The cloud provides all manner of benefits to your business, including user productivity and efficiency. Here are some of the best ways you can take full advantage of the cloud. Asset Virtualization If your organization uses lots of different hardware and software, you can create virtual environments where they are stored and accessed as needed. This can be anything from a server operating system to a software solution. Basically, you?re storing these assets on someone else?s computer where they can be accessed at a later date from any of your connected devices. It?s definitely easier than installing an application on each of your workstations or purchasing multiple servers for each individual operating system. Software that is stored in the cloud is much more accessible to your organization?s employees. Basically, you store the application in the cloud so that it can be accessed on just about any device. In most cases, this can be anything ranging from a smartphone to a full-fledged desktop. Some applications like Gmail and Microsoft Office 365 can be accessed on just about any device, allowing for seamless productivity. Hardware virtualization also provides your organization with the opportunity to consolidate your server infrastructure, further enhancing operations. Data Access and Storage Data storage is also one of the other primary functions of cloud computing. Without cloud storage, none of its other functions would be possible. Cloud-based data storage is much more accessible on connected devices, allowing for productive use of data as long as the device has a way to interact with the data itself. The cloud also plays a pivotal role in data backup and disaster recovery. What?s the best way to take advantage of the cloud for your business? You can find out by calling White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

What Are Computer Forensics, and What Are They Used For? Computer forensics is generally considered the application of special processes and techniques that can be used to analyze information on a computer or network. Forensics are also generally meant to protect evidence that could potentially be used in a trial. Once the warrant required has been issued, a forensic technician will go on-site to isolate the device from the Internet or other attached networks that could influence its contents. They then copy over every file on the device and dig through them for anything of note. It?s important that the investigator makes a copy of each file so that the original evidence can be preserved. Even something as simple as accessing a file can lead to slight alterations, making the evidence of little consequence in a court of law, civil or criminal case. Computer forensics can be used for any number of different cases. Depending on the nature of the crime, any device could be used to obtain evidence of what is, was, or will be happening. These types of investigation take an extremely close look at the data, including not just the files that are currently there, but at the metadata for just about any items on the device. This includes looking at when the file was first created, when it was edited and saved, and who might have been the one to carry out these actions. This process can be used to solve any number of cases. Here are just a couple to look at as an example: Intellectual Property Theft and Industrial Espionage Employment Disputes Bankruptcy Investigations Inappropriate Email and Internet Usage in the Workplace Regulatory Compliance Forgeries and Fraud Investigations Alternative Sources of Analysts Law enforcement agencies are certainly not the only ones that place an emphasis on computer forensics. There are many others that also have accredited laboratories. You might be surprised to hear about a couple of these, as they include Walmart, American Express, and Target (which is kind of hilarious in the wake of the Target data breach not too long ago). There are also numerous independent labs that, while lacking accreditation, can potentially outperform law enforcement agencies under the right conditions. Independent labs are often onboarded by law enforcement to help with crime solving. The perfect example of this is Target, whose labs have helped with ?felony, homicide, and special-circumstances cases? in the past. These claims come from a spokesperson who, in 2008, claimed that about a quarter of cases managed by Target?s forensic laboratory were external and had nothing to do with the company itself. How Does Your Technology Compare? If your organization would like a team on your side to ensure that security is always a top priority, reach out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800. We aren?t a dedicated computer forensics agency, but we know all about network security and compliance issues.

