Misconception 1: The Cloud Isn?t SecureIt?s understandable why business owners are hesitant to store their sensitive data in the cloud. After all, stories of hacks against major corporations appear in the headlines all too often. Although, it?s important to keep in mind that these sensational stories don?t accurately reflect the state of cloud security today. In fact, studies show that in some instances, the cloud is actually more secure than storing one?s data on-premise. This proved to be the case in a study by Schneider Electric where 40 percent of participants were found to be hosting their security applications in the cloud, and 45 percent of participants said they are likely to move their security application to a cloud platform. That said, you should still exercise caution when selecting a cloud platform to host your company?s data. It?s prudent to perform your own analysis of costs, opportunity, and risk, as well as to be wary of exaggerated security claims by cloud providers. One way to go about this is to check with vendors for references. They will be able to tell you what cloud providers are reliable, and which ones tend to overpromise. Misconception 2: The Cloud Costs Too Much In the past, a move to the cloud may have been perceived by budget-minded business owners as too major of an expense to commit to. Today, the cloud computing market has become so varied that you?ll end up with several different estimates when you shop around with different cloud providers. Therefore, it?s worth it to be diligent when shopping for a cloud provider. Then there are the cost benefits you should consider that extend beyond the initial price tag of cloud migration and the subsequent monthly fees. This includes opportunity costs such as time to market, disaster recovery savings, and customer satisfaction. Also, a business owner shouldn?t overlook finally being able to avoid paying for on-premise maintenance, remediation, hardware costs, application upgrades, and the list goes on. Misconception 3: The Cloud Doesn?t Offer Enough FlexibilityIf you?re hosting your data and applications in-house, then you know firsthand what it takes to make a modification like an enhancement to your hardware or software. Often times, such an IT initiative will be expensive and take considerable time to implement. Now imagine needing to make the same performance enhancement to an infrastructure that?s hosted in the cloud. With the cloud, when you need more computing resources from your provider, it?s as easy as making a phone call or submitting a ticket. The time and money saved by simply requesting your cloud provider make the adjustments on their end will free up resources for you and your IT staff that can be better invested elsewhere. Do you still have reservations about the cloud? If so, then you owe it to yourself, and your bottom line, to discuss these roadblocks with the IT professionals at White Mountain IT Services. You may be surprised to learn that the cloud can do exactly what you need it to do and more. To have a conversation about the cloud, call us today at (603) 889-0800.

Not only does the email look convincing, it’s also often coming from a contact you already know. Even worse, the link takes you to a Google.com URL with a legitimate-looking login screen. However, once you log in with your Google credentials, whoever is behind the attack will have full access to your account. Once it has them, it sends the same email to your contact list in an attempt to propagate itself. This attack is well-crafted, to the point where the easiest way to catch it before getting snared is to click the small link on the page that Google hosts to check the developer’s information. Since the attack utilizes legitimate Google account functions, however, who would think to check? Whenever you get an unsolicited email with links or attachments, it’s critical to think before you click! Fortunately, Google was able to apparently put the kibosh on this attack within an hour of taking action, but there’s still no indication of who was responsible for this attack or if/when they will strike again. Therefore, it is important to understand how to avoid falling victim to emails like this in general. First, if there’s ever any doubt of an email’s validity, check out some of the indicators that tend to go overlooked. This attack in particular had some oddities–for example, the email was addressed to “[email protected].” Secondly, if an email is unexpected, it never hurts to confirm its validity with the sender through an alternate method of communication. To protect your business, you need to be sure that your staff understands that threats like this could be a major problem. In the meantime, be sure to keep your eyes out for more email-based phishing scams and other threats. If you do come across questionable messages, don’t hesitate to report it immediately, so that everyone on your team becomes cognizant of the threat. For more information about phishing scams, social engineering tactics, and other attempts to infiltrate your network, contact the IT professionals at White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800 today.

Keep in mind that this requires that you have the official Netflix mobile app installed. You can?t just use the web browser on your device to download the videos. Furthermore, not every single video you find will be available for download, but there is still quite a large library to choose from. Your first step is to download the app. To see the videos that are available for download, you just tap or click the button in the top-left side of the screen and select Available for Download. For your selected videos, a down arrow will appear with the word Download next to it. Any downloaded videos you have can be found in the Netflix app. Just click the menu and select My Downloads. This will show you all of the details that you need to know, such as how large they are. This is especially important to preserve space on your devices, as you never know what you?ll need to do with it while you?re on a trip. Now let?s say that you need to delete a video from your downloads. To do this, just select the show and click the Downloaded button. You will then be shown a window that allows you to Delete Download. Once you?ve done this, just select the videos that you want to delete by checking the boxes in the right-hand corners. Once you?ve done this, just click the trash can and you?ll delete any of your selected videos. How do you plan on using Netflix?s download feature? Are there any other situations where you might find this useful? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe for more helpful technology tips and tricks.

When it comes to outsourcing your company?s IT management, you?re going to want to be sure that your company?s assets are being handled with the same level of care and oversight that you yourself would provide. After all, you wouldn?t want to hand over the access to all of your company?s digital assets to just any computer guy in the phone book, right? White Mountain IT Services can be your trusted IT provider, due to the simple fact that we treat our client?s technology as if it were our own. How White Mountain IT Services Protects Your BusinessWhile there are many aspects of your business that need protection, one of the most crucial things to secure is your company?s data, seeing as it?s under constant attack from cyber threats. The best way to secure your network from potential data breaches is by taking proactive steps and monitoring the situation, a service we provide with our enterprise-level security solutions and remote IT support. Then there?s the risk of user error that must be mitigated. Users on your network can do some incredibly dumb things, like downloading an attachment from a spam message or interacting with malicious websites. Unfortunately, you?re unable to stand behind each and every employee and monitor their Internet usage. Although, with White Mountain IT Services as your trusted IT provider, you can outsource the monitoring of your network to us and we?ll do it remotely, which is more efficient than having to peer over an employee?s shoulder. How White Mountain IT Services Manages Your TechnologyThen there?s the reality that your company?s technology can essentially go haywire at any moment and completely derail operations. In such a scenario, a specialized touch is needed to resolve the issue, restore order, and get operations up and going again. It?s times like these when you?ll really want an IT provider that you can trust. The advantage of having a managed service provider like White Mountain IT Services care for your network is that it frees you up to accomplish important tasks. Plus, we go above and beyond to manage your company?s technology, which provides you with the reliability you need in order to sustain your company?s operations. This in turn frees you up to focus on the important aspects of running your business, like improving your company?s core services. The IT technicians at White Mountain IT Services are able to provide top-notch care for your company?s technology by giving it the time and attention it deserves. We can remotely monitor and maintain your company?s network and catch IT issues before they develop into major problems, like a data breach that compromises the security of your business. We can also come on-site at a moment?s notice and tend to any IT problems that you may run into, as well as provide 24/7 Help Desk support. To partner with an IT provider that treats your technology as if it were our own, call White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.