Is It as Simple as a Reboot? To answer this, let?s consider what actions you take with your computer (or any other network attached electronic device). You start your computer, it loads programs, you download more programs, not considering just how much work goes into this. Often times, part of an action doesn?t function the way you?d expect it to. Activities run in the background. You keep using the device. Your system?s resources are being taxed by all these actions. Yet, you keep using the device. Ultimately, you?re working with a RAM-stuffed machine that is crawling along at a speed you don?t recognize. Then you reboot. Suddenly, all those unnecessary processes stop. Once your machine is back up and running again, your RAM is clear, the processes that were dragging down the performance of the technology are no longer running. Your computer works as you expect it to. You turned it off and you turned it back on, and now your computer is fixed. Simple, and funny in the right context. It?s no wonder that since this fixes a lot of problems that people think IT professionals are condescending nerds. On a side note: In no way will rebooting your computer fix a major problem with your computer. You can turn it off and on again, and if it still has an issue, you likely have something else wrong. Then, go ahead and give the nerds a call. For more great tips, call our IT professionals today at (603) 889-0800, and stop back to the White Mountain IT Services blog to learn more about IT.
These advantages are present in a variety of considerations. First, let?s consider the reason that you?re putting up a sign in the first place: to communicate a message. Digital Signage Can More Effectively Grab and Hold the Attention Not to make any insulting comparisons to the people you are trying to communicate with, but there?s a reason that there?s the saying ?like a deer in headlights.? In order to have the night vision they need to survive, a deer?s eyes will dilate much more than our?s do in light. So much information actually needs to be processed, that their brains are effectively taken offline (hence, the colloquialism for someone freezing up). While the effect isn?t nearly as debilitating in human beings, digital signage does effectively catch our attention–up to 400 times as much, as compared to static signs. Digital signage encourages your prospects through the sales funnel much faster (it also probably doesn?t hurt that digital signage boosts engagement by 59 percent and recall by 83 percent). Digital Signage Improves the Customer Experience We?ve all waited in line before, so it will come as no surprise to learn that it can be boring. Many establishments and organizations have found a way to counter this by hanging digital signs around their premises. Not only does this keep clients and customers occupied, it can be used to deliver value and share information about some of the services you offer. Next time you walk into a McDonalds, look at how they handle it. Furthermore, new digital signage solutions can do so using more engaging visuals than the traditional, static sign ever could. While there is plenty of evidence to back it up, this fact is obvious enough that it really doesn?t need support. Therefore, digital signage is a very strong communication tool for both your internal and client-facing messages. Digital Signage Provides Functional Benefits, Too How much have you spent over the years to produce or acquire hardcopy announcements or flyers? With digital signage, those costs are eliminated. Plus, these features help to make your business more environmentally friendly to boot. Interested in experimenting with digital signage? Call up White Mountain IT Services to learn more about its benefits, and how we can help you implement it! Reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Automation Automating business processes can have a huge effect on the business? profitability. This has been a strategy for decades, but today, parts of your business can be automated like never before. Technology such as artificial intelligence allows businesses to automate several menial and repetitive tasks. This innovation, called Robotic Process Automation (RPA) allows businesses to reduce the number of human interactions in several key business performances. For years, the advancement of AI (and its sister technology machine learning) was actually looked on with fear, as people?s jobs were threatened; but, today, the rise of this technology actually frees up people to focus more on human-centric tasks. As a result, RPA-based technology should grow fairly rapidly and reach $4 billion annually by 2025. Internet of Things You may have been one of the millions of people that have purchased some sort of smart device. Some people walk around with smart watches, but when we talk about a business benefiting from the use of smart devices, we are mostly talking about security, utility measuring, supply chain monitoring, and other line-of-business IoT devices. The integration of these devices is being used to track business processes closely and to be able to ensure that every process, every relationship, and every interaction performs in the manner that works for the overall productivity and benefit of the business. Cloud Services It?s amazing to say, but cloud services are still emerging technology. These days, a majority of small and medium-sized businesses use cloud services, but there is still room for growth. As cloud services such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Security as a Service (SEaaS), and AI as a Service (AIaaS) begin to be more utilized in the SMB sector, these products will begin to be structured in a way where SMBs can better take advantage of them. Additionally, there are many new and emerging services being offered for businesses. Some of the largest cloud vendors have specific services they offer that span from simple storage to business intelligence and everything in-between. This provides SMBs the options to get enterprise level tools without the large capital outlay they would pay for these types of solutions. Cybersecurity Every