BNS Group, a leading provider of enterprise communication solutions, is proud to announce that its Enterprise SMS Server software has been awarded the AWS Qualified Software badge. 

The AWS Qualified Software program is designed to help customers easily discover software solutions that are compatible with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This program recognises software products that have been tested and verified for security, architecture, and best practices on AWS infrastructure. 

The BNS Group Enterprise SMS Server product provides businesses with a reliable and secure messaging solution that enables efficient communication with customers, employees, and stakeholders. With this badge, customers can be assured that the software has been thoroughly tested and meets the highest standards of security and functionality on AWS. 

“We are delighted to receive the AWS Qualified Software badge for our Enterprise SMS Server software product,” said Laurence Buchanan, CEO of BNS Group. “This recognition underscores our commitment to providing our customers with innovative and reliable communication solutions that are built on the best-in-class cloud infrastructure of AWS.” 

The AWS Qualified Software badge is a testament to the BNS Group’s dedication to delivering software products that meet the highest industry standards. As a trusted partner of AWS, BNS Group will continue to provide its customers with cutting-edge communication solutions that are secure, scalable, and reliable.

We live in an era where personal communication can happen on the go — we’re always connected, and our phones never stop ringing. So why should business communications be any different?

Today’s customers expect to be able contact us from any device, on the platform of their choice and get information or support that they need instantly. For businesses this means having a comprehensive digital strategy which ensures multichannel communications are consistent; streamlining interactions by keeping everything logged and recorded continuously – including chat conversations as well customer advocacy initiatives like social media posts about a brand.

A CPaaS solution can trigger an outreach in the form of email, text message or a phone call when certain actions occur. For example: A customer books their appointment through a website; a business updates shipping information on products page to ensure accurate orders with no mistakes due date changes etc… All these actions are recorded by a system which then sends out appropriate messages based on what has been happening.

In the case of the BNS enterprise SMS Server Solution, this is an SMS message.

The benefits of using a CPaaS solution are clear. It allows a business to engage with customers, partners and other stakeholders in more efficient ways that help create meaningful connections between all parties involved- removing any unnecessary barriers for prompt communication while also bringing all parties closer together as an organisation.

With inbuilt automation, brands can scale rapidly without having to worry about the overhead costs of managing each channel individually.

The result is an integrated communication capability that works seamlessly with applications and platforms in use today, taking the customer experience to the next level in terms of availability, reliability, and ease of use.

Enterprise SMS Server software security

BNS’s enterprise SMS server software runs in the customer’s cloud tenancy, shielding sensitive SMS data from service providers. The SMS Server software sends the necessary information to the SMS network provider via secure encryption protocols considered industry standards.

Service providers in Australia and a few other nations are obligated to keep the data safe after it has been transmitted to the SMS network. All metadata supplied by the customer’s applications through the SMS Server software is securely stored in customer’s SQL databases in the customer’s cloud tenancy and isn’t accessible to any SMS service provider.

The SMS Server software offers comprehensive analytics tools that allow customers to analyse how well their services perform.

Cross-channel marketing allows online enterprises and retailers to use multiple communication channels to interact with consumers and build a unified shopping experience. In this post, we’ll look at the importance of SMS in cross-channel marketing and why it’s essential in a complete consumer journey experience.

Consumers today shift from one channel to another to engage with businesses via email inboxes, social media platforms, smartphones, and laptops. Google found that consumers shopping across multiple touchpoints have a 30 percent higher lifetime customer value than those who don’t.

In relation, Aberdeen revealed that 51 percent of marketers use at least eight channels in delivering customer experience. SMS is one of the touchpoints with increasing usage in online cross-channel marketing strategies. The latest data shows that 69 percent of marketers leverage it worldwide.

In 2020, the number of mobile messages sent increased by a whopping 400 percent. This is likely due to the SMS conversion rate experiencing year-over-year growth of 102 percent. When done correctly, SMS provides an easy way for brands to connect with consumers and convert them into customers. Here are some solid reasons why mobile messaging capabilities are now a must for online brands and retailers rather than simply being a nice perk.

