Frequently Asked Questions

Our full help desk support hours are from 7am to 7pm coast to coast (6am to 9pm CST). We also offer after hours Tier 1 support as a bolt on service.

We receive tickets via automated alerting, email, phone, or our support portal, which are then triaged and assigned to the appropriate resort for resolution, escalating where necessary and abiding by our service level agreements. You can view our full process here

We specialize in the support of Microsoft 365, MacOS, Windows OS, iPhone, and Android.

Yes, we offer the option for monthly, quarterly and live reporting on our performance metrics and goals. If you’re looking for more information on our reporting capabilities, contact us.

Yes! Learn about our Mac and PC support here.

We support cloud applications that are on Microsoft Azure, which has many built-in security measures but is fundamentally an open protocol platform.

We work with our clients to make sure they have secure access and identity processes in place to prevent unauthorized access to data. We recommend our clients have good security policies and procedures in place around any cloud instances they’re taking advantage of. You can see the security solutions we offer here.

In general, the Cloud is dependable. But if there is an issue, technical problem, outage or something nefarious happens, we recommend our clients have a solid backup and restore solution in place to recover those files.

Yes. One of the key benefits of the Cloud is that you scale up as your business grows.

By definition, we will have some Admin access rights to help manage your cloud infrastructure and the nature of the applications, but our clients maintain control over these rights and are revokable at any time.

At a minimum, you just need to be able to connect to the Internet. However, having the appropriate bandwidth and good security measures in place to ensure the use of these platforms doesn’t cause problems for you, is better.

While we don’t offer training classes, we always provide counsel and professional expertise to our clients so their environment is set up for successful management in the future.

In general, cloud relationships are more flexible than standing up your own data center or having a termed contact with a hosted data center. Having said that, there are costs to migrating to a cloud platform, so therefore there are switching costs that come with moving from one to another, which you should keep in mind.

Reach out to us and we will perform a short discovery process to understand what your needs are before we make any recommendations and before we suggest moving your existing applications to a different platform.

There are many advantages to Hosted Voice, but here are some common sentiments we hear from our clients:

• There is flexibility both geographically and with usage, meaning you can add or subtract users with ease.
• There are minimal to no upfront costs, and you don’t have to buy handsets if you don’t want to.
• User adoption is easy because you’re leveraging platforms your users are already using.
• Because it’s software-based, the ability to add particular features you might need for your business is easy, without adding complexity.

That’s up to you. You don’t need an existing landline or mobile contract to use Hosted Voice. Of course, if your Internet connection is provided through your landline or mobile, you’ll still need that.

Yes. Hosted Voice works just the same as it does on a desktop, meaning it’s based on connectivity, not your location.

Hosted Voice providers are required to support E911 capabilities. This means when you dial 911, your telephone number and location are automatically sent to the 911 operator during the call. You do not have to do anything differently to use E911.

Depending on your business this answer can vary, however porting usually takes 2 to 4 weeks depending on the carrier.

You can open a support ticket by sending an email with your question(s) to support@plow.net.

You can manage your licenses through our self-serving portal.

Note: You need to have a Global Administrator role in Office 365 to assign licenses to users.

You can view and pay your invoice through our self-serving portal.

Learn more about Microsoft’s CSP Program here.

You can make an appointment to chat with one of our Microsoft 365 experts through our bookings page.

Learn more about our Cloud Solutions here.

Microsoft Teams is a chat and collaboration platform where all conversations, meetings, files, and notes can be accessed by team members in one place. This is an evergreen service that is continually evolving and developing.

Teams is included with Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans.

For mobile devices, go into the Apple App Store (for iOS devices) or the Google Play or Samsung App Store (for Android), and search for Microsoft Teams.

Yes!  A team owner in Microsoft Teams can add and manage guests in their teams via the web or desktop. Anyone with a business or consumer email account, such as Outlook, Gmail, or others, can participate as a guest in Teams with full access to team chats, meetings, and files. Only people who are outside of your organization, such as partners or consultants, can be added as guests. People from within your organization can join as regular team members.

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Set up a call with one of our Microsoft experts to learn if Microsoft Teams is the right solution for your business.

Microsoft Teams Calling refers to the capability of people to make and receive calls in Microsoft Teams. Microsoft 365 subscriptions including Teams Calling from one Teams app to another Teams app. Making and receiving calls to and from landlines and mobile phones on the public switch telephone network (PSTN) in Teams is available with an add-on like Microsoft 365 Business Voice or is included in Microsoft 365 E5. These options provide a cloud-based phone system in Teams with features such as hold, blind and safe transfers, and reporting features for professionals who manage calling solutions.

A calling plan provides users with a primary phone number and calling minutes to make and receive phone calls. A domestic calling plan is included in Business Voice or can be added to Microsoft 365 E5.

Microsoft 365 Business Voice is a cloud-based phone system built for small and medium-sized businesses. It enables users to make, receive, and transfer calls to and from landlines and mobile phones on the public switched telephone network (PSTN) in Microsoft Teams.

Business Voice includes a phone system, a domestic calling plan, and audio conferencing.

You can learn how to plan, set up, and use Business Voice by chatting with one of our experts.

Yes, you can transfer your phone numbers from your current service provider.

Microsoft 365 Business Voice is experienced through the Microsoft Teams apps. Devices certified for Teams provide a seamless Teams experience on desk phones, conference phones, and meeting room systems.