Welcome to the July newsletter.

Welcome to our July newsletter. Hope you are enjoying our changeable summer weather!

This month we share some news about important changes to business telephone services, as BT announces the end ISDN service. And we report on CNC's recent and successful charity Golf Day!

CNC Golf Day: Raising Funds for St Barnabas House Hospice

On a less than scorching day in June CNC staff gathered for their annual charity golf day in aid of St Barnabas House Hospice in Worthing.

The annual Golf Day is a joint event with local law firm Bennett Griffin which is held at the Singing Hills Golf Course in Albourne. This popular event is now in its third year and so far we have raised an amazing £6,504!

This year over 60 people took part - staff and guests of CNC and Bennett Griffin. Graham Lind of CNC and Steve Hollamby of Bennett Griffin welcomed everyone and bacon rolls and tea and coffee were served before teeing off.

There were a number of golfing competitions - nearest to the pin, straightest drive on various holes. Teams racked up points but there were also some individual prizes, including a top prize of a £250 holiday voucher.

At the end of the day, a delicious two-course carvery was served in the clubhouse. Bennett Griffin won the trophy but the real winner was St Barnabas House. Two cheques totaling over £2500 were very gratefully received by Hugh Lowson, the Chief Executive of St Barnabas House.

Barnabas House provides specialist palliative care to adults with life-limiting illnesses, both within the hospice and in the comfort of patients' homes across West Sussex.

Wendy Bardsley, Community Fundraising Manager said:

"Another fun charity Golf Day with £1,251.00 raised on the day which has been generously match funded by Bennett Griffin and CNC to make a grand total of £2,502"

The money raised over the past 3 years has paid for 96 visits by a Community Palliative Care Nurse. These nurses are the first point of contact between patients and the hospice and provide specialist advice to patients in their own homes.

"This is a fantastic achievement and we are so grateful for the generosity of CNC, Bennett Griffin and their guests. Thank you. You really are making a huge difference by helping more local people access hospice care when they need it."

Each year the trophy will be inscribed with the name of the winning team. So even more incentive for us to brush up our golfing skills for next year!

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A fond farewell to ISDN

ISDN, the groundbreaking network technology of the 1990's is to be discontinued. ISDN allowed multiple methods of communication - voice, data, video and fax (remember those!) over a single line, so that it was no longer necessary for businesses to purchase multiple phone lines.

ISDN quickly became the standard means of business connectivity.

BT's Chief Exec Gavin Patterson announced the shutdown of ISDN last month, saying that the withdrawal would be very gradual. By 2020 BT will no longer offer ISDN and it will be shut down completely by 2025.

This means that the millions of businesses in the UK running their telephony over ISDN will need to find an alternative. In 2016 there were 33.5 million UK PSTN lines and ISDN channels!

What does the shutdown of ISDN mean for my business?

The alternative to ISDN is internet telephony services, using the internet with your phones connected to a SIP Trunk (Session Initiation Protocol) or some form of a Hosted Voice system. Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) offers all the functionality of ISDN… and much more.

Benefits of VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

• No physical lines to install or maintain
• Setup and call costs tend to be lower
• Scaleable and flexible - businesses can keep their existing phone number even if they relocate
• Upgrades in technology can be added without new hardware needing to be purchased
• Great for business continuity and disaster recovery
• Flexible working arrangements are made easier because it can be moved quickly and easily to a new location

The move away from ISDN will be gradual but as we get closer to 2025 BT will undoubtedly reduce its support of the network. So if you want to maintain a reliable telephone service you will need to investigate the alternatives sooner rather than later.

CNC are happy to help and advise you on the best options for your business. Just call us on 01273 384100 or email us at sales@cnc-ltd.co.uk.

We hope you've enjoyed reading this newsletter and picked up some useful info.

Do get in touch with your feedback and any ideas for future articles. We love to hear from you!

Call us on 01273 384100 or email us at sales@cnc-ltd.co.uk.

Computer & Network Consultants Ltd, Unit 9 Riverside Business Centre, Brighton Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6RE