To illustrate our point, let?s look at an example. You might receive emails claiming that you have won some wild prizes, but you don?t remember putting your name into the running for them. The message is delivered in a way that makes you think it?s from someone who doesn?t speak proper English, and it certainly doesn?t sound like a professional message. Plus, the email makes you want to pull the trigger immediately by claiming that the prizes are time-sensitive. These are all common tactics used in phishing messages. They often come in the form of fake invoices or from those higher up in the chain of command. You might receive a message that appears to come from your boss asking for a wire transfer, for example. It?s safe to say that this is troublesome at best. Essentially, the majority of phishing emails will showcase the following characteristics: Something that appears too good (or too wild) to be true (winning prizes, receiving awards) Spelling and grammar errors; many phishing campaigns originate outside of the United States A sense of urgency that pushes the user to act a certain way, such as paying an invoice or clicking on a link to enter contact/financial information Links to click on or attachments to download; these are often infected with malware or give hackers alternative methods of infiltrating your systems. The email comes from a strange email address that does not coincide with the sender?s supposed identity. It?s always important to check the sender. These are far from the only warning signs, but they are the ones that you should be particularly aware of. Phishing messages often look so convincing that the recipient might not even think twice before downloading an attachment or clicking on a link. It?s important that you treat all messages with the same level of scrutiny at the minimum. Be sure to try to identify the identities of the senders if possible through some type of external communication, like a phone number or, you know, walking to their office. White Mountain IT Services wants to help your business train employees to identify threats from phishing scams and emails. If you can train your staff to leverage a certain level of scrutiny against messages like these, then you naturally make them more resilient to falling for them. To learn more about how you can make this happen, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

One problem we?ve seen over the years is that companies are so enthusiastic about the prospects of moving data and business processes to the cloud that they don?t properly plan their implementations. This can present organizations with wild scenarios where data is all over the place and that their once-reliable in-house computing environment is now disjointed and not working in concert with cloud-based resources.  In order to keep this from happening, organizations need to do their due diligence and find the cloud platform that is right for their needs, while proactively considering the threats their business faces by performing a hasty migration.  What?s missing from the cloud? For many businesses, proper planning.  Migration Tips When moving to the cloud, you have to evaluate how you are going to get there with what you already have. Unfortunately, many businesses don?t consider their data, their applications, and their in-place integrations before committing, and pay for it afterwards.  Start small and work from there – You wouldn?t dump everything on your on-premise network infrastructure, so why would you do it in the cloud? After all, these are still physical machines somewhere. Businesses should start with a single application, or process (like storage), or a new Internet-based application that is not critical for business use. Once this is successful, and you show clear metrics of success, you can start amping up your cloud migratory projects.  Augment your existing infrastructure – A powerful benefit of the cloud is that it can extend what you are already into. You don?t need to move all of your data and infrastructure to the cloud. Most businesses will benefit most from the hybrid cloud platform. Moving non-essential infrastructure to the cloud can be a great way to utilize the power of hosted computing, without putting your business in jeopardy. Hosted solutions are hosted somewhere – You?d be amazed at how many people don?t consider how there is a physical data center hosting their ?cloud-based? data and computing infrastructure. By selecting a cloud provider that uses industry best practices in their management and security systems, you will know that your hosted data and infrastructure are kept on reliable and effective platforms. Cloud security has changed – Things have changed substantially in the past few years. Cloud computing has changed things in administration, but it has also changed things in security. With hosted computing that supported remote workers and anytime, anywhere access, network security couldn?t adopt the old ?castle and moat? strategy because there were always too many holes in the firewall. This created the new security model where administrators and solutions focus on protecting data and providing managed access. If you are able to see the cloud as an extension of your on-premise infrastructure and create a model to ensure that data is secure and accessible, you are doing more than the typical organization who jumps into the cloud with both feet, only to fall right through. By looking at how you share and access data on your current infrastructure you will begin to understand where the potential security gaps in your system are, and then focus on patching them.  Call the Experts If you are looking to move some or all of your computing resources to the cloud, you have to be more careful than you may think. The […]

