One thing to keep in mind before we even get started is to be sure to take preventative measures before you?re in a situation you regret. By this, we mean that you don?t wait until your desktop is rendered obsolete before replacing it. Therefore, you need to look for warning signs that your computer is failing? before it inevitably fails to work properly. Warning SignsHere are five possible warning signs that hint your technology might not last much longer. Keep in mind that some of these could mean multiple issues–for example, a slowdown might not mean that your computer is about to break down. General PC slowdown Freezing or even operating system crashes Corrupted files or data loss Random shutdowns Startup errors Know When it?s Time to Replace Your TechnologyOf course, nothing lasts forever, so it?s natural that you?ll need to plan for the end of a PC?s life cycle. When your PC has reached its limit, you need to make sure that your old unit is properly replaced and disposed of. If you don?t have a clear policy surrounding the disposal of your old computer equipment, then you may find yourself in a jam if there?s a data breach and you?re investigated by authorities to prove that the source wasn?t your fault from improperly disposing of old computers that contained sensitive data. Gartner explains, ?Best-practice PC disposal processes provide an audit trail documenting the serial-numbered inventory of disposed PCs, certification that proprietary and personal data has been removed and made unrecoverable, and transfer/reuse of software licenses, where applicable.? If your business would like help disposing of your old technology the right way, contact White Mountain IT Services. We can help you with the process by eliminating data found on your old PC?s hard drives so that it doesn?t fall into the wrong hands. Furthermore, we can help you recycle your old devices in a way which causes minimal impact to the environment. Our organization?s trained IT professionals will be able to help your business handle the transition to new technology as painlessly as possible. To learn more about what White Mountain IT Services can do for you, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Use the latest OSAs operating systems are updated, they are done so under the expectation that more and more devices will have a solid state drive. That’s why these operating systems are now designed to support SSD use. Avoid pointlessly manipulating data or activating wasteful settingsAs mentioned before, an SSD can only rewrite its data so many times before it is spent. Therefore, it would be wise to avoid using the SSD to copy your files or download data, as this will cause ‘wear’ on the device. This includes avoiding a few features that many systems are equipped with. Benchmarking: Sure, SSDs are fast, but try to avoid the temptation to run a few speed tests to see just how fast yours works. This will only result in a shorter lifespan for the drive, as it will use up the available cycles needlessly. Hibernation: This feature simply allows the computer to save the system memory to the hard drive before it is powered off. This enables the computer to resume these operations once it is turned back on. As with the benchmarking process, this will use up more of your SSD’s cycles that you would otherwise. A quick note: hibernation and sleep mode are not the same thing, so putting your device to sleep is perfectly safe. Don’t Defrag: Defragging your drive aggressively scours the data on the drive to organize it at a mechanical level. On older drives, especially HDDs, defragging can increase performance, but on SSDs the benefits are negligible, and it just causes needless wear and tear on the drive. Save mindfullyDue to some of the characteristics of SSDs, they are better suited to save certain kinds of media in particular ways, and aren’t very well suited for others. For instance, it is not recommended that an SSD is used to save particularly large files, or the background temp files that many processes create. In situations like these, it is better to rely on a HDD to save the data. Admittedly, SSDs have a considerably long lifespan, even if used similarly to an HDD. However, ensuring its longevity can foreseeably result in fewer replacement costs down the line. How much do you rely on SSD over HDD? Will you be a little more mindful of how you save your data? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you subscribe to our blog!
Microsoft has even released patches for some older, unsupported versions of Windows to combat the threat that infected PCs all over the world over the weekend. What’s Going On?A ransomware worm variant dubbed ‘WannaCry’ struck critical systems all around the world. While the attack has been addressed by Microsoft and halted for the time being, the threat is far from over, especially for users who don’t keep their computers updated. Discovered early in the morning hours of Friday, May 12, WannaCry spread at a startling rate, reaching victims in 11 countries within its first few hours, and over 45,000 attacks (spread through 99 countries) after a few more hours. By Monday, over 150 countries had been hit by this global cyberattack. There’s No Specific TargetThe victims included many companies that provide utilities, like telecommunications, electrical, and gas companies. Even more frightening, WannaCry caused serious trouble in England’s healthcare systems, leading to massive numbers of non-critical patients being sent home or turned away at hospital doors. Russia found that thousands of its interior ministry computers had been infected. In the United States, the ransomware managed to infect FedEx’s systems, and these are just the big highlights. Businesses everywhere went dark as a result of this attack. However, WannaCry did not target businesses of any specific industry. This particular ransomware worm is a threat to essentially any PC, old and new. WannaCry was first discovered by security company Malwarebytes, whose director of malware intelligence, Adam Kujawa, had a few choice words to describe the malware, “The spread is immense. I’ve never seen anything before like this. This is nuts.” This opinion was repeated by many others in the industry. How Do I Prevent WannaCry?WannaCry relies on a security vulnerability in Windows. Microsoft deployed a security patch on March 14, so it is critical that users run the update, especially before putting themselves at risk and opening unsolicited emails. Computers that are patched face a significantly smaller risk of getting the ransomware. Key words here; significantly smaller, as in not totally in the clear. To run your Windows Updates in Windows 10, open up your Start Menu and type “updates” in the search box and choose Check for Updates – system settings from the results. A window titled Windows Update should appear. From there, click the Check for updates button. If it says your device is up to date, you have the latest update. If not, you’ll need to allow your PC to install them. Evaluating your computer and network security would be a good step in the right direction, as well as educating employees on some basic best practices like not downloading and opening unsolicited attachments. It’s also critical that your files are backed up securely. If ransomware infects your network, it makes your files inaccessible unless you pay the ransom which only feeds into the problem. Utilizing an offsite backup solution that can easily be restored is the only way to go. I’m Updated, am I Still at Risk?There is also the risk that WannaCry is still waiting on some systems that have not been used since the attack began, so this initial attack is still far from over. Any PC on your network that gets infected could infect the rest. Plus, even with the patch, a user could still accidentally […]
