What Difference Does a Clean Workstation Make? Putting it simply, quite a bit. If it isn?t properly kept maintained, a computer can get pretty gross. Not only is it more aesthetically pleasing to look at when it is kept hygienic, keeping a workstation clean can help its operations by helping to control its temperature and can even prevent germs from spreading. Therefore, it is important that you address your workstation?s cleanliness periodically. Let?s go into some best practices to ensure that your computer equipment is properly cleaned. How Often Should I Clean My Workstation? There are a lot of variables that play into how frequently your workstation should see a little TLC. While the minimum should be at least once a year, other factors will play into your specific situation. Where that computer is located, for instance, if it?s in the home or in an office or in some other environment, and what conditions are present there can make it prudent to clean it more often. It only makes sense that things like: An industrial environment The presence of pets Carpeting Who typically uses the computer (especially children) ?and numerous other factors would increase the frequency that a computer should be cleaned. So, if it?s been over a year since a computer has been cleaned, it?s time. Properly Cleaning Your Workstation?s Components Each piece of your workstation should be cleaned differently to protect them from unintentional damage. Here, we?ll focus on the best practices for a desktop workstation, which differ somewhat from those to clean a laptop. While we?ll briefly go into the proper way to clean each component, there are a few generic best practices that you should remember as well: Do not spray any liquid directly into the computer. Spray a cloth and wipe instead. Do not use a vacuum, as it can create a damaging static charge. Use compressed air to blow away any debris. Don?t allow fans to spin freely as you are cleaning them, as it could actually damage them. Always turn off the computer before you attempt to clean it. The Case Cleaning your computer?s case can help assist airflow while also making it look better. Use a lint-free cloth to wipe down the exterior to help minimize dust. The Interior Keeping the inside of your case clean helps to reduce the internal temperature of the device, ultimately benefiting its operations. Compressed air allows you to clear out debris without risking damage to the internal components of the device. The Peripherals There are assorted benefits to cleaning the different accessories that enable you to use your desktop. Keeping the keyboard and mouse clean with a combination of compressed air and diluted rubbing alcohol or some other disinfectant can help keep you healthy, while regularly dusting off your monitor will help promote visibility. To learn about these practices in more depth, call White Mountain IT Services today at (603) 889-0800, and don?t forget to subscribe to our blog for more useful information.

How a VoIP Solution Boosts Productivity Speeds Up Calls One of the biggest ways that VoIP can assist your productivity levels is by enabling you and your team to spend less time on the phone. With accessible contact lists and speed dial capabilities, you can dial up the person you?re calling more quickly. As a result, time otherwise burnt up in a phone call can be spent accomplishing your organizational goals. Facilitates Remote Work VoIP solutions also make it easier for work to be taken out of the office, allowing for productive work in a wider range of environments. With many VoIP platforms coming with a mobile application, your remote team members can use their smartphone as their office phone. What?s more, this prevents the need for your employees to reach out to your clients from their own number, making many of your employees more comfortable with the prospect of working from home. Makes Communication More Convenient VoIP includes many features and capabilities that make communicating properly much simpler for your team. To give just a few examples: Calls can be forwarded to another device if an incoming call rings a predetermined number of times. ?Do Not Disturb? functionality can help prevent distractions from popping up for your team, while priority calls can be set to bypass this setting. Emails and SMS messages can inform your team members if they have a voicemail waiting for them. This is just the start of how VoIP can benefit your business? processes. To learn more about what VoIP can offer (and how White Mountain IT Services can help you embrace it) give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

Professional Services Pen & Paper Approach Many professionals that have been working for decades were taught their craft by people that didn?t have the technology that we have today, and therefore, often dismiss it. There is something to be said about understanding the fundamental reasons certain tasks need to be done, but the truth is that a large chunk of work, some say upwards of one-third of the time spent by a professional services business, is doing mundane, repetitive tasks. If you have an analog strategy it may be time to consider deploying some technology that can help you streamline your business. Professional Services Technology There are certain solutions that are created specifically for professional services companies. In professional services, there?s that extra responsibility to be the authority that you were hired to be. As a result, today?s professional services firms are really looking to use cutting-edge technology. Like any other business, professional services firms need reliable hardware, software tools that promote productivity, and the security solutions needed to protect their network and data. Here are a few technologies that can help. Document Management You have that archetype in your mind of an office worker. Someone that sits behind a desk and types and frequently takes phone calls to go retrieve a file from a file cabinet someplace in the office. Once the model, this version of the office can only be viewed today as inefficient and costly. Businesses, even professional services businesses, need to do more with less.  Document management is an opportunity to streamline the management of all of your business? crucial information.  In professional services, the ability to get the information you need at the moment you need it can be completely indispensable. A document management system (DMS) presents an opportunity to do just that as every document your business needs to save, every receipt, even the all-important lunch menus can be scanned and saved in an easy-to-organize digital management system. Privacy is built-in as many DMS options allow administrators to secure documents down to the file folder.   While often resource-intensive to set up, the DMS provides complete and secure access to all of your business? filed information from nearly any device, anywhere you have access to the Internet. For professionals, information is a key component of doing business, so to have remote access to all your information can both speed up business and reduce costs.  PSA Professional Services Automation (PSA) is a software designed to manage the professional services business from end-to-end. It allows for comprehensive service management as well as options to manage resources, store information, and manage projects. It provides a great deal of automation options that both enhance your business? ability to do business and manage the relationships that make the service offering possible.  Most businesses use some type of CRM (Customer Relationship Management). This software basically comes with a calendar, a time management system, analytic tools and more. The PSA is designed specifically for tracking time and managing tasks within a project setting. This means that each client has a profile within the PSA and each service that is carried out is tracked through a ticketing system. This provides an easy-to-use interface to manage all of a business? day-to-day operations.  Additionally, many of today?s PSAs provide access through a web client or […]

