The Cloud Takes the Burden Off of Running Your In-House NetworkIf you host your own IT infrastructure in-house, you are responsible for ensuring that it functions properly. This includes worrying about issuing the latest security updates and resolving critical problems that could lead to hardware failure or other forms of downtime. An average SMB will find this challenging, as they may not have an internal IT department or the time to devote toward learning how to properly take care of technology solutions. When you host your business?s data and applications in the cloud, you are essentially taking this responsibility and outsourcing it to a managed service provider. This managed service provider then performs all of the necessary maintenance and management. In return, your business gets the ability to focus on your business goals, as well as the peace of mind that your technology is being maintained by experienced professionals. The Cloud Offers FlexibilityToday?s mobile-centric business environment is very conducive to the success of the cloud. Hosting your data and applications in the cloud allows your organization to share files and information from any connected devices. ITProPortal explains: ?Global expansion has increased the need for international data centers, especially as security and privacy concerns lead to strict regulations that vary from country to country… Cloud computing with an established cloud partner with physical data centers across multiple geographies means your data can ?live? in just about any jurisdiction, and mitigates this problem.? Next, consider the fact that you?ll be providing your team with versatile access to important files, as well as collaboration capabilities in real time. This makes the cloud an important and borderline-necessary way of improving productivity for your organization. The Cloud is SecureBefore the cloud became a popular option for businesses, there were major concerns about the privacy and security of data handled by cloud service providers. Trusting a third-party provider with your sensitive data may not have seemed appealing for this reason. These days, security has undergone so many upgrades that even public cloud options are viable ways to host your data. Data centers have also undergone impressive shifts in favor of SMB cloud hosting, allowing you to host your organization?s data with their resources without giving up on the flexibility option. With all three of these features, have you changed your mind about the cloud? For more information about what the cloud can do for your business, reach out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

Your data needs to be protected–that?s something that we all can agree on. However, even if your data were to be targeted in a data breach, would you be able to see the attack coming? Here are three telltale signs that your data is in imminent danger. The Identity Theft Resource Center, or ITRC, claims to have recorded 781 data breaches in 2015 alone, and that?s just for the United States. This is the second-highest number recorded since the ITRC began tracking data breach counts in 2005. In 2015, the ITRC saw that the business sector made up nearly 40 percent of all reports, with thieves targeting information like financial credentials or personal data. One can only assume the 2016 report will exceed this number. Therefore, it?s crucial that businesses stay vigilant and understand that even if you?ve taken steps to avoid data breaches, chances are that you?ll still fall victim to one sometime in the future. You can?t just assume that you?ll never be targeted–rather, you should assume as such, and stay cautious. Here are some best practices that you can follow to keep data breaches from wreaking havoc on your systems. Define ?Normal?To identify problems in your infrastructure, you first need to understand what operating as intended means. You should familiarize yourself with your IT infrastructure, including which employees have access to certain data and network traffic during specific times of day. Only then can you truly understand what to look for in terms of strange occurrences. Keep an Eye Out for Unusual ActivityData breaches are rarely things that go without signs or warnings. Look out for these subtle problems with your technology solutions, for they could mean that there?s a much bigger problem just beneath the surface. Unusual or unapproved programs: If random programs are suddenly showing up on your workstations, you may have a breach on your hands. In this particular case, you can ask for your employees? cooperation. If they see something out of place on their workstation, ask them to report it to IT. Unexplained employee activity: Your network access logs should be able to show you specific times and dates that your team is accessing information. If these can?t be explained (like an employee accessing data at 4am from a country on the other side of the world), you?ll know that there?s something fishy going on. Other breach attempts: If you?ve had to stave off a rather obvious cyber attack in recent weeks, you might be dealing with something much more dangerous. Certain attacks, like DDoS, are used as distractions to allow other dangers to sneak into your infrastructure. Therefore, in order to ensure maximum security, you cannot assume that an attack is over when it seems to be over. The worst might still be yet to come. Educate Your EmployeesArguably the most important part of data security is ensuring that your team understands the concept of network security. Your employees should know how to identify common threats and avoid them. After all, anyone who accesses sensitive information should know when it?s in danger of being stolen. For more ways to keep your data safe, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.

Two problems that most organizations have with this is that either their IT department has completely maxed out its resources, or your organization doesn’t have an IT department. Since easy access to an IT helpdesk may not seem like a necessary expense for the modern office, it is often overlooked; usually, at a detriment to the organization. As more technology gets introduced, IT problems are inevitable and White Mountain IT Services?s IT services can present real value to any small and mid-sized business struggling with downtime as a result of ineffective IT. It?s a safe bet that you don?t think about most of the technology that your organization uses. Of course, you have your computers (servers and workstations), and people are always on their phones, which if they are using the network, require Wi-Fi (routers). Your average employee doesn?t pay any mind to the other parts of your network infrastructure that all come at a substantial cost and will fail at some juncture. We understand the balancing act. At White Mountain IT Services, we offer several IT-related services that hold value for any organization having problems with their IT. Our first consultation will be a complete assessment of your computing infrastructure. We comb over your technology to see that every essential component of your company?s IT is working as intended. Using the information that we gather from this assessment, we will then build a roadmap to provide you the support and innovation you need to get to where you are going. Our managed IT services package includes complete remote support of your network and computing infrastructure (servers and workstations), IT consulting, hardware and software support, vendor support, comprehensive network security, and a potentially business-saving backup and disaster recovery solution. If, after the consultation, you believe, as we do, that managed IT services can help your business see more uptime, higher degrees of productivity, and access to some of today?s most innovative technology, give us a call at (603) 889-0800. We can provide you with the peace of mind that your network and infrastructure are properly managed, so you can again focus on what?s important to you: your business.

Business is a fickle thing, as acquisitions can be the end of both major and minor vendors. This can also lead to the untimely demise of some of your partnerships with these companies. Take, for example, a recent acquisition by Fitbit, which acquired a former Kickstarter project Pebble, showing the world that these types of acquisitions can be major problems for consumers. Pebble, a hardware company, made the announcement on their Kickstarter page that, ?due to various factors,? the company ?could no longer operate as an independent entity? and had ?made the tough decision to shut down the company? after Fitbit completed the purchase of some of Pebble?s assets. Pebble went on to admit that they would no longer be building hardware and cutting production of their wearable products. Of course, you have to take into account all of the devices that have already been sold. Pebble has claimed that the devices will continue to operate as intended for now, but these devices will go without critical software updates, making them vulnerable to all manners of online threats. Furthermore, these devices will no longer be available for return or exchange, so the user is basically stuck with a device that?s both without updates and without the possibility for financial reimbursement. In other words, you?ll notice how this isn?t a decision that affects just Pebble, but all of the users of their products. Pebble fans are stuck with devices that have a limited lifespan, no warranty, and no support, making you wonder why Pebble would have agreed to such a thing. Granted, this exchange probably won?t affect your business much, but you need to think about it in a more broad sense. What if your workstation were dealing with a software vendor, which was one day bought out by another company out of the blue. If these devices aren?t supported any longer by your vendor, since they are no longer offering support or services that were agreed upon, your office will be filled with devices that have no real practical use. As was seen with Windows XP?s end of life event, custom service might be available, but at an unreasonable and expensive cost. If you want to ensure that you don?t fall victim to a random acquisition in the tech industry, reach out to White Mountain IT Services and have our professional technicians be your single point of contact for your IT vendors. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.