It all starts by considering the biggest security issues facing the Internet of Things. We?ll walk you through some of them, as well as what you can do to shore up any potential weaknesses in your infrastructure. The Sheer Quantity of IoT Devices It?s hard to protect yourself from threats when there are so many of them out there. This is even more true for Internet of Things devices. If you consider each and every device that has some sort of connected functionality as an Internet of Things device, you suddenly see why there are so many issues regarding security for businesses. It?s inevitable that at least one of them will contain some sort of threat. If any single one of these devices is infected with malware or ransomware, its presence on your network could become a major issue. What?s worse is that many of these devices are often those that you might not typically expect to have any sort of connectivity. Examples are smart cars, appliances, thermostats, watches, and more. This makes them somewhat difficult to prepare for, as it?s a little more difficult to plan access control around devices that you can?t predict will access your network. Patches and Updates The sheer number of devices also plays a part in regards to patching and applying updates to them. The Internet of Things is so vast that it is impossible to guarantee that all of the devices are using the most up-to-date versions of whatever software operates them. This means that it?s likely at least one of the devices accessing your network aren?t as up-to-date as they need to be. Even worse is the fact that many Internet of Things devices are often one-off systems created by developers for the sole purpose of capitalizing on what?s popular in that moment. This could potentially lead to developers no longer supporting certain devices, as they may not have sold well or weren?t as popular as expected. You might not be able to control and manage devices out there in the wild, but you can attempt to control and manage the devices that access your data on a regular basis. The first step is taking a look at the devices your employees bring to work with them, as well as managing the permissions that each of them has to access specific data on your infrastructure. Furthermore, you?ll need to make sure that all devices connected to your network are up-to-date, as even minor vulnerabilities could become a gateway for threats. Does your business have trouble managing devices and access control? White Mountain IT Services can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Before You Invest? One of the first things you want to do before investing in Alexa as a virtual assistant is to consider the lack of privacy that a user gets when using it. This goes for most virtual assistants out there. Your office needs to be considerate of what they say around the virtual assistant, as you never know what it could tell other people. You could potentially create an uncomfortable situation that accomplishes the exact opposite of what you intended. Therefore, it?s critical that you take various steps toward minimizing the trouble that a virtual assistant like Alexa could provide for your organization. Some of these steps include disabling voice shopping and enabling PIN security. You should also set up your Alexa so that only a specific voice profile can use the device. This keeps only authorized users from being understood by the device. Alexa Manages Your Meetings Once you?ve ironed out the privacy issues sufficiently, you can add your calendar to your Alexa so that it can help you manage appointments. To set this up, go to alexa.amazon.com or open up the Alexa application. Go to Settings > Calendar. Alexa has compatibility with common business suites like G Suite, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Office 365, and even iCloud, making it a versatile solution no matter your business? preferred solutions. Once these have been added, you can create an event by saying, ?Alexa, add an event to my calendar.? Alexa can read back your events for the day and answer any questions related to your calendar. Alexa for Business Amazon is capitalizing on the popularity of Echo to create a successful product with Alexa. Nowadays, Amazon issues Echo devices that have Alexa for Business built right into them. Thanks to this, business professionals can take advantage of Alexa?s new capabilities. These include: Performing queries on local databases Providing access to sales data Checking and managing inventory Ordering supplies Setting reminders Managing lists Controlling AV equipment Initiating phone calls Notifying support for IT & building maintenance Amazon has even taken their development of new technology a step further by considering enterprise-level security and management that integrates enrollment tools that can help you manage access to your critical systems. This is part of the Amazon Web Services division, and as such, organizations will have to pay for any devices separately, but the cost of management remains static according to the Alexa for Business model. Alexa for Business is being used by several large businesses that have found a way to make it profitable for them, so the possibility is still there for your organization as well. Amazon?s power play to make the best, most efficient virtual assistant out there is being heard all throughout the industry, so it would be foolish not to at least consider the thought. The Alexa Skills Kit Even if someone who isn?t associated with an Alexa for Business-sponsored company can take advantage of several features built into the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, or Tap, to create their own personal assistant. Here are some of the apps included in the Skills Kit: Conference Manager: This app is built by Vonage, and it allows your Google Calendar to tell you what your next conference call is. It can also connect you to your call by calling any […]

In case you?re looking for a nice alternative PDF file-editing software, the most recent version of Microsoft Word can do so. Since the investment for Adobe Acrobat isn?t for everyone, you can instead turn to the tried-and-true all-purpose word processing software to edit your PDF files. Open the PDF The first step is to open up your PDF. You can do this by opening up Microsoft Word and selecting Open Other Documents from the menu to your left. You should see the Open menu. In this, click on Browse. Another message should appear informing you that Word will convert the PDF to an editable Word document. If you?re fine with this, click on OK. You should see the PDF open up in Word. Before you can make any edits, you?ll have to disable protected view. Word opens up these documents in protected view because they could potentially be infected with malware or other threats. If you trust this document, you can click on Enable Editing to start making changes. Once you?ve done this, you?ll get another notification that shows you that Word will convert the PDF into a Word document. Just click on the checkbox or click OK to close this message. You can now edit your PDF. After you make your edits, you need to convert it back to a PDF format. You can do this by selecting File > Save As and setting the type to PDF via the dropdown menu under the file name. You should rename the document slightly as well before saving it in a file folder. Once you?re finished, the edited PDF should open up in your default PDF viewer, whether it?s Microsoft Edge or another program. What are some other Microsoft Word features that you want us to investigate? Just let us know in the comments.

What is a Plug-In? Putting it very simply, a plug-in is a supplemental application that enables a browser to perform additional functions. These applications are extremely useful, as they automatically run in the browser?s code instead of opening another window. Furthermore, they enable you to view content on a website that you may not have been able to otherwise, because your browser may lack the capabilities on its own. There are hundreds of plug-ins now available to augment these capabilities, including some familiar faces. Adobe Acrobat and Flash Player are both examples of plug-ins, as are Microsoft Silverlight, Java, and QuickTime Player. Where Do Plug-Ins Come From? Plug-ins date back to the very beginning of the World Wide Web, where the original HTML code wasn?t prepared to handle more advanced tasks – like video or online game content. In order to get this problematic content to work properly, a plug-in assists the browser in processing it. This approach is widely used to this day, but some of the inherent weaknesses that plug-ins can have are spurring the advancement and development of improved methods. For example, for the longest time, plug-ins have been technically separate from the browsers that they interact with, but now there is a concerted effort to integrate the plug-in more closely with the other content on the page. Isn?t This the Same as a Browser Extension? In a word, no. The key difference is the amount of information that either can access. While a plug-in works the same way, regardless of the browser being used, they are specifically added to an individual page. This means that they can only be used on that given page. An extension, on the other hand, is incorporated into the browser itself, and therefore can technically be utilized on any page the browser navigates to. What else would you like to know more about? Leave a comment and tell us, and make sure you check back to see if we?ve covered it!