Let?s begin by outlining the steps that a business utilizing our services could go about following should they need support. How Our Clients Get the Support They Need Let?s assume for a moment that you were one of our clients, and one of your team members suddenly had an issue with their workstation. What would they do? Well, if you worked with us as your outsourced IT provider, all they would have to do is contact our helpdesk and notify us that something was wrong. Mind you, thanks to our proactive monitoring services, there?s a very good chance we?d already know and would be in the process of resolving it. This remote service allows us to solve most problems before they ever totally materialize. Otherwise, your employees would have a variety of options to reach out and receive support. They can call us on the phone. If possible, they can submit a support ticket via our online portal. They can send an email request to [email protected]. However, some of the issues that could impact your technology may not be due to a software complication or other problem that can be resolved through remote services. In these cases, we will send a technician on-site to see to the issue. Computer Hardware Can (And Does) Break Unfortunately, computers and the components that make them up are far from indestructible, so there is the possibility that something could go wrong that needs to be fixed. Our team is just as experienced in dealing with hardware issues as they are in resolving those pertaining to software. One of our trusted techs will be on their way the moment it becomes apparent that the issues can?t be fixed without an on-site presence, with the rest of our team using their remote capabilities to collect any useful data they can. If the problem is relatively easy to solve, our technician might be able to fix it on the spot. If not, they?ll make sure that your team member has a device to continue working on. One Way or Another, We?ll Make Sure Your Team Remains Operational If you?re interested in taking advantage of our support options, or even just learning more about them, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

What?s Causing the Great Resignation? In short, burnout is a primary factor for the Great Resignation. Perhaps it is due to the pandemic forcing remote work on some folks, but people are spending a lot of time working even when not in the office. Without a break in the action, it?s no small wonder that employees are feeling burnt out. The hybrid workplace has created much anxiety with workers, with some of the topics contributing to this anxiety including missing out on opportunities, being left out of conversations at the workplace, and scrutiny about slacking off. With all of these factors coalescing, who can blame employees for wanting to get out and see what other opportunities are available to them? Here are some statistics from Limeade?s research. These numbers come from a study that examined 1,000 workers who started a new job in 2021. 28% left jobs without having another lined up. 40% chose new jobs that offered remote work. 24% left because their new job offered more flexible hours. 22% felt more comfortable disclosing mental health issues with their new employers. 29% of workers earned a 10-19% pay increase when leaving their old jobs. 23% took a 13% pay cut at their new job. Furthermore, some of the major trends indicate that workers are feeling underappreciated and that they are starting to grow mentally exhausted. And who wouldn?t, considering the issues that face most businesses these days? What Do You Do Without Talent? For small businesses, losing talent can be devastating, especially in areas where talent is somewhat limited due to geographic or population reasons. Thankfully, the Internet has enabled businesses to take advantage of outsourcing to shore up any issues they might have with their workforce. Say what you will about the pandemic, but it has shown that many positions are perfectly capable of being done in a remote setting, even if it might still be preferable to have someone on-premises doing the job. One aspect of running your business that is enriched dramatically thanks to outsourcing is technology management and maintenance. Since technicians and other positions like these require intensive knowledge built up over years of experience, finding the appropriate technician can be difficult. Most technology management and maintenance can be performed remotely these days, meaning you are no longer restricted by your location or the talent in your area. White Mountain IT Services can help your business overcome challenges related to your IT staffing. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Frankly, there will no longer be a Google My Business service before very long. Instead, business owners will have access to a web-based Google Business Profile sometime in 2022. Google Business Profile is Intended to Simplify Things for Businesses With the transition from a standalone application to an integrated Google Business Profile, all it will take for a business owner to access their online tools is to enter their company?s name into the Google Search Box. Doing so will return the typical results one might expect as well as the business-centric tools that Google has to offer. With Google Business Profile in place, you?ll be able to do more to manage your online presence. For instance: Google Search and Google Maps will be usable as a means of verifying your Google Business Profile. Google Search can also be used to chat with customers through your Business Profile, with read receipts being controlled through Search and Maps. Google is also experimenting with call history features and call forwarding. This will also make any online marketing activities you undergo through Google easier for you to manage, with new tools like the local search campaign budget Performance Planner. What Features are You Looking Forward to the Most? While this rebranding/migration will take a while to fully implement, it?s always good to remain apprised of these kinds of developments so you are in the best position to benefit from them. We?ll be there so you can be sure that you have the technology necessary to take full advantage of any opportunities that come your way. Find out what we can do for your IT by calling (603) 889-0800 today.