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.

Artificial Intelligence AI implementation is en vogue right now, and if the results are any indication, the technology isn?t going away anytime soon. Like humans, as machines get smarter they can do more; but, unlike humans, machines don?t suffer from emotional value determinations. Whether you look at this as a positive or negative trait will depend on whether or not your company is looking to put it to work for you. Here are a few ways businesses will deploy AI: Processing large amounts of data Personalizing customer experiences Operational automation Security Predicting demand And more With businesses that are suffering from what are typically expensive operational problems fueling demand for AI-integrated business solutions, the market for these solutions is growing rapidly. The more businesses that understand how beneficial automation is, the higher the demand there is going to be for artificial intelligence. Blockchain Blockchain has been in the news for the past couple years, typically in the cryptocurrency conversation. Blockchain is a public ledger that?s distributed rather than centralized. Each ?block? stores all the digital pieces of relevant information about a transaction. Once the data is captured it can?t be altered. This presents substantial data security benefits. With the inherent security that the blockchain offers many businesses have been looking for ways to create applications using a more distributed system. As more people work with blockchain, more is known about it; and, as a result, there isn?t a lot of energy expended trying to do superhuman things with the technology. Instead, more blockchain-related tools are being created that are designed to help companies. Blockchain is being used in various ways, including: Managing supply chains Identity management Recordkeeping & archiving Data security And more Blockchain is so popular among application developers that Oracle?s head of blockchain development said that half of businesses will be using some type of blockchain tool in the next three years. 5G Wireless broadband access has completely changed the way people use technology. In the 40 years that wireless has been offered the standard has gone from wireless capabilities of 2.5 Kbs to over 100 Mb/s, but in the next couple of years that standard will be dwarfed by the deployment of 5G. 5G Wireless is set to be introduced in 2019, and it should completely change the world. With data speeds of 1 Gb/s and higher, businesses will gain the following benefits: Faster speeds Reduced Latency Greater Capacity Improved Battery Life And more Innovation will speed up and business will move faster than ever. Additionally, new industries will present themselves as technology is developed. In fact, a study by Qualcomm found that once 5G is completely implemented it will become a ?general purpose technology? on par with electricity and the automobile. Virtual Reality If you polled 100 people, the prevailing sentiment around virtual reality would likely be that it is cool, but as a technology, it is a novelty. Nothing could be further from the truth. With advances in both hardware and software, virtual reality is set to transform the way people see the world. For business use, the applications available from the integration of virtual reality are virtually limitless. With its current novelty status, it is now a popular technology used by companies to market their products. VR offers unprecedented immersion and by creating virtual […]

The E-Waste ProblemPlastic waste has become a major issue over the past few years, and today, we?ve come up with an effective system to get this managed. E-waste, on the other hand, despite being nearly all recyclable remains an issue. E-waste is actually a remarkably expensive issue for the world, with some reports placing the value of e-waste as high as $62.5 billion–more than the GDP of most countries, to put it in perspective. With less than 20% of all e-waste being properly recycled, most devices find themselves in landfills, taking up space in developing countries and exposing people to dangerous substances. E-waste that finds itself in a landfill might be burned, in turn spilling toxic and hazardous materials into the air, or contaminating soil and groundwater, creating further issues for countries unable to manage the sheer volume of e-waste. Several initiatives have been attempted to revamp the way we, as a society, approach the issue. Some think that making devices more durable will resolve it, as devices will be less likely to break and more long-lasting. Others think that a buy-back program is the correct approach, as it encourages users to trade their old devices in for a new one, improving the odds that the old devices will be properly recycled. Ultimately, it becomes a question of whether the device, and the resources used to create it, will be thrown out and become unused. How Your Organization Can HelpIt might seem like your business won?t make much of a difference on its own, but every little bit helps. You can start by being more mindful of how your organization handles unneeded technological assets, like workstations, smartphones, laptops, and other IT-related devices and components. E-waste recyclers: Your local businesses might have opportunities to recycle unused devices, so look into your options before throwing that device in the trash. Repurpose old devices: Do you have an old monitor that?s not seeing much use these days due to being replaced? You can turn it into a digital signage system to aid in displaying important information to your office. Donate devices: If you have unused devices in the office, consider donating them to the less fortunate. After all, just because you have the latest smartphone and junked your old one doesn?t mean that the old device was bad or unusable. You also need to make sure that any devices you want to recycle are wiped of any company and personal data, so be sure to work with a technology professional to make this happen. White Mountain IT Services can help you make this happen. We can also help you make the most out of your old devices, whether it?s recycling them or repurposing them for other uses. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Just to be as clear as possible, we are going to be discussing how to be more efficient with communications that don?t involve face-to-face interaction. This includes email and instant messaging, where context and emotion can be misconstrued. Limit the Scope of Messages It might seem easy to send a message that is simple, but you should never discount the importance of sending multi-purpose emails. The issue, is that certain tasks might be put to the wayside because they are either forgotten or are set aside because they aren?t seen as ?urgent.? Therefore, if you devote some time to crafting specific messages for specific tasks, they will have less of a chance to be put to the wayside or glossed over on accident. Be as Clear as Possible That being said, it can be easy to see how you can get ahead of yourself and try to explain a ton of information in an email or IM when it?s not necessary at all. This can actually overcomplicate the problem and create issues that didn?t exist with it before. Remember, more doesn?t always make the message better. Save Important Meetings for Face-to-Face Conversations If there?s something important to say, it?s often the best course of action to just say it in person. This is particularly the case if there are rather strong feelings felt on either side. It keeps expectations managed and avoids the prospect of people taking things the wrong way. After all, having face-to-face conversations is the best way to handle these situations in the first place, so take advantage of it if you can. White Mountain IT Services can help you implement enterprise-level communications that can help you keep your employees and your business productive. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.