Try Turning it Off and On In a lot of ways, a computer is kind of like the human brain. If you don?t give it some rest every so often, it starts to grow sluggish. Imagine a good, proper reboot is a good night?s sleep for your computer, giving it a chance to restart functions that have been constantly going for the past several days. First, save any open files you?re working on. Next, click or tap on the Windows symbol in the Start menu, select the power icon, and hit Restart. Determine What?s Slow If restarting the computer doesn?t help, you need to figure out what is making it move so slowly. Narrowing down the issues can help with finding a resolution. Here are some tricks to try: Check if certain programs are moving slowly. If everything else feels normal, there might be an issue with a particular software. Click between your web pages to see if the Internet is slow, or if the pages are loading slowly. You can also try clearing your web browser?s cache and see if that helps. If you are having troubles accessing files on the network, then the issue is likely network-related. If the PC slows down at a specific time of day, then perhaps there is a virus scan occurring, or some other resource-intensive task. Run an Antivirus Scan If there isn?t a specific issue that you can identify, there?s the possibility that your computer has been infected by a virus or malware. Viruses and malware frequently utilize a lot of system resources, even if you can?t identify a specific problem. Try running a scan and see what results you get. You might be surprised at what you find. If you don?t run these scans regularly, you could potentially be leaving threats on your network for extended periods of time. You also want to make sure that your antivirus is properly maintained and updated with the latest threat definitions. Close Programs Running in the Background If your computer isn?t running as fast as you like, you can check the Task Manager to see which programs are eating up all your resources. You can open this up by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Escape. The tab you?re looking for is Processes. You?ll see several columns labeled CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network. These columns are filled with percentages telling just how much of it is being used. The Disk and Network columns are probably going to be either at or close to zero as long as you?re not saving or rendering files. The Memory and CPU columns will vary more, depending on how many applications you have opened up. If there are any columns that are consistently high, you might have an issue on your hands–particularly if CPU or Memory is at 90% or higher. You can sort these columns to determine which one is eating all your resources. Once you?ve found it, you can right-click on the application and click End Task (though this won?t save any work being done in the application, so be sure to do this first). Also of note is that some programs are required to keep your computer at optimal performance, one of which is your antivirus. You should always consult IT before ending a task that you think […]

A Brief Review of the IoT An Internet of Things device tends to have its typical functionality along with additional connection to the Internet. The only real caveat is that the device needs to not be something that would ordinarily have Internet connection as its primary function. Consider fitness devices like watches that can send data to your phone for easy viewing, as well as devices like Amazon Echo that can help you control your home with voice commands. The convenience and ?cool? factor surrounding these devices makes them popular among consumers, and as such, there is a high adoption rate for this technology. Projections place the economic value of the Internet of Things at approximately $4-$11 trillion by 2025, with some 20.4 billion devices all around the world by 2020. Home Usage by Businesses Since the IoT is largely associated with personal use and casual purposes, it?s largely known for being relatively insecure compared to other types of devices. However, Gartner reports that businesses are still using IoT devices, and not just to a minor degree. In fact, it?s estimated that 63% of IoT devices in 2017 were owned by consumers, while businesses contributed to 57% of the spending on IoT technology. This trend isn?t surprising, as the kind of features that consumers want, also translate well to a business? needs. For example, some of the devices used by consumers, like IoT powered security cameras, can also be used to monitor the office. Of course, the opposite is also true; there are devices for businesses that consumers simply can?t purchase due to the high price tag. An example of this is the smart devices used by subscription-based services like gyms. The IoT fitness equipment might be too expensive for the average user, but it?s just right for these kinds of businesses. Barriers to the IoT Implementing the Internet of Things in the workplace can be challenging. Before investing too much, be sure to check if there is a measurable need that the device addresses. The IoT is definitely more suited to businesses that have a lot of repetitive work, as it can be used to alleviate the monotony of these tasks. However, it?s important to make sure that an investment into the IoT will be worth it from a financial standpoint. Of course, security will continue to be a problem for IoT devices, so it?s also critical that you take this into account. To get started thinking about the Internet of Things as an asset rather than a threat, reach out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

