Recent Blog Posts
VirusesViruses are a common occurrence, even by normal computing standards. It doesn?t take much to contract one. Even clicking on the wrong link or downloading the wrong file could infect a computer with a virus. Viruses are known to cause PC performance issues, in particular slowdowns. In fact, viruses are often symptoms of deeper-rooted problems, and should be handled as such. MalwareIf you?ve contracted a virus, it?s worth checking for infections by other malware. Malware, or ?malicious software,? is designed to fulfill a certain task. The task? well, that can vary. Some types of malware will steal data or destroy it, while others will run scripts that make it more difficult to do your job. Regardless of its function, it?s clear that malware is not something you want to take lightly, and you should always be running an antivirus program to promptly eliminate any infections. TrojansTrojans are a specific type of malware that work in much the same way that the Greek?s Trojan Horse worked. Trojans will install backdoors on your devices to allow remote access for future campaigns. Trojans are often installed on devices while the organization is suffering from another type of breach, like a virus or malware issue, effectively making use of a diversion tactic to ensure future access. It?s most often the case that only the most powerful antivirus or antimalware systems can detect trojans. RansomwareThis is the cream of the crop in terms of major threats that your business needs to watch out for. Ransomware is exactly what its name implies–it?s malware that locks down your data using encryption and demands a ransom for its safe return. In most cases, unless the organization has a backed-up copy of the data, businesses have no choice but to pay the fine. Since ransomware spreads in many of the same modes as normal malware, like spam and malicious links or attachments, it?s best to implement a spam filter and to educate your team on how to avoid clicking on the wrong link. Phishing and Spear PhishingThese types of threats leverage technologies like email to find those foolish enough to download viruses and malware on their system or hand over sensitive data. These spam messages are called phishing attacks. More targeted attacks tend to include personalized messages that could include the victim?s phone number, physical address, and so on–all to make the message seem legitimate. Phishing attacks often come disguised as messages from law enforcement or special government agencies, threatening ?legal action? for a supposed crime or unpaid fine. A spam filter can cut your organization?s phishing and spear phishing messages down considerably, and it can save you plenty of time in the long run. To learn how you can protect your business from all manners of threats, reach out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.
People, unfortunately, are never level costs. Add in the 38 to 41 cents on the dollar full-time employees cost over and above their salaries and bonuses, and it can make CFOs start popping antacids pretty fast. There is one way to level some of your costs. Flat rate IT services allow you to predict your information technology costs from March to April, Q1 to Q2, and one year to the next. They allow you to finally nail down that budget for your IT expenditures. Flat rate IT services are the insurance every company needs. There are no sick days that delay project completions. White Mountain IT Services can supplement a large IT subdivision with specialized support, or be there to make sure that one guy that is your IT department has help any time he needs it. Our data center in Nashua, NH, can add backing up your data securly offsite, into your flat rate plan. Been thinking about getting rid of your servers, moving to a fully cloud-based system? We’ve done that. Just ask our clients. We’ve taken over IT services for entire companies, from servers to networks to firewalls to employee training. We understand your frustrations, and know how many problems a little proactive maintenance can solve before they ever become a major issue. Contact us for more about our flat rate IT services, managed services, project services, or our expertise in your area, including legal and medical IT, among many others.
Here are four of the best smartphone accessories out there, including ways to get more battery life out of your device, ways to communicate more effectively, and other portable conveniences. Portable Battery PackWe?ve all been in the position where your battery only has a little bit of a charge left and you?re nowhere near an outlet to charge it up. This is why a portable battery pack is such a great asset for someone who?s always on the go. These battery packs work in conjunction with USB technology. All you have to do is plug in your phone and you?ll be getting a good, quality charge, regardless of where you are. If you?re not sure where to start looking, try this one made by Anker. A Longer USB CordThe default charger cable is going to be short, and it probably won?t be very durable either. To get a little more length, you can try this long USB cord, also made by Anker. It?s a great way to take advantage of your portable battery pack, and it can be used for pretty much anything your ordinary USB cord is used for. It?s made out of some pretty heavy duty stuff, too. If you have a pet that?s known to chew on wires, this cord is for you. A Wireless Bluetooth HeadsetHow do you attend meetings with your company?s home base? Do you listen in with a headset, or do you hold a phone to your face until your arm falls asleep? You can make long meetings much more bearable with a Bluetooth headset that can connect to your smartphone. Just pair the device with your handset, put in the ear piece, and you?re golden. Other Bluetooth TechnologiesIf you want a cool new technology for your smartphone, just about anything will do, so long as it helps you do your job better. You can wirelessly tether devices like a wireless keyboard or a set of headphones. What are some of the ways you take advantage of mobile technologies and smart phone accessories? Let us know in the comments.
