Recent Blog Posts
To make your life easier, we?ve put together a list of features that your business?s data backup and disaster recovery solution should have. Automatic Backup ProcessOne of the many complaints that businesses have concerning their current backup solution is the fact that tape backup, the most common method of data backup, is a manual process. Users are responsible for setting the backup, and storing the backup media somewhere that is safe and secure from both internal and external threats. This means that tape backup is prone to user error. If your staff forgets to set up the backup, it?s a whole day?s worth of data that?s on the line. An automatic backup solution eliminates this potential issue. Multiple Backups DailyAnother big problem caused by common backup solutions is that they only happen once throughout the workday. This is problematic, especially considering the amount of data that could be lost if even half of a workday is lost. Tape backup is so resource-intensive that it can cause downtime if it?s not performed at the end of the workday while the office is closed. Furthermore, tape backup makes complete copies of all files on the network, even if those files haven?t been changed from the last backup session. White Mountain IT Services?s Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution is capable of looking at all files on your network, and recording the changes made to them multiple times throughout the workday. Since the backups are less intensive, more of them can happen, and your data will remain up-to-date at all times. In most cases, we prefer to back up data every fifteen minutes. Off-Site and Cloud StorageYet another pain point for small business continuity is where they store their data backups. Some organizations, despite using tape backup, will store their data on-site, or even just keep it on the network for easy access. There?s a slight problem with this method; if the office or network were to be destroyed, via hardware failure, a devastating natural disaster, or even a hacking attack, all of that data could be lost. By using White Mountain IT Services?s BDR device, your data is backed up and stored remotely, off-site and safe, in either a secure data center. This makes accessing the data infinitely easier in the event of a major disaster. Fast Disaster RecoveryThe final thing that your business wants to achieve with your backup and disaster recovery solution is a relatively quick data restoration time. Restoring from tape can be a time-consuming process, since the backups are frequently very large and limited by the restraints of the hardware, like needing a technician to manually restoring the data. With BDR, in the event of a data loss disaster, it can immediately deploy the backed-up data from the cloud, effectively restoring your network in a matter of moments. In the event of a hardware failure or similar disaster, the BDR device can even act as a temporary server, eliminating downtime while you repair your downed server. For more information about White Mountain IT Services?s backup and disaster recovery service, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.
What?s a Botnet?A botnet isn?t just a single threat; it?s a collective term used to describe several computers or devices that have been turned into bots, which are at the mercy of hackers. Essentially, as described by CyberTrend, botnets are: […] a series of computers, or smartphones and tablets in the case of mobile bots, that have been infected with a self-replicating backdoor Trojan that lets cybercriminals force the network to perform unauthorized commands, en masse. Once infected with such malware, a computer or mobile device becomes a single node in the botnet, referred to as a zombie or bot. The strength of the botnet is in the numbers. Cybercriminals use a system known as a command-and-control computer to issue commands and distribute the malware. In other words, a botnet emulates a zombie horde, absorbing more devices into its control and forcing them to bend to the will of a hacker. These devices can then be used for any number of purposes, such as spreading malware and viruses across a vast network of users, generating spam, collecting information, and so on. One of the worst things botnets can do is initiate a DDoS attack, which overloads a server with traffic, rendering it useless until the attack ceases. This causes excessive downtime, which can lead to wasted time and expenses. But Why Mobile Devices?As previously mentioned, the same security solutions that work for many desktop and workstation platforms don?t necessarily work the same way for mobile devices; or, rather, people tend to not consider mobile devices as a threat medium. This makes mobile devices a prime target for being turned into botnets. The fact that so many people are partaking in BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), where employees bring their own devices to the office for work purposes, is also fostering the idea that mobile devices can be used to spread malware and viruses. What You Can DoThe best way to avoid becoming part of a botnet, for both a mobile device and a workstation PC, is to integrate comprehensive security protocol on all of your devices. By taking a proactive stance against this threat, you can avoid getting infected and becoming a tool to spread the infection to others. For mobile devices, be sure to take advantage of some sort of security solution, and to keep it updated at all times. The same goes for any applications you use on your devices. Ensure that you are using the most recent versions of your apps, which will minimize the security holes in your system?s defenses. Of course, while mobile botnets are increasing in number, their PC counterparts are far more prevalent. Therefore, you need to ensure that your business?s workstations are also secured from the threat of botnets. A Unified Threat Management solution can provide the means to keep malware and viruses out of your system, eradicate those that do get in, put a halt to spam, and block malicious or time-wasting web content. To learn more, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.
