Category: Uncategorized

Keeping your organization informed using free streaming tools during COVID-19

During this uncertain time, many of us will find a need to relay or stream information to our organizations. Some of us have professional tools to help us do this, but others will be utilizing some of the free tools available online to keep cost low. These free tools can be extremely useful, but sometimes you will encounter some quirks or unknown elements that would’ve been helpful to know beforehand. Morefield A/V Systems Engineer, Fred Weidemann, walks through some unexpected challenges he encountered while helping his church set-up and use these free streaming tools to broadcast to their congregation. Watch his video as he walks through some of the free streaming tools available and some useful tips to know while utilizing these tools. Hopefully his helpful suggestions will make your streaming experience easier!

If you would like professional help streaming video content, contact us directly and we would be glad to help – (717) 761-6170 or sales@morefield.com

As we all know, Governor Tom Wolf announced last night (3/19/2020) that all non-life sustaining businesses be shutdown indefinitely.

Morefield Communications is considered by the state of Pennsylvania to be a life sustaining business based on several categories of support and services that we provide to the community.

We are still able to provide on-site services to our clients and our physical offices are not inaccessible. Our physical warehouses continue to operate, so that we can continue life sustaining support for our clients. Please call, email or chat with our team regarding your technology needs. Our team is ready to help your organization transition to the current environment and look forward to the future together.

Morefield Communications Advisory:  COVID-19 Update March 12, 2020

Overview:

The safety and well-being of our employees and clients is the number one priority at Morefield.  This week we have continued to see a steady increase in the number of positive cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state of Pennsylvania.  Morefield has implemented several actions to facilitate a safe work environment for our employees, so that we can continue to provide support to our clients during the COVID-19 outbreak.  We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as the situation changes.

Precautionary Actions:

Morefield Communications is monitoring advisory recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the PA Department of Health for the latest information and best practices as they relate to the coronavirus.  Morefield has taken the following precautionary measures to protect the health our employees, clients and our overall community to reduce the spread of the virus.

This includes but is not limited to:

• Proactive Employee Communications:
  • All Morefield employees have been reminded of their personal responsibility to contact their health care provider and stay home in the event they feel sick. They are not to come into our offices or visit our clients.
  • All Morefield employees have had reminders on good hygiene best practices and these reminders are posted throughout our facilities.
  • All Morefield technical employees have been provided with rubber gloves and are instructed to wear these gloves for all client onsite work.
• Morefield Facilities:
  • Reviewed and increased frequency of cleaning practices in our Camp Hill and Altoona, PA offices. Custodians wipe down and disinfect the most touched surfaces in our facilities daily.  This includes door handles, light switches, and any other highly touched areas.  They are using a hospital-grade disinfectant recommended by the CDC.
  • Additional cleaning agents and sanitizers have been provided in all three of our facilities.
  • All office employees have been provided with access to disinfectant wipes for cleaning personal space areas and are to clean their personal space areas daily.
  • All common space areas and equipment have cleaning agents available for usage after use of common space or equipment.
  • Restricted in-person meetings in our offices to five people and additional attendees for a meeting are required to join via videoconferencing.
• Company Fleet – All company vehicles have been provided with cleaning agents and sanitizers for disinfecting company vehicles between each drive.
• Corporate Travel Restrictions:
  • All corporate air travel has been restricted.
  • Attendance of all industry conferences has been restricted.
• Leadership Reviews – Our leadership team has been meeting regularly to address this fluid situation and have been using team collaboration tools internally to keep our teams updated.
• Business Continuity Plans – Morefield has always advocated for flexible work practices and we have all of the technology in place to allow our business to operate away from our offices in the event of a disaster. As a standard practice, Morefield routinely reviews personnel contingency plans for key job functions to facilitate operational continuity.
• Client Communication and On-Site Work – For customers requiring Morefield employees to be on location, the respective Morefield account lead will proactively communicate with the client to discuss and work through any changes to on-site staffing, project lead times or potential disruption issues. All Morefield employees have been instructed to comply with procedures set forth by our clients in regard to their policies related to the outbreak.

How Morefield can help Ensure Business Continuity during COVID-19

Each day, we help organizations evolve their business technology and introduce new forms of collaboration and mobility into their workforce. We have been ready to assist our partners in past times of uncertainty; we are here for you today and we will continue to be here for our clients in the future. Morefield has a long and stable history you can count on in uncertain times. Please let us know how we can assist your organization. We are here for you and our thoughts are with all those who are impacted. by COVID-19.

What Can Morefield Help Me Implement Today?

Remote Working Tools:

• Cisco Webex allows employees to stay connected to their teams and continue their business operations.
  • Free 90-day licenses to businesses
  • Enabling existing customers by expanding their usage at no additional cost
  • Discounted pricing available
• Microsoft Office is perfectly built for document sharing with One Drive, conferencing with Skype, messaging and sharing with Teams. Microsoft Teams can help maintain connectivity to aid in information sharing, even while working remotely, even if you work for a business that isn’t currently licensed for Teams.
• Discounted pricing available on laptops, desktop & workstations
• Single number reach, cloud voice, and smartphone access use a single corporate number to be reached at the office, at their home office, or on their mobile device.

Virtual Learning:

• Webex is providing special features for virtual learning education during this time.

IT Security:

• Cisco Umbrella protects users from malicious Internet destinations whether they are on or off the network. Existing customers are able to exceed their user limit to support an increase in remote workers & new customers can access a free license.
• Duo Security enables organizations to verify users’ identities and establish device trust before granting access to applications. Existing customers are able to exceed their user limit to support an increase in remote workers, and new customers can access a free license.
• Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client empowers employees to work from anywhere on company laptops or personal mobile devices. It also provides the visibility and control security teams need to identify who and which devices are accessing their infrastructure. Existing AnyConnect customers can exceed their user limit to support an increase in remote workers, and new customers can access a free license.

Physical Security:

• Access control systems ensure where, when and who can access your facility

Who should use these tools?

With today’s developing situation, we would stress preparedness to ensure business continuity. Depending on your organization’s size and need to work remotely different tools are available to ensure secure connectivity and collaboration. Mobile work tools are available to be used in all industries and for organizations of every size. If you aren’t sure where to begin, please give us a call and our experts will help you.

I didn’t plan to deploy remote working solutions in my 2020 IT budget. What should I do?

We understand that many 2020 IT budgets did not include COVID-19 contingency plans and we are happy to extend special pricing, financing and several free collaboration and secure remote connectivity tools during this time. Let’s discuss what you need and how we can help you.

Are there precautions I should take with my access control?

In times of caution, streamlining entrances and exits become essential to many organizations. Access control and CCTV can help you keep only authorized personal entering your facility and campus. Controlling who comes in contact with your staff, members, patients or students is extremely important at this time to limit possible exposure.

Ask us about:

• Physical access control hardware and software
• Biometric readers
• Card readers (scan or swipe)
• Visitor Management systems

Other Technology Options to Consider

• Single Number Reach, Cloud Voice and Smartphone Access
• Remote Contact Centers
• Cloud Solutions 
• Mass Notification Tools
• Situational Awareness Tools
  

Contact Morefield Communications with questions on business continuity during COVID-19.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 11:00 am
Eastern Standard Time (New York, GMT-05:00)