Usherwood Blog

Stay informed with updates and tips from our experts in the managed IT industry and hear the latest news about our team at Usherwood.

Sarah Goltz, Content Manager

Managed Print

By: Sarah Goltz, Content Manager
December 21st, 2020

eGoldFax is a fax solution that allows users to send and receive faxes from any device. Their solutions offer security, reliability, and regulatory compliance within a company’s environment. Law firms need both function and security in their print solutions. Because of this, eGoldFax is a great solution to ensure confidentiality and productivity. Enabling Remote Work Environments for Law Firms With Cloud Fax When the COVID-19 pandemic forced most offices to close, many lawyers worked remotely. Using eGoldFax, they could still send faxes without going into the office. They could do this by routing faxes digitally to communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams. This can be done from anywhere, so the user is not tied to a telephone line when they send or receive a fax. This eliminates the need for analog lines. This technology will ensure that all employees feel as connected and productive at home as they were in the office. To learn more about different cloud faxing services, check out our blog about it here: 8 Best Online Fax Services for Small Businesses Promote a Sustainable Environment With the ability to route and receive faxes virtually, users can save on costs, time, and promote a greener environment. Having the option not physically to print the file if they do not want to, means that less paper and toner will be used. This is a great way to cut down costs while reducing waste at your firm. Another way the solution reduces costs is by eliminating analog lines, which tend to be expensive, costing on average $50 per line. Keep Confidential Documents Secure As technology advances, so does the innovation of cybercrime. This means it's crucial to keep confidential data safe from new cybersecurity threats. Cloud-based faxing is a great tool in your cybersecurity arsenal. This is because its features prevent sensitive documents from getting into the wrong hands.

Managed Communications | Digital Signage

By: Sarah Goltz, Content Manager
December 9th, 2020

What is Digital Signage? Digital signage is a digital display that can be used to inform, direct, welcome, warn or promote material to current or prospective clients. It is comprised of three main elements: Content, Hardware, and Software.   Digital Signage for Community Banks Digital Signage can provide a better client experience and attract prospective clients. As a business, it is always important to put yourself in the shoes of the client. In doing so you will realize what types of tools are most efficient when attracting them. When you are sitting in a business’s office, you are more likely to look at the TV with informative visuals and alerts appearing rather than a paper sign on the wall. Digital Signage is an effortless way to produce versatile virtual content that will appeal to your clients. How Digital Signage Will Benefit Your Bank Environmentally Friendly Having the ability to display messages on a virtual display means that you can inform people without needing to use copious amounts of paper or signs. Information such as daily hours of operation, contact information, or marketing promotions will be displayed in any format of your choice. With digital signage, you can also display a QR code that can be scanned to provide any clients with more information with ease. A QR code can be accessed by your clients by simply scanning a cell phone which will provide them with a link they can click on. This will increase the likelihood of a client receiving information because they will receive it instantly on their device after scanning. Digital Signage creates a more sustainable and versatile office environment for both you and your clients. Promotion Digital signage is an efficient way to promote any innovative marketing messages that you want the public to see. Today people are more likely to notice a screen that is displaying a message than a sign or cutout. Placing your digital signage display in an environment that is visible to current clients and potential clients who are walking by is an effective way to gain attraction. The messages can entail new services, branding, exclusive deals, or any other details about your banking service. Increased Customer Engagement By using digital signage to display videos, informational graphics, or artful messages, customers are much more likely to engage with the content. Many people will only fully engage with material if it is given in a format that is visually captivating. With digital signage you can get as creative as you would like, while also having the ability to present fresh eye-catching content every day! Digital Signage will elevate your customers' overall experience at your bank. It is important to keep up with technological trends. As the world keeps advancing, staying strategic with those advancements will ensure your clients will remain captivated. Digital Signage allows your business messages to be in a visual format that will resonate with today's customers. Many people are looking for their information on screens and if they do not find it there, they may not look much further. For more Information on Digital Signage click here or call 800.724.2119

