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 We?ll keep your solutions from going out of date so they will be there when you need them.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.

Many smaller businesses look to a niche market for sustainability; and, while this seems like a decent strategy on the surface, if demand falls in that niche, you could quickly be faced with some very disheartening questions. Other businesses decide to forgo this strategy and continue as intended, relying on their people?s expertise or experience to guide them through rough patches in business. This is a great strategy until your larger competitors pilfer your organization?s talent with offers of more pay and better benefits. The truth is that there are no easy answers on how to sustain a small business through turbulent times. For this reason, one avenue almost any small business can venture down is to make improvements in technological resources to try and mitigate the gaps in financial and productivity deficits. Technology, if leveraged properly, can build additional efficiency to your offering, making business move faster. The problem for the modern small business owner or manager is ascertaining what technology investments make the most sense for you. Where Do Mobile Devices Fit?Mobile has been a popular discussion point in every technology-of-the-future discussion for the past ten or twelve years. This means that the future is now for mobile and while there are a lot of things to love about mobile devices, for small businesses they may do more harm than good. For the small business that has already covered their bases with a thorough mobile device management platform and a BYOD strategy, leveraging the positive attributes out of mobile will be simpler than those who are starting from scratch. Of course, it?s easier to build a bridge if you?ve already procured the materials you need, but without some idea of what you?ll use it for, what?s the point? For a small business, mobile devices can have some positive effects on employee engagement, awareness, and for cultivating the relationships you depend on. On the other hand, mobile devices can be a hopeless waste of time, which just happens to be one of the most critical resources to manage for the small business owner. With well over 90% of a smartphone?s utility wrapped up in distractions, it seems like that is an endless amount of monitoring and management for a very little return. As long as your organization has clear rules in place to manage data dissemination, access, and communication, mobile will continue to work for your business. But, if you are just getting on the mobile bandwagon, be sure to create your mobile policies before relying on mobile as a way to build more revenue. The Internet of ThingsThe Internet of Things is what mobile devices were a few years ago: a wild new frontier filled to the brim with entrepreneurial ideas. Where there are a pool of entrepreneurs there is capital, so expect the Internet of Things to continue to come on fast and produce experiences like nothing you have ever seen before. For the small business owner, it will be difficult to pinpoint which solutions will be of benefit to your company. Since many of these devices are going to be marketed to ?build efficiency? in some kind of task, it will be on you to determine which products will work for your organization. There has been some technologies that have already been developed that are sure […]

Before we dive into this week?s tip, it has to be said: if you have a choice, you should probably avoid using a public computer. As a rule, these machines feature minimal security precautions, along with maximum risk to any data accessed by the PC. Although, if a situation ever arises in which you have no choice but to use a public computer, be sure to follow these security best practices. Browse PrivatelyIn the interest of a user?s convenience, most web browsers are configured to store informative things like browsing history, passwords, and downloads. On a private machine, these features can be pretty useful. However, if a public-access machine saves this data and you?re not careful, a stranger could access it and piece together your sensitive information. Using a private browser helps to keep your personal browsing safe, even on a public computer. Private browsing is a function that?s built into many browsers that will erase any tracks you leave behind on the machine itself by wiping the local data. Although, be warned that private browsing only prevents the machine you are using from recalling what you accessed, but Internet providers, advertisers, and search engines still keep track of this information. Make Use of a VPNVPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, are great for private web browsing. Once you?ve logged in to your VPN, it shields your IP address and conceals your activity in a virtual tunnel, hidden under layers of encryption. Your identity and even your location are kept anonymous, thanks to the use of proxy servers the world over, protecting you from opportunistic attacks. VPNs come in both free and reasonably-priced varieties. Additionally, if you plan on accessing your office network from an outside location using a VPN, it?s important to first setup your network so you can do this securely. For more help securing your business assets in situations like this, as well as many other scenarios, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.

First off, know that the appearance of an eye icon doesn?t mean that you?re being watched by a hacker. It?s a Samsung feature called Smart Stay, and when you see the eye, it means that the feature is activated. What is Smart Stay?Smart Stay is a clever feature that uses your device’s front camera to sense when you are looking at the device. Once your face (or any face) is detected, Smart Stay will then prevent the screen from turning off, overriding any screen timeout setting. As you can imagine, this is a very helpful feature that prevents your screen from turning off while you?re reading a blog or an email, which can be a frustrating experience. You can adjust the feature from the Android home screen by going to Menu > Settings > My Device > Smart screen. From here, check or uncheck Smart Stay to turn the feature on or off. Of course, it?s such a helpful feature that you?ve really got no reason to turn it off. That is, unless you want to conserve battery power. How Do I Know if My Phone is Compromised?Now that we?ve established that Samsung?s Smart Stay feature is not spying on you, let?s go over some symptoms that you?ll see on your phone if it is hacked. Depending on the nature of the hack, some of these symptoms could even mean that someone may actually be spying on you via your phone. Unfamiliar charges on your carrier?s statement. Data access patterns that you don?t recognize. Your battery drains quicker than normal. You find apps that are downloaded from a third-party app store. Strange notifications start appearing, especially related to finding and downloading new apps and games. Your device has been rooted (aka jailbroken). Your antivirus has been disabled. You actually see the hacker?s remote actions of opening apps and navigating your phone. Of course, if you have any suspicion whatsoever that your phone is hacked, then it?s a smart move to turn off the device?s Internet connection, or even power it down completely. You?ll then want to take your phone to an IT professional like the friendly technicians at White Mountain IT Services for us to confirm or deny your suspicion, and then remove the threat entirely should we find one. In today?s hack-happy world, it?s good to be suspicious when you see something on your device that you don?t understand, like perhaps the Smart Stay eyeball. White Mountain IT Services is standing by to assist you when you encounter your phone doing something that you don?t understand, because when it comes to your personal data, it?s better to be safe than sorry!