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Maybe! Passwords are Ultimately Problematic, and It?s Our Fault Guess what the most popular password was in 2020? 123456. Guess what it was in 2021? 123456. Guess what?and I wish I was making this up?it was at the beginning of 2022? 123456. This is just one example of some pretty shameful password practices that research has shown time and again, based on data breach information. However, we aren?t going to focus on the still very problematic and important security ramifications that passwords have. Instead, we want to focus on how passwords can actually waste a lot of time in your business. Password Resets Monopolize Help Desk Calls Various reports have shown that password resets are one of the most common reasons that help desks are contacted. While many people might assume that their password reset requests are a simple matter to see through, they aren?t. Let?s walk through the process and highlight where time is potentially lost each time a password needs to be reset. The user types in a password, only to have it kicked back. Whoops?they either mistyped it, or they forgot it. Either way, your user tries a few until they either lock themselves out or give up? wasting time there. The user then has to reach out to the support team, where they?ll need to wait until someone is available to help them? wasting time there. Once someone can assist them, they?ll need to bring the support desk up to speed?wasting time there. The support desk then needs to take the time to resolve the problem. Remember, the employee has not been able to work throughout this process, sapping productivity throughout the day. Plus, it isn?t as though the employee is thinking about this?so, when they have the means to easily set a new password, they?re going to be a little more prone to forget what they used. In This Context, Passwordless Technologies Make More Sense Of course, this has been just one of many reasons that passwordless authentication measures are a great option for businesses. Reach out to us to learn more about passwordless options and other cybersecurity solutions for your business. Call (603) 889-0800 today.
1. Consider What You Click On It?s almost automatic for many users to click on every link they see on a website, in their email, and elsewhere. This is something that hackers are very aware of. You?ll need to build up the habit of hovering your cursor over a link before clicking on it. This will display the actual destination of a link somewhere on your screen, which you should always check so you will know that it is legitimate. 2. Use Access Controls While this may be obvious, you need to make sure that someone who isn?t allowed access to your business? files or location isn?t able to access them. This means that you need to have all the suggested data security measures and practices in place to protect against the unauthorized access of any of your files, including any hard copies. Keep your physical data locked up, and protect all data with multiple layers of authentication requirements. 3. Keep an Eye Out for Scammers While we?ve already covered this in part with tip number one, there are other ways to catch attempted cybercrimes that are often used in conjunction with misleading links. Cybercriminals use various methods, referred to as phishing, to manipulate their targets into behaving the way the attacker wants. Sometimes it is by using a falsified link, sometimes through scare tactics, and often through a combination of the two. Some phishing attacks are researched extensively to be as effective as possible against a certain target, while others are broader and more generic and meant to catch as many people as possible with minimal work. Make sure your team is informed of these attacks and knows to double-check requests through a different communication method if there is any doubt at all. When in doubt? Pick up the phone and call the sender. 4. Two-Ply Protections Make sure that you are layering your defenses against cyberthreats. Maintain an updated antivirus solution and utilize a virtual private network when accessing the Internet and activate all onboard protections that your devices offer and use all of the assorted solutions and practices that are available for you to leverage. To discourage cybercrime on a comprehensive scale, you need to take thorough actions and fill in all the small holes that could potentially exist in your security. White Mountain IT Services can help with all of this and more. For answers to any technology questions you may have, or direct assistance in implementing any of this, give us a call today at (603) 889-0800.
