Recent Blog Posts

Before we get into regulatory compliance, we should mention that compliance with company-wide regulations (that presumably you?ve set up for a reason) are not exempt when considering your business? compliance responsibilities. Understanding where your organization is in meeting both outside and inside compliance requirements can set you up for success, even as your business doesn?t look the same way it did in the past. Outside Compliance Considerations When compliance regulations are considered, typically these are the qualifications that need to be met. They are traditionally ethics-based regulations set up by legislators to help govern fair enterprise. Today?s business creates, collects, and uses data in new and exciting ways, and having to meet regulatory benchmarks becomes more and more crucial. Most of these regulations are governed by federal, state, and industry legislative bodies and organizations created to do that. If they are not met, it can cause some difficult problems for any business. These include fines, suspension of service, and more.  Inside Compliance Considerations The regulations you set up for your own business obviously don?t carry the risks inherent in meeting regulatory requirements, but presumably you?ve enacted these benchmarks and requirements to help manage and operate your business effectively, so meeting those standards is important.  Massive Push For Data Privacy For some time now, consumers have been more cognizant of how their personal information can be used against them. That doesn?t mean that many people have taken the steps to protect that data, but that is evolving. Typically, any regulations aimed at data protection have been made to keep organizations from taking advantage of stakeholders, but now, it seems, there is a fairly large section of people that are actively looking to help individuals protect their personal data. Unfortunately, many of the major technology companies don?t seem to be among them.  The establishment of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by the European Union was a landmark day for individual data privacy. It held businesses accountable and gave individuals control over a lot of their personal data. Much of the same data was shared with impunity before the GDPR went into effect. Today, there are several data privacy laws on the books in the United States, with a federal data privacy law looking inevitable in the years to come.  Compliance Tips Outside of the GDPR (which affects any business that does business with European companies) most of today?s requirements have been in place for quite some time. Regulations like HIPAA and PCI DSS affect millions of businesses, so it is important to have a set of strategies in place to keep compliant. Here are a few tips: Stay in Good Standing – You need a Certificate of Good Standing. Otherwise you can?t legally do business in most states. This is a certification that is issued by your state and requires your business to be registered as a legal entity, be current on tax filings, and meet other benchmarks or be suspended from doing business in that state.  Be Aware of Any Laws that Govern Your Business – These days, the regulations and laws are always changing. Business in 2021 moves fast, so staying up on the latest regulations will help your business maintain good health and go a long way toward putting you in a position to maintain compliance.  Keep Your […]

Before we start, we are going to forgo the obvious technology tools that a business will need like some form of computer and a high-speed internet connection. Every business is absolutely going to need these things. What we are going for is a list of things that the new business should consider to enhance their ability to hit the ground running. #1 – Management Software For the longest time, technology wasn?t something that a new business had to consider. They would acquire technology when the analog processes got too complicated. Today, technology has to be at the forefront of any business? plan. This is largely because of the reliance on digital technologies for ordering, payment, and more. If you are starting a new business the best tool you can start off with is some type of management software that can help you track customer relationships, track employee time and performance, and just give you a centralized view of your business. A piece of software like a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or some type of project management solution can go a long way toward providing you the tools you need to do more off the bat. Management software can help you. Save time – Since scheduling, time management, ordering, and support is done through the same piece of software, you and your employees will save a substantial amount of time.  Stay coordinated – Management software has an integrated calendar feature to help businesses track tasks, assign work schedules, and be more collaborative without having to rely on multiple pieces of software.  Get results – Scheduling work, completing work, selling products and services, supporting those sales, and getting paid are all extremely important. A centralized management software can help your new business work effectively from the start. #2 – Voice over Internet Protocol Every new business needs reliable communication tools and a Voice over Internet Protocol phone system can provide any business with the communication tools needed to conduct business reliably and efficiently. VoIP is powered through an Internet connection rather than through a phone line. This reduces costs and provides any new businesses with three major operational benefits. They are: Easy to set up – Since a hosted VoIP solution is billed monthly by the user and runs through the Internet, setting up new accounts or removing accounts is a breeze.  Give you the tools you need – Not only do you get a reliable business phone solution, it also can provide you with video conferencing, instant messaging, and a whole host of other tools designed to help your business manage its communications. Improves mobility – Every VoIP account can turn an individual?s smartphone into a work phone through the use of an app. This will help new businesses that don?t have a lot of capital, to gain mobility immediately for no extra charge. #3 – Cloud Services Obtaining the hardware and software needed to run a business can put a lot of stress on new business owners. With cloud computing, new entrepreneurs can acquire the computing they need as a service. There are options for applications, security, even full computing platforms available from some of the most noteworthy technology companies on the planet. This not only can help you control your technology costs, but it can get your business the […]

