Equipping Remote Employees with the Best Kit Possible The only question is how you should go about equipping them. Employees in the office sit at workstations, and you can outright ask them what they need for mobile or home office work that they might do. But what about remote employees? How do you put together an enticing, useful, and all-bases-covered package of equipment to send over that will keep your remote employees on-task and in-the-loop? We have your answers. Laptop Computer Every mobile equipment kit starts with a laptop computer. Whether your company trends toward ephemeral MacBooks, sturdy Lenovos, or something in between, make sure your remote employees are working with equipment similar to what others are using. If you don’t have a strong laptop preference for your teams, ask your remote employees what kind of laptop they work best with to optimize their workflow based on past experience. Wireless Hotspot with Unlimited Data Plan Wireless hotspots are something every employee outside the office should be equipped with. For employees who travel or work outside the home in coffee shops or with clients, a wireless hotspot ensures that they never fall victim to the “Free wifi network” honeypot trap of hackers. And that they can always connect anywhere with strong cell-signal. For remote employees, it’s best to assume that you have no idea where they’ll be working and that providing a hotspot is just a good best-practice. If you can score a bulk deal on unlimited data hotspots for employees, this can also ensure that working for you does not over-tax a remote employee’s metered internet at home. VOIP Number There’s no need to require an employee to provide their cell number (or even to have a cellphone) when your company runs on VOIP. Cloud phones are ideal for remote employees who will already be connecting via high-speed internet and from any possible location or device. They can be halfway across the world and on the same communication network as their coworkers at the same time. A VOIP number also enables remote employees to stay connected and to check in even in emergency situations where normal devices or work locations are unavailable, for whatever reason. Company Email Address The tradition of offering a company email address is falling out of fashion as everyone gets mobile and BYOD spreads to other aspects of business life. While it’s true that you can and should know a remote employee’s normal email address, you may also want to provide a secured company email address with greater data security and hacker protections than the commercial-grade email your new remote hires likely have for personal use. Project Collaboration Platform Hand-in-Hand with company email and VOIP number is access to your project collaboration platform. You may have a specific site, cloud service, or shared software that you prefer to use for this, or you may have integrated your VOIP cloud communications platform for the purpose. Either way, your remote employees need a way to share documents, participate in team project efforts, and to stay in constant live-chat conversations with their team members. The more interactive and feature-rich your collaboration platform, the better. High-Quality Headset Most laptops come with a webcam and microphone that can be used for VOIP and video calls. But you can’t always guarantee that […]

What is a Business Disaster? Technically speaking, a lot of different things could fall under the umbrella term ?disaster.? A business disaster could include any event that creates a disruption to that business? processes, so it isn?t too generous to include the COVID-19 outbreak and (more directly) its impacts in the list. Nevertheless, it would be irresponsible to pretend that the other potential issues that could impact your business become a non-issue just because the focus has shifted to the illness currently dominating the public awareness. Other than the current pandemic, the term ?disaster? covers: Natural disasters, like: Fires Floods Storms Earthquakes Tornadoes Blizzards Criminal acts, like Hacking Ransomware Hardware theft Sabotage Human error, like: Deleted data Unauthorized shutdowns Unsaved files Lost/damaged devices Really, anything that causes data loss should be seen as some degree of disaster, so your backup and business continuity strategies become that much more important. What is Business Continuity? Business continuity is pretty much what it says on the box: the ability your business has to continue an acceptable level of its operations, despite some kind of obstacle. In the case of coronavirus, your business? ability to continue its operations, despite your workforce preventatively isolating themselves or being under quarantine from the coronavirus. While this is the kind of situation that might not obviously require a backup, a backup is always a useful thing to have. For instance, one implementation that can greatly help your business continuity would be the capability for your team to work remotely. That way, even if they were stuck in their house, they could still serve a useful function to the business. While there are many ways to accomplish this, we always recommend that your business adopts the cloud. Why? Simple–not only does the cloud allow for convenient and secure access to data from any authorized device, a cloud that is hosted offsite can inherently protect your data from a variety of those other threats listed above. As a result, if any of the above circumstances were to fall upon your business? location, your business as an entity could continue with a few additional measures in place. Remember, while there may be a global health crisis going on at the moment, there?s no guarantee that something else won?t impact your business as well. To learn more about how you can help protect one of your business? most important assets in disasters of every shape and size, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.

Don?t Assume They Understand Have you ever been in a situation where someone is talking to you and you don?t understand most of what they are saying, but you smile and nod like you understand everything that they are talking about? Well, you would be surprised to find out how many people do that about the technology that your business uses (or technology in general). Just because people don?t speak up and admit to not understanding something, doesn?t mean that they do. Start with Fundamentals  The best way to learn about anything is to understand the basics of the subject. Technology is a very personal part of people?s lives and while most of your staff will be able to follow along just fine, the small amount that aren?t would do better if they understood the fundamentals of what you are talking about. Stay Local Getting people to relate with what you are saying is a big part of getting them to care about your message. When it comes to business technology, you don?t need to educate these people on the history of the technology or how it relates to other people?s jobs. You just need to communicate how the technology relates to their responsibilities and what steps they need to be aware of to do their job properly. Going outside of a non-techie?s responsibilities is a great way to lose them completely.  Don?t Judge People don?t ever want to come off as dim, and many people will act negatively if someone makes them feel that way. The technical nature of IT carries with it a lot of information that even people who understand technology can?t follow. Everyone has their own area of expertise, and to best relate with a technologically-challenged individual, you should remind them that they know plenty that you don?t know. The truth is that more people struggle with technology than excel at it. If you would like some help finding a training regimen that will help your business explain its technology better to the people that depend on it, call White Mountain IT Services today at (603) 889-0800.

