A network audit helps your business know which parts of your infrastructure are working well, and which parts could use a helping hand in the form of software updates, hardware upgrades, and most important of all, security patches. We’ll run through some of the best reasons why your organization can benefit from a comprehensive network audit from White Mountain IT Services. You?ll Know Where Network Inefficiencies LieThe flow of data can be a rather complex one. The same network could work perfectly fine for one business, but cause another more trouble than you might think. This is why a network audit is such an important investment. If your network isn?t set up in a way which is conducive to the success of your individual organization, you?re setting yourself up for failure. Network bottlenecks are just one example of how the flow of data could be restricted. These issues can be solved by simply finding where they are, and immediately addressing the issue before prolonged inefficiencies result. You?ll Identify Hardware Issues Before They HappenIf your business has been around for a while, chances are you?ve experienced your fair share of hardware replacements over the years. If you haven?t, though, and you?re still using technology that served you well 10 years ago, you?re one of the lucky few who haven?t had to experience a hardware failure at a critical moment. If you run your hardware into the ground, you?re more likely to experience catastrophic hardware failure that could hold up operations and place your business at risk. Hardware solutions like workstations and servers often give hints that they are on their way out ahead of time, so a network audit can help you identify these before it?s too late to do anything about them. You?ll Be Able to Identify Security IssuesSoftware solutions aren?t the easiest things to maintain, as you have to frequently implement patches and security updates to ensure that they are protected from developing threats. The problem here is that businesses often don?t have the time or resources to implement such patches on every single machine, and sometimes the patches aren?t compatible or cause problems with other software solutions on your network. A good network audit can help you by both implementing necessary patches and updates, as well as identifying problem areas that could cause trouble for your organization. But Most Important of All, You Meet UsThere?s something that can be said about face-to-face meetings with IT professionals who love the work they do. When you request a network audit from White Mountain IT Services, you get a chance to see us in action, doing the thing that we were meant to do; help small businesses just like you get the IT services you need to succeed. To learn more about what White Mountain IT Services can do for you, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

VPNs are nothing new for businesses. Organizations have so many moving parts that it can be overwhelming–especially in this age of mobile devices and remote access software. A VPN works by using a powerful encryption protocol that keeps data both sent to and by a device secure while it?s in transit. This keeps any onlookers from spying any sensitive information that?s sent through it. More than anything, though, it keeps data privacy the way it should be–without the Internet companies? special interests in mind. Plus, since a VPN uses a different computer?s IP address rather than yours, you?ll have even more privacy. You still need to carefully vet your potential VPNs, though–especially for business purposes. Here are some features to consider when looking for the best VPN for your needs. ReputationA third-party VPN could potentially be funneling all of your data through their servers, which is why it?s so important that you know who you?re trusting with this responsibility. You don?t want your VPN to go through a company that shares your personal information with the NSA or advertising organizations. A VPN provider should pride themselves on security and privacy, so look for those that have solid reputations in both. Online reviews are quite helpful in this regard. Logging PolicyYour Internet service provider logs your activity and tracks communications with your network. Naturally, you?d expect something a little different from a VPN provider. You?ll want one that sticks to a strict zero-logging policy that keeps your activity as private as possible. JurisdictionWhere is your VPN company located? Unfortunately, depending on the location, they may not have your privacy as a priority. This isn?t necessarily their fault–in fact, due to legislation, they can?t. You want to avoid companies that have to abide by the laws put into place by Five Eyes and Fourteen Eyes countries–those found in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Encryption StandardsMost VPNs you find will use OpenVPN protocol, but will offer increased security features at the expense of bandwidth and speed. You can choose between SSH or SSL tunneling, depending on the needs of your organization. Just remember that you deserve the best privacy settings for your business? important data. A consumer-grade VPN will only suffice for your personal browsing needs, but it won?t be enough to keep your business safe. To learn more about a business-grade VPN, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Have you ever been working on writing a blog article or trying your hand at a formal proposal letter and wondered if your writing was appropriate for your audience? You?re not alone. The readability of a document is such a concern for people that Microsoft Word added a feature that will automatically calculate a document?s readability using the Flesch Reading Ease formula and tells approximate reading level using the famous Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scale. First let?s look at the Flesch Reading Ease Formula. Developed in 1948, the Flesch Reading Ease formula is considered to be the most accurate readability scale in use right now. The formula gives a scale of ease of reading on a scale from 100 or less, 100 being the easiest to read. In this case, the article below has a Flesch Reading Ease Formula of 46.7. This means that it is mid-level difficulty. The Flesch Reading scale also gives an approximate grade level. In this case, the reading level is 10.7, meaning the article is written for an average grade level of between 10th and 1tth grade (based on accepted US school data). Use Word to Evaluate Document ReadabilityMost users are familiar with the basic Word functions in Review – Spelling & Grammar checks and Word Count. After checking over the spelling and grammar of the document, it will post your readability statistics. Think of it like an enhanced Word Count full of all the information a writer could want about how their article is shaping up. It?s broken into three sections: Count – Includes the counts of: Word, Characters, Paragraphs, Sentences Averages – Sentences per Paragraph, Words per Sentence, Character per Word Readability – Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Passive Sentences To activate the Readability Menu, start by navigating to the Options menu item in Microsoft Word. Then, select the Proofing menu item within the Word Options. Scroll down to the option that is labeled ?When correcting spelling and grammar in Word? from there, you see a few check boxes. In addition to making sure that ?Check grammar with spelling? is checked, you also want to check the box next to the option ?Show readability statistics?. As with most scales, the Flesch Reading Ease results should be taken with a grain of salt. Using the scale to gauge whether or not your copy is appropriate for your target audience is helpful tool. Would you like to learn more IT tips and tricks? Subscribe to our blog today!

