Here?s a summary of the study by the security firm Avecto, as reported by ZDNet: The report said that removing admin rights could’ve mitigated more than 99 percent of flaws affecting Internet Explorer, which had a critical-rated flaw almost every month; and mitigated 82 percent of all vulnerabilities affecting Office. The company analyzed the entire batch of vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s monthly security patch update, dubbed Patch Tuesday, to see which flaws would be less impacted whose logged-in accounts “are configured to have fewer user rights on the system.” Out of the entire batch of vulnerabilities reported, 63 percent would be mitigated or unexploitable if admin rights were removed. The most shocking find from the study is that concerning the Windows operating system, a solid 85 percent of all critical flaws within the OS can be plugged simply by removing administrator privileges. That?s a whole mess of problems that can be avoided if organizations simply take the time to establish and manage their network?s administrator privileges. Think about it, there?s no benefit to your organization from giving all of your staff the ability to access all of your files. Every business has files on record that are sensitive in nature, like employee health records, payroll, and bank account information. Sensitive records like these must be protected by setting up airtight administrator privileges, and in some industries, failure to do so will result in hefty fines. In addition to worrying about the administrator privileges of your staff, you?re going to want to be mindful of how hackers can manipulate administrator privileges. For example, an IT network with strict administrator privileges in place will deter a hacker who infiltrates your network from accessing sensitive files. You?re also going to want to be mindful and stay current with the administrator privileges that you?ve put into place; you wouldn?t want a former employee to retain their administrator privileges, and you need to protect yourself from hackers who successfully steal administrator rights. In today’s digital age, it?s frightening how one oversight like this can open the door to so much trouble. However, by taking full advantage of a user management solution, you can minimize this risk–by as much as 85 percent! Of course, managing your network?s administrator privileges is just one piece of the security puzzle. You?re also going to want to have in place secondary security solutions like firewalls, antivirus, spam blocking, and content filtering tools designed to prevent infiltration in the first place. White Mountain IT Services can implement all of these tools for you in one comprehensive solution, called a Unified Threat Management (UTM) tool. To learn more about what it takes to tighten your company?s network security, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.

With a little know-how, some common sense, and White Mountain IT Services by your side, the next time you upgrade your technology, you?ll know for sure whether or not it will benefit your organization before you implement it. Here?s a handy checklist that can help you understand when it?s time to go all-in on new technology solutions. SoftwareWhen considering changing your business?s software solution strategy, you should make sure to ask yourself the following questions about your organization?s infrastructure: Is your current operating system supported? In other words, are you currently receiving patches and security updates from Microsoft for your servers and workstations? If not, your business could be exposing itself to malware, viruses, and other nasty online threats. Do you have any legacy software that?s dependent on specific operating systems? One major reason that organizations don?t upgrade their technology consistently is because they just can?t do so without sacrificing legacy software. This happens when a piece of software isn?t compatible with more recent operating systems. Therefore, you need to ensure that you aren?t using legacy software that will be complicated by a switch to a new operating system. Is this software supported? What?s preventing you from getting on the most recent version? HardwareIf you?re considering upgrading your business?s hardware solutions, consider the following before taking any drastic measures: How old is your hardware? Have you upgraded your workstations and servers over the past two or three years? If not, you might be in need of a hardware upgrade. The older the hardware, the more chance there is to fall victim to expensive hardware failure and crippling data loss. Are any of your workstations or servers operating below specifications? If there’s something wrong with your business?s technology, you might think that upgrading to a more recent model can resolve the issue. However, if you?re experiencing slow network speeds or other technical difficulties, you could be dealing with other problems that don?t necessarily require a hardware upgrade to fix. Has your business been experiencing growth? If your business is growing at a fast pace, your network might have difficulty keeping up with the demand. Therefore, you may need to upgrade your network?s hardware in order to facilitate the amount of traffic it experiences. Otherwise, you could be dealing with a slow network and decreased productivity. If your organization is having difficulty ensuring that your technology systems are consistently updated, White Mountain IT Services can help. Our trusted professionals have the skills necessary to provide clear consultation that can help your business approach your next upgrade round with ease. For more information about updating your technology systems, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800; and be sure to subscribe to our blog for more great tech tips.