Begin Preparations Proactively When you move to a new location, there is definitely some planning involved. You need to take everything into account ahead of time and adapt your strategy as circumstances dictate. You will want to get your finances in order, and acknowledge that you will run into situations you may not have considered before. Deciding On a Space Moving to a new location, you will want to select one that fits the needs of your business. Do you need a place that brings with it a lot of foot traffic? Do you need more parking? What amenities will you need? There are a litany of considerations that you need to take into account before choosing your new location. Obviously, your budget will play a major role in where your business ends up. Will you be purchasing your new space, renting, financing, or leasing? Knowing what you need in a new location can make a lot of different uncertainties go away. Considering Property Rules If your choice is to rent and lease space, you will need to have a conversation with the managing party to get a clear idea of what your rights are in your new property. Some will be listed on the lease agreement, but some considerations that you need clarification on will have to be discussed with the property manager so as to not cause the relationship to sour.  Determining The Floor Plan Once you are ready to move in you will need to determine where to put everything. Do you need your workspace to be laid out a certain way? Do you want a more open workspace that encourages collaboration or a closed plan that allows people their own secluded space? Do you need a dedicated conference room or rooms? Using the floorplan to determine the look and feel of your new space is one of the most satisfying parts of setting up a new office.  Determining Your ISP Even though the Internet isn?t actually a utility, it is essential to the success of almost every business. Finding a reliable ISP will go a long way toward having your technology work for you. Make sure to investigate your available service providers and make a thorough comparison to get your business the services, speed, and bandwidth your staff will need.  Planning Your IT and Office Communication Systems Once your ISP is on board and has set up your connections the way you would like them, you need to update your technology. That is installing servers, workstations, modems, routers, switches, and more. Furthermore, you will want to simultaneously install the company?s communications infrastructure to ensure that all is ready for your staff to come in and be productive.  Moving your office is a big undertaking. If you need a professional touch, call our IT experts at (603) 889-0800. We can help get you into your office, get you connected, and get you up and running fast. 

That?s not to say there aren?t major problems with using public Wi-Fi networks. The biggest risk is exposing your personal and sensitive data when using someone else?s unsecured Wi-Fi connection. As ISPs continue to expand on their 5G networks, the Wi-Fi hotspot will take on new meaning. Let?s take a look at the future of what we know today as the Wi-Fi hotspot.  There are three separate technologies that are at play here. There is Wi-Fi 6, there is 5G, and there is Hotspot 2.0.  5G The fifth generation of wireless technology promises speeds more in line with a top-of-the-line wired network than a wireless one. Early tests have this technology delivering close to gigabit speeds, which is more than impressive, it is revolutionary. The more bandwidth that can be delivered to people working from remote locations, the more that can get done, the more time and effort is spent in innovating tools for this new technology. Of course, we are in the infancy of 5G, but by 2025, most places that have 4G available now, will have 5G.  Technologies like autonomous cars/trucks, augmented and mixed reality, and data delivery systems that bring a whole new era of increased automation are on the horizon. As far as the mobile workforce is concerned, there will be more coverage and more available data, but it remains to be seen how the ISPs will monetize this data. With their cash cow broadcasting at several hundred times their previous speeds, data will certainly be in demand.  For most of us, data caps, data speed throttling, and data-induced overage charges are variables that we hate most about our phone contracts. Unfortunately, 5G isn?t going to eliminate the need for Wi-Fi. Part of the profitability structure that ISPs depend on is getting people paying for Internet twice, and even if 5G will certainly provide an opportunity for more people to cut their home Internet connection, thriving content delivery services will require it.  Wi-Fi 6 This leads us to the new Wi-Fi version, Wi-Fi 6. Experts say that Wi-Fi 6 will provide up to 40 percent higher available speeds compared with today?s Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi 6?s official name is 802.11ax, and routers are already available. Wi-Fi 6 is more than just faster speeds. It?s designed to handle larger numbers of devices at once. This is a big deal, as more and more connected devices are demanding the attention of the wireless routers across business networks. Hotspot 2.0 So, if 5G isn?t going to get rid of the need for Wi-Fi, and 5G data plans will be laughably shallow, the Wi-Fi hotspot will continue to be a huge benefit for business users and individuals going forward. Hotspot 2.0, also known as Wi-Fi Certified Passpoint, is designed to make it easier and much more secure to connect to a Wi-Fi connection by automatically connecting to a discovered hotspot without the need for the security credentials we would typically use.  Over the next few years, you will begin to see public places switching over to Hotspot 2.0. It will become the standard for wireless hotspots, limiting the need for third-party software that often confronts users of today?s hotspots or hospitality visitors.  The future looks like it will bring ubiquitous Internet access in the form of wireless connectivity. If you would like […]