Personalisation

Consumers check their phones about 80-150 times daily, making mobile messaging increasingly personal, immediate, and direct. However, this isn’t the only reason to utilise SMS to customise customer journeys. According to a Salesforce poll, consumers expect it, and those who don’t adapt their communications risk losing almost half of their customers.

Relationship Building

For 75 percent of consumers who already care about a brand, receiving text messages is something they’re open to. As a platform for boosting loyalty and retention, brands can keep shoppers in the loop with the latest updates on rewards.

Mobile messaging can be a great way to connect with customers and offer exclusive deals and offers. You can also use it to survey your customers, collect feedback, and get reviews.

SMS is a quickly-growing tool that brands use to improve customer interactions, loyalty, and retention. Not only is it personalised, accessible, and engaging, but it has also been shown increase conversions. With SMS conversations, you’re no longer limited to just emails and social media platforms. As a highly effective communication channel, SMS rounds out a successful cross-channel marketing strategy.

Enterprise SMS Server software security

BNS’s enterprise SMS server software runs in the customer’s cloud tenancy, shielding sensitive SMS data from service providers. The SMS Server software sends the necessary information to the SMS network provider via secure encryption protocols considered industry standards.

Service providers in Australia and a few other nations are obligated to keep the data safe after it has been transmitted to the SMS network. All metadata supplied by the customer’s applications through the SMS Server software is securely stored in customer’s SQL databases in the customer’s cloud tenancy and isn’t accessible to any SMS service provider. The SMS Server software offers comprehensive analytics tools that allow customers to analyse how well their services perform.

SMS, or text messaging, has been used mostly for personal conversations up until recently. A2P, or application-to-person messaging, is for business purposes to send texts from software directly to mobile users. It allows brands to send many automated business messages at once to customers. Smartphone usage is increasing steadily lately, and businesses have started to notice SMS’s scope and importance in their marketing strategy.

SMS marketing is one of the most straightforward ways to communicate with consumers. However, it has yet to be fully utilised. Furthermore, SMS may not only be used to interact with existing clients but also to target new consumers. The ability of Transactional Messaging to deliver timely information is also useful.

The benefits of text messaging for businesses are too good to be ignored.

The major advantage of text marketing is that it is constantly present in our lives, thanks to the widespread use of mobile phones. As a result, sending a message to the device nearest to the individual is simply a matter of convenience.

The low price of bulk text messaging and the wide reachability of the right audience are two of its advantages. Furthermore, you may employ SMS short codes and long codes for a variety of marketing goals.

• Almost 60% of users reply to a text message within 1-2 minutes
• 45% of prospects choose a brand after getting an SMS.
• 67% of users prefer texting with a business about scheduling an appointment to email or phone communication.

Why use SMS in business?

High open rates

Bulk SMS messaging is greatly beneficial because text messages have higher open rates in comparison to phone calls or emails. For example, 98% of the messages sent are opened, making SMS services a fantastic asset to any enterprise needing quick and effective customer service.

Better conversion rate

Many people think that SMS is outdated because of the high usage of instant messaging apps, but there are plenty of advantages to using SMS in business. For example, SMS has a better conversion rate than all its new-age counterparts. People are more likely to visit your business and take action on promotions or offers shared through SMS than any other marketing service.

Enterprise SMS Server software security

BNS’s enterprise SMS server software runs in the customer’s cloud tenancy, protecting sensitive SMS data from exposure to service providers. The SMS Server software only sends the minimum amount of information to the SMS network service provider using secure encryption industry standards protocols. Once the data is sent to the SMS network,  service providers in Australia and some other countries are required to keep the data secure.  All other metadata provided by the customer’s applications to the SMS Server software is securely stored in the customer’s SQL databases in the customer’s cloud tenancy and not exposed to any SMS service provider.  The SMS Server software comes with rich analytics capabilities allowing the customer to examine SMS delivery performance to their customers.

Greater audience reach

Many businesses are moving to SMS as a method of communication because it does not require the internet, and nearly everybody has a working phone. With the high usage of phones, SMS is nothing less of a goldmine. As a result, businesses can use this opportunity to reach customers right where they are by email, giving them the advantage of getting more people involved.