The fact remains that fully outsourced IT management is the ideal way for small and medium-sized businesses to handle their technology solutions. Unlike large businesses that have a generous IT budget, your SMB has limited assets and resources to work with, which can restrict your freedom to implement quality new technology solutions. When you outsource IT to a managed service provider, that’s work that no longer has to be performed, providing you with more time and capital to invest in other parts of your business. Some of the most common managed IT services include remote management and maintenance, network security, data backup and disaster recovery, email and server hosting, and so much more. All of these services require some sort of technical expertise, and outsourcing them to a qualified managed service provider is often the best choice for SMBs. Here are three great reasons you should consider outsourcing your IT maintenance: Decreased capital expenses: Managed IT is like transforming all of your technology maintenance and management into operating expenses. Instead of large, up-front capital costs for new technology solutions, your business can benefit from the economic freedom of only spending a fraction of these costs every month, providing more flexibility with your budget.Increased IT flexibility: It?s one thing to not have an internal IT team and outsource these responsibilities directly, but it?s another altogether to provide assistance to your dedicated internal IT department. If you do have an internal IT department, chances are that they?re up to their ears in day-to-day work and are too busy to perform maintenance or implement new solutions. This is why it?s so valuable to have managed IT services– if your team is too busy, White Mountain IT Services can relieve some of the burden so your staff can work on company initiatives that improve the business.Proactive and preventative solutions: When your business?s technology fails, it can have disastrous effects on your business?s budget. Managed IT services are designed to detect and prevent issues with your infrastructure, rather than respond to major problems as they come up. The best part of outsourcing your IT to professional technicians is that your business will have more time to focus on what matters most; improving operations and coming up with new and profitable initiatives. You?ll be surprised by how much time and money you can save by having professional IT technicians on hand to resolve problems and consult with. White Mountain IT Services fully understands the plight of New Hampshire small businesses and their technology solutions. For more information on how we can improve your operations and increase your bottom line, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

The reason we say ?tested? and not ?used? is because IT departments want a chance to test the operating system for use with mission-critical applications and software before deploying the operating system to their entire infrastructure. According to Spiceworks, 18 percent of businesses are testing Windows 10 for use with their organization, while only 9.3 percent of businesses were testing Windows 8 when it was released. Considering the fact that 94 percent of IT executives are interested in Windows 10, this makes sense. It?s only a matter of time until it?s adopted by businesses all over the world, and these organizations are doing the smart thing by making sure that Windows 10 doesn?t break their operations. According to Spiceworks, there are several combined conveniences that can be attributed to the increased interest in Windows 10. Here are just a few of them: Windows 10 is a free upgrade: Microsoft has been pushing Windows 10 hard, citing the fact that it?s a free upgrade for users of Windows 7 and 8.1. This gives businesses the opportunity to test it on a single computer without putting the entire infrastructure on the line. Familiar features have returned: Windows 8 had a slick Metro-filed user interface that removed the Start menu, confusing many longtime Windows users. The Start menu makes its triumphant return in Windows 10. This might seem like a trivial thing to be excited about, but it?s great nonetheless. Windows 10 requires less training: Windows 8, while not that fundamentally different from previous Windows operating systems, felt a bit strange for some users, and required some training with the new tiled Start menu and the Search app. Windows 10 is more of a traditional operating system interface, which means less time that your organization has to spend on training. If you?re not yet using Windows 10, you should consider doing so. It might have features that can help your business be more productive. However, you don?t want to make the jump to Windows 10 without first assessing your business?s needs. If you upgrade without checking your compatibility with your legacy applications and software, you can potentially fall victim to unnecessary downtime. By first assessing your business?s needs, you can avoid wasting time and resources. Our trusted professionals have the skills necessary for helping you upgrade to Windows 10 with minimal consequence. For more information, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.