The responses we?ve seen over the years is either employers trying to curb it by supplying company devices, or nixing mobile devices altogether. Both of these options have some serious side effects that must be taken into consideration. I?ll Just Issue Business-Approved Mobile DevicesDepending on the kind of work your employees do, this might be a good perk. You can take serious considerations into the platform (iOS, Android, Windows), contract terms, and how the company will control and protect its data. You can also map out how you will separate work from personal use on the device, clearly lay out what you can do and what the employee can do, what happens if the device is lost, what happens if the employee quits, etc. The problem with this method is that it?s often seen as a quick fix. Throwing money at this problem and forcing employees to use work-issued devices won?t solve the problem of controlling data without putting together the plan. Plus, while statistics do show that employees aren?t necessarily unhappy with corporate devices, if they feel strong-armed into using a device, the staff who were using their own devices to actually work harder and more effectively might feel slighted. That said, other employees might like the idea of getting a new smartphone on the company?s dime. It?s really going to depend on your employees and company culture. I?ll Just Ban All Mobile Devices in the WorkplaceIt?s a big ultimatum: no email access, no file access, no messengers, no note-taking, no mobile devices, period. Anyone caught using a personal device will be penalized or written up. You?ll certainly protect your data this way. Chances are though, you?ll also create agita with staff who were really just trying to do their jobs better. Employees won?t think about the ramifications of lost data, they will just think their boss is making it harder for them to be effective. Fortunately, most employers haven?t resorted to this, but it still happens. Beyond just stirring up emotions, this can drastically set your company back compared to competitors that are welcoming mobility and benefiting from it. It Sounds Bad, But There are OptionsThere is a middle-ground between banning devices altogether and enforcing company-issued devices. Policies can be put in place that protects company assets like email and access to data while respecting the privacy of your employees. Employers can push policies – like enforcing users to set up passwords, patterns, or pins to log into the device, grant the ability to revoke access to email, and even wipe the device remotely if it is lost or stolen. Personal laptops can be granted company antivirus and remote monitoring, or better yet, employers can offer a VPN or hosted desktop solution so they won?t have to worry about the state of the device. The latter can also address other needs such as software licensing and accessing company data while on public Wi-Fi. White Mountain IT Services Can HelpThe best way for a business owner to handle mobile devices in the workplace is to implement a BYOD strategy–one that addresses every security risk while enhancing all the benefits of mobile technology. Every business is different, which is why it?s best to have a consultant like White Mountain IT Services work with you to develop a BYOD strategy that?s tailored to enhance your company?s goals. […]

There are dozens of surveys and reports produced each year that evaluate digital threats and cybercrime. Not every publication applies to every business – but many of them do have some important take aways about the best practices of handling IT. Here?s few highlights from the 2017 Cyberthreat Defense Report that offer important insight for SMBs and their use of technology. Challenge – Ransomware and Responses: Approximately 61% of global businesses were impacted by ransomware in 2016 – and of those businesses who had their data held for ransom – 32.7% paid it! The majority of them found out the hard way that cyber criminals aren?t always honest about their intentions… Solution – Preventative and Patches: Ransomware, as with most malware, generally exploits a known weakness. WannaCry, a ransomware that crippled businesses throughout the world in July of 2017, exploited a weakness that had a security patch available to repair it since March of 2017. The businesses who fell victim were those who had the solution – but didn?t deploy it in time. In an ideal world, your company would have had active measures in place that prevented the ransomware attack. Proactive maintenance and security patching of your network and devices will stop the majority of cyber attacks. Challenge – Human Error from Ignorance/Training Issue: Everyone makes mistakes, including you and your employees. Even companies with top-notch internal security measures will find themselves facing malware that was accidently exposed by an employee clicking an infected email attachment. The only thing that you can do to protect your business from accidents is to take measures to prevent them. Solution – Set Policy for IT Use: Education and training is probably the most important thing a company can do to protect themselves from the digital threatscape. First, defining IT use policies will let your team know what is required from them as they?re using technology provided or maintained by your organization. ALL employees and vendors who use technology on your network should attend IT security best practice training at least annually. Posters and reminders should be used to remind everyone of the role they play in security. Of course, training and awareness will not eliminate accidents altogether – but they certainly can reduce them. Challenge – Threat from Within: As much as a business may want to believe that no one on their staff would ever do something to intentionally damage their organization, it happens often enough to be considered a serious threat. While malicious insiders make up only 11% of total attacks, they are by far the most costly and generally take the longest to resolve. Solution – Access Control: Having control over who is able to access what parts of your network won?t eliminate an internal threat, but it will significantly reduce the chances of a malicious insider attack. Access control applications afford businesses the opportunity to give specific permissions to each user. The average SMB would be surprised to learn how much more secure their network would be if employees only had access to the portions of data required for their job duties. To further protect your network, access control allows for easy onboard/offboarding to prevent ex-employees from accessing your network. Challenge – 9 out 10 Companies Can?t Find IT Security Personnel: Even businesses with an established IT department […]