business, regardless of their computing resources or budget should have some type of cybersecurity strategy in place. This is because businesses of all sizes have been virtually taken down by data breaches and other events that could be avoided if they were simply more vigilant about their cybersecurity. While some organizations simply don?t have the financial resources needed to implement enterprise-grade security solutions, reality makes the whole ?we can?t afford it? position problematic. In 2019, 66 percent of SMBs were victims of a cyberattack, meaning that if you were lucky enough to get through 2019 without being attacked, 2020 won?t be so kind. An SMB can really benefit by giving their IT issues the respect they deserve. There are several ways they can do this. They include: Staff training – The better equipped your staff is to deal with situations such as phishing, the more apt your organization is to avoid being the victim of a cyberattack. Since today?s IT systems feature nearly unbreakable encryption, the only way in is through deception. Training your staff to thwart deceptive efforts by hackers can go a long way toward protecting […]
Why Might You Have to Restore Your Applications? As we’ve established, there aren?t too many reasons that you could find yourself needing to restore your applications. Perhaps your old device was damaged unexpectedly, or it was simply time for you to upgrade to a new smartphone. Either way, successfully restoring your applications will become much simpler with a few proactive steps from your mobile device. Preparing Your Android Backup Your first step should be to activate your Android device?s native backup service, which can be found in your Settings, in the System section. From there, tap into Backup, then Back up to Google Drive. This saves a copy of your phone?s settings to your Google Drive, making it much simpler to either restore them or migrate them to a new device. Some launchers, like Google Now or Pixel Launcher, allow you to even save different backgrounds, folder structures, and icons. Migrating this data is simple. As you are setting up the device in question, a Let?s Go button will appear on the welcome screen. This will give you the opportunity to Copy your data, once you?ve connected to Wi-Fi with that device. You will have a few options to select from, but if you prepared as recommended, you should select A backup from the cloud. Doing so with lead you to your Google account so you may sign in, and agree to Google?s terms of service. You should then be presented with a list of available backup options, which will allow you to Restore once you?ve selected the appropriate option, and reinstall your desired applications via the Apps option. From there, you can continue to set up your device as your data is restored. This process makes the task of moving from one device to another far simpler for all involved. Looking for more useful technology tips? Subscribe to our blog, and feel free to reach out to us at (603) 889-0800 to learn more.
Reason #1: You Will Receive an Objective Point of View It’s hard to brainstorm innovative ideas when you are close to the problem or have been working on it for a very long time. And outside IT consulting firms like White Mountain can examine your company with a fresh set of eyes and provide an objective viewpoint that you might not have otherwise considered. Another firm can also provide unbiased recommendations and solutions since they have a clear view of your company. Reason #2. They Already Understand Your Industry Another benefit of partnering with an IT consulting firm is that they most likely already understand your industry. This means you can save valuable time since you won’t have to explain jargon, processes, and other unique aspects of your company’s industry. They can immediately get to work and develop potential solutions. Reason #3. You Can Leverage Their Business Relationships Chances are your IT consulting firm has developed several partnerships with other businesses. You can leverage their business relationships to gain more insight and resources that can help solve your problems much faster and easier than if you were on your own. Reason #4. They Will Develop a Custom Solution for Your Business Another reason you should consider hiring an outside IT management firm is they can develop a customized solution to help with your company’s strategic and technical decisions. We know every client is different. We will sit down with you and learn more about specific goals and objectives you may have for the business and other important information before we make a recommendation on a certain solution or roadmap to help you get there. Reason #5. Their Years of Experience and Talent Can Benefit Your Company Is your company just starting out? Or maybe your employees don’t have extensive IT experience? If so, you can simply hire another IT consulting firm and use their staff’s years of experience in the field to benefit your company. They can bring valuable insight that may help take your company to the next level. Our team has specialized skills that can help your business implement certain processes and methods to make your company even more successful. Reason #6. Your Company Will Save Money by Hiring an IT Consulting Firm Lastly, your company can save a considerable amount of money by outsourcing your company’s technical and strategic decisions to an outside IT consulting firm like White Mountain IT. It would be very expensive to hire a talented executive with extensive IT skills. Your company would have to pay them a competitive salary and benefits to attract someone with talent. You would also have to take time out of your schedule to train them and get them up to speed. Many small and medium-sized businesses don’t have the resources or capital to hire a new executive. It makes much more sense to outsource it to an experienced firm at a fraction of the cost. Please contact us to find out more about our IT consulting and Virtual Chief Information Officer services. White Mountain IT can help your company with strategic planning, budgeting and other important topics.