By the way, the following would all apply to the office as well. So, don?t hesitate to use some of these tricks in the workplace. Elevated, Centralized Placement For your business to use the Internet wirelessly, your router needs to be able to get the signal to every device used in your day-to-day processes. This means that the signal should have as unobstructed a path as possible to, once again, every device. To accomplish this, it helps to avoid as many obstacles to the signal as possible. While not all obstacles can be avoided, you should make sure that you eliminate as many as possible. One great way of doing so is to strategically place your router in a centralized place in your business, elevated above most barriers. This will help keep your coverage relatively consistent throughout the workspace. Keep It Away from Clutter On a related note, these signals can be blocked by obstacles of all sizes. So, while placing the router on top of a cabinet in the middle of the office will keep Rob?s desk from blocking the signal, stacking extra supplies around it will create just as much difficulty. Other devices and even wires can seriously disrupt the wireless connection. Try to keep the area around your router relatively clear. Not only will this help preserve a stable signal, it will help keep heat from building up there and causing other problems with your equipment down the line. Augment with Extenders, or a Second Router Let?s say that router placement or clutter isn?t so much the problem, and it?s more of a problem of scope? your router just doesn?t get the signal to all of your employees, or the number of employees you have just clogs up the signal. There are a few ways to potentially fix these issues. First, you could extend the range of your Wi-Fi signal using signal extenders. If you need to make more connections, you can add an additional router to your network as well. White Mountain IT Services is here to assist you with your IT, from building the infrastructure that meets your needs to yes, helping you set up your wireless network. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more about what we can do for you, and make sure you subscribe to our blog for more handy IT tips.

Warnings from Federal Agencies The issue of voice phishing is currently being pressed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency alike. Vishing is the same as any other phishing attack, just conducted through a voice call instead of an email or other form of message. These agencies have announced that cybercriminals have begun a vishing campaign, directed toward those that are working from home. By extracting login credentials for corporate networks, these criminals can turn a profit by selling access to other cybercriminals. The Vishing Strategy According to the FBI and CISA, cybercrime groups have registered facsimile domains to mimic legitimate company resources before developing phishing sites to live on these fake domains. These domains commonly had a structure like the following: support-[company] ticket [company] employee-[company] [company]-support If someone were to visit these pages, they would find a page that looked very much like a company?s login page to their virtual private network?so as a result, if someone were to input their credentials, the cybercriminal would then have the means to access the business? network. These pages can even capture multi-factor authentication measures. Once these pages are completed, the criminal groups responsible then begin to research a company?s employees to build a profile on them. Names, addresses, phone numbers, workplace titles, and how even how long an employee has even been employed at a company are all included in these dossiers. Then, using random or spoofed VoIP numbers, hackers call these employees and swiftly gain their trust. Once this trust is acquired, the attacker directs the targeted employee to the spoofed VPN page. Quicker than you can say ?social engineering?, the hacker can then access the legitimate account. From there, the attacker is free to do as they please?collecting data on other employees and contacts to take advantage of or extracting other data for financial gain. With attackers now directing these vishing scams toward remote workers, it is more important than ever that your team understands how they can identify phishing scams Identifying Scams Be suspicious of unsolicited messages?including calls and voicemails?from those you don?t know. If possible, verify their identity through another means to ensure that they are legitimate. Keep track of the number that any suspected vishing messages come from, as well as the Internet domain you were directed to. Don?t visit a website on a whim after a caller directs you to it, unless you have reason to believe it is legitimate. For more assistance with your business? security, reach out to the IT pros at White Mountain IT Services. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to start a conversation.