Instant delivery

In order to see the advantages of text messaging for businesses, you must make sure you are associated with a good Cloud telephony provider that has strong network operator connections all over the world. This network-operator relationship can come in handy when businesses need to deliver time-sensitive OTPs.

Campaign success visibility

When analysing the success of bulk SMS campaigns, businesses need insights into how they’re performing. After that, they may use this data to develop their text advertising plans and target the correct audience to gain more attention.

Cloud telephony providers offer real-time data and detailed graphical analytics, including the number of messages delivered, timestamps, message status, whether the customer has read it, which browser was used to visit the site, geolocation data, and much more. Such insights help businesses better understand their target audience, assess a campaign’s success, and plan future campaigns for greater reach.

Easy Opt-in/Opt-out

The major advantage of SMS compared to email marketing is that messages may be stopped if clients don’t want to hear from the business. Shortcode and long-code numbers allow consumers to choose whether they wish to Opt-in or Opt-out of communications. Customers may respond instantly, and businesses can set simple keywords that allow customers to reply quickly. This simplicity enhances customer pleasure and loyalty since they have a way out if they decide they no longer want to receive messages.

Flexible and reliable

SMS services are helpful for businesses- they can announce sales, provide coupons and discounts, remind customers of appointments, share online order status, and more. However, because SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, businesses need to be mindful of how best to utilise this restricted space to most effectively reach their customer base.

msXsms Enterprise SMS Server for Office 365 & Microsoft Exchange

With the rapid growth of email use for interagency communications within the Australian government, a strong case was made for a standardised and machine-readable marking scheme for security purposes. Initially introduced in 2005, the Email Protective Marking Standard (EPMS) was created as part of the Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) to meet this need. At their core, EPMS and PSPF require each entity to identify information asset holdings, assess the sensitivity and security classification of these assets, and implement operational controls for them proportional to their value, importance, and sensitivity.

This framework enables individuals to identify whether any information requires special handling measures. As all Australian federal government agencies are affected by changes to the framework and standards, so are organisations contracting with government entities.

As all Australian federal government agencies are affected by changes to the framework and standards, so are organisations contracting with government entities.

Your organisation should keep several considerations in mind:

1. Acceptance of both old and new standards: Does your organisation require users to be able to mark in both new and old versions of the standards at the same time?
2. Updating schema for new fields and adjusted policies: Is your organisation prepared to update schema for new areas and adjusted policies, such as recipient validation, for example?
3. Addition of optional elements: With this transition, do you require the addition of optional details?
4. Sensitivity level changes: Does your organisation now need to mark material at a higher sensitivity level?
5. Although all these questions are essential, the biggest question to ask internally is, “Are our users ready for the change?” Without buy-in from users, your organisation’s ability to comply with changes to EPMS becomes increasingly tricky.

BNS has made this process somewhat more accessible by ensuring that msXsms is 100% Email Protective Marking Standards compliant. So reach out today to learn more about packages, pricing, and how msXsms can assist your organisation.

24 May 2022 BNS Group Leaves Physical Data Centre Behind To Join Global Community Of Amazon Web Services Partners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory – BNS Group, Australia’s leading SMS and Fax software developer for government and private firms, has left the world of physical data centres saving its clients time, money, and providing them SMS service provider flexibility. Upon partnering with Amazon Web Services, BNS has fully migrated its entire technology suite to the cloud in under two months.

Co-founders Laurence Buchanan and Clive Pereira had been discussing the importance of offering their clients a solution based in the cloud for years, utilising either AWS or Microsoft Azure, however it was a new client, technology start-up Praisal, that eventually forced the duo into action.

An off-market residential listing marketplace, Praisal needed a way to connect with its users, monthly, to update them on the total number of digital rings, the views their property accumulated, and distribute leads to property professionals.

“Ultimately, the decision was made for us when we were approached by Praisal,” said Clive Pereira, also Technical Director at BNS Group. “Praisal wanted to launch a progressive web app that runs on phones and runs on desktops and they wanted to deploy out of AWS. They asked the question of BNS… ‘What can you do? What can you do with SMS that can run in our tenancy?’” said Pereira.

