Recent Blog Posts
Disasters can be generally defined as any situation where your business suffers from an event that disrupts operations in an impactful way. Some of the following examples of disasters might not be the first ones you think of, but they are important to prepare for all the same. Natural Disasters Nobody likes to think about a flood or a hurricane wiping out your business? infrastructure, but depending on your location, it is a possibility that must be seriously entertained. No matter where you are in the world, chances are that you are susceptible to at least some type of natural disaster, be it a fire, electrical storm, or snowstorm. Make sure you do your research and plan for the worst. Hardware Failures Technology does not last forever, so you cannot expect it to. Depending on the age of your hardware and the amount of maintenance you administer to it, you might find yourself more susceptible to hardware failure than you might think. Thankfully, hardware failure can be predicted somewhat thanks to remote monitoring and maintenance tools, but it is still something that must be considered for any disaster planning scenario. User Error People make mistakes, and the simple fact of the matter is that these mistakes can often have disastrous consequences. Imagine someone deleting Windows registry files or other important operating system files, or accidentally leaking credentials to hackers due to a phishing attack. These things happen, so be prepared to train your employees on how to adequately respond to such issues. The important thing is that they don?t sweep these issues under the rug; make it clear that you expect them to own up to mistakes, and instead of punishing them for being human, respond by helping them become better as a result of it. Hacking Attacks You see the headlines every day: ?New Ransomware Strikes So-and-So,? or ?Millions of Records Leaked in Massive Cyberattack.? These things happen, even to small businesses like yours. The best thing you can do is be prepared for them with proper network security solutions. In the case of ransomware in particular you want to have a contingency plan in place, as these threats lock down files and essentially shut down operations until the ransom is paid. Sometimes threats can just straight-up destroy or corrupt data, too, meaning that you are really stuck if you don?t have a plan in place. Get Started with Data Backup and Disaster Recovery One thing you might notice about all of the above is that they can generally be prepared for with enough proactive thought. If you find your business is underprepared for any of the above, a great way to cover all of your bases is to implement a data backup and disaster recovery solution from White Mountain IT Services. Our solution, called a backup and disaster recovery tool, or BDR, is designed to minimize downtime and expedite the recovery process in the event of any disaster, natural or otherwise. To learn more, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.
How Often Should You Train and Evaluate Your Team in Cybersecurity Practices? Security threats are all over the place these days, so you need to make sure that your security is covering as much as possible. You can certainly implement strong security measures that can resolve many of the common issues you might encounter, but without a solid understanding on your staff?s part, they won?t be as useful as they can be. Your team should be prepared to handle cybersecurity events in a way that doesn?t risk your company?s data infrastructure and network integrity. Here are some ways you can make sure your cybersecurity training keeps up with this expectation. Regularity How often do you share training or security information with your staff? The frequency at which you do this can make or break your experience. If you only meet to discuss security measures once a year, your staff will not have the knowledge or experience to apply their training as often as it must be. More frequent training can be more effective for keeping your network security in tip-top shape, and informing your team periodically throughout the year can help them do their jobs more effectively. Reinforcement Reinforcement in particular means using what is learned during these training sessions and applying it to a real-life situation. People tend to learn better when they are shown how to do something in a hands-on fashion rather than being told what to do. If you simulate cyberattacks in real life, you can then accurately test your employees? abilities to react to them. How Often Should You Train, and Test, Your Team? Proper security training is something that is reinforced periodically throughout your employees? time at the company, not a one-and-done event that happens upon hire. Remember, with today?s ever-changing threat landscape, you will want to be as prepared as possible. Failing to do so is putting your organization at risk for no good reason. White Mountain IT Services can help you take your organization?s network security as seriously as it must be taken. We can help you establish powerful security standards and safeguards coupled with the security training needed to understand them. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Keep Your Phone Locked and Protected You might know some people who don?t lock their smartphones, and it?s a huge mistake to leave something so simple out of your mobile device travel strategy. What would happen if you were to lose your device? What if it were stolen by someone hoping to make a quick buck off your device or the data it holds? We recommend using multi-factor authentication for your phone, including a passcode and a biometric measure of some kind. In fact, you should be using multi-factor authentication for just about any device or account where it?s available. Use a Virtual Private Network Businesses need to keep connected to a wireless network in order to stay connected to their home base, but the problem is that a lot of the wireless connections out there are unsecured and dangerous for devices with sensitive information on them. When you use a virtual private network, you can encrypt data that is sent to and from your device, allowing for the secure transmission of information while out of the office. Turn Off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth When Not in Use Many people