Remote working has already established itself as an integral part of the modern workplace and many already use it to some degree in their working lives. No need pointing out that working remotely from home offers numerous advantages but you also need to have a lot of self-discipline, you need to stay focused and good planning skills are also most beneficial.
How can you remain productive, stay concentrated and keep up your social contacts? We tested it - of course using our universal work and communication platform myApps- and came up with some useful tips so you can remain successful while working remotely from home:
It might be all too tempting to just grab a cup of coffee in the morning and to slouch in front of the computer or laptop - pajamas and all. If things go exceptionally well, you may eventually swap the pjs for sweatpants and a baggy sweater. Well, make sure not to be dressed too casually. It may subconsciously reflect in your mood. After all, you want to stay in a positive mindset and even if you might not necessarily need to put on your best business suit while working from home, business casual will certainly help you switch into your work mode.
By the way: It is also easier for you to switch back out of work and to enjoy your free time after work if the boundaries between work and leisure are also reflected in your clothing.
Turn on your webcam when you are on the phone. This may be something you first need to get used to but we have noticed following: whether it is a super quick call with one of your colleagues or the weekly team meeting via telephone conference with numerous participants - the communication quality will improve tremendously. Why? It does make a huge difference when you also see the person you are talking to. And with the current social distancing measures, it just makes your day so much better if you get to see your favorite colleague every once in a while.
By the way: if you follow our tip no. 1, spontaneous video calls from colleagues will not let you break a sweat because you will already be dressed for the occasion.
Yes, you should indeed always remain active and do some sports, also when working remotely from home. BUT holding the handset during meetings for hours on end is certainly no recommendable activity. If you use a headset instead, you will avoid tensions and shoulder pain and you will have your hands free to share your screen or to take notes during meetings.
By the way: cordless headsets are even better because they will allow you to get up once in a while to walk a few steps across the room to avoid back problems.
Birds chirping in the background, the neighbor’s home improvement activities, the shuffling of paper or the fan of the laptop - when working remotely, there is not really much you can do about these noises. Keep in mind: even if you have no problems blending out these sounds, others participating with you in a telephone or video conference may not be amused at all. So, just go ahead and mute your microphone when you are currently not the one speaking.
By the way: We have noticed that we tend to forget to switch the microphone back on, so always check that you are no longer muted when you start speaking.
When working remotely, you do not have any nearby colleagues that you can strike up a quick personal conversation with when questions or issues arise. Therefore, it is so much more important to get in touch with colleagues, and also with the entire team, so that planning and coordination can take place. After all, there are so many options to contact others. (Video) calls, e-mails or chat messages - you select the channel that is right for the given situation. Our personal tip: Is it something that you would have discussed in person had you been in the office, reach for the handset or headset and call the person directly. This will avoid misunderstandings and is typically way faster.
By the way: if you have a minute or two, it sometimes does the world of good to talk about things that are not imminently related to work. There is no better way to contribute to team building. Same goes for a shared virtual lunch break or a virtual get-together via video call.
Are you on the go or working remotely from home and do not have a secured data connection while you would like to continue making and receiving calls using your usual phone number? Use the RCC app by innovaphone to operate any end device and to make or accept phone calls on this end device – wherever you are. More information on the innovaphone RCC app.
Our IP111 IP phone has also received a facelift. As previously with our IP112, the following has changed:
Should you have any further questions, please get in touch with us
72960 - SIP-Provider Profile DE-Vodafone-IP_Anlagen_Anschluss
73235 - Softphone-App: Added functioning test for STUN/TURN config
Go to “Network” in the settings to view the configured STUN and TURN servers and to start an operational test. The determined host, SRFLX (STUN determined address) and RELAY (TURN server) addresses and ports will be displayed.
72620 - App UsersAdmin: Allow the admin to configure the profile pictures
Profile pictures can now also be uploaded via UsersAdmin. This will allow the administrator to configure profile pictures.
73479 - App Devices: use device name for automatic provisioning, if set
If new devices are added using the new mechanism to the Devices app, e.g. via update scripts with category and domain, the configured device name is now adopted as name.
If no device name is configured, the MAC address will be displayed as the name in Devices.
Should a device name occur more than once in a system, the corresponding devices will all be displayed with the same name in Devices.
72763 - SIP: Use mapped ports if STUN server is configured at interface
If STUN is configured at a SIP interface, the STUN determined address (SRFLX) will always be used in the contact header of the SIP message.
