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.

In a recent security report released by security company phishd by MMR InfoSecurity, the company simulated attack campaigns targeting almost a million users. ITProPortal reports that ?Almost a quarter of users clicked a link to be taken to a fake login screen. Out of that number, more than half (54 percent) provided user credentials, and 80 percent downloaded a file.? These findings translate roughly to more than 10 percent of targeted users falling victim to the first two stages of the simulated attack and disclosing their user credentials. When you compare this rate to a traditional hacking method like spam email where the success rate is a fraction of a percentage point, you can see why hackers and scammers are turning to social media in droves. Diving deeper into this study gives business owners even more reason to worry. James Moore, Managing Director of phishd by MWR InfoSecurity, observes, ?More concerning is that out of those targeted with a social media request or a promotional offer, more than 10 percent downloaded a potentially malicious file via their corporate email accounts.? This means that a significant number of users have connected their social media activity to their work email accounts, a bad move that increases the risk of a company experiencing a data breach. This study highlights the importance of businesses safeguarding their data by including strategies to protect them from phishing scams. Ultimately, this requires a multi-prong approach. In addition to implementing standard security tools like antivirus, spam blocking, and content filtering (which you can use to block social media websites on your network), you?ll want to include training so users will know how to spot a phishing scam, be it found on social media or elsewhere. Otherwise, hackers will utilize a lure so convincing that a user will bypass all of the security measures you?ve put in place–all so they can take advantage of a bogus deal, connect with a fake Facebook friend, respond to a fake job offer, etc. Today?s businesses must protect their data from threats on every side: social media, email, mobile devices, malicious websites, and more. Is your business prepared to deal with the complex world of network security? If not, then scammers will take advantage of your blind spots and lure your network users into their traps. To make sure that your business is protected from the worst of the web, call White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

Here are six measures that you can take when you accidentally crack your screen. Do NothingYes, this is an option if you don?t want to invest in a new screen. It might be tempting to just deal with the cracked screen, especially if the phone still works perfectly fine. If you must bear with the cracked screen, it?s not the end of the world, especially if your contract has yet to expire and provide you with another option. If you think that the screen might start to fall apart, a screen protector can be used to hold it in place. Of course, if the crack is on the outside and your fingers are swiping against the edge of glass, you might need to resort to the next option. Ask Around for a ReplacementSmartphones these days are easier to find than you might think. Since they are often replaced prematurely, someone you know might have a spare on-hand that they are willing to part with. In most cases, all you have to do is move your SIM card over to the replacement and you?ll be able to continue using your device. Keep in mind, typically the replacement needs to be on the same or a similar carrier. Perform a Risky DIY RepairIf you don?t want to buy a new phone or ask around for a hand-me-down, you could always try to replace the screen yourself. There are plenty of resources on the Internet that can help you fix a phone, but only if you?re willing to take some risks. In a way, it?s a very high-risk high-reward investment, so only do this if you want to commit to fixing the device, regardless of whether it works or not. Typically you can find a replacement screen on eBay, but replacing it is about as complex as it sounds. Get Someone Else to Fix ItIf you don?t want to take the risk yourself, you can hire someone to do the job for you. However, taking it to the manufacturer is sure to result in a pricey repair bill. Instead, if you have an IT department or a managed IT provider on your side, they might be able to help point you in the right direction. For companies that are looking to provide smartphones to their staff, a comprehensive insurance plan is important in order to mitigate your organization?s liability. Much like the managed services we provide, insurance will replace the phone with a similar device for a fraction of the cost of replacing it yourself (which will likely cost your business hundreds of dollars). Trade Away or Sell Your PhoneIf you?re willing to invest a bit into a new phone, you can trade it in or sell your old one for a bit of extra cash toward the new one. While this doesn?t really help you fix the screen itself, a new phone can be a gift in and of itself. Just make sure to properly wipe your device of any sensitive data prior to doing so. If you don?t know how, we?d be happy to help. Keep an Eye Out for a Good DealFor the average small business, providing your staff with smartphones can boost productivity, even off the clock. You will be surprised just how much communication and collaboration can be […]

When you turn on your device?s Wi-Fi capabilities, do you ever take the time to look at some of the names of your neighbors? connections? You?ll see some rather boring names as well; some might just use the name of their organization or the family?s name, or even just the default SSID used by the router. The fact of the matter is that a wireless network name that?s easy to gloss over is a best practice for network security. The users who go out of their way to name their Wi-Fi networks something nonsensical have the right idea–making your SSID something that?s easy to miss is a great way to protect your network against possible infiltrators. Think about it this way; if a robber was trying to break into your home and he knew the address, it would make it much easier for him to do so. On the other hand, if he doesn?t know your address and only knows that it?s on a specific street, he?ll have to do some guesswork, which could make all the difference in preventing a robbery in the first place. If there?s one website that showcases just how important an inconspicuous Wi-Fi network name is, it?s WiGLE. This service collected information from the countless wireless networks and places it in an online database that users can search through. WiGLE also offers the ability to map, query, and update the available databases. The information collected by WiGLE can be used for a myriad of purposes, such as research projects, journalism, site surveys, educating the public, analyzing wireless usage, and locating networks that you can connect to while you?re traveling. Now that you know this tool exists, have you asked the important questions yet? If your information is being collected, is it at risk of being stolen and used against you? Should you be worried about someone being able to find your network through an online application? If you don?t want it to be available to the public, how can you remove your information from WiGLE? The service has answered all of these questions in its own FAQs section: ?If your network is in WiGLE and you don’t like it, we’ll take it out immediately, but you should look into making your network harder to detect AND more secure; remember that you’re the one bombarding passers-by with your signal. We aren’t affiliated directly with any particular community or interest (other than our own), but we applaud the efforts of the people who wrote the stumbling software that feeds our project, the people looking to use wireless in innovative ways, and especially the community of people who just dig wireless network access and dig sharing it.? What do you think about WiGLE? If it has you concerned, perhaps it?s time to take a look at your organization?s network connections and see what can be done to reinforce them. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.