A Little Background For those of you who have spent your lives living on Dagoba and haven?t seen the original Star Wars movie, subsequently titled, A New Hope, the story follows a young pilot named Luke Skywalker, whose guardians are murdered by soldiers of the Imperial Army, who were looking for two droids Luke?s Uncle Owen purchased. With the help of an old hermit, Obi Wan ?Old Ben? Kenobi, Luke sets out to join the rebellion led by Luke?s sister Leia (although they don?t know they are related). The Empire has developed a new type of battlestation called the Death Star, which is a moon-sized behemoth equipped with a Superlaser, which was soon used to obliterate first Jedha City (Rogue One) and eventually, Leia?s (adopted) home planet of Alderaan. Knowing that having a weapon with that kind of destructive power would be the end of the rebellion that was underway by a pro-democratic coalition called the Alliance to Restore the Republic (or Rebel Alliance). The plot of A New Hope centers around the rebellion attempt to neutralize the Imperial?s Death Star. Security A team consisting of former smuggler Han Solo, the Wookie Chewbacca, serial-whiner Luke Skywalker, Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi, and two droids C-3PO and R2-D2 set out to save Princess Leia Organa from a cell on the Death Star. Today, we?ll take a look at how the Empire’s security procedures made it possible for the rebellion to get Leia out of there, while simultaneously destroying the battlestation and throwing the Empire into chaos. Unprotected Endpoints Star Wars – Obi Wan Kenobi was a wanted man by the Empire after he defeated Anakin in a duel on Mustafar (Revenge of the Sith), so even though it was decades later, he would have to be careful. When he?s stopped by Imperial Stormtroopers, he was able to use the Jedi Mind Trick to spoof their thoughts and get past the checkpoint. Real World – Having a thoroughly controlled authentication protocol is an important part of keeping your data and infrastructure secure. Passwords, biometrics, and other forms of authentication have to both work for the users, while also being complex enough to keep unwanted parties out. A Complete Lack of Segmentation and Lack of System Encryption Star Wars – Once the team gets to the Death Star, they gain access to a control room where the droids begin to access the Death Star?s system. As soon as he?s hooked up, R2-D2 has complete access to the whole entire network without any form of authentication or protection. Real World – Having some segmentation to your network allows you to pick and choose who can access certain information and who can?t. No matter who can access information, your network data needs to be encrypted to ensure that just anyone can?t access all the sensitive information on it. Ignoring CISO at Great Peril Star Wars – The Admiralty of the Imperial Army did not want to hear that there was a possibility that the rebels had found, and could execute sabotage, on a vulnerability. So much so that Grand Moff Tarkin scoffed when he was approached about the potential vulnerability to the battle station. Nothing was done with that information and it resulted in the first Imperial Death Star being destroyed, and the death of all […]

Examining the Chromebook Putting it simply, Chromebooks are limited laptop devices that do considerably less than their utility-packed cousins, but what they do, they do well. Comparing Chromebooks to the Conventional Laptop While they visually appear to be essentially the same, there are a few key differences between a Chromebook and your typical laptop that set them apart. These differences are important to take note of, as they will have an influence over the functionality of each device. You will want to make sure that you select a device that can serve your needs. So, without further ado, let?s review the differences between these two options to establish what circumstances each is better suited for. Operating System and Software Options While most conventional laptops will generally come with the Windows operating system or macOS installed (or in some cases, Linux), Chromebooks come exclusively with Chrome OS installed. Really, this only makes sense, given their name. This is a particularly important consideration to make, depending on your usage needs. If your responsibilities require you to access and leverage solutions that are not supported by Chrome OS, then your best bet is going to be to select an option that comes with an operating system that supports third-party apps. However, if you are looking to make a low financial investment in order to purchase what is essentially access to your Google applications – most notably, Google Drive – a Chromebook should fit the bill quite nicely. Storage Space Laptop computers can come with a variety of storage space, which will influence things like price and ultimately, utility. This storage space is usually in the form of an SSD, as a laptop can especially benefit from its relative stability when compared to an HDD. Alternatively, a Chromebook often has no storage-specific hard drive to speak of, beyond a small SSD to hold the operating system. Otherwise, your saved files are all kept in the cloud. This approach essentially eliminates the need for onboard storage space, with the added benefit of streamlining the device?s boot time. Comparative Prices Naturally, this factor is always a concern – you?ll not only want to fulfill your computing needs, but you will want to avoid breaking the bank beyond repair as you do so. As a general rule, Chromebooks run for a lower price than a comparable laptop, although you should also be able to find a basic laptop for less than a high-end Chromebook may set you back. Making Your Choice Again, your particular needs will strongly dictate whether it makes more sense to invest in a laptop or a Chromebook. If you need additional help balancing your technology needs, reach out to the professionals at White Mountain IT Services for more assistance by calling (603) 889-0800.