72380 - SIP: Use SRFLX candidate as default RTP address (c-line)
Instead of using the local IP address (HOST) as before, the STUN determined IP address (SRFLX) can now be used as RTP address in the c-line in the SIP protocol.
New SIP providers – Germany
SIP provider update – international
New interface (SCNF) for Soft Conferencing
71627 - New interface SCNF for Soft Conferencing
With the new SCNF interface, it is now possible to configure conferences on an IPVA. Further, with gateways from IPXX11, the SCNF interface has been added to the existing CONF interface.
Please note: If this has been tested as beta on an IPVA, a reconfiguration after the update to SR13 will be necessary since the interface name has been changed from CONF to SCNF.
For more detailed information, please refer to our Concept Article on Soft Conferencing in our innovaphone Wiki and in our Partner Portal.
New in the PBX Manager: button “PBX Channels licenses” for conferences
71530 - Support of PBX-Channels license
A new button “PBX Channels licenses” is now available in the PBX Manager Plugin for conferences. This is for configuring the use of available PBX Channels licenses for the corresponding conference interface.
New in the PBX Manager: entry field “PBX Channels licenses” for the Fax app
71549 - App Fax: PBX-Channels License configuration support in PBX Manager Plugin
The new entry field “PBX Channels license” is now available in the PBX Manager Plugin for the Fax app. This is used to configure the number of available PBX Channels licenses for the Fax app.
myApps for Android: avoiding operating errors during a call
72512 - myApps Android: Still reaction on touch if the phone was held to the ear.
When holding the smartphone to the ear during a call with myApps for Android, the touch mode becomes insensitive so that incorrect operation is prevented.
myApps for iOS: extended display for incoming calls
For an incoming call with myApps for iOS, following will now be displayed: the forwarding, the last diverting, the originally called party and the currently called party.
New mechanism for automatic provisioning in the Devices app
71633 - App Devices: new auto provisioning mechanism
From SR13, it is possible to register devices e.g. via update scripts in Devices and to assign these to a domain and category. For enhanced security, this mechanism can be activated via Devices/Domains/Edit/ “Enable automatic provisioning” and a security token can be defined.
The string for the Devices app URL will look like the following: wss://.../sysclients?domain=domain.com&token=secret&category=cat
Enhanced resolution of phone numbers
71569 - Use prefixes configured in node for reverse lookup number normalization
The reverse resolution of phone numbers in distributed scenarios was optimized.
For partners: simplified handling of software rental
71815 - App Devices: software rental for partners more intuitive
Transfer of STUN and TURN parameters for migrations to V13r1
71453 - Install: use already configured stun server for MEDIA configuration in the Devices App
When migrating to V13r1, the previously configured STUN and TURN parameters are transferred to the media configuration of the Devices app.
Solved: Problems with Outlook while using myApps
72728 - myApps: Sometimes Outlook is hanging due to myApps client
In some cases, Outlook used to hang when myApps was being used. This problem has been solved with this fix.
Improved handling for "do not disturb" and "call waiting"
71887 - myPBX Android/iOS: Improve the behaviour of do not disturb and call waiting
If "do not disturb" or "call waiting" is activated for a user, it will ring for another 2 seconds before the call is terminated on this device.
Enhanced resolution of phone numbers in the Conference app
71541 - PBX Conference: Reverse lookup support
For external subscribers via trunk, the phone numbers are now resolved in the Conference app (if they can be resolved) so that the name instead of the phone number is displayed in the Conference app.
Search for fax numbers
72378 - PBX LDAP Object: Add attribute "facsimiletelephonenumber"
The fax number of a contact can now be found in the PBX LDAP object. The attribute "facsimiletelephone number" was added to the LDAP object.
Please visit our innovaphone Wiki to view the complete release notes V13r1 SR12
NEW: innovaphone Soft Conferencing – Hosting Conferences without Requiring Hardware Resources
Up until now, certain hardware resources were required on a gateway so that conferencing could be made available on an innovaphone PBX. With Soft Conferencing (available from V13r1 SR13), audio and video conferences can now bet set up without requiring VoIP gateways with conference channels.
Soft Conferencing supports voice via G.711 voice codec and can be set up with an additional interface (Soft Conferencing Interface – SCNF). This interface can be activated on an IPVA (virtual environment) as well as on our innovaphone VoIP gateways from IPXX11 on.