Managed Communications | Usherwood

By: Sarah Goltz, Content Manager
September 17th, 2020

Usherwood Helps Two School Districts Reopen Safely with Odyssey Defender Temperature Kiosks COVID-19 has posed many obstacles for the reopening of educational institutions in 2020. In hopes of creating a safer work environment for teachers and students, schools have begun to implement strict health protocols. Many schools are participating in a hybrid learning model; some students participate in virtual learning and others participate in in-person learning, face masks must always be worn, and there are regularly scheduled cleanings and enhanced disinfection methods. For those schools who are requiring that students and faculty go into the building, it is important they are making it as safe as possible. For that reason, Usherwood released a solution that can help prevent fever-like symptoms from going undetected in your building. As a member of our greater community, it is essential that we make sure our clients are equipped with the safest, newest, and most secure technology always. For this reason, when the world came to the realization that COVID-19 would be an enduring pandemic, Usherwood’s team worked together to build a solution that can allow buildings to feel more comfortable with reopening and re-welcoming visitors. Usherwood’s Odyssey Defender can go in the front of a building to take the temperature anyone who enters via a contactless kiosk. People entering the building will be informed if their temperature is being recognized as normal or elevated. Elevated temperatures are a sign of fever which is a potential symptom of COVID-19. For this reason, using Odyssey Defender is a good preliminary tool to keep COVID-19 from spreading through your building. Usherwood was excited to have received the opportunity to install Odyssey Defender temperature kiosks inside two school districts, General Brown located in Dexter, NY and Carthage, in Carthage, NY. The install in the General Brown district included: (3) Brownville-Glen Park Elementary, (2) Dexter Elementary, (5) General Brown Jr/Sr High School The install for Carthage district included: (3) Black River Elementary, (3) Carthage Elementary, (3) West Carthage Elementary, (5) High School, (5) Middle School A Smooth Install and Simple Solution After working with General Brown and Carthage on the necessary naming, connectivity, and security information to preconfigure the solution, the install then took place. The install was as simple as going on site, unwrapping the kiosk, powering on, and testing to make sure everything was working properly. Kiosks were preconfigured in house so that they would just need to be plugged in and tested on site. No training was necessary for General Brown and Carthage to operate the kiosk but the Usherwood team scheduled some time to stay with the customers after the implementation to assure that the solution is operating as expected. Usherwood also wanted to make sure that the administrators were able to leverage the data in the portal, so that they were able to view real time data. Usherwood’s Experience Working with General Brown and Carthage was an amazing experience for Usherwood’s team. As an organization, Usherwood strives to provide continuous value to new and current clients. Having the ability to create a safer environment for General Brown and Carthage Schools was extremely rewarding. Usherwood looks forward to continue providing these districts with valuable solutions and to aid the community during this global pandemic. To learn more about our Odyssey Defender solution click here!

Managed Print

By: Sarah Goltz, Content Manager
May 20th, 2020

While many companies allow occasional personal use of office machines and equipment, it is common practice to take advantage of this offering. Almost 80% of office workers tend to run personal projects on office equipment. This can increase your print costs substantially while not even addressing business needs. Is There a Better Way to Control Your Print and Copy Output? There are many ways to optimize your print environment to track analytics and reduce waste. You don’t want to create a blanket policy against personal printing, because that can make employees go directly against a policy or retaliate. It could also significantly reduce morale. Instead, copiers now have various features that can address print controls, and these can be part of a larger managed print solution. What is Papercut, and How Does it Work? You can include software such as PaperCut, a helpful print solution that integrates with MFPs to address printing issues. PaperCut can help to track users, print jobs, and help reduce the use of paper. Not only will this create a cost-saving solution, but it will also increase your office's sustainability. PaperCut can control various types of printing – like black and white over color – and will track data on who may be printing more than is technically allowed. This tool is one of the best solutions for addressing print and copy needs. It’s a flexible software solution that uses security permissions, print settings, and other MFP features to optimize your print environment and help manage your print budget. Read more about Papercut in our blog: What is PaperCut Hive? Other Cloud Printing and Faxing Solutions As cloud tools have advanced, the commercial printing industry has followed suit to include many cloud printing solutions. You can read an in-depth guide to this technology in our article: What is Cloud Printing? Some cloud tools to be aware of are uniFLOW and eGoldFax. uniFLOW uniFLOW is a tool by Canon that requires active user intervention to retrieve copies. This reduces waste created by abandoned copies left in printer trays. It also mitigates the risk of documents falling into unauthorized hands. This tool offers benefits such as: Enhanced data and print security Access control features Easy document retrieval and organization Read more about uniFLOW in our blog: What is uniFlOW Online? eGoldFax If you're in an industry that deals with sensitive documents, cloud faxing may be a great solution to protect data while conducting business. Gone are the days when faxes were automatically printed upon sending. Now, cloud faxing allows users to securely send faxes and manage contacts within one platform. eGoldFax is a popular choice for cloud faxing due to its easy-to-use interface and security. Read more about cloud faxing here: 8 Best Online Fax Services for Small Businesses Get the Most Out of Your Print Environment You might not think too much about your printing strategy, but an inefficient device or tech stack could be draining your budget right under your nose. That's why it's crucial to find a print provider with experience in your industry and business size. If you're ready to take control of your print costs while optimizing speed, capabilities, and data security, click the button below to speak with a print expert.