A Little Background FinTech traces its roots back to the start of modern security. Technology has played a significant role in the financial sector. Think about it, most of the modern financial services that we all utilize got their starts decades ago. Credit cards were developed in the 1950s to alleviate the burden (and security risk) of carrying cash; and when it wasn?t completely practical to eliminate cash, an innovation was made to develop the automated teller machine (ATM), that allows people to withdrawal their cash quickly without the hassle of standing in line at the bank. The 1970s saw further innovation. Using new communications technologies, stock markets that had functioned in the trading pits of fixed securities commissions for decades became electronic for the first time with the establishment of the Nasdaq. Swift was soon established to fix problems traders were having with inter-state money transfers. FinTech was ratcheted up a notch in the 1980s with the establishment of the first online brokerage, the first online banking system, the first online catalog shopper, and the first personal finance database. By the mid-to-late 1980s personal computers were becoming a staple in American households, and with them, a whole cache of new applications were developed that helped people understand and manage their personal finances. When the Hong Kong stock markets tanked on October 19, 1987, it immediately affected European markets, and eventually the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted almost 23 percent. Known since as ?Black Monday? it was sobering proof that the massive innovations that had been made to FinTech had connected world markets. By the time the Internet, like the PC before it, became entrenched as a household staple, FinTech had also been established. In 1998 many of the largest commercial banks set up transactional websites that allowed people and organizations to do their banking. These innovations, over decades, are largely taken for granted today, but remain landmark innovations in the way financial systems and transactions work. When you consider that technology has made it easier to move money, telling you that it has made it easier to invest money wouldn?t be that big of a surprise. Today, people have the resources available, if they have the capital, to make more sound and faster financial decisions. In response, institutions have used the wholesale improvements to risk management, investor relations, trade processing, and analysis to fuel a rapidly growing financial services sector that now makes up upwards of 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. Current FinTech So as we?ve moved onto the first part of the 21st century, and people are able to take advantage of remote computing through the use of the smartphone, you begin to see innovation working for the individual as much as you see it working for the financial services organization. New products like mobile wallets, payment apps, automated retirement planners, crowdfunding platforms, and online lenders have been designed to allow people a higher degree of access to money, whether it be their own or not. These innovations aren?t necessarily a turn away from FinTech?s traditional focus on institutional banking but aligned with the overall increase in promoting individual engagement. That?s not to say that some of the more intuitive and popular FinTech applications aren?t working in direct competition with traditional banking institutions. The past […]

The Charged-Up History of Electricity As one might imagine, wires have been getting in people?s way since electricity was a widely adopted thing. This was one of the conundrums that Nikola Tesla, the underappreciated inventor and engineer, spent a considerable amount of his life trying to solve. Eventually, he devised a device that would leverage magnetic fields to transfer electricity, a device we know today as the Tesla coil. Unfortunately, some guerilla marketing from his electric rival, Thomas Alva Edison, turned the public opinion away from Tesla?s approach and towards Edison?s. Basically, Edison took a murderous circus elephant named Topsy that was to be put down and volunteered to do it with Tesla?s electricity. However, not even the film Edison produced of Topsy being exposed to alternating current (a key facet to Tesla?s European-inspired approach) was quite enough to prevent AC from becoming the standard. Eventually, Tesla?s coil was improved upon further. It ultimately found a place in contemporary radar systems. Yet, even as the technology became more powerful, it was difficult for a market to be found wherein to use it. This had the apparent effect of wasting the work done by the people of multiple private-sector businesses, as well as NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy. Enter the Smartphone One of the biggest obstacles to the progress of wireless charging was the fact that, while wireless charging is logically connected to mobile devices, there was a lack of truly mobile devices until recent years. Cellular phones changed that, as the device was now meant to be fully portable, or in other words, mobile. Other devices quickly followed suit with charging capabilities. However, even this revitalization of wireless charging due to mobile phones couldn?t change one fact: there was always going to need to be a wire. Even the most recent wireless chargers need to be plugged in before they will work, and really, what?s the real difference between plugging in a device, and setting it down just so? What it Means to Really Be Wireless In order for any technology that we develop to be marketable, it?s pretty much required to meet two key criteria: it has to work, and it shouldn?t do too much damage to the user. While this might seem like a relatively low bar, that bar has yet to be met, or even a product introduced that tries. This lack of trying doesn?t reach quite all the way up the chain, however. Companies like Energous in Silicon Valley, Ossia from Bellevue, Washington, and uBeam from Santa Monica, California, have all worked on technologies that do meet the criteria outlined at the beginning of this section. As they find more success in developing uncoupled power solutions, a new paradigm takes form. Someday, it may not be uncommon to see wireless charging spreading to devices other than smartphones. More and more IoT devices, like wearables, as well as medical devices, like hearing aids, may someday not need a dedicated charge cycle during which it can?t be used. However, until then, we will all have to wait. Until that day comes, wireless charging will either be ineffective or underutilized? but what devices would you like to be able to charge wirelessly in the future? Tell us which and why in the comments!

Voice over Internet Protocol Gone are the days when you would be tethered to your desk using a corded phone. Nowadays, voice chat applications can be downloaded and installed on mobile devices, desktops, or laptops so that users can make or receive calls to their work number on their own personal devices. From a communication standpoint, you simply can?t beat Voice over Internet Protocol, as it allows you to cut out your old phone lines and replace them with services that run on your Internet connection. Since VoIP apps work on mobile devices, communication can happen either in-house or on the go, making it a valuable communication tool. Instant Messaging What about situations where you need an immediate answer on something important, and it can?t wait for an email but it?s not worth making a phone call over? Instant messaging is valuable for this purpose, as it allows your users to communicate in mere seconds without feeling like they are distracting anyone or pulling them away from something important. Instant messaging applications can be used on just about any mobile device, so they can be valuable tools to stay in communication during collaborative projects. Shared Cloud Applications If you?re using cloud storage, you can collaborate on projects quite easily. This is thanks to cloud-based productivity suites like Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. For example, you can work on documents in real time, and they are updated for every other user that is working on it. This helps you edit documents, update spreadsheets, and work on presentations with everyone else who needs to be involved. Plus, information, data, and applications can be accessed on any connected device, allowing for even more flexibility and connectivity than before. This makes communication and collaboration much easier in the long run. Unified communications and cloud software solutions are great ways to ensure your employees are always connected in a plethora of ways, all of which allow them to get in touch with each other whenever it?s needed. To learn more about unified communications, reach out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.