently provided. As a matter of fact, this acquisition will only offer clients even more resources for their companies and organizations while receiving the same customer-first support and care from Exact IT.
About Exact IT Consulting
Exact IT Consulting is a premier managed IT services organization that helps businesses make strategic, long-term IT decisions to align technology with business objectives and improve operational efficiency. Serving clients across the Midwest and Southeast, Exact IT offers a comprehensive suite of proactive and innovative technology solutions, including managed IT, projects, VoIP phone systems, and cloud hosting. The team is known for its superior customer support and exceptional technical consulting.
Learn more about Exact IT Consulting at https://exactitconsulting.com/.
About Technology Consulting Group America, LLC
Established in 2006 with a handful of loyal customers, TCG has experienced steady growth since its inception. With decades of combined experience, the positive, intimate relationships TCG America shares with its clients directly contribute to its successes.
Learn more about TCG America at https://tcgamerica.com/.
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Preparing Your Business to Transition to VoIP
Prepare Your Network
Is it time to make the switch? You may be asking yourself, “How do I get a VoIP?” Well, first things first, take a look at your network to determine if your internet connection can handle the added network traffic while providing quality voice service. Unless you’re running a call center, the bandwidth you have is likely all you’ll need. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If you or your IT team has decided that you need dedicated bandwidth for your VoIP calls, based on your network setup, you can configure priority for voice traffic. QoS (Quality of Service) means that there’s a priority set for any VOIP traffic to get first rights to the Internet. So when Jerry is streaming TV during his lunch break, your phone call can continue uninterrupted.
Backup Your Data
Your business should already have some sort of backup set up for your data, but you may consider a secondary failover for the transition to VoIP. VoIP offers plenty of benefits in terms of functionality and interface, but you have no phone system if you have no internet. Whether you’re using VoIP internally or as a direct line to your clients, you don’t want to lose access to your method of communication.
If you’ve ever run into internet connectivity problems, you know that one of the first things to do when troubleshooting is to check if it’s just you or the entire circuit area. If you look it up and find messaging saying something similar to, “we’re aware, and we’re working on it,” then you know all you can do is wait. But when you’re running VoIP calls, waiting isn’t always an option, so that’s why a lot of organizations use a secondary failover provider that differs from the primary connection. For example, if your primary internet provider is Verizon, you could use Comcast as your secondary provider. That way, if a Verizon area goes down, you won’t see an outage. It will be just a blip on your radar.
As a last resort, you might also utilize your organization’s cellular carrier as a wireless backup. If you’ve ever used your phone as a hotspot, LTE backup functions very similarly. The service provider can install a cellular wireless router with a SIM card so you can pull WIFI from it. While LTE backup is not meant as a first choice, it will do in a pinch.
Train Your Staff
Most VoIP solutions include intuitive call features and actions, but you should still plan to provide training for your staff. Solid training will make the transition to VoIP much easier. If everyone knows how to operate all the valuable features, you can bet that they will be happier all around. For example, if staff understand how to use the Receptionist View to administer calls, dragging and dropping calls for a swift call transfer is easy breezy. But if they don’t, they could end up hanging up on an important client or sending callers to the wrong person. It’s best if you can conduct group onboarding calls or webinars to review features in real-time. That gives everyone time to ask questions upfront that they might not later. It’s even better if your provider can hand out FAQ cards for new users.
Keeping Your VoIP System Secure
Voice over Internet Protocol systems are like any other technology in the sense that you’ll need to keep them secure. Once you’ve implemented VoIP for businesses, your work isn’t quite done. There are a few precautionary steps to ensure your VoIP phone system stays secure, so you can safely reap its benefits. Let’s review best practices for VoIP security so your devices can effectively defend against cyber threats and hackers.
Creating Strong Passwords
We hear it time and time again, but it’s absolutely true. Strong passwords are essential to effective security measures. Many VoIP systems come with pre-set passwords, and while it can be tempting to leave them alone for convenience, it’s paramount to change them as soon as possible. Consider using a password manager, but first ensure the service is well-encrypted and secure. Different organizations have different standards for passwords, but the general wisdom is to ensure your passwords meet the following criteria:
- At least 12 characters
- A mix of numbers, letters (capital and lowercase), and symbols
- No obvious numbers/letter substitutions (i.e., passw0rd)
- Stay away from typical dictionary words
Multi-Factor Authentication
In addition to a strong password, multi-factor authentication is a major tool in securing your accounts against potential threats. It acts as a second line of defense against any security risks. There are multiple ways to implement multi-factor authentication, including SMS or email messages, fingerprint or face recognition, or GPS tracking.
End-to-End Encryption
VoIP is revolutionizing voice calls. One way it stays on the cutting edge is its encryption capabilities. Nearly all modern systems offer end-to-end encryption, meaning your data stays locked down even in the face of cybersecurity threats.
Corporate Firewall
When you transition to a VoIP, don’t forget about the firewall! VoIP phones should be safely behind a corporate firewall, just like any other device you have in the office. Going without the added security of a firewall leaves your VoIP system open to bad actors.
Consider Blocking International Calls
Hackers and cybersecurity threats often target VoIP phones. Much of the time, the call appears to be coming from another country. So, unless you regularly get legitimate calls from overseas, it’s a good idea to block international calls altogether. Some companies opt for calling cards to make international calls rather than allowing them to go through the VoIP system.
Educate Staff and Identify Weak Spots
Cybersecurity risks are ever-changing and can be hard for the average technology user to keep up with. Educate yourself and your company’s staff on how to protect their VoIP systems and understand how to detect a cyber risk or hacker. As technology advances, hackers do, too. You always need to be thinking about chinks in your cybersecurity armor. While looking for potential vulnerabilities, make sure to consider VoIP upgrades that may make your job easier. When technology comes out that makes your systems harder to hack, don’t wait to implement it! The team at Exact IT will help you pinpoint your weak spots and identify useful upgrades.
Partner with a Managed IT Service Provider
Exact IT understands the importance of a well-integrated phone system for any business. We pride ourselves on our ability to recognize the shortcomings of current phone systems and manage existing phone systems for our clients.