We?re going to take a look at the current state of email security, and what the future holds for perhaps the most important method of business communication solutions. Email Security is on the Rise For a long time, businesses were focused on keeping threats out of their infrastructure through the use of solutions like firewalls that were controlled centrally. Once email servers entered the picture, these types of solutions became less valuable. Nowadays, many of the services offered by security companies are largely the same at the root level. Ultimately, the differences in email security that you?ll see between companies aren?t in the actual antivirus and spam protection features, but in the additional options and features that they come with. It?s practically necessary in order for any solution to actually stand out from others out there. To an extent, this is a good thing, as organizations are forced to innovate rather than remain stagnant in their service offerings. This is why we always express the importance of enterprise security solutions rather than just spam protection on its own. Centralization is absolutely critical to the success of these solutions. If you have multiple solutions located all across the network, it?s not nearly as effective or efficient as it can be, and you certainly don?t get the comprehensive network security–email included–that you need to keep your organization as secure as possible. What You Can Do To keep your business as secure as possible for the future, you?ll need to think about how email plays a part within your business. Chances are you use it for both internal and external communications, which makes it the ideal target for scammers and spammers to infiltrate your organization. Your business needs to secure its email solution through the use of encryption and firewalls, but it should also be prepared to handle advanced attacks such as denial-of-service and directory harvesting. If you fail to secure your business from these types of threats, they could create bigger problems for your organization down the road. White Mountain IT Services offers a comprehensive, centralized security solution in our Unified Threat Management (UTM) tool. It combines several solutions into one convenient package, including spam protection, antivirus, a firewall, and a content filter, all to mitigate and eliminate potential issues for your network security.

Defining A/B Testing An A/B test is basically comparing two options to find out which one is better or more efficient for your purposes. A/B testing is meant to be kept simple so that there are as few variables involved as possible. A/B tests are used to make choices based on the variables, such as finding out which call-to-action is most efficient or which page layout is most effective. Option A is the way things currently are, or the control, whereas Option B should include the change, or the variables. You then expose an audience to each option in the same capacity to determine which is more effective. Setting Up an A/B Test While A/B testing can be used to make many different kinds of decisions, these are best handled one at a time. If multiple variables are addressed in a single test, chances are that the test won?t be anywhere near specific enough to make any well-supported decisions. A/B testing is best used when it is addressing small changes rather than large ones. You first need to identify the variable you want to test, as well as a metric that you want to measure it against. How can the change improve engagement? Can it increase the time that a user spends on the page? Can it provide a higher click-through rate? Like we mentioned before, it?s all about what you?re trying to measure or improve. Once you?ve determined this, you want to determine what the control option is, as well as what change you want to make after that. Your control group will be what you are currently using, so keep in mind that you?ll have to judge the results of the change against this to determine if there is a significant improvement. You also need to determine the sample size, or the number of recipients who will be a part of the test. Of course, not all changes will be accurately measured by just your sample size. You might find that the study benefits a constantly running project that can collect an adequate amount of data. Before making any changes to your testing, you?ll have to figure out what your threshold for making changes should be so you don?t pull the plug on a test prematurely. Running an A/B Test As far as actually administering the test, you should keep the following in mind; be sure to give it enough time to collect data for your conclusion, and make sure options are tested at the same time to keep other variables from mucking up the data. What are some ways A/B testing can help your business? Let us know in the comments.

The Threats Many devices on the Internet of Things have security problems. You?d think that they wouldn?t be much of a problem since they often have limited functionality. For example, a connected thermostat has a limited number of options (on/off, temperature adjustment). In fact, whether it is a CCTV camera, a smart refrigerator, a connected toy–anything that comes with Internet connectivity–is a potential threat to your home or business? network. There are a myriad of reasons for this. They include: Insecure web interface – Every connected device has an integrated web interface that allows users to interact with the device. If not properly secured, these portals can allow unauthorized users to gain access to the device. Insufficient authentication procedures – Connected devices may have ineffective control mechanisms built in that could, if leveraged by hackers, provide unauthorized parties more access than they should be allowed if it were properly secured. Insufficient encryption – If the data that the IoT device gives off isn?t properly encrypted, it can be intercepted and compromised. Insecure network services – Vulnerabilities of where the network connects to the device can offer unwanted entities a pathway to infiltrate the network or the device. Lack of cloud or mobile security – Some devices come with cloud-based functionality, while others run off a mobile device. If these constructs aren?t properly secured, an IoT connection could present a pretty potent vulnerability. Insecure software or firmware – Often IoT devices lack the ability to be updated. Unfortunately threats don?t stop being developed and it can be a matter of time before a once secure device has a glaring vulnerability. Lacking Physical Security – If a hacker can alter the physical makeup of an IoT device he/she can gain access to the device?s settings, creating an avenue for major security problems. Fixing Threats For every threat there is a remedy, but really the best thing you can do is to be conscientious about the device you are connecting to your network. Every connected device could be the device to cause major problems for you. The industry is split about how exactly to secure crucial computing networks from the threats the IoT presents. The generally accepted strategy to manage the IoT is one where the more things can be controlled from a central hub, the more secure the system will be. While it does make management easier, this strategy doesn?t completely provide the kind of comprehensive risk-based solutions needed to mitigate any IoT-fueled corruption. By not first doing a full risk assessment, especially these days, there is a decent chance of catastrophe. After all, security is about dealing with real threats. The main problems are that most IoT-connected devices don?t come with comprehensive security and they can be altered by a network-attached user pretty easily. Take the driverless car. There is going to have to be a major enhancement in the way that these systems are protected if we hope to utilize automated systems to drive actual people around. Since the driverless car is effectively on a public network–and is not behind a firewall–it will need to have its own encrypted system in order to keep it from getting hijacked. This brings us to one of the best ways to secure an IoT device on any network: ensure it is placed behind […]