New Options with Soft Conferencing:
Standardly used for setting up conferences within innovaphone myApps Cloud. Here, audio and video conferences are set up without any hardware resources by means of activating the Soft Conferencing interface on the IPVA.
Should a VoIP gateway not provide enough available channels for audio or video conferences, or should a gateway without integrated hardware-based channels be in use, the Soft Conferencing interface can be activated so that existing hardware is upgraded or retrofitted. This applies to all innovaphone gateways from IP XX11 on (with or without integrated hardware-based channels).
The analog adapters by innovaphone easily integrate analog devices such as telephones, fax machines and door intercoms into the IP Telephony and Unified Communications solution.
IP29-20 with 20 analog interfaces – for a high demand of analog connections.
The compact analog adapters provide the same powerful hardware platform just like the gateway models, and the all-new innovaphone IP29-20 is no exception. The analog adapter is also available in a combi package which will be replacing the currently available combi package IP29-8. The combi package IP29-8 can be ordered up until September 30th, 2020.
An 800 MHz processor and 256 MB RAM now provide the innovaphone Analog Adapters with more than enough power. The innovaphone Analog Adapter IP29-20 further supports the voice codecs Opus and G.722. Opus supports HD voice at low bandwidth so that the bandwidth can further be reduced without diminishing the voice quality, even with analog connections.
Essential features:
Please note that the modular jack is required as accessory so that all 20 analog interfaces can be used.
Please contact your certified innovaphone Partner for further information.
We have not developed a proprietary solution for the integration. Instead, we work according to the specifications of Microsoft and make sure to fulfil these. Our innovaphone PBX can be integrated into Microsoft Teams via “Microsoft direct routing” just as Microsoft recommends. Our own browser-based communications client innovaphone myApps can further be started directly in a Microsoft Teams group so that for example the Presence information of all innovaphone users will be displayed.
An SBC certified by Microsoft is used for direct routing. This will enable the connection. There are different scenarios concerning the connection of the SIP trunk and the configuration of certain features.
Since Microsoft itself limits the possibilities on certified SBCs, we work together with the respective solutions. The company TE systems, for example, with its certified product anynode has been a longstanding technology partner of innovaphone and numerous projects have already been realized together. We are further in contact with several providers in different countries. These providers offer a connection on the same technological basis locally from the cloud (e.g. Call2Teams) in order to also be listed as a supported platform.
As far as the costs are concerned, we do not require additional licenses. The only additional costs that arise are due to the SBC as well as the setup by a partner.
Due to the current global travel and gathering restrictions caused by the coronavirus outbreak, we have introduced our new training format “Virtual Classroom Trainings”. These will be replacing all the on-site trainings* for the time being and will take place via video conference and Application Sharing with full-time support and moderation of a trainer (opposed to the already existing online courses without a moderator).
Until further notice, this applies to the iT Connect Training and part I of the iT Advanced Training.
*Applies to all trainings directly carried out by innovaphone. The majority of our certified Training Centers also offer “Virtual Classroom Trainings”
The V13 Update Training will continue to take place in form of an online course (self-study).
In order to participate in a “Virtual Classroom Training”, you will require certain training hardware. Please refer to following link:
https://www.innovaphone.com/en/partner/training/trainingshardware.html
For most efficient communication between the trainer and the participants, we also recommend using a webcam and a headset with microphone.
We will provide additional information on the preparation and set-up of your training environment in a separate e-mail which you will receive once you have registered for a training.
Please note: so far, you may still find mentions of “on-site trainings” on our website. We will be adjusting our website accordingly as soon as possible and change these to “Virtual Classroom Trainings”. Many thanks for your patience.
68006 – SIP provider profile DE-DOKOM-DOKOM21
69040 - myApps: Deployment of settings for all users from the PBX
It is now possible to configure the settings of the myApps client centrally for all users of an innovaphone PBX. The settings will be deployed by the client after connecting to the PBX. There are some configurable functions for this available on the Advanced UI of the PBX under PBX/Config/myApps/Client Settings. The individual functions correspond to the settings of the innovaphone myApps client for Windows and are documented accordingly in the innovaphone Wiki.
Similar to the telephone, the log flags are to be configured via hex values and are also valid for innovaphone myApps for Android and iOS.
71512 - App UsersAdmin: Allow to configure Forks and Call Diversions
The administrator can now configure call diversions and forks for all participants centrally in UsersAdmin.
