Internet Access and Your Business
Managing the risks, exploiting the benefits.
Other Services
Remote Backup
Net Therapy offers a remote backup service, which keeps a copy of your critical data on our servers, from where it is also backed up. Using secure software called rsync, which encrypts all data as it transmits it over the Internet, we are able to mirror your data every evening, updating the dataset each night with all the files that have changed during the day. This offers a belt and braces fallback option, should all your local backup systems have failed.
Remote Working
An extremely useful possibility opened up by broadband access, is remote working. While some practice owners and managers would rather not work from home, many do! Remote working across broadband allows key staff to access the system live, from home, or other designated connections, to offer them much greater flexibility in their working arrangements, and offers management powerful new possibilities. Using the best possible software for remote access, the experience of remote working can be as fast and as responsive as if you were working on a PC at the office. We can even configure the system to allow documents that are open on the work PC, to print out live to your home printer. For one dental practice in Sheffield, we were able to extend the concept of remote working even further: maternity leave for a number of staff had led to a shortage of staff. We set up secure remote working for reception staff, so that, at busy times, overflow calls could be taken by home workers, who, because they were logged into the system live, could book and cancel appointments and answer queries, as if they were at the practice.
Better email solutions
With a fixed, fast Internet connection, and a robust, reliable server, it is possible to run your own mail server. In conjunction with your own domain, such as dovedentalcare.com, it is possible to configure your network to receive mail directly for your domain. This is much faster and more powerful than relying on an external provider to host your email. Emails will arrive instantly, and will be stored centrally on your server, from where they will be backed up along with all your other data. All staff, or just key staff, can have their own email accounts. This can hugely improve internal communications, especially as many businesses these days have part time staff, and an email is much better and more reliable than a post-it note, or memo. External communications with customers and suppliers will improve too… many of them will expect you to have email, and will be surprised and disappointed if you do not.
Surveillance and Security
With broadband access, and the appropriate hardware and software, it is possible to install and configure IP based cameras, or traditional cameras with IP capable software, that allow a remote operator to view or record key areas from other locations on the Internet, or to send notification alerts if motion is detected out of hours. Internally, this could be used to allow back-office staff to view a busy reception area, or for other management requirements.
Online Ordering
Purchasing online can often give better value, and is certainly quicker and more efficient than other methods. Suppliers from whom you order regularly, may be able to give you software to manage your account entirely online, making ordering and repeat ordering simpler, and allowing you to quickly review stock, orders and invoices.
Online DPB submissions
For dental practices with an NHS component, it is possible to transmit NHS claims via broadband. This removes the cost of using a third party to accept the claims via dial-up modem, as well as being faster and simpler.
Research
Access to the Internet, as long as it is properly managed, can be hugely beneficial for research and investigation. Once it is introduced, most businesses will find that they quickly come to rely on being able to access the Internet, and all the readily available information, tools and communication possibilities that this offers them.
Future usage
Being online is opening up other possibilities all the time. One such that we are currently developing, is VOIP telephony. IP based PBXs (telephone systems) offer features that current proprietary systems cannot, or which would cost you far more. VOIP is about much more than cheaper phone calls.