Cooperation Through CollaborationMicrosoft Office 365 offers its users the ability to work together on a single document, reviewing and editing in real-time. However, you will first need to enable others to access the document. To do so is fairly easy. First, start a new document in Word 2016, or in Word Online. Select Share, and then Save to cloud. This will present the option to save the document to either the OneDrive or SharePoint Online location. Press Save once you have made your selection. To share your document, open the Share pane. You have a few options for how to handle this part–you can either use the Invite people box to bring additional resources into the fold, or you can Get a sharing link to send an invite via email or instant message. Once these invitations have been accepted, everyone with access to the Word document can make changes–and if they?ve agreed to share those changes automatically, everyone will be able to see them as they are made. Communication Helps, TooCommunication and collaboration go hand-in-hand, so it only makes sense that Microsoft has also incorporated plenty of features that focus on keeping the channels of communication clear. Thanks to its integration with Skype for Business, Word offers the ability to instant message anyone working in a given document, as well as to send a group chat to everyone involved. Finally, so that everyone can be on the same page where progress in concerned, Word keeps a record of any changes made to the assorted versions of the documents. This makes it easier for everyone involved to see how the document is taking shape, and to work cohesively toward a unified end goal. Many of these features are also available in the other programs included in Microsoft Office 365, including Publisher, Excel, and PowerPoint. How do you most often use the features of Office 365? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you subscribe to the White Mountain IT Services blog.

Over the past several months, while watching the news or reading about business and technology, you?ve probably encountered a few words, such as ?ransomware? ?exploit weakness?, and ?security patch?. These terms are used often, and you may be confused as to what they really mean, and how they relate to you and the security of your business? data. In recent months, ransomware attacks like WannaCry and other malware have made headlines, with cyber criminals exploiting weaknesses in networks, application deployments, and operating systems. What is very hard for some people to understand is that often the weaknesses being exploited are known by software developers, who have released security updates known as ?patches.? For many small business owners and personal PC users, a better understanding of types of patches, how they work, when they?re released, and how to access them might be all that stands between a hacker and your network. Here are five terms that are associated with the continuous software updates that aim to protect users from data loss or worse. Patch Tuesday – For those who allow their computer to update and install patches automatically, it might have never really occurred to them that there was a schedule as to when Microsoft released patches. Similar to how new movies are released or video games are launched on specific days of the week, Microsoft releases patches on the second (and sometimes fourth) Tuesday of each month. With newer operating systems and software versions, there might come a time where Patch Tuesday becomes obsolete in favor of a real-time data exchange where software and applications are constantly updated as needed. Security Patching – This is what most people think of when they think of a patch for a piece of software or an application. It?s a series of data and files that fix or mitigate the threat of a known issue or vulnerability. These are generally what are provided on official patch days, like Patch Tuesday. That is, of course, unless the patch is a zero-day or immediate release, an action usually reserved for major security risks or weaknesses found after they have been exploited. Hotfix – Sometimes referred to as a ?Quick-fix Update? ?Quick-fix Engineering Update? or ?General Distribution Release?, a hotfix is a small patch that fixes a single bug or vulnerability that is significant enough that it should not wait until the next scheduled patch release. Although, Microsoft itself no longer uses the term ?hotfix? in an official capacity, the term is still widely used by majority of the industry. Zero Day Vulnerability – This is a specific type of weakness that is not discovered or disclosed until the hackers are already exploiting it. This is called ?zero day? because software developers and advocates have no time – or zero days – to create a patch or develop a work around, leaving both users and developers scrambling to keep data safe. Whitelisting – As related to malware and ransomware, whitelisting is the process in which a patch or application is declared safe, allowed access to the network, or otherwise approved for a certain network or program. The term ?whitelist? comes from the opposite of ?blacklist?. Made popular during the Cold War, blacklist refers to a list of people or items that are banned, rejected, or labeled in […]

Here are three ways that managed IT services can help your business improve operations. Managed IT Lowers CostsLet?s say that you don?t have a dedicated IT department that resolves issues as they happen, as it is rather expensive. You generally only contact tech support when you have already experienced a problem, reacting to an issue rather than preventing it altogether. This is what managed IT services attempt to resolve. By taking proactive measures that keep issues from happening in the first place, you spend less on hardware replacement, service fees, and downtime, making it practically imperative if you want to cut unnecessary costs. It?s like having a full in-house IT department without paying all of their salaries. Managed IT is Hands OffOne of the biggest perks of managed IT is that the issues are often resolved without you even knowing they existed in the first place. Through the power of remote monitoring and management, your managed IT provider can keep an eye on your systems without even being on-site, which allows them to identify and resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Rest assured that you will be notified of major issues that need your attention and awareness, but know that most problems can be resolved without an on-site visit. Managed IT is FlexibleThere are so many services offered by managed IT providers that you can practically pick and choose the perfect service level agreement that suits your needs. Whether you need something as simple as implementing a new email solution or the management of an entire infrastructure, managed IT services has a solution that can make your organization?s operations run just the way you want them to–if not better! Your business shouldn?t be wasting time managing its own IT infrastructure–not when you have much more important things to be doing. After all, you?re a business owner, and you need to be running your business, not focused on resolving technology problems. Still, this doesn?t diminish the importance of proper IT maintenance. Managed IT services from White Mountain IT Services is one of the many opportunities your organization has to improve your return on investment for your technology. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