Pereira continued, “We had a solution that was running on premise, but they wanted us to provide something that we didn’t have and that was to be able to take requests from SQL. That got us thinking, ‘Hey, why can’t we drop our traditional mechanism, which was an email type feed mechanism and go to SQL?’ That’s what got us thinking about not only SQL, but also about running in AWS.”

Following months of beta testing and collaboration with Praisal, BNS Group were able to successfully deploy their SMS technology via AWS and have it verified with AWS’s ISV Accelerate Program, making the solution even more attractive to enterprise organisations who utilise SMS as a means of communication.

Laurence Buchanan, also Chief Executive Officer, quotes the open standards approach as a key benefit of their solution. “In taking an open standards approach, the customer can now negotiate the cost of their SMSs because they can move from one service provider to another without having to re-engineer.” he said.

“Their software developers do it once and once only.” Buchanan continued. “They don’t have to go and change, and they’re not using proprietary APIs. For example, if they’re locked into Telstra and they use the Telstra rest API just to send and receive SMSs, then they’re locked into Telstra. They don’t have that flexibility. With our platform, they do.” he concluded.

For enterprises interested in the SMS solution, the application will shortly be listed within the AWS Marketplace as a part of the Accelerate Program, with BNS Group spent 6 months documenting the architecture, deployment guides and prerequisites for installation. In the interim, BNS Group can provide guidance on system compatibility.

About BNS Group:

BNS Group is a privately owned company based in Sydney and Canberra focused on secure enterprise FAX and SMS messaging. BNS manufactures commercial software products on the Windows platform which are licenced to customers and reseller partners globally.

BNS’s customers include Australian Taxation Office, Defence, Computershare, Panalpina Freight, Suncorp Group: Suncorp Bank and Insurance, AAMI, GIO, and Shannons.

BNS has been a certified Microsoft developer partner since the early 1990’s and are a certified AWS ISV Partner as of 2022.

To learn more about BNS Group, visit

https://www.bnsgroup.com.au/about/

About AWS Partner Network:

The AWS Partner Network (APN) is a global community of partners that leverages programs, expertise, and resources to build, market, and sell customer offerings. This diverse network features 100,000 partners from more than 150 countries.

To learn more about AWS Partner Network, visit

https://aws.amazon.com/partners/

About Praisal:

Praisal is an off-market residential listing marketplace, where owners can create a listing for free and buyers can digitally ring their doorbell to express an interest in the property.

To learn more about Praisal, visit

https://www.praisal.com.au/

About AWS ISV Accelerate Program:

The AWS ISV Accelerate Program is a co-sell program for organisations that provide software solutions that run on or integrate with AWS. The program helps you drive new business and accelerate sales cycles by connecting participating independent software vendors (ISVs) with the AWS Sales organisation.

To learn more about AWS ISV Accelerate Program, visit https://aws.amazon.com/partners/programs/isv-accelerate

Media Contact:

Laurence Buchanan
Tel. +61 412 869 531
Email: ceo@bnsgroup.com.au

Photo Credit: @vibe.imagery

August 2021, Sydney Australia

Microsoft System Centre Operations Manager (SCOM)  is a key component of Microsoft’s System Centre solution used for: deployment, configuration, management and monitoring of infrastructure and virtualised software-defined datacentres.

With IT staff working from home, SMS alerts from core network management platforms is becoming more important.    Microsoft System Centre Operations Manager can manage critical applications such as Microsoft Exchange email.  SCOM can be used with the SMS Server to securely notify engineers via text messages.

The standard SCOM offering from Microsoft uses modems which are not allowed to be connected to most corporate and government networks for security reasons.

msXsms enterprise SMS server does not use modem but instead  uses secure encrypted industry standard SMPP\TLS over the Internet to SMS aggregators such as SINCH and MessageMedia.

The SMS Server software runs on Windows Server which can be deployed in Azure\AWS if required.

For more information, refer to: https://msxsmskb.bnsgroup.com.au/scom_get_started