Here, we?ll go through the steps that you should consider taking order to protect your business from potential disasters caused by the weather. Have a PlanFirst and foremost, you need to create a comprehensive plan that outlines the processes and procedures that will ensure the survival of your data. While you are at it, you should implement procedure to protect your business? other crucial resource: your employees. This plan needs to cover a variety of scenarios and how each should be addressed, along with general emergency policies, like: The conditions under which the plan will be activated. The chain of command. The locations of emergency equipment around the office. Evacuation routes and meeting areas. Who is responsible for what procedures (including those that pertain to external visitors to the office). This plan should also contain a detailed outline of other matters, including a strategy by which to communicate with your customers and clients to keep them informed about how you are handling the situation. It also doesn?t hurt to keep a copy of your company?s insurance policies with you as well. You also want to make sure that your employees are familiar with your emergency procedures, so that they know what they need to do and where they need to go if some weather disaster strikes and causes the business to close for any length of time. Preparing Your Business ItselfOnce you?ve ensured that you are prepared to get any human personnel out of the building and to safety, you need to consider how you can ensure that your business is protected. Ideally, you may be able to continue operations despite the storm, but if situations arise that make that impossible, you have to have a plan for continuity in place. We recommend a few different technologies to assist you with this, as they are well-suited to business continuity needs. CloudThe cloud is one of the most effective ways to protect your data and enable your business? continuity. The cloud makes it possible for you to store your organization?s crucial data off-site, away from the risks that a given disaster (in this case, a hurricane) presents to it. Traditionally, a business? data is often stored in more than one place, but with a cloud-based backup system, it is redundantly backed up in data centers far from your business. This ensures that a disaster doesn?t destroy both your in-house data and the backup you have in the cloud. With your data backed up in the cloud, it is not only safely protected, you can continue to work with it from wherever you can establish a secure connection. In order to get a backup solution that you know will work for your business continuity needs, you will want to routinely test your cloud-based backups. MobileThe opportunity to do so much computing with a device that can be easily moved around makes mobile devices an essential component to your business continuity plan. After all, even if your data is safe in the cloud, you need a device in order to access it. Having an established Bring Your Own Device policy in action, or distributing work devices to your employees could both help to meet this need; and, as a result, put your organization back in operation much more quickly. Your mobile device is […]

It is important to keep in mind that while our approach will address your workforce as a whole, you will probably find it more effective to review the needs of each department, or even each employee. After all, differing responsibilities may require different capabilities – a system that works just fine for someone who mostly works in data entry probably won?t be enough for someone who produces media on the regular. Of course, other factors may lead to differing requirements, as well. For instance… Step One: How Mobile Are They? Your first determination will need to be based on your average employee?s typical work-related behavior. If they need the ability to go mobile, a desktop workstation just isn?t going to work for them. You may find that laptop computers are a better choice for your company because of this. Laptops may also be beneficial if your company culture, weather conditions, or nature of your business leads your staff to work remotely. On the other hand, if your staff is more or less tied to their desks in the office during business hours, a desktop solution may be the better option. This factor really all depends on how much time ?on the clock? is spent working in one place. The more mobility that is necessary, the more likely it is that a laptop is the better choice. Step Two: What Do They Need to Do With It? This ties in closely with the first consideration, yet expands to include the other scenario we referenced above, comparing the needs of data entry to the needs of media production. This is also where it may make more sense to examine your users? needs on a case-by-case basis, unless your entire team is engaged in the same kind of work. What programs are the ones that your employees will need to use? Once you?ve identified these programs, check the minimum requirements. Whatever you get should be more than capable of meeting these requirements. After all, these programs are likely to be updated, and you don?t want to find yourself having to prematurely replace your systems because they can no longer handle your business-essential software. The recommended specifications will give you a better idea of what you should look for, and if that only helps so much, you can always ask the help of a professional. Step Three: What Will Work for Them? Finally, you need to consider the final variable in this equation – your employees themselves. While this probably won?t be what makes (or alters) your final decision, you should at least know what their preference would be. If it just so happens that their preferences don?t mesh with your plans for your company, there are other ways to use technology to achieve the same outcome. From a Bring Your Own Device policy to remote monitoring and management to remote solutions, there are ways to keep your employees happy and your business productive through the tools that you leverage. White Mountain IT Services can help you put all of these methods into place, and more. Contact us at (603) 889-0800 for more information on what we offer.