Why is Monitoring Necessary?Simply put, there are too many reasons to list here why you need to keep an eye on employees. Not all the reasons are bad, there are certainly some positive behaviors that you will want to take note of. Some industries will need more monitoring than others, but that doesn?t mean that the benefits don’t apply to them. Employee Issues Are More VisibleMistakes can be caught and rectified earlier if there is constant monitoring for them. In some cases, the employees might not even know that they are making a mistake. On the other hand, if employees are failing to adhere to company policies, then you?ll be able to respond in kind. Monitoring can help you see if policies are being broken and allows you to keep your business interests safe. With high-quality notes regarding these transgressions, you can privately approach the individuals at a later date. Employee Accomplishments Are Also VisibleMonitoring for mistakes might make it more tempting to jump on someone for their issues, but this doesn?t mean that they don?t accomplish anything, either. You might see that their patterns are leading to success. This gives you the opportunity to congratulate your staff for their accomplishments and describe the processes that led to them. Your staff will have more ideas to use in their day-to-day responsibilities while also learning more about what it takes to stand out at your organization. White Mountain IT Services can give your organization the tools it needs to monitor your workforce and provide positive reinforcement or deal out consequences for the work done by your team. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

In the past, businesses had to tolerate unacceptable IT assistance just to say that they had it when it was needed. It was either this or invest considerable amounts of time and resources into hiring an in-house IT department, which isn?t always an option when budgeting and geographical location come into play. Simply put, your organization will always need IT support, whether you?re a small organization or a large corporation. You might think that it?s fine to just worry about your IT when issues present themselves, but preventing the issues in the first place is where the savings really start. The traditional method of handling IT maintenance for small businesses that don?t have the time or resources to do it themselves is the ?break-fix? model, which involves only maintaining technology when a problem has presented itself. While it might save you money in the short term, it will hamper your organization?s ability to function in the long run, as critical maintenance might be put off in order to save money. Furthermore, you often lose a lot of money in the short term, as issues that pop up will result in a considerable amount of downtime. Therefore, we recommend a preventative measure that addresses minor issues as they pop up so they don?t have the opportunity to evolve into larger, more costly problems. The alternative solution is to implement a comprehensive managed IT solution that can save your organization time and money on technology maintenance and management. Managed IT essentially turns the capital expense of maintaining technology and transforms it into an operational expense. This effectively replaces your company?s large up-front expenses with smaller, more affordable monthly payments. Even if you currently have an IT resource in the fold, having another to supplement it can be helpful for projects that need to be fulfilled. To learn more about how your company can take advantage of managed IT services, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