Windows 10 S is designed to be much more lightweight than the current version of the operating system, boasting faster loading times than laptops running Windows 10 Pro. A laptop running Windows 10 S can load a user profile up to 15 seconds faster than a laptop running an ordinary version of Windows 10. This is due to fewer processes and applications running in the background, allowing for much faster times as a whole. To get this operating system off the ground, Microsoft is first targeting educational institutions like schools and college campuses. However, if you’re not in the business of education, Windows 10 S might not be a great fit for your organization. Sure, it might be useful in a pinch, but considering the limitations of Chrome OS, Windows 10 S will likely be something similar, allowing for a slightly passable experience when nothing better is available. That being said, it’s expected that Windows 10 S will be available on laptops that are already inexpensive to begin with, so it might be a good way to cut costs if the added power isn’t necessarily needed. Well-known manufacturers like Dell, HP, and Acer have all committed to producing laptops pre-packaged with Windows 10 S. This might be a good opportunity for those who already have a main workstation but need a low-cost travel laptop for meetings. What’s most interesting, however, is that Microsoft is using this upgrade as an opportunity to broaden its sales of its coveted Windows 10 Pro operating system. While Windows 10 S will be free (mostly because it’s already installed on devices), users can easily upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. Students can receive a full-fledged version of Windows 10 Pro for free, while non-students will be able to upgrade for a relatively small fee of $49. With this endeavor, it seems that Microsoft is making it easy for users to get a small taste of what Windows 10 has to offer, while allowing them the option to get a more comprehensive version of it easily enough. Windows 10 S will be available starting this summer. Therefore, you have to ask yourself how far you’re willing to go to save cash on your technology acquisitions. Having an in-house IT technician to consult for these matters is helpful, but not always possible for small businesses. After all, you don’t want to commit to a device–perhaps one containing this slim version of Windows 10–and have it not accomplish what you need it to. This is why White Mountain IT Services provides managed IT services for small businesses. We want to help your business choose the right technology for the right situation, in a way which lets you get the most return on your technology investments. For more information about our managed IT and hardware procurement services, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
As a business owner, you?ve surely thought about what the future holds for your organization. However, one of the things that you need to think about that?s not often considered is the event of a data disaster. How can your business bounce back from such a catastrophic event? One of the first steps is understanding your data backup and disaster recovery process, as well as how you can improve your current setup. Most organizations that don?t take advantage of a cloud-based BDR system still utilize tape backup. This is the act of storing data on magnetic tape–certainly better than nothing, but not without its disadvantages. We?ll also discuss some of the differences between the two as we take a look at what you should (and shouldn?t) ask of your data recovery solution. DO Take Multiple BackupsIt?s a common practice to take multiple backups, but the unfortunate truth of this is that it?s practically impossible to do so with tape. Or, rather, it?s difficult to get more than one backup out of the workday due to how resource-intensive and time-consuming they are. BDR allows you to take backups as often as every fifteen minutes so that your data backups will be as up-to-date as possible. DON?T Store Your Backups in the Same LocationYou could have all of the backups in the world, but if you store them in the same place, you could be left with nothing in the event of a disaster. It?s a best practice to store all of your backups in three locations at all times: in-house (in case your disaster isn?t centralized or too threatening), a secure off-site data center from which your data can be shipped overnight, and in the cloud where it can be accessed in a pinch. DO Aim for a Quick Recovery Time ObjectiveIt?s important that your business not remain inactive for long following a disaster. This results in crippling downtime that can create problems for your business. Most notably, you?ll be paying employees for not being able to work, and you?ll have to purchase new hardware. These expenses at the same time aren?t ideal, so it?s best to get back in business ASAP. DON?T Wait Longer Than NecessaryThe more time you spend recovering your data, the more time that?s being spent not being productive. This type of downtime can cost your business in the long run, and you may not be able to recover from such a blow. BDR can allow for practically instantaneous data recovery. Since your backups are stored in the cloud, they can be deployed to any device–including the BDR component itself–in a moment?s notice. This gives you time to find an adequate replacement for the hardware that has failed. DO Shoot for a Maximum Recovery Point ObjectiveIt?s a best practice to recover as much data as possible, so set your sights high and aim to lose as little as possible. This is called the recovery point objective. Having a set goal of how much data you will need to backup (and ultimately recover) in order to get your business back working productively is crucial to the continuity of your business. DON?T Accept Data LossNo amount of data loss is acceptable. This is a standard that you should strive for. BDR does this through taking backups every fifteen minutes […]
