First, we will discuss what a VPN can do to help your business stay secure; then we shall jump into what a VPN cannot do, or rather, what you cannot rely on a VPN for. What is a VPN? A VPN uses encryption to create what is called a ?tunnel? between the data you are accessing and the device you are using to access that data. VPNs are particularly important in today?s environment of remote or hybrid workplaces, as onlookers could take a look at data while it?s in transit with relative ease, if they know where to look. What Can It Do? There are many reasons why your business should consider a VPN. Here are just a few of the features you can expect from one. Securing your data while using public networks Reducing online tracking and enhanced privacy Limiting ISP monitoring and bandwidth throttling Limiting geo-tracking Accessing region-locked content What Can?t It Do? While VPNs are great tools that can help your organization achieve better privacy and security, there are certain things that they cannot do. Some of these might seem a little obvious and common-sense, but we need to mention them anyway. Protecting from various threats Improving password strength Engaging in illegal activity Want to Get Started with a VPN? If your business is ready to start taking its data privacy and security seriously, White Mountain IT Services can help by hooking you up with a powerful virtual private network that can keep your company safe and secure. We understand the modern frustrations that companies have in today?s remote and hybrid workplace, so we will work with you to find a VPN that best suits your needs. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Check Your Connection First Since your router speed is based on the speed of your organization?s wired connection, your first recourse should be to check if you are getting the speed that you?re supposed to have. You can do this by running a speed test via a wired connection. If the numbers don?t add up, you may have to contact your Internet service provider or replace your modem. You should also consider testing your speed on a mobile device that connects wirelessly to the network, but do so close to the device; this will help you determine if it?s a structural problem or one involving the router itself. Reexamine Router Placement Depending on your office?s setup, the physical placement of your router could be negatively affecting your organization?s wireless connection. A generally good practice is to keep your router in a location that is out in the open, far from walls and other obstructions, so that they cannot interfere with the wireless signal. If you want your signal to reach all parts of your office, then it should be placed at the center (or as close as possible) to distribute an even connection across the area. Update Your Router Just like any other device on your network, your wireless router has firmware that must be updated from time to time. The process for updating your router will vary depending on the manufacturer, so we recommend working with our technicians at White Mountain IT Services to see if your router needs to be updated or not. Oftentimes updating your firmware can allow for enhanced performance in general, so it certainly does not hurt to do it every so often. Implement a Wireless Extender If all of your efforts to resolve your wireless network issues simply do not work, then perhaps the coverage issue is caused by the area being too large to be covered by your single router. You can expand your wireless network?s range with an extender, essentially rebroadcasting your signal to reach parts of your office that wouldn?t otherwise receive the connection. If All Else Fails, Use a Wired Connection When Possible It stands to reason that the fewer devices that connect to a wireless network, the faster it will be. Therefore, if you can utilize wired connections for devices like desktops and laptops, then you should. This keeps the signals from getting gummed up with tons of traffic while you are trying to connect to the wireless network. Sometimes it is hard to get your wireless connection to work the way you want it to. White Mountain IT Services can help you make any needed adjustments to your business? wireless network or its network device settings. For more assistance or information, contact us at (603) 889-0800.
Our IT Guardian Co-Managed IT services can provide turnkey solutions for the most common IT Management and Support challenges. Co-managed IT services involve the use of both in-house IT staff and an external IT service provider working together to manage an organization’s information technology (IT) operations. In a co-managed IT model, the in-house IT staff and the external IT service provider collaborate to provide support and expertise to the organization. There are several benefits to using co-managed IT services: Increased expertise: By working with an external IT service provider, an organization can access a wider range of expertise and resources than it might have in-house. This can be especially helpful for organizations that do not have a full-time IT staff or that need specialized IT skills. Flexibility: Co-managed IT services provide an organization with the flexibility to scale its IT support up or down as needed. This can be especially useful for organizations with seasonal or fluctuating IT needs. Improved response time: With co-managed IT services, an organization can typically get a faster response to IT issues because it has both in-house staff and an external service provider working to resolve them. Reduced costs: By sharing the responsibility for IT support with an external service provider, an organization can potentially reduce its overall IT costs. Co-managed IT services can be a good option for organizations that want to retain some control over their IT operations while also benefiting from the expertise and resources of an external IT service provider. Our role-based Co-Managed IT Services can be a force multiplier for your tech team. Combining our systems and best practices with your team’s onsite presence, institutional knowledge and experience can allow you to allocate resources to their best and highest use, leveraging our proven systems to achieve a higher level of execution and productivity. If you are looking for a partner that can augment your existing tech resources with industry-standard best practices, processes, and systems, give us a call today! Co-Managed IT for larger organizations Professional IT Management Service and Support Management Project Management Standard Operating Procedures IT Policies Systems Documentation Technology Consulting Cyber Security Training Reporting and Metrics Co-Managed IT Services Engineering & Support Help Desk Services Onsite Services Server Support Network Management Data Backup Disaster Recovery System Engineering Network Operations Network Security Project Work Staff Augmentation Cloud Services Computer Consulting Planning & Consulting Virtual CIO Services Strategic Alignment Budgeting IT Road-Map Business Continuity Workflow Analysis
