Signs of Spam and Phishing Messages First, we should get this out of the way; spam messages and phishing messages are similar, but in the end are two entirely different things. Spam messages are often blanket messages that go out to hundreds of thousands of people with the intention of either wasting your time or getting people to click on them. Phishing emails, on the other hand, are a bit trickier to identify. Phishing emails are designed to take advantage of unknowing users by convincing them to hand over credentials, click on links within emails, or hand over other sensitive information. Phishing emails do this by impersonating trusted organizations like government agencies, banks, businesses, etc. Phishing emails often include: Spelling errors in the message Suspicious sender addresses A sense of urgency, like claiming a prize in a sweepstakes or paying a bill Spear phishing in particular can be a devastating threat. Phishing emails might be designed to be more broad in scope, whereas spear phishing are targeted efforts at a particular individual. These messages might include personal greetings or personalized information that make the user trust the sender more than with your typical phishing message. What Should You Do? If you suspect that you have received spam or phishing emails, you can report them to your IT resource. Chances are that the message circumvented your protections and managed to hit your inbox somehow, so the IT resource will likely block the IP address or email address and quarantine the message off. Whatever you do, do not click on links in the email or respond to it until you are certain of the nature of the email. Of course, it could also be the case that the message is, in fact, not spam or phishing. Depending on the sender?s email habits, they may have made their message look like one of these emails unintentionally. You can reach out to the sender via an alternative method of outreach, like a phone call, to confirm that it was them who sent the message. When in doubt, always practice caution. If this seems like a lot to keep an eye out for, don?t worry?most spam and phishing emails can be blocked thanks to comprehensive security solutions like those that White Mountain IT Services offers. We can implement a unified threat management tool that can block spam messages, prevent threats from accessing your network, and keep your employees from accessing harmful or dangerous content on the web. Don?t wait any longer! Get started with a UTM today by calling us at (603) 889-0800.

SonicWall, along with Mandiant and other trusted third parties, worked to determine the nature of the threat. This threat uses stolen credentials to install ransomware on vulnerable devices, and since it is described as ?imminent,? you know it?s bad. If you don?t take immediate action, ransomware threats could become extremely problematic for your organization. SonicWall has been in communication with its affected customers to inform them of the vulnerability. There is a spot of good news here, though. The vulnerability that allows these vulnerabilities to be taken advantage of is in an older version of the firmware, so those who are using more recent versions of the firmware should have had it already patched. SonicWall details this in its notice:  ?SonicWall PSIRT strongly suggests that organizations still using 8.x firmware review the information below and take immediate action.? In this case, SonicWall is detailing the devices that are affected by the vulnerability, how they are affected, and their recommended course of action. If the device has reached its end of life, SonicWall urges companies to take the device offline and reset all of its associated credentials, but if devices are still supported, then updating the firmware should be enough to shore up the vulnerability. In addition, SonicWall also urges users to change passwords and enable multi-factor authentication. Anyone using legacy technology knows the struggle of upgrading away from it to more recent hardware, and SonicWall is prepared for this. SonicWall issued this statement for customers who just can?t seem to let go of their older technology: ?To provide a transition path for customers with end-of-life devices that cannot upgrade to 9.x or 10.x firmware, we?re providing a complimentary virtual SMA 500v until October 31, 2021. This should provide sufficient time to transition to a product that is actively maintained.? This is, of course, a short-term fix; the long-term fix is to equip yourself with new hardware. These threats that take advantage of unsupported firmware and software that have reached their end of life are not particularly uncommon, so it?s important that your organization makes plans to upgrade away from technology that is creeping up on its end of life. If you don?t do this, you?ll get situations like the above where hackers start taking advantage of unsupported technology, thereby putting your company at risk. **Keep in mind, if we?re managing your IT and cybersecurity infrastructure, we?re handling all of your security updates. If you aren?t sure, reach out to us to ensure your agreement covers this type of support.** If you have any questions or concerns about unsupported software or maintaining your technology infrastructure as a whole, White Mountain IT Services is happy to help. To learn more about how we can make managing your technology easier, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Lack of Business Alignment While those in charge specialize in managing people and resources, many managers lack the technical expertise to know when a new technology solution will be a viable way to resolve operational issues within the company. That said, without the backing of management or the c-suite, new technology deployment initiatives are doomed to fail, or at least be implemented at a loss?the exact situation that we are trying to avoid here. Therefore, it becomes critical that you set up a policy that all new and important IT decisions have the full clearance and support of management before they can get off the ground. Furthermore, these projects should have periodic reviews and status updates to ensure that the solution and workflows themselves align with the business? goals and objectives. Cost Control Many IT projects fall behind or fail completely due to a lack of funding or financial commitment throughout the deployment process. Maybe there is a shift that occurs which forces you to reconsider the project itself, or maybe your short-term priorities change which pulls your attention away from implementing a new technology project. Sometimes the cost simply exceeds the perceived budget. Whatever the reason, IT projects are frequently one of the first expenses to get cut when a cut is deemed necessary?especially if there is not a specific operational issue that is holding back business as usual. To keep the price tag from being a sticking point for your IT project deployment, it helps to expect the worst when planning out an implementation. Once you have an estimate, then proceed as planned. With this worst-case scenario in mind, you have nowhere to go but to save money. And remember, don?t start a project until you are sure you have the funds to follow through with it. Bad Communication If communication is lacking during the deployment process, your IT project will not succeed. Period. You will need to communicate both effectively and efficiently with stakeholders, management, and the project team to ensure that your deployment is successful. It only takes one person being off base to throw off a deployment process. To prevent this, you should have the groundwork for proper communication in place before the project begins. There are so many communication platforms to choose from that one will surely suit the needs of your organization. Some of the most effective tools for project management include video conferencing or instant messaging. Poor Project Management The most important part of ensuring your IT project makes it off the ground is by assigning the appropriate project manager or management team. This involves not only the management of the tools and management of the project, but also managing the expectations and duties of everyone on the project team. It is important that project managers and anyone else involved in the higher-level decision-making process have grounded expectations for the project. If the project manager?s goals are too optimistic, there is a very real chance that the project will fail to achieve expectations, leading to the disappointment of all involved. If you are unable to get an experienced project manager in-house, White Mountain IT Services can help. Our trusted technicians can help your business with comprehensive IT project management from start to finish, whether you need help procuring technology or deploying it to your infrastructure. […]