The private cloud, as we describe it, is an infrastructure that?s hosted in-house or remotely by a managed provider. This cloud system is managed and maintained by your own dedicated IT technicians, or if it?s hosted remotely, by White Mountain IT Services?s trusted IT staff. The main reason a business would want to host their cloud solution in-house is that you get complete and total control over how you want to manage your data. The public cloud, on the other hand, is a more hands-off experience. You get the ease-of-use that your business deserves while the heavy lifting is done by the service provider. Despite this seemingly great benefit, some businesses find that they?d prefer to have more control over their data and its security; hence, they want to use a private cloud solution. Here are a few ideas to consider before going all-in with a private cloud solution. Are You Confident in Your Staff?s Abilities?The integration and management of your cloud solution?s infrastructure, especially a privately hosted one, is knowledge-intensive. If you have dedicated IT personnel in your office, you?ll want to make sure that they?re trained on the proper maintenance and management that an in-house private cloud demands. If you don?t have the assets of an in-house IT department, you can still take advantage of a private cloud solution. White Mountain IT Services can host and maintain your cloud solution for you. It?s one of the many benefits of working with a managed service provider for your company?s cloud needs. Are You Dedicated to Data Security?Data security is one of the biggest things that people want to get out of their cloud solution, and the private cloud is far more dynamic than the public cloud in this area. The main idea is to ensure that your cloud solution is protected by some sort of secondary security solution, like a Unified Threat Management (UTM) device. Granted, the public cloud is relatively secure (although there are exceptions), but the private cloud allows you to put other measures into effect that can further enhance your data?s security. Are You Focused on Data Control?Data control is another pivotal part of choosing a cloud solution for your organization. Businesses who want complete and total control over their data, and are unwilling to budge on this issue, will want to utilize a private cloud. Since a private cloud is often hosted in-house, you know with certainty that your business is handling your data. If you are on the fence about any of these three pain points revolving around a private cloud implementation, you should consider integrating a hybrid cloud solution that combines the ease of use of the public cloud with the security and control that a private cloud offers. As reported by Processor magazine, ?It?s also safe to assume that hybrid cloud environments will advance as both private cloud infrastructure and public cloud offerings share the market.? This means that you can invest in the future by looking into a hybrid cloud solution. Don?t be left behind by the ever-growing nature of today?s technology; instead, embrace it, and use the power of cloud computing to send your profits skyward. To get started with a cloud solution, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.