The vulnerability is a very serious one known as a ?zero click remote exploit.? It allows invasive spyware to infect any of these devices without any sort of end-user action. Whereas the majority of malware requires the user to download something, click on a fraudulent link, join an unsecure network, or hand over a password, this new breed of malware can infect most Apple devices without a single click. Security researchers have traced the spyware back to Israel?s NSO Group, a technology firm that develops remote surveillance spyware. The spyware, called Pegasus, can be deployed to any Apple iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac without the user being aware of it, and can allow both governments or criminals to turn on your camera and microphone, record messages, texts, emails, and calls, even if you are using encrypted services. It?s essentially giving the cybercriminal full control over your device without you knowing it. How to Check If You?ve Been Infected by the Pegasus Zero-Click Spyware Here?s the worst part?you?ll never know if you have this on your phone or device. If the spyware is on your device, it?s virtually invisible to you. You won?t see the typical tell-tale signs of an infection, such as strange text messages, suspicious links, or any other notification. It?s simply there, possibly running at any given moment, recording what you are doing and sending everything to NSO Group and their clients. If that?s not bad enough, security researchers believe that this spyware has been around since at least March of 2021, and with more than 1.65 billion Apple products on the market today? Let’s just say we should all be taking this very seriously. Update Your Apple Devices Right Now: Here?s How to Do It Apple iPhone and iPad Before you update, back up your device using iCloud or your computer. Plug your device into power and make sure you are connected to the Internet with Wi-Fi. Go to Settings > General, then tap Software Update. Tap Install Now. If you see Download and Install instead, tap it to download the update, enter your passcode, then tap Install Now. Apple macOS on a Mac Computer Go to the Apple menu in the corner of your screen. Choose System Preferences. Click Software Update. Click Update Now or Upgrade Now. Repeat this process in case further updates are available. For more information, check out Apple?s Update documentation. Apple Watch Connect your Apple Watch to Wi-Fi. Ensure that your watch is at least 50% charged, or plug it in to power. You?ll want to make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS. On your iPhone, open the Watch app and tap My Watch. Tap General > Software Update. Download the update. Wait for the progress wheel to appear on your Apple Watch. It could take several minutes to an hour for the update to finish. For more information, check out Apple?s Watch Update Guide. Update Your Apple Device NOW We can?t stress this enough. This update is incredibly important to protect your privacy, as there is no telling if you actually already have this spyware on your Apple device. It?s likely that more news will come of this over the next few days, but for now, be sure to check for updates on your iPhone, iPad, […]
Let?s dive into the authentication system, shall we? What is Windows Hello, Anyway? Windows Hello is a technology that allows Windows users to authenticate their identities via biometric identification, rather than a password. Designed to serve as a more user-friendly option than passwords without sacrificing the security that passwords offer, biometric authentication seeks proof of identity by comparing a physical attribute of the user against a previously collected record. If the scanned fingerprint, iris, or face matches the saved record closely enough, access is given to the person trying to use the device. How Windows Hello Works Here?s the thing: while passwords have been the cornerstone of computer security for about as long as computers have been around, there are definite flaws to them that need to be acknowledged. While we would never recommend that you disregard them, the best practices surrounding password use can be a lot to manage. If followed, these best practices demand that an individual remember about 100 passwords?each of them sufficiently complex and being used exclusively for a single account. It isn?t hard to see how challenging that would be for the average user to remember, and how this challenge might actually lead a user to make insecure decisions? particularly, in their choice of password. As an alternative form of authentication, Windows Hello creates a virtual model of a user?s face to reference, and even has built-in anti-spoofing technologies to prevent enterprising hackers from tricking the system. Does Windows Hello Belong in Businesses? So, is there a place for Windows Hello in the workplace? Absolutely? so long as it is supplemented with other security precautions and features. Microsoft has suggested that this will carry over into Windows 11, where passwordless access will be reinforced by the other built-in protections? but that doesn?t mean you should stop there. As we said, Windows Hello should be just one part of a business? complete security strategy. Your security needs to cover a great variety of needs, ranging from data continuity to antivirus to (to our point) user authentication. White Mountain IT Services can help you to create this strategy and deploy it in your business. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to get started.