68072 - Install: allow DNS names for NTP servers and show DHCP NTP servers
So far, it was only possible to define an IP address for the time server (NTP server). Now, it is also possible to define a DNS name for this server.
67799 - myApps: H264 video codec
In addition to the Video Codec VP8, the innovaphone myApps client for Windows and the web version now also support H.264. This ensures greater compatibility with 3rd party video endpoints such as door intercoms.
In addition to the previous SNMP V1 (Simple Network Management Protocol), we now also support SNMP V3. This includes ASN.1 encoding and basic security mechanisms for access control and transport encryption according to RFC 3414. The standard MIB II and our manufacturers MIB (Management Information Base) are still supported.
Please visit our innovaphone Wiki to view the complete release notes V13r1 SR11
70309 - SIP-Provider Profile CH-SolNet-Digital_Voice_Business
69755 - Phone-App: Merge contacts with same name and number to one contact
During a search, several contacts with the same name and number from the same data source will be merged into one contact.
Please visit our innovaphone Wiki to view the complete release notes V13r1 SR12
You can now also get the full range of functions of our innovaphone myApps work and communication solution from the cloud without having to make large investments and without having to worry about operation and maintenance. What’s best: all functions come from a European data center. Updates are included and there are no restrictions compared to the on premises models rent and buy.
For additional information, please visit our website.
The coronavirus is currently affecting our lives- at home and at work. Many businesses do not have the option to work remotely from home – we would like to change that and help you. innovaphone provides its communication platform myApps free of charge, for a period of three months. Test the service Digital Solidarity with the innovaphone PBX free of charge now and use features such as Telephony, Video Telephony, Chat, Presence and Application Sharing free of charge within your company – also when working remotely from home!
Due to the current circumstances concerning the coronavirus, innovaphone AG has kindly asked all colleagues -where daily work permits- to remain at home and to work remotely from home. This shall help protect the individuals but also others. Those of us that do not have the option to work from home, for example our colleagues in charge of the warehouse or colleagues from the repairs department are bravely processing orders and delivering goods to keep business going. You can keep calling us if you have any questions and your technical support is also provided.
We did convert the trainings that we organize at innovaphone into virtual online trainings because we want to protect the participants of our trainings.
We want you all to stay safe and we do hope that this crisis will soon be over.
Do you find yourself confronted with major challenges caused by the coronavirus crisis and would you like to take quick and appropriate measures so that day-to-day work and the health of your employees is ensured? Switch to innovaphone now and offer your employees the possibility to work from home. What steps do you need to take?
We offer you a work and communication solution that perfectly matches your needs to provide home office, irrespective of the company size. innovaphone offers the perfect solution for small businesses and medium-sized companies with several branch offices as well as large enterprises.
The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has granted our IP811, IP3011 and IP0011 VoIP gateways and our IP112A IP phone Zone 1 approval for communication under special security conditions.
Classified or confidential information such as communication of state or federal authorities place very specific demands on their communication devices regarding radiation. Communication with increased security requirements is referred to by using the term "classified communication", which is based on clearly defined parameters. To ensure compliance with the standards, selected testing companies are commissioned to subject hardware to extensive tests and to modify the hardware in order for it to meet the special requirements.
The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) regularly publishes a list of approved systems where the aforementioned innovaphone devices have been listed since November 2019.
The devices have officially been approved as "radiation tested hardware" for Zone 1 and particularly protected against so-called "compromising radiation".
The modifications and the subsequent approval were performed by GBS TEMPEST & Service GmbH.
Our IP112 is an all-rounder perfectly suited for Telephony and Unified Communications usage. The IP112 offers a large color display and an intuitive user interface, and is now also equipped with a sensory hook switch. This enables the user to end phone calls quickly via touch, by simply swiping over the capacitive sensor. The production of our IP112 has also been moved from China back to Germany.
In addition to the two 8-channel versions IP1202 and IP1202e and the 4-channel version IP1202/4 that all can be expanded with additional base stations, our portfolio now also offers a single cell version of our high-performance IP DECT base station for up to 4 simultaneous calls. The new 4-channel base station IP1202/4s (Article Number: 50-01202-010; RRP: 250.00 EUR) is the most cost-efficient model of the product range IP1202. It cannot be expanded with additional base stations but does not have any limitations concerning functionality.
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