There are quite a few cloud solutions for file management out there, each offering something that sounds slightly different…but how different are they, really, and which would be of most use in your business? We?ll examine your options to find out. Cloud SyncCloud sync services simply allow you to access files and documents across devices by accessing a cloud-based folder. This allows you to work on a document at your desktop and then access it via your mobile device to continue working on it, with all of your progress saved to the cloud. However, if a mistake is made to the file, that mistake will carry over to other versions as well. Cloud BackupThese services work automatically, saving your data to a secondary location in the background and updating it whenever a change is made to the original. Unlike tape backup, cloud backup doesn?t require an employee to manually change tapes, and the data is automatically stored off site. Retrieving your data from a cloud backup is dependent on your Internet bandwidth, but even then it could be faster than tape. Plus, if you need all of your data fast, it could be encrypted and stored on a hard drive and overnighted to your location. A good cloud backup solution also allows you to return to a previous version of your data in case of data loss. Cloud StorageCloud storage is precisely what it says on the box–storage in the cloud. Many cloud syncing and backup services rely on some form or another of cloud storage to deliver their offerings. Since these services are geared to be durable and available for the majority of the time, data could potentially be kept exclusively on a cloud storage solution (depending on the situation, we may or may not recommend this approach without replication of your data). How Your Cloud Strategy Should Be ShapedYou should never have fewer than two separate instances of your data, but we recommend three. We recommend that all of your critical information be kept off of your workstations, and instead be stored on a centralized server as well as an onsite backup device. Finally, that backup device should push the data securely to the cloud. This ensures that you will be able to access your data by some means, regardless of the circumstance. For more help in implementing a cloud strategy, reach out to the professionals at White Mountain IT Services, by calling (603) 889-0800.

Identifying Your OptionsWhat options are open to you that will let you improve your staff?s ability to communicate? The first thing you need to do to ascertain whether or not you have the tools or technology you need. This can be done through a thorough assessment of the types of platforms your business utilizes for communication: Is it just over the phone, or do you have email? Do you use a chat interface? Is your business currently active on social media? These are all effective options to incorporate that will allow your business greater communicative capabilities. How to Best Use These CommunicationsIt is important to understand that communications can either be a major time saver or time waster, depending on the situation. Fortunately, there are means to keep your communications efficient and optimally beneficial to the needs of your business. PhoneThe traditional phone plan for businesses is costly. You have to run the wires required and connect them to a central location. This makes it hard to make changes to the office layout, as well as adding difficulties adding new employees to the telephone system. Additionally, you have to pay a telephone service provider for the privilege of using the phone. Many of these downsides can be resolved by switching to a hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. Since a VoIP connection leverages your organization?s bandwidth to function, you can eliminate the need of hardwiring your office if you so choose. More importantly, however, you can get a strong communications solution while eliminating a potentially expensive line item in your budget. EmailWhile many might consider email to be a replacement to the phone, it isn?t advisable. While both are important to maintain in a business setting. However, for your typical office communications, email provides a quick way to get in touch with a coworker or contact, providing a record of correspondence as you go. Chat InterfaceThere are often times that an office worker needs to reach out to a coworker, but their message may be too urgent to risk it sitting, unchecked, in an inbox. A chat interface provides a highly visible method of sending a message that grabs the recipients? attention, allowing for a much quicker response than one might expect from an email–which may go unchecked for far longer than the message can wait. Social MediaThe rise of social media has given businesses an opportunity that had never presented itself before in history: the ability to reach out to their fan base without a filter. Now, a business can reach out directly to their followers, sharing news, information, or content of a more human nature. Social media allows a business to connect more honestly with their followers, giving the company another layer of culture that sets them apart. Plus, it helps show your followers that you intend to actively interact with them, drawing them in and impressing them as a part of your marketing strategy. Plus, you can use social media as another means of uniting staff members and communicating with them directly. The technology that businesses can access today are capable of enhancing their communications greatly. Have you enhanced yours? White Mountain IT Services can help with that. Reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.