tend to keep their Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled at all times, even when they are not actively being used. This is dangerous, as devices can automatically connect to networks that might be considered risky. We recommend just disabling these connections when not in use. Your battery will also last longer, as your devices will not be actively seeking out connections while out and about. Use a Mobile Device Management System Any number of issues could occur when you are on the road. Even if you just set down your device for a moment, someone could pick it up and walk away with it, putting the data on it at risk. A mobile device management tool can help mitigate these dangers somewhat. It won?t help you get your device back, but it will protect the data stored on it in the event of theft. Your mobile device management solution should include the whitelisting and blacklisting of applications, remote wiping of lost or stolen devices, and device location services. White Mountain IT Services can work with your business to ensure that mobile devices are not the reason why your employees fear traveling. To learn more about how we can help you stay safe while on the go, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Monitor Failed Password Attempts Nobody likes dealing with passwords, this much is beyond doubt, but it also must be said that they are an essential element in your business? security protections. This is because they not only help to prevent unwelcome access to your resources, they can also help you to identify if you are actively being targeted? particularly while you have remote employees accessing your network. Here?s the crux of the issue: devices that have remote desktop protocols enabled on them (like the ones your remote users would have) are very easy for attackers to find, and then target. Such devices are commonly targeted by brute force attacks. In such an attack, a hacker will basically spam a password requirement with every possible option until the correct password is found. When your remote protocols are properly configured, too many failed password attempts would lock down the device and send you a notification to let you know that so many failed attempts were just made. At that point, you could reach out to the user and confirm that they were simply having a problem typing in their password correctly, and that it?s okay to let them wait until the device allows them to log in again. However, if the user wasn?t having any such problems, you would know that their credentials may have been breached. Without this kind of oversight, however, a brute force attack could potentially go on and on with no warning to you that you were under attack. Keep an Eye on Your Traffic While experienced hackers are able to hide their location to avoid raising suspicion, there are many times that they neglect to do so. Maybe a hacker lacks the technical skill necessary, or the attack is so broadly waged that they just don?t bother covering their tracks. This is precisely why it is so crucial that you keep a close watch over your system and its logs so that you can spot and investigate any out-of-place activity. For instance, if your technology has never interfaced with a server in a given country, but now regularly contacts a domain that is sourced there, you should see it as a warning of a serious potential security issue. Actively Make Things More Challenging for Cybercriminals Here?s the thing: the more difficult you make it for a cybercriminal to gain access to your network, the less likely it is that one will manage to do so. There are various ways to accomplish this. For example, in terms of your remote desktop protocols, you should customize the configuration you use rather than relying on the default. Password timeouts and two-factor authentication are wise to enforce, as are access controls on your internal resources. Cumulatively, these kinds of protections will help keep your business much more secure than it would be otherwise. Looking for more assistance with your business? security? Reach out to us. We have experience in implementing the kind of protections that modern businesses need to survive. Find out what we can do for you by calling (603) 889-0800 today.
Reliability A lot of businesses need to print little things, and many have begun to move to a more paperless environment. Then there are some businesses that absolutely rely on their printers and copiers. For these companies, finding a maintenance solution is difficult. The first variable any business owner or decision maker should consider is the availability of the maintenance provider. Printers are notorious for having maintenance issues so being able to keep lines of communication open is essential to ensure that you get the service you need when you need it. Expertise This variable is a must. A company that fixes copiers and printers needs to have technicians on staff that are proficient in fixing copiers and printers; it?s that simple. Shockingly, there are companies that will advertise that they offer printer and copier maintenance services, but when it comes down to it, there is no experience doing so, and that will substantially increase the cost, not only for the service, but also for the time your machines remain down. Dedication For any maintenance provider, time is money, but for whatever reason some companies don?t act like it. You will want a provider that does a lot of the heavy lifting by monitoring systems remotely. Printers and copiers don?t always malfunction on the hardware side, but when they do, a solid maintenance provider has the part you need in stock so that your printer or copier isn?t down for more than a few hours. Overall Value Printer maintenance can get expensive. That?s why it is important to find companies that can provide you with the value you need to not only keep your printers and copiers in operational order, but also extend beyond that so that you can justify the growing expense of maintenance for these machines. At White Mountain IT Services, we offer comprehensive managed IT services that can help you get the IT support you need, including for your copiers and printers. If you would like more information about copier and printer support or what it takes to keep your business? technology up and working for you, give us a call today at (603) 889-0800.