Today?s Workers are More Concerned about Privacy Than Ever Privacy has reached an unprecedented level of public awareness, so while not everyone is up to speed on all the best practices they should be, the concept of privacy is at least still held in high regard. As a result, some people may bristle at the thought of their boss digitally checking in on them?particularly while they are working from the presumed privacy of their own home. Of course, there are some protections in place in terms of personal privacy, like the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA), but the context matters greatly. Furthermore, some of these protections shift where employment is involved in the interest of the business? protection. Why a Company Would Monitor its Employees in the First Place There are countless reasons that a business might want to keep an eye on its employees as they are using company technology, from security concerns to compliance needs to plain old distrust? despite feelings like ExpressVPN recorded in a survey of 2000 workers: 59 percent of those surveyed felt increased anxiety and stress when being digitally monitored by their organization 43 percent saw this kind of monitoring as a violation of trust 36 percent attributed feeling pressure to work longer hours due to it 28 percent claimed monitoring practices made them feel underappreciated Make no mistake, this kind of monitoring is not a new thing. However, when remote work sent so many back home, away from the office, many supervisors simply did not feel comfortable losing their eyes on their team. This is why 78 percent of employers are tracking their employees, with 73 percent using recordings collected during this tracking to inform the performance reviews they would conduct on their team members. Does an Employer Even Have the Right to Monitor Employees? Well, here?s the thing: even if an employer doesn?t have a valid reason to monitor an employee?s device, there?s an excellent chance that they don?t need one. Consent to monitoring is frequently included in employee handbooks, meaning that many employees agree to it as a condition of their employment (whether or not they read the handbook and realize it). How Can an Employer Balance How They Monitor Their Team? So, while we?ve established that an employer has the capability to monitor their remote workforce, we haven?t touched on where the line might be. Various tools are available right now that offer different levels of oversight, from collecting keystrokes to screen captures to application monitoring. If it proves necessary, you can use these tools to help evaluate your team?s performance. Communication is Essential The crux of this issue is?particularly when remote work comes into play?that monitoring your team can feel isolating to the very team you?re keeping an eye on. Instead of checking up on them in the background, you can help improve their feelings by communicating with them more directly. At the End of the Day, It?s a Question of Trust The extent of the monitoring you undergo really comes down to how much you believe that your team will stay diligent, even with nobody breathing down their neck. We can help ensure your team members are equipped with the tools they need to do their jobs. Find out more about the solutions we offer by […]
Let?s compare some of the relative strengths and weaknesses of wired and wireless connections to see what we can learn. The Benefits of a Hardwired Connection Speed Wired connections are far faster than wireless ones. With the advantage both in terms of transferring data within your network as well as to the Internet, an Ethernet connection is clearly the more efficient means of doing so. Stability As the cable literally needs to come unplugged (or another part of your infrastructure needs to fail) in order for you to lose a wired connection, it is also safe to say that they are also far more stable than a wireless connection is, which means that devices using a wired connection have more consistent speeds with the reduced risk of external influence. Security A direct connection between two network points is going to be more secure than wireless signals broadcast through the air, ready for anyone to potentially intercept them. The Benefits of a Wireless Connection Mobility When using a Wi-Fi connection, there are no wires connecting a user in one place. While this may be an obvious point, the practical benefits of implementing this can make a great difference in the workplace, enabling productivity and collaboration from effectively anywhere. With the right workstation, your staff could conceivably work from their desks, a conference room, or even the break room if need be. Scope Wireless Internet also enables your team to work from a wider variety of devices, a big help in today?s increasingly mobilized business environment. Wi-Fi can also be used to enable those external to your business to access the Internet on their own devices, so public-facing businesses often make this a perk for their clients. Convenience When you don?t need to be tied to a network port, accessing the Internet is far more convenient than the alternative. Not only are there fewer cables to deal with, on-the-go work is much more possible. As a result, communication and collaboration are usually improved by their increased accessibility. A Hybrid Approach May Offer Maximum Benefits There is nothing that says that a business can?t embrace both means of connectivity to get the most out of its network?s capabilities. In doing so, you would cancel out the weaknesses that either option presents with the advantages of the other. With most of the connections fueled by wires, your employees could use the wireless tools to openly collaborate. White Mountain IT Services can help you with your business? IT, from your connectivity to the components you?re connecting. If you would like to learn more about connecting your business for maximum benefit, give us a call today at (603) 889-0800.
Major technology companies like Apple have delayed the return to the workplace, whereas others have completely removed the commute to the office, choosing instead to embrace fully remote operations for the foreseeable future. The traditional office environment, once a staple in the workplace, is slowly giving way to these more flexible operations. Employers may have vehemently opposed the idea of remote or hybrid working conditions, but they have since warmed up to the opportunities they represent. The shift in employer mindsets is showcased in the rates at which companies are paying their office leases. For example, ComputerWorld writes: ?In early May, just one in 20 office buildings in the US had occupancy levels above 10%, and as recently as last month occupancy rates averaged just 16%. Looking ahead to 2022, about one in five offices are expected to be empty, according to Moody?s Analytics, a consultancy.? This hesitancy to renew leases on office buildings likely stems from the fact that businesses are unsure of how much space they actually need to keep operations running. This doesn?t mean there is no demand for offices, just that the office layout is changing. Businesses are shifting more to a hybrid model, where employees spend some of their time working in the office and the rest of it working remotely. Some businesses are wary of implementing such a model, but it can cut costs for them if implemented correctly. Technology ensures that this new concept of hybrid operations is achievable for all types of businesses, allowing them to break down the boundaries that previously prevented them from making it happen. We understand that some businesses might not have thought hybrid operations were possible before the pandemic, but nowadays, with technology solutions more accessible and hyper-focused on communication than ever before, we think remote or hybrid operations are possible for all types of companies. If you think you lack the budget or knowledge to implement the necessary tools, we urge you to contact us at White Mountain IT Services to discuss your options. If nothing else, it pays to have a plan for remote or hybrid operations, even if temporary, as the pandemic has proven quite painfully. If you are one of the companies that originally struggled with the pandemic and your response to the new normal, we can help make sure that you have a more flexible response system for the next time something happens which forces your employees to work while out of the office. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