The traditional way a business utilizes telephone communications is through a local telephone provider. This is the way that many organizations have operated for years, relying on the services provided by their telephone company to stay in touch with clients and contacts alike. While this may have worked fine in the past, VoIP provides far too many benefits to pass up. Ease of AdditionsOne of the main issues that stems from relying on telephone companies for communication is that every time you have to add a new user to your network, you have to run new lines for new extensions and handsets in your office. This can be both time-consuming and expensive, as it might entail remodeling the office, knocking down walls, or moving things around to suit your needs. VoIP makes it easier to add new users and phone lines since it runs on a pre-existing infrastructure–the Internet. As long as you have enough bandwidth to support the devices on your network, then you?re golden. You Pay What You Want for What You GetHow many times do you find yourself paying for services that are either underutilized or unused at all? This happens more often than you think, as telephone providers often bundle together services that the average business doesn?t need, like cable television or satellite Internet. Instead of these businesses paying for services that aren?t needed, VoIP providers give you the option to pay for specific features that you know your organization needs, not ones that a telephone company thinks you need. Additional FeaturesGenerally speaking, telephone communications are limited to the standard features that your telephone provider offers. This might include features like call forwarding, conference calling, and others that you might have taken for granted over the years, but they aren?t as dynamic as you might come to expect from modern communications solutions. VoIP can provide your organization with tools like video chat, instant messaging, and other tools to take full advantage of the telephone system. VoIP can help your business push beyond its boundaries and improve the way it approaches communication. To learn more about what we can do for you, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Stand UpEvery year, the average office worker will spend around 2,000 hours at their desk; that?s around a quarter of the year? sitting. With technology being so prevalent in the workplace, around 85 percent of American workers need a screen to do their job, and it causes considerable damage to the body. Sitting down can place users at high risk of muscular-skeletal disorders, diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart disease, and so much more. Working out often isn?t enough to offset the damage done, either; in sectors where long hours are required, users might not even have the time to make it happen. Changing it up every now and then can add several years back to your life. If you can?t avoid sitting all day at your job, then take proactive measures by improving your posture, which can make all the difference in preventing issues like arthritis and bursitis. Eat ProperlySedentary life has its own share of issues that are only further fueled by failing to eat properly. Fast food and high-carb or high-fat diets can lead to obesity and heart disease. Foods high in omega-3s and monounsaturated fats can help lower your cholesterol; examples of these include nuts, fish, and avocados. The best way to avoid putting on extra weight is to be more mindful of what you ingest. For breakfast, you should begin with a meal of yogurt, fruit, or oats, then supplement any cravings with nuts, wholegrain crackers, and more fruit until you get to lunchtime. For lunch, you want foods high in protein and low in carbs, followed by low-carb snacks as needed in the afternoon. Dinnertime can often be a challenge, as some workers don?t get home until late in the evening. Still, avoid eating dinner too late, as it will have a negative impact on your metabolism. Safeguard Your Mental HealthThe modern office tests the limits of the average worker?s mental health. It?s important for a worker who spends the majority of their life working to feel some semblance of fulfillment from their job. There are those who routinely put in more hours of the daily grind at the office than they do getting a good night?s sleep. According to the Center for Disease Control, one in every three people don?t get enough sleep. The average adult?s ideal night of sleep is at least seven hours for maximum wellbeing and health. Yet, sometimes even a good night?s rest and a proper diet aren?t good enough for those who are under a heavy amount of stress on a daily basis. Stress is known as a silent killer, and it?s one that takes many forms. It can be placed on one by themselves, but it also comes from external factors in the workplace, like demands from clients or coworkers. In some cases, it can even come from machines, like the workstations that we all use on a daily basis, especially when they don?t act properly. Stress is a major problem for employers to deal with, too. A study by Harvard and Stanford in 2016 found that two out of three workers claim to be ?always, often, or sometimes? taking part in unhealthy behaviors, like drinking or crying, as a result of the stress they feel from their job. Coupled with about 120,000 workplace deaths linked to workplace stress […]

Data Backup vs Disaster Recovery: What?s the Difference? Many business professionals use data backup and disaster recovery as if they are interchangeable, but this is simply not the case. The truth is that data backup and disaster recovery are two very different practices that target specific parts of the business continuity process. Data backup is the act of creating a separate physical copy of your data that can be restored at a later date, whereas disaster recovery includes the act of actually restoring the data using the data backup. In other words, one can?t happen without the other existing, so they are both integral to the continuity of a business?s successful restoration. Details on Data BackupIn particular, you should be focused on which data (and how much of it) you want to back up. It?s important to remember that not all data will be as important as the rest, so it?s critical that you think about what data will be necessary to keep your organization functional during operational troubles. As a rule, you should try to back up as much as you can without it affecting your ability to restore later on. The ideal data backup process will happen automatically without any resource dedicated to running it, as user error has sunk more than a few businesses in need of a data backup. Details on Disaster RecoveryOn a related note, disaster recovery deals with the process of restoring your data following a disaster. The main way of measuring effectiveness of disaster recovery is speed–how fast can you get back into a comparable situation where you?re not operating at a loss. You should also consider where you?re trying to restore from; best practices dictate that you have at least three copies of your data with one stored off-site in a secure data center, one stored in the cloud, and one stored on-site for ease of access. Furthermore, you need to consider running automated tests to ensure the disaster recovery process will work the way you want it to when you need it most. Does your business need a hand with implementing data backup and disaster recovery? Our all-in-one Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution can provide you with a powerful preventative solution to ensure your organization doesn?t fall to unexpected disasters. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.