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Whatever their reasons may be, many companies resort to ineffective measures like these when it comes to implementing changes on their network. The trouble is, they?ll often just add some relatively newer technology to their aging system. That, or they begin to channel Angus MacGyver, cobbling together whatever they have on hand to create a work-around to whatever problem they are experiencing. At White Mountain IT Services, we think that?s a shame, and that?s what makes us so committed to providing a better option for businesses. Many businesses, especially small ones, experience similar issues. They also tend to be unprepared for the full impact of any of the numerous IT concerns that could do harm to their operations, or prevent them from expanding and growing. Other tendencies that plague small businesses and their technology solutions include a lack of documentation outlining the basic procedures for a business resource to follow, as well as the consequences of that lack of documentation. Ultimately, a workforce that has not received the proper training will not be capable of working efficiently enough to fulfill the demands of the consumer or customers. However, without cohesive training or onboarding available to them, the employees who create that workforce will not be able to utilize the resources they are provided to their fullest ability. Instead, your more intrepid employees may take it upon themselves to come up with alternative methods to completing their duties, methods that could very well create a much larger problem somewhere down the line. All in all, workforces like these tend to be disorganized, inefficient, and unmotivated to learn how to become better, electing to do things ?the way they know how to do them.? Clearly, functioning as a small business is no easy endeavor, especially when concerns like these repeatedly pop up in technologies that small businesses rely on to function, distracting the employees and preventing them from achieving efficiency. However, there is help. Providers, like us at White Mountain IT Services, can implement the solutions your business will need to embrace its full potential. This only begins with a managed service implementation, where we will monitor your solutions as part of a proactive effort against the many threats that could strike your systems. If an issue or threat appears on the horizon, our technicians will work to resolve it before it presents you with a problem. The same goes for any security updates or software patches–we will make sure your systems are as advanced and well-protected as possible. Managing your IT solutions is only the start of how we can assist you and your business. For more information about our services, be sure to keep reading our blog, or give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

You only care about how long your device?s battery lasts when it?s in the red, and at that point, it?s almost too late to find somewhere to charge. In situations like this, your first thought is, ?Where is the nearest outlet?? Subsequently, your next thought might be, ?How can I charge the battery faster?? For this week?s tip, we?ll go over your options for getting a faster charge from your battery. Turn Off the DeviceFirst of all, try turning off your device whenever you choose to charge it. This means that instead of powering your device?s apps, your battery will instead be devoted to the singular task of recharging itself. Of course, there will always be a situation when you won?t be anywhere near an outlet, so you?ll need to make the most out of your charging time. Since we know that you can?t always turn off your device to max out the charge of your battery, here are a few ways you can do so without turning off your device completely. Disable Your Internet ConnectionEven if you?re not trying to use the Internet on your device, it still uses some extra battery power to connect. This is mainly due to connected apps that send notifications, like Facebook or your email app. If you don?t want to use your Internet connection, you can turn it off and still get work done by turning on airplane mode. This lets you take advantage of apps like your calendar, calculator, and alarm clock, but comes at the sacrifice of not being able to use your phone function. Disable Your BluetoothYou should only turn Bluetooth on when you need to use it, as it can be a battery drainer. Try a Wall OutletA USB port might be a great way to charge your device while you?re on the move, but the problem with this is that charging via USB is often less powerful than using a wall charger. The reasoning for this is that the outlet typically provides more energy than the device?s port, so you might experience a decrease in battery performance if you choose to use the USB option. In fact, in some scenarios, you may even notice that using a USB port will only slow the process of battery drain, which can be unfortunate and frustrating. When you think about it, this makes quite a bit of sense. PC Adviser explains how various chargers will have different charging capability: ?While a PC’s USB port is specified at 2.5W for USB 1.0 and 2.0 and 4.5W for USB 3.0 (so always use a USB 3.0 port in preference to USB 1.0 or 2.0 when available), a phone charger might be rated at 5W and a tablet charger 10W, for example.? Get a New ChargerJust because you?ve plugged your phone into a wall doesn?t necessarily mean that you will get the best quality charge. A charger might only use 5W when the device can accept as much as 10W, so you could be wasting valuable time to get more charge out of your device. Upgrading your charger to the appropriate wattage can help you best take advantage of your device?s charging capabilities. If you?re unsure of which type of charger best suits your device?s capabilities, check out the owner?s manual. Qualcomm?s Quick Charge […]

