Before you start to panic over a new type of ransomware, you should know that Osiris is a particular strain of the Locky ransomware. The only difference seems to be the file extension for the encrypted files, which is ?.osiris.? The main takeaway from this event is that sometimes even the good guys don?t have what it takes to protect themselves from unfortunate events–a truth all-too-painfully real for a business owner. This type of ransomware attack started off just like any other. Out of nowhere, the police were shown a message that claimed their files had been locked down, with paying a fee of $4,000 being the only way of recovering them. The cause for this ransomware was a spoofed email that claimed to be from another part of the police department. In an attempt to get rid of the ransomware, the police followed what?s commonly called a best practice for this type of situation: restore a backed-up copy of the server?s data. Unfortunately for them, the backup that they tried to restore from had also been infected, as it was taken after the systems were infected with the ransomware. As you can imagine, this caused quite a bit of trouble for the Cockrell Police Department. Included in the encrypted files were photographic and video evidence that could have been used in the prosecution of criminals. Whether or not this particular instance will mean anything for legal battles in the future is yet to be determined, but it sure is convenient for those who are involved with them. What this shows us is that ransomware is a threat for anyone who relies on data to perform their daily duties, businesses notwithstanding. A ransomware attack at the wrong time could be enough to completely upend operations, and it forces you to reconsider your approach to cybersecurity. You need to consider every single user of your email solution is a potential outlet of a ransomware attack. It also emphasizes the importance of keeping current backups archived in an off-site location so that you can guarantee you won?t be put in the same situation as these police officers. If your business wants to take a stand against ransomware, White Mountain IT Services can serve and protect you. We can help you implement spam-blocking solutions and security measures to keep ransomware from installing on your devices in the first place. Furthermore, we can help your employees know what to look for so that they don?t make the same mistakes as the Cockrell P.D. To learn more about network security, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
The aforementioned scenario is created when you expect your employees to contact tech support when they are experiencing an issue, rather than contacting someone within your organization. If your company doesn?t have someone dedicated to IT support, they might be left with no choice but to reach out to someone who can help them, whether it?s in your budget or not; especially if it means completing a project on time. How can you keep your organization from being surprised by hefty IT support invoices? It?s clear that working with a managed service provider who offers help desk support is better for your business. Managed IT providers like White Mountain IT Services charge only a flat monthly rate based on your service level agreement, rather than unexpected bills for unexpected support. You don?t have to worry about a stray call from an employee accruing extra charges since, as the call is covered under your service level agreement. Consider how much can change simply by looking at your help desk solution in a different way. If your organization is billed per call for IT help, your employees might hesitate to reach out when something goes wrong. While these intentions are noble, IT issues that go ignored can escalate into full-fledged problems that can eventually cause downtime. Workers using machines that suffer from performance issues will be less productive, causing long-term problems and creating stress for your workforce. Give Your Staff ?All You Can Eat? IT SupportA good solution to the IT support conundrum is to give your staff access to unlimited IT support so that they can get the most out of their technology and perform their tasks with minimal issue. You want an IT provider that isn?t billed per call, but one that costs a set rate every month. This means that you can effectively get as much support as you want and/or need for no extra cost. This is extraordinarily important if you want a predictable IT budget. But How Can You Get this Kind of IT Assistance? We know a reliable way to make sure that your business never has trouble accessing trained IT professionals. White Mountain IT Services wants to help your organization get past the problem of a limited IT budget through affordable monthly payments for all-you-can-eat IT support. With a help desk solution from White Mountain IT Services, you?ll never be left wanting more with your IT support. Gorge yourself on our expertise and use it to further your business?s operations. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
According to a recent study, predictions say that SaaS offerings will make up 59 percent of the cloud computing workload by 2018–and with more and more businesses utilizing cloud hosting, those predictions seem well founded. If you?re looking to move your assets into a cloud environment, they must first be virtualized with other variables taken into consideration. What follows are two crucial considerations to implementing the cloud for your business. Are You Ready to Integrate?Unfortunately, many mission-critical applications and cloud services don?t play very nicely with each other, which can lead to issues with integration. If you plan to connect all of your most-used services to a new cloud service, you must be sure to test that they comply with integration requirements. In short, you have to do your homework and learn what the cloud service requires. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing resources and experiencing downtime due to incompatibility. Is Your Connection Reliable Enough?In order for a business to use the cloud, a reliable connection is needed. Can your in-house network provide enough bandwidth to access the cloud, even during peak hours? Does your ISP provide you with consistent Internet service? It is common for companies to upgrade their Internet service before making the switch to a cloud solution, to ensure that they have what it takes to support that type of data-intensive activity. Finally, you should look into the cloud service provider you are considering. Can they guarantee your connectivity and uptime? These considerations must both be fulfilled if your cloud service is to truly be of benefit to your business operations. We can help you optimize your network, and help you make a seamless transition to cloud-based services. For more assistance, call White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.