Before we jump in, we just want to say that a lot of the problems associated with a dying battery can be contributed by the age of the battery itself. Older smartphones might have the ability to swap out batteries, but you may have noticed that recent models do not have the removable battery, forcing you to upgrade to a new device rather than just purchasing a new battery. If you do wind up upgrading to a new device, White Mountain IT Services can help make this process easy and painless. But first, try out these tips to get maximum life from your battery. Turn Down Your Screen?s Brightness While modern smartphones have pretty great-looking screens and high resolutions, this directly correlates to more battery consumption throughout the day?at least while the screen is on. You can reduce this somewhat by simply lowering the brightness of your screen or reducing the amount of time that it?s lit up. Try to Avoid Using Media Excessive use of applications and media can drain your battery, especially games and high-quality video streaming. To minimize battery usage for these, consider limiting your use of these applications unless you really need them. Turn Off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and Location Services Services like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and Location Services are all great to have enabled? when you need to use them, at least. When you?re not actively using them, they can put an unnecessary burden on your battery?s life. Plus, depending on your location, you could potentially put your device at risk of security issues as a result of using them. Better to just disable them when they are not in use. Turn Off Mobile Data Similar to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and location services, your phone is always looking to stay connected, and when it?s looking for service, it?s draining your battery. Turn off your mobile data to save a little bit of battery life. Plus, this benefit can compound, as when you have your mobile data turned off, you likely won?t be consuming any high-quality media or wasting battery power on apps. Just Put Your Phone Down We get it?as a business owner, it?s hard to put down the phone and not worry about who?s trying to get ahold of you or how many emails are in your inbox. But we promise that those messages and missed calls can wait until you are in the office and on the clock. Sometimes it?s good to slow down and set your phone down. The less you use your phone, the less battery you will consume, contributing to its longevity in both the short and long term. Did you find this blog helpful? Let us know in the comments below and share it out to people who might get some value out of it.

There are two big issues that you really need to focus your training around in order to fully prepare your team for success: employee noncompliance and process issues. Let?s examine each of these factors in greater detail. Employee Noncompliance There are various ways that your employees can show themselves to be noncompliant. For instance: A lack of regulatory knowledge amongst your team members concerning things like IT security, workplace safety, and other considerations is indicative that there is likely some level of noncompliance present. After all, it helps to know how to remain compliant if you?re going to. If new regulations and other requirements are met with surprise?and likely resistance?your team likely hasn?t been keeping up with the requirements that currently apply to them. If your established processes aren?t going smoothly, your team likely isn?t organized enough to meet the compliance requirements that laws and regulations will require of your business. If errors abound in your business, it?s a sign that your team lacks the training to avoid these issues. Process Issues Likewise, various issues occurring in your business? processes and procedures should serve as a sign that more training is required. There is no outlined process for your business? goals or procedures for your team to follow, leading to scattered and disorganized progress. Mismanagement and ineffective scheduling results in postponed work and missed deadlines. Those team members involved in business projects aren?t communicating effectively, leading to miscommunications and frustration. Of course, on top of all these issues and the training needed to resolve them, there are also the somewhat-expected technology issues to take care of. Whether you need assistance with your processes, your compliance, or your IT maintenance, White Mountain IT Services can help advise you. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more.