Keep the Phone Off the Dinner TableWhen we sit down to eat, most people consider it a social experience. As such, it?s expected that you are mentally present and engaged in any conversations. This isn?t hard to do, but when you can?t take your eyes off your phone, it?s considered rude. Even checking your phone every now and then for notifications is frowned upon. Solution: Leave your phone be during dinner. Don?t put it on the table, as even its very presence is sure to make someone lose their appetite. Fun Facts: A restaurant in Iowa, Sneaky?s Chicken, offers a 10 percent discount for diners who don?t bring their treasured phone to their meal. Also, Bucato, in Los Angeles, has a dedicated ?cell-phone section.? Keep Your Voice Down if You?re in PublicIt?s perfectly acceptable to use your phone if you?re in a room with other people, but only if you keep your voice at a manageable level. You know there?s something wrong when other people around you can?t concentrate, or have to talk over you in order to continue a conversation. In this case, poor call connections are often the culprit and users will resort to talking louder so the person on the other end can hear their voice. Unfortunately, this usually draws the ire of the room, especially when the one on the phone doesn?t realize what they?re doing. This is why it?s always important to be aware of the volume of your voice, which is easier said than done half the time. Solution: Just step out of the room. It?s as simple as that. Don?t Use Your Phone at Cash RegistersYou can use your phone while you shop, but one of most cashiers? pet peeves is using your device while they are ringing you out. You might not be planning on having a lot to talk about with the cashier, but when you continue talking on the phone, even during checkout, it shows that the cashier isn?t worth your time. Naturally, people don?t like feeling this way, and it makes the cashier feel awkward for interrupting your ?important? phone business. Solution: You could just hang up the phone, but if it?s important, at least take the time to apologize to the cashier ringing you out, and focus as best you can on them. That way, they know they have what little attention you can afford them. Stop Leaving Long VoicemailsContrary to popular belief, voicemails are not meant to include every detail of the reason you?re calling. Voicemails should rarely, if ever, exceed one minute in length. Any longer, and voicemails can simply overwhelm people. People will often need to scramble to find a pen and paper, and if it?s an especially long message, they?ll have to listen to the whole message again to make sure they didn?t miss anything. Great. Solution: If you have a lot of information to share, just leave a message asking for the person to call you back. Just leave your name, callback number, and the reason you?re calling; you know, what every voicemail system asks for, and nothing more. Believe it or not, some people really don?t understand how to be considerate when using their phones. This is why it?s so important to share these tips and make the world more enjoyable for […]
First off, if you happen to find yourself a victim of a hack attack such as this, whatever you do, DON?T CALL THE PROVIDED PHONE NUMBER! The blog Delete Malware explains what will happen if you do: ?If you call [the number] they won’t actually remove adware from your computer. They will hijack your computer and steal all of your bank information and passwords.? Yikes. At this point, the origins of the malware can?t be pinned down, which makes it rather confounding because it?s been known to activate and display the blue screen of death while browsing popular websites like YouTube and Facebook. However, what the user sees isn?t the real Microsoft blue screen of death–which takes up the entire computer screen. Instead, this particular malware only affects the Internet browser, as indicated by the exposed browser tabs and URL form as seen in this screenshot. Thankfully, the threat isn?t as severe as the real blue screen of death. In most cases, you can move on from this annoyance via the Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Delete), or by rebooting your machine. Still, it?s inconvenient for anyone when this happens in mid project, and it can result in losing unsaved work or even downtime. Plus, it?s not like rebooting your machine will rid the virus from the system. Without proper removal, it will lie dormant and pop up again at another random time. Actually, the fake blue screen isn?t the biggest threat here. It?s all an elaborate ruse to play on one?s fears and get them to call the provided phone number. This is all to give the hackers an opening to take control of the PC, giving them the chance to do far worse damage than wasting the few minutes it takes to reboot. It?s a classic social engineering scam where users are tricked into forking over their sensitive information after overreacting to a perceived threat. You?ve likely seen social engineering before with spam emails designed to convince you that you?re guilty of something like missing a court date or getting a speeding ticket. Although, upon further review, its spam messages are usually fairly easy to determine, which makes them easy enough to ignore. What makes this particular scam different is that you can?t ignore it like spam messages, especially when it locks up your browser. Upon encountering malware such as this, you should immediately call the real IT professionals at (603) 889-0800. We?ve got the tools it takes to analyze your system to determine the nature of the threat and properly remove it. In a situation like this, one thing that the hackers are hoping for is that the victim won?t know enough about who oversees their company?s IT that they?ll believe the number to be real. This is a dang shame because it sullies the good name of IT workers the world over. To protect your system from hack attacks like this, you?ll want to have a proactive security measure in place, like the security monitoring service provided by White Mountain IT Services. For all of your organization?s IT needs, call the real IT professionals at (603) 889-0800.