Enabling extensions even while in Incognito mode is a great way to make sure that you are getting the most out of browser. Just follow these instructions and you?ll be able to choose which extensions are always turned on, even when you?re in Incognito mode. Click Chrome?s menu button Make your way to the More Tools Click on Extensions Go through the extensions and find the one that you want to enable in Incognito mode Click on the Allow in Incognito Mode button It?s really that easy. Once you?ve followed these steps and open a new Incognito tab, you?ll notice that your selected extensions will be available for use in Incognito mode. Of course, it?s still best to consider that there?s probably a reason why Incognito mode turns your extensions off by default, so use them sparingly when you can. You don?t want to put your company?s data at risk on accident, especially when you?re trying to do the exact opposite by using Incognito mode in the first place. If you want to get the most out of your business?s technology, be sure to subscribe to our blog.

Based on the headlines you see today, it?s no question that cybersecurity is something that every business owner should be concerned about. As attacks become bigger and more frequent, all decision makers must ask the question: who needs to step up and ensure my IT resources are secure? It would seem as though every other news story is about a company being breached and losing user accounts that number in the thousands or millions–and in one case, billions–or that a Domain Name Server (DNS) provider was brought down by an attack. Of course, each of the attacks and breaches these news stories cover have ramifications that reach all the way to the end users and customers of the world (those who keep businesses in business). For example, the attack on Dynamic Network Services, or Dyn, lost the major DNS provider 8 percent of the domains it hosted, a total of around 14,500. Another major example of a major data breach is Yahoo. In December, Yahoo announced that one billion accounts were compromised and encouraged users to change their passwords accordingly. What makes this data breach even more ludicrous is the fact that it took place in 2013, which does little to assure businesses that their online data is safe and secure. As huge enterprises are continually being hit by these sorts of cyber attacks, owners of the much more common small and medium-sized businesses should take the opportunity to evaluate their own security preparedness. However, there is often some disagreement in these organizations as to who exactly is responsible for ensuring that a cyber security strategy is up to standards. The resolution to these disagreements is fortunately very simple: everybody. Each and every member of every organization needs to do their part when it comes to adhering to the basic safety measures of doing business over (or even just using) the Internet. It doesn?t matter if the employee is C-suite or entry level, every member of the company needs to hold themselves personally responsible for the security of the workplace, as every member could potentially undermine it. White Mountain IT Services can help make this a little easier for you as well. We can provide security solutions to help prevent threats from darkening your doors in the first place, along with the support services your end users need to remain productive in the face of adversity. Call us at (603) 889-0800 for more information.

Pay for Skills, Not for ExperienceWhen you post a job opening, it?s normal to include a laundry list of all of the qualifications you?re looking for in an applicant, which often includes a minimum amount of job experience. The thing about hiring experienced workers is that they have the ability to command top dollar, seeing as your competitors desire a worker with experience as much as you do. Although, if you?re looking to save money, then try hiring workers that have the skills necessary to perform the job, but lack experience. Often times, they?ll be so eager for the chance to work and gain experience that you can onboard them with an entry-level salary and let them work towards better benefits, which can total a fraction of the cost of what you would have to pay a worker with experience. Conserve Electricity and Heating and CoolingThe heating and cooling bill for your office can be significantly reduced with careful oversight and the right solutions. The alternative is to leave the lights and monitors on overnight, as well as your HVAC system. It may seem like a hassle to walk a lap around the office at the end of the day and turn everything off, but it?s a hassle that can save you a ton of money. Ideally, you can train your staff to do these tasks at the end of their workday, and computer peripherals like monitors can be set to turn off after a few minutes of inactivity. Smart lights and thermostats can be used to manage energy use (they?ll end up paying for themselves). Also, try designing your office in such a way that the rooms utilized the most have windows. This will allow you to spend less on electricity needed for lighting. Recycle Your Old EquipmentIt?s a win-win scenario when you?re able to trade in old equipment and ink cartridges to vendors and they give you a discount when purchasing new equipment and ink. There is a variety of companies that incentivize recycling in this way. Be sure to ask about this before making your next technology purchase. Outsource as Much as You CanIn business, one of the surest ways to save time and money is to outsource a responsibility to an expert. This applies to everything from the delivery of your product, to the cleaning of your facilities. One surefire way to save money is to outsource the maintenance and oversight of your company?s IT network. White Mountain IT Services can handle this responsibility for you, as well all other IT responsibilities that may be eating up more of your resources than is necessary. These are just four ways that you can tighten operations and create some breathing room in your budget. What are some reasonable changes that you?ve made to your business that have yielded major savings? Feel free to share them with us and other business owners in the comments below!