We continuously stress the need for even our smallest clients to have a continuity plan. The bigger the business, the more comprehensive the plan has to be. After all, if there are a lot of moving parts in your business, you?ll have a lot of moving parts when it is hit with a data loss incident. In fact, we spend a lot of time talking about data loss and how it can negatively affect your business, but we will never be able to stress enough just how big of an asset your data actually is. All the expense that you?ve paid out in man-hours and resources can be lost in a blink of an eye, so doing everything you can to protect that asset is extremely important. The truth is, that for the small business, losing data can be the end game. Let?s take a look at some of the surprising statistics; and, for each we?ll break down what it potentially means for your business. Statistic #1: 75% of small businesses do not have a continuity policy So you run a deli, or a hair salon, or a small boutique. You have two computers that you use and one of them is your point of sale system. Why would you need to have a business continuity plan in place? The answer is in the name: Continuity. You don?t want to go out of business if something were to happen that would cause you to close your doors for a few days, would you? As far as data backup goes, here are some scenarios: Your deli accepts credit card information through its dedicated point of sale system. The hardware on the system crashes…Now what? How good would it look if you told your regular customers that their financial information was lost? Even if it wasn?t stolen, you have to imagine that your reputation would take a hit. You run a small clothing boutique. One of your employees checks their email while they are doing inventory. They click on a link that infects your computer with malware. Can you let a simple mistake floor your business? A comprehensive data backup strategy will protect you from anything that can put your data at risk. From hardware failure to employee sabotage. As an integral part of an overall business continuity plan, data backup protects your organization?s data in case something terrible happens. Statistic #2: Over half of companies have experienced a downtime event that was longer than a full workday sometime in the last five years. Downtime is a business killer. Think about it: during periods of operational downtime, your business is not producing anything, nobody is making any sales, AND you are paying people to sit around and twiddle their thumbs. It will be no surprise to learn, then, that the reason so many businesses fail after a data loss incident, isn?t that they didn?t back up their data, it?s that they didn?t recover enough of it fast enough. When we consult businesses, we stress the importance of redundancy. The BDR solution we offer has a network attached device that backs up data locally, but the device also pushes changes into the cloud, ensuring that data is stored in more than one place, and giving administrators peace of mind that if something terrible […]

Accessories may have been a major part of using a computer in the past, but smartphones and tablets have changed the name of the game, so to speak. Accessories still make up a large portion of the costs associated with purchasing a computer, but what exactly constitutes an accessory? Generally speaking, computer accessories will all provide various features to devices aiding in functionality, security, or support. These can be further split up into two different groups: basic and advanced accessories. Basic Computer Accessories Basic computer accessories generally aren?t as expensive, and they don?t usually come with their own power supplies. Some pieces of wireless technology aim to change this, however. Here are some basic computer accessories: Cables and Wires Keyboards and Mice Speakers and Microphone Webcam Headsets Flash Drives Adapters Bags and Cases Advanced Computer Accessories These more expensive computer accessories have a higher price tag, but also come with their own power supply. Another name for these accessories is peripherals. They tend to perform their own specialized tasks compared to basic computer accessories. They include: Printers (Ink, and Toner) Scanners Charging Stations Digital Signage External Storage Power Protection Overall, every product you purchase for your computer other than the computer and monitor is considered an accessory. Peripherals that come with their own power supply can also fall into this category, as they can?t be used without a CPU. White Mountain IT Services can help your business manage its countless devices and accessories. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Idle Time in the Office The study conducted by the Harvard Business School showcased that employers lose $100 billion each year to time spent by employees remaining idle in the office. Even the researchers were shocked by the sheer magnitude of this number. Professor Teresa Amabile and Professor Andrew Brodsky expected significant loss from idle time, but were floored by the actual sum. For the purposes of the study, idle time is defined as time when an employee is ready and able to work, but something keeps them from being productive. Some of the primary causes of this idle time range from poor task allocation to equipment management availability, with everything in between. One method of research used by Amabile and Brodsky involved running a series of experiments that tested the effects of being idle. The subjects would copy over sentences (including typos) without having access to the Internet or their phones. The researchers found that participants would draw out their tasks to fit the time they had to complete the task rather than just complete it as soon as possible. On the other hand, if they had the chance to use the Internet or their devices, they would instead complete the task as soon as possible so they could get to something less menial or more enjoyable. Going slower didn?t result in fewer errors–only more time spent on the task. The researchers dubbed this tendency to slow down the ?deadtime effect,? noting that the ?deadline effect? is different in that it causes an increase in productivity as the deadline draws near. Fighting This Trend According to the research, Amabile and Brodsky found that some strategic ?leisure time? (time spent not working on something productive) was beneficial to keeping idle time to a minimum. If you can promote transparency and base evaluation of employees on outcomes rather than the road to those outcomes, managers can make the lives of employees much easier while still benefiting from all the work being done. Thanks to the increased productivity such a policy can bring about, management can obtain a better perspective on how long specific tasks can take to accomplish. Consequently, tasks can be allocated more efficiently, allowing employees to get more done throughout the workday without sacrificing quality. What are some methods you?ve used to improve productivity in your workplace? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to our blog.