The scenario we just described was a classic example of the traditional IT approach in action–a problem occurs, causing progress, profits, and productivity to be lost. The main problem with this strategy is that it?s reactionary, and gives circumstances control over your business. Besides the day-to-day hassles and shortcomings that this approach brings, there are potential dangers that threaten your entire establishment. What if a disaster struck and destroyed your entire infrastructure, or you were suddenly struck by a crippling malware attack that infected your critical data? Without preventative, proactive action, there wouldn?t be much you could do to bounce back; and, based on what has happened to other businesses after such events, it isn?t very likely that your business would last. However, it is very possible to reduce the risk of such events with some planning, forethought, and preparedness. When a system is built, it?s built to behave a certain way. When it behaves differently, that?s a red flag. We will keep an eye on your network, monitoring your network in order to prevent an all-out disaster. We?ll keep your solutions from going out of date so they will be there when you need them. However, that?s only half of the battle. Another significant portion of the issue lies in the tendency people have to assume that the worst won?t happen to them, and as a result, they neglect to prepare for potential problems properly, if at all. They find justification in the thought that, out of so many businesses in the world, the chances that someone would target them is unlikely. After all, their small business is worth peanuts compared the value of larger enterprises. While this is true, other factors have to come into play as well, as different cybercriminals will take different factors into consideration. So yes, while a small business is worth considerably less than a corporation in terms of net value, this also means that the corporation has exponentially more funds to invest into their cyber security, which many claim to do. So put yourself in the shoes of a cybercriminal: do you go for the high-value target with significant defenses in place and a team of highly-paid lawyers waiting to take you to task should you be caught, or do you go for the thousands upon thousands of Mom and Pop shops with very small values but negligible defenses? The choice is clear. Making sure your network is secured and tested against threats before there?s an issue is just another way of adopting a universally proactive strategy, as is preparing and maintaining a backup, monitoring solutions, and many other processes that White Mountain IT Services can help you handle. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more about our solutions.
For an iPhone or Other Apple ProductIf your go-to operating system is iOS, the Find My iPhone application can help you if you should find that your device has gone missing. If the device in question is linked to your iCloud account, or has the app installed, you can log into the app from another device to make locating the lost one much easier. The app allows you to track the movement of your device, as well as lock the device, and send a message to the finder so they may contact you. Just make sure you set up Find My iPhone while you have your device. For a Device with Android OSIf you can perform a Google search, you can find a misplaced Android device. All you have to do is sign into the same Google account that you use on your device and enter ?Find my Phone,? into the search bar. If you?ve connected your Google account to the device, you?ll be able to pull up a small map of the device?s surroundings. You can even ring the device if you?re nearby (and it?s turned on) to help your efforts to find it. Finding Other DevicesEven if you aren?t an Apple user, and your lost device runs an operating system other than Android, you still have options. One of these options is an app called Prey. Able to be installed on up to three devices, you can use Prey to identify who has your device, assuming they have yet to wipe it. All the device will need is the ability to connect to Wi-Fi and have a camera in order for the app to do its job. Prey can keep you updated on the status of your device, issuing a new report every 20 minutes. These reports can involve images captured by the device of its surroundings and the person who has it, as well as images of the display itself and notifications of changes made to the device. If you aren?t suspicious of any foul play, you can even send a message to whomever has your device, giving them the ability to contact you directly. On the other hand, you can also lock and/or wipe your device if worse comes to worse. To learn more ways to maximize the use of your technology, make sure you subscribe to White Mountain IT Services?s blog.
