User Error: Mistakes Happen Even the best employee will eventually make a mistake, and with it comes the negative association with being punished or ?scolded? for making said mistake. They might even try to hide the mistake to avoid the fallout of it, particularly if they are afraid of being punished about it. It?s your responsibility to ensure that your employees understand that it?s only natural to make mistakes from time to time. In these moments, you must own it–particularly if the issue becomes a downtime incident. Hardware Failure and Technology Troubles If someone has a desktop that?s not functioning properly, they need to speak up and have IT address the issue. After all, if the worker is constantly at odds with their technology, it will lead to less work being done, and poorer quality work. Unless you want their work to suffer, you should provide them with a single point of contact for all of your business? IT needs. Phishing Scams Phishing scams can vary in scope and scale, but they generally involve your organization falling prey to targeted attempts at stealing business credentials. This is one of those mistakes that even senior employees might fall for. Phishing attacks can be as simple as someone posing as tech support to get a password, username, or remote access to a computer, only to install malware or other threats on it. Some of these attacks are so elaborate that they can convince users that the CEO of their business is asking for a wire transfer or other suspicious activity. Either way, you should always have the user investigate the authenticity of suspicious requests before carrying them out. Does your business need to protect itself from these threats? Of course it does. To learn more about how your organization can keep its network security intact, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
New Security It?s not exactly a secret that connected devices don?t always come with powerful security. In fact, the IoT has been looked at as a risk by IT administrators since its inception. After all, if there isn?t any strength to the integrated security of the device, it is a vulnerability that could, if leveraged as such, be a handle to pull an organization?s computing network down with. One of the biggest shifts we will begin to see within the IoT is a focus on device security. As it is right now, devices like wearables, internet-connected appliances, audio/media equipment, and other consumer-driven networked devices are designed to be easy to connect to. This makes them easy to exploit. More concerning are the devices designed for specific business tasks, such as factory equipment, automated utility infrastructure, security cameras, and more, all of which could cause trouble if they were accessed by an outside entity. More Devices Depending where you get your information, there are between eight and 25 billion IoT devices connected to the Internet. The smart money would bet on the latter number being more accurate. With that many devices, it?s hard to imagine any network being safe, right? The truth is that we?ve only hit the tip of the iceberg. Estimates put the number of Internet-connected devices at nearly 75 billion by 2025. If the industry is going to grow that rapidly, we?d like to see a whole lot less risk than there is with these devices today. IoT Devices Will Do More Most IoT devices do one specific task, and they do it well. With 5G networks right around the proverbial corner, it should usher in a whole new era for IoT. With the enhanced bandwidth afforded by 5G mobile network speeds, management of the endpoints created by IoT devices will suddenly be faster and more responsive. This will likely have a major effect on the security issue mentioned above as well as the limitations of capability that a lot of the devices that have been released thus far have. It Will Come to Define the Automobile IoT already has its place in the automotive industry, but as data becomes more and more important for automakers, the need for smart devices will enhance substantially. With the entire automotive industry on the precipice of being yet another data-hungry market, you are sure to see the use of innovative technologies like IoT grow precipitously. Business to the Edge Cloud computing has become one of the most important technology innovations of the 21st century (despite being developed in the 20th century). Today virtualized environments of all types provide countless options for the growing business to succeed. The cloud doesn?t work for everything however. Some parts of businesses simply don?t have any use for cloud computing per se. Logistics and shipping departments for manufacturers and distributors can benefit the from use of IoT technology. This is what is called edge computing, as they are important variables in a business? operations, but aren?t core technology systems. The Internet of Things will continue to be a major player in the way that businesses move into the information age. If you would like more information on the Internet of Things or on how your business should make IoT security a priority, call White Mountain IT Services today at […]
If there?s one thing that keeps a business going, it?s unified access to company resources. This includes file sharing. In order to collaborate and work on projects both individually or in groups, sharing files will be of critical importance. However, due to the rather risky nature of running a business, sharing files must be done securely, otherwise it puts your data in harm?s way. How can you make sure this doesn?t happen for your organization? We?ve put together some best practices for how a modern business can make sure they aren?t placing their business at risk with their file sharing practices. Take Measures to Prioritize Security Right from the get-go, your organization should be focused on implementing security features for your file sharing systems. You don?t want to find out your employees are using unauthorized applications for file sharing purposes, as they are much more difficult to control and manage. Therefore, you should make it a priority to take security into your own hands, as if you wait too long, it could spell trouble. Implement a Business-Grade System For the average consumer, there are several options for file sharing. While it might be tempting to save money and invest in other parts of your business, we urge you to consider enterprise-class products that are designed exclusively for business. In fact, many of the services the average user takes advantage of have enterprise offerings with security features designed for use with business. If you?re not sure of how to approach this kind of file sharing, be sure to reach out and ask us about it. Take Advantage of the Cloud The cloud is a great tool that can help your business thrive, and it?s especially helpful for file sharing. The cloud enables anytime-anywhere access, which can promote productivity and flexibility in your working environment. Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of security unless you?ve implemented a virtual private network for your employees to access. What this does is encrypt data while it?s in transit, protecting files from being accessed by anyone who is unauthorized to do so. Educate Your Users The cornerstone of any data security measures is to educate your users on why it?s important, as well as how to do it. Train your employees on how to identify potential security issues while sharing files, as well as how to share information in a secure way. After all, if you are going to implement a secure method of sharing data and files, you better make sure your employees are going to use it (and use it well). To learn more about how you can implement file sharing for your business in a secure way, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Once crime that has seen several false portrayals is the act of hacking. This is not very surprising as hacking is a clandestine effort that would be in reality extraordinarily tedious and boring. That?s not to say that media doesn?t have an effect on how people view hackers, however. The more ludicrous content creators make depictions of hacking and hackers out to be in TV and movies, the less people actually consider that they are, in fact, the people being targeted. Of course, this is just a contrived and ludicrous amalgamation from hacker movies and other interesting PC images (it even has the Matrix). Look at all the flashing lights and other idiotic stuff on that page. A real hacker?s screen is one with function. There are command prompts and open windows with real applications that help them to their end. In fact, the majority of modern hackers, because computing networks and communications are so well encrypted, need to utilize real credentials. So really their home screen probably looks a lot like yours. A browser with an email client open, a word processor to write the message, and maybe a graphics program to make it look as close to professional as possible. Real hacking consists of more research and planning than fast-paced, against-the-clock typing in flashing boxes on a screen. In fact, the computer itself usually does the heavy lifting, as special software is used to infiltrate places by trying different options millions of times. Automation, unless it is undertaken by an eight-foot robot with laser guns, or it results in complete catastrophe, is not cinematic. Most people still don?t know what it takes to hack. All they know is that there are ?hackers? out there in Russia or China looking to steal their credit card numbers and it is up to people smarter and more capable than them to protect them. That kind of Superman view of hacking is exactly why there are so many people that fall victim to them each year. The truth is that people need to know how to protect themselves from hackers. White Mountain IT Services can help. If you and your staff need help sorting fact from fiction, or if you want your whole team to know exactly what you need to do (and what not to do) to protect you and your company?s resources, call us today at (603) 889-0800.
What is Virtualization? With a traditional server infrastructure, you?ll have one operating system installed on each server. The software compatible with the server will depend on what operating system is installed on it, which in turn is also affected by the hardware. In comparison, virtualization allows the operating system to be abstracted, meaning that it?s capable of running outside the hardware using an emulated copy hosted in a layer of software called the hypervisor. In other words, one physical server can do the work of many. What?s So Great About That? Prior to the implementation of virtualization, the direct relationship between hardware and software could be complicated and problematic. For example, configuring software was a particularly challenging task, and so was trying to move software to a different piece of hardware. This could complicate tasks, but with virtualization it is much easier to scale a solution to your specific needs with little-to-no impact on performance. Types of Virtualization There are many different kinds of virtualization that your business can utilize to its benefit. Here are just a few of them: Network virtualization: A virtual network can be broken up into smaller and more easily managed pieces. These can be assigned to channels and their resources for whenever they are needed. Server virtualization: A server can be more flexible when it?s virtualized. Think about it like this: it?s more simple for a user to utilize, as it can provide improved resources for the user. The server also has the ability to improve capacity to grow alongside your business? future needs. Desktop virtualization: Desktop virtualization allows your business to simulate a desktop on a hosted server, rather than gathering the right device for the job. This means that a ?workstation? can effectively be accessed on any connected device. Storage virtualization: You can store data in a virtual environment for easy access on any approved device. This type of virtualization pulls multiple types of physical storage solutions together to create a single unified location for the data. Data virtualization: By abstracting things like location, format, and performance from a data set, this data set is able to be assigned broader access. Application virtualization: If you remove the application from the operating system through abstraction, you no longer need to depend on whether it?s compatible or not with the operating system to use it on your device. White Mountain IT Services can help your business ensure virtualization goes off without a hitch. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