Let?s take a few minutes to dive into the situation at hand to see what insights can be gleaned from these events. The Colonial Pipeline Situation On May 7, Colonial Pipeline first became aware of a ransomware infection in its systems, prompting the fuel supplier to pull the plug on its pipeline operations along the southeast coast so that the malware wouldn?t spread. Leaning on a relatively new form of ransomware attack, those responsible for the attack?a group called Darkside?utilized a method known as double extortion, where the cybercriminal motivates their victim to pay up by not only locking their data down but also threatening to leak it out. For its part, Darkside primarily operates as a kind of cybercriminal service provider, developing threats to provide them to other groups with their support. In response to this threat, Colonial Pipeline quickly halted its operations? and as a result, a wide portion of the country experienced gas shortages due to the cutoff of supply. Many found themselves waiting for hours at the pumps, assuming that any gasoline was available at all. Despite stating that there were no plans to pay the almost $5 million in cryptocurrency that the hackers were demanding, it has been reported that the company did ultimately do so. Once the payment was received, the distributor was provided with a very slow decryption tool that they supplemented with their own backup solutions. This situation has highlighted a few serious considerations that will need to be addressed by businesses of every size, while also revealing a few things about the current state of cybersecurity in clearly critical pieces of infrastructure. Ransomware-as-a-Service is a Serious Threat Darkside had risen to prominence in a relatively short time in the cybercriminal business world, creating a network of affiliate hackers to collaborate with for a share of the cut. With a net gain of at least $60 million in its seven months of existence ($46 million of which came in during Q1 2021 alone), this approach is apparently quite lucrative. While the affiliate hackers retain the majority of the ransom fees, Darkside handles a lot of the work on their behalf: writing the ransomware itself, billing the targeted victims, hosting the data that has been stolen, and even serving as the cybercriminal?s IT support and PR team. This is serious, simply because it can significantly lower the barrier to entry that cybercriminals face when implementing ransomware, making it a feasible attack vector for more of them to put into place. Double Extortion Makes Ransomware Even Worse You may have caught that Colonial Pipeline did, in fact, have a data backup available to them? so, it may seem confusing that they still paid the ransom to have their data released. After all, the data backup should have enabled them to simply wipe and restore their entire infrastructure from scratch. It?s the fact that this attack was using the double extortion method that makes the difference. Instead of simply threatening to delete the data if the ransom is not paid, a double extortion attack doubles down by threatening to leak the data if the ransom is not paid in time. Depending on the industry that is being targeted, some of this data could bring significant repercussions to the business that allowed it to leak. Government […]

To begin, let?s review how businesses saw their situations change when circumstances demanded them to adapt? and how they have done so. What COVID Did to Businesses As much should be obvious, but COVID-19 wreaked havoc on businesses, causing many to close and others to struggle to continue their operations. Compounding upon this, universal complications arose in many industries due to the struggles felt by others?particularly due to the issues felt amongst production, shipping, and retail establishments. Sudden panic buying and the unexpected nature of this catastrophe led to many retailers struggling to keep up with demand, with shortages popping up in various goods including toilet paper, canned goods, computer chips, and most pressingly, medical equipment and sanitizing products. In addition to this, there were also the operational changes that other types of businesses faced. Some of these changes were due to the difficulty in procuring the supplies needed to operate, while others were brought about due to widespread social distancing measures and a lack of remote work capabilities.  As their on-premise doors were closed, some businesses were forced to lock up for good, as the strain that so many sudden changes imposed was too much for them to adapt to. Others, many of which had already implemented many of the technologies that helped facilitate these changes, found the sudden transition much easier. While there were certainly still some growing pains, many businesses were able to regain their stride while still adhering to the restrictions that precautionary health measures inherently placed on them. Hopefully, once this crisis passes, these businesses and industries will be able to preserve some of these advanced processes and adjusted workflows by continuing their use of the cloud. Indeed, with 47 percent of surveyed businesses responding that they expected to invest more in the cloud in the future, this seems like a likely prospect. Is Your Company Prepared for a More Cloud-Based Work Environment? Cloud solutions and services supply businesses with a considerable list of advantages. You can find a better path to these advantages with help from White Mountain IT Services. Our team is here to consult you and assist you in your implementation of today?s most useful business solutions and technologies. Learn more about what we can do for you by calling (603) 889-0800.

Productivity in Software Productivity software isn?t a flashy item. Every business needs certain apps to do business and most businesses need the same apps. There are a lot of options to choose from, and many of the options might seem pretty similar. What?s important is that you get the tools your business needs.  Productivity software, which is generally made up of a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a presentation software, note-taking software, and other useful task management tools, isn?t much different from one to another. What is different?and makes a difference?is how the apps are deployed and how they are managed by the developer. It?s fair to say that you get what you pay for, and some productivity apps are just stronger than others.  What Should You Look For? When trying to sort out which productivity apps to use, you obviously will want to consult your budget and your needs. As we mentioned above, most word processors are going to do the job you?d expect out of a word processor, but with more innovative solutions, you will get more options that will help your overall productivity. That?s extremely important. Let?s take a look at some variables you should consider: Reliability  If your software isn?t reliable, it isn?t worth it, period. Reliability can be measured in several ways. Is it still being developed consistently so you know it isn?t a security risk? Does it have the options you need? Is it easy to use and won?t take a long time to get the hang of? Some apps will promise you benefits that you will never see, but what you can bank on is if the applications cause you a steady stream of problems, you?ve probably made a bad choice.  Interoperability If a lot of your team is working remotely on their own computers, you may find that not everyone is going to have the same OS, the same chipset, etc. You will need any productivity app that you choose to work on several different systems. This includes mobile devices. You may think you?re getting a great deal, but if a handful of your workers are working on macOS and the software isn?t compatible with it, you?re going to be kicking yourself.  Accessibility As many people continue to work remotely, or in some type of hybrid work system, having apps that work from anywhere is extremely important. Today, a lot of options are available as Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings to help businesses avoid the expense of setting up their own cloud server or remote access tools. Either way, you need to be able to get your remote workers the tools they need to be productive. Collaboration Features Speaking of productivity, a lot of businesses are asking their people to do more. We are in unprecedented times and business decisions have to be made down to the dollar. When the productivity software your business uses has collaboration features built-in, it can make a world of difference. Workers can work in the same file, share files, and consistently stay up to date on workflows. A lot of the productivity suites available will also come with some form of project management software. This is a good way to oversee your team?s progress on a project and work right alongside them in real-time.  If […]