For business owners looking to streamline operations and get the most out of their technology, a new survey by TSO Logic analyzed 10,000 customer physical servers and 25,000 virtual machines and concluded that 45 percent of existing VMs would run more efficiently in the cloud. A finding like this should be reason enough for companies to reevaluate their current IT setup. As one would imagine when taking tens of thousands of servers into consideration, the reason for such shortcomings varies. In the study, it was found that one of the main obstacles holding back efficiency of on-premise virtual machines was them being over-provisioned, by as much as 26 percent of the inspected machines. In plain English, this means the virtual machines were set up to use more hardware resources than the server they were on could provide. In an interview with InformationWeek, TSO Logic?s CEO Aaron Rallo concludes, ?Migrating them to the cloud and right-sizing them there would result in a 36 percent savings over their current operating cost.? A 36 percent cost savings is a pretty outstanding figure. For many companies, savings like this would cover the expense of migrating to the cloud, and then some. In addition to using these newly found funds to migrate to the cloud, you can invest in upgrading older server units to the latest models in order to experience even further cost savings. InformationWeek reports, ?A secondary finding was that merely upgrading systems to the latest generation of servers, whether on premises or in the cloud, would also result in considerable savings. Twenty-five percent of the physical servers surveyed were more than three years old, meaning they dated back into the Intel Nehalem chip era of 2013 and its predecessors.? Granted, migrating to the cloud and replacing inefficient server units with newer models are two aggressive actions for an IT administrator to take, especially when one?s current IT setup seems to be meeting a company?s needs just fine. However, what this study shows is that taking such an aggressive stance toward making sure that your systems and equipment are upgraded, along with hosting data in the cloud when it?s advantageous, is worth the effort, and then some. Would you like to squeeze out the most efficiency and savings from your IT infrastructure as possible? How do you go about this? The answer is easy, with help from White Mountain IT Services. To get started, you?ll need a thorough IT assessment of your current operations. White Mountain IT Services can perform this task and report back to you on what improvements you can make in order to improve efficiency and save money. It?s an easy way to bolster your bottom line, and at the end of the day, shouldn?t that be what your company?s technology is all about? To schedule your IT assessment, call us today at (603) 889-0800.
Fact: Millennials are entering the workforce en masse. Therefore, employers and workers from earlier generations shouldn?t be so quick to write off the generation that now makes up the largest segment of the workforce. In order to properly leverage this differently-thinking group, managers need to understand a few things about how Gen Y thinks, behaves, and what they value. First of all, Millennials generally hold a strong desire to balance their professional and personal lives–or, in simpler terms, they want a life outside of the office. As a result, they will possess a rabid work ethic during their office hours if it means that their time at home is really their time. At the same time, they also want a greater level of control in how that time is balanced. For instance, if given the choice between spending their time commuting to the office to do their work, or working from home, the majority of Millennials would rather work from home, devoting more time to company business. Recent estimates put the number of Americans working from home at around three million, with an anticipated growth rate of 63 percent in five year?s time. With recent figures from Pew Research Center stating that 64 percent of Millennials want the option to work from home on occasion, that growth seems feasible. Also serving their desire for work/life control, Pew found that 66 percent of Millennial workers wanted to see a shift in their work hours–something a self-managed, work-from-home approach would allow. Secondly, a goal shared by many Millennials is to experience career growth and improvement. They want to have a mentor-pupil relationship with their boss, rather than that of a superior and an underling. Their prime motivator is self-improvement, and so they will seek challenges in order to gain more education and experience. Upward mobility is very important to the Millennial employee as well, and they are more likely to actively seek opportunities to improve their professional and/or financial standing. Members of Gen Y want a situation in which their individual input to the big picture is valued and validated. Therefore, it?s recommended that new hires are given smaller responsibilities in the prospect of advancing to bigger and better things. They also crave feedback and evaluation following their accomplishments and their failures. By giving a young employee regular responses to their work, you can teach them to be a better employee while simultaneously allowing them to feel valued and work harder toward improving. An important thing to keep in mind is that Millennials will strive to grow one way or another, and so if they are unable to do so at your company, they will move on to other opportunities. Finally, Millennials were raised among more technology than any generation before them, and so can adapt more easily to unfamiliar systems. Again, the generation as a whole has a tendency to relish challenges, so giving them tasks where they can use your most cutting-edge solutions will give them an incentive to stay and excel on behalf of your business. Not sure if you have the solutions that Millennials would respond to? White Mountain IT Services can equip your business with the latest and greatest technologies that Millennial workers prefer. Call us at (603) 889-0800 to learn more.