First, let?s outline some situations where streaming may be acceptable in the workplace. Acceptable Uses of Streaming Not all streaming is bad for your organization?s productivity. In certain cases, it can even be beneficial. For example, some employees work best when they are listening to music. In other cases, they may even need to drown out noise in the office, which can easily be done with their preferred tunes and a set of noise canceling headphones. This keeps everyone happy for the most part, and it?s as simple as allowing employees access to an online application like Spotify and Pandora. There also might be reason to watch a video during your ordinary workday. If it?s an important news article pertinent to your industry or workplace trends, then perhaps it?s worth taking a look at it. Training videos, webinars, and other similar videos are in a similar boat, allowing you to learn something valuable through the experience. Regardless, it?s likely that you?ll be in a position where you need to stream something, whether you want to or not. Unacceptable Uses for Streaming Some employees just have a tendency to stream video at all times, which basically leads to them not getting as much work done. In other words, they are becoming a liability to both their own work ethic and your business?s mission. Streaming can also use up a lot of your bandwidth, which can create slowdown on your network for every other user. If you have employees who just can?t stay off of streaming services like Youtube, Netflix, and Hulu, you can implement a content filter on a user basis. This can keep them focused on their work throughout the day by banning suspicious or wasteful sites. In fact, social media services and streaming websites can often be infested with malware and other threats, so it might not be a bad idea to consider banning them in the first place for those who are proving problematic. Does your business need a content filter? White Mountain IT Services can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Analyzing the Costs While most users will understand cost in its literal term, it?s critical that you consider the other factors that make up cost. By definition, cost is what you give up in order to attain something else. Cost primarily focuses on what you?re giving up instead of what you get, so it tends to look at concepts such as pricing or other manners of investment. Cost can also include factors other than monetary value, including time, effort, or other resources. Analyzing cost can help you optimize the way that your assets are applied, thus reducing the amount of waste and ensuring the desired outcome for your organization. That being said, the cost of an item is only half the battle. Analyzing Value If cost is what you give up in order to receive something, then value is what you get out of something. Value can be inherently based on financial gain, but many times value is actually the total yield versus the total investment. One of the best examples is starting off communications with a new client, as one good action could create a considerably more valuable relationship with them as time goes on. An example where we can see the difference between cost and value for technology would be purchasing a new workstation. It?s one thing to look at the price tag, but this doesn?t give you the whole picture. Your old workstation hasn?t cost you much financially because you paid it off a long time ago, whereas a new computer is of considerable cost. However, your old workstation might suffer from issues related to outdated operating systems or components, making it a difficult piece of technology to work with from. The value in this case is saved time and enhanced productivity. Calculating Your IT?s Value If you ever need to calculate how much a certain action or decision will cost your company in terms of value, you can try to compare it mathematically. After all, numbers don?t lie. This helps you keep track of what you?ve invested, as well as how much you?re getting in return for your investment. To determine the value of something, you can use a simple ?x=y? equation. In this case, the invested cost is ?x,? while the result (the value) is ?y.? Now, let?s try out an example. You need to determine if your business? technology investment actually equals productivity. In this case, you can use a simple ratio method. Let?s say you invest $25 into a workstation and increase productivity by 10%, when investing an extra $30 will improve efficiency by 17%. If investing $31 only raises productivity by 16%, instead of investing more in something else, you just narrow down the cost until you have achieved the maximum value per dollar. White Mountain IT Services can help your organization get more value out of its technology. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Remote monitoring and management, or RMM, can provide your business with several benefits that would be difficult to achieve otherwise. Here are just a few of them, in no particular order. Patching and Updates In order to keep your business? applications up to date at all times, you?ll have to continuously keep an eye out for new patches that shore up any weaknesses in your organization?s network infrastructure. This can be a time-consuming process, and the amount of time it takes to do this for your organization is commensurate with the number of workstations, server units, networking devices, and mobile devices that your company has to keep track of. Remote monitoring and management can be used to administer updates to all of your company?s devices as needed, even if the provider isn?t necessarily on-site to apply the edits. Since you don?t have to manually install updates on each and every one of your devices, you can instead invest this time elsewhere. Network Security Management When it comes to network security, you want to be both proactive and reactive to threats. Part of the way you can be more reactive to threats is by actively monitoring your organization?s infrastructure for breaches of security. Imagine being able to detect an attack and deflect it automatically or be notified in real time if your network is accessed by someone who is unauthorized to do so. Monitoring and maintenance technology allows for this as well, and it can be a great way to ensure that your organization can effectively react to a data breach. Saved Time and Resources Imagine how much time your business could save if the majority of maintenance could be done without an on-site visit? Not only would you save a ton of money, but you would also save a lot of time. Since you don?t have to wait for technicians to arrive on-site for most problems to be resolved, you?re saving a considerable amount of time on problem resolution. Plus, you won?t be paying them for the time that they spend on the road to your office. It?s a win-win scenario for both you and the provider. Does your business want to implement remote monitoring and management? White Mountain IT Services can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.