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Update Your SoftwareAs a general rule, it?s recommended that all of your software is up-to-date. From a performance standpoint alone, running the latest software generally improves efficiency because it takes into account and fixes all known bugs that slow things down. Additionally, up-to-date software addresses known security risks, like the latest viruses and other online threats. Many of these computer viruses have the ability to slow down your system. Therefore, having a good security solution will protect your network?s data, as well as improve performance. We know that it can be difficult to stay on top of updating to the latest versions of software, which is why we offer to do this for you remotely with our managed IT service. Corrective MaintenanceSometimes, your computer network experiences a hardware issue that?s so severe it will cause your system to slow down to a crawl, or even become entirely disabled. For unfortunate times like this, corrective maintenance is in order. Having to perform major fixes to your system is never fun, and it can actually be quite expensive. However, when breakdowns happen, addressing and fixing the issue is the only way to get back on track. Corrective maintenances can be costly and burdensome, which is why we prefer to take a proactive approach to IT maintenance. With White Mountain IT Services?s managed IT service, we remotely take care of small issues with your system, before they turn into big problems. This approach minimizes IT repair bills, which will save you money in the long run. Server VirtualizationOften times, the network problems point right back to a troublesome server unit. If the server unit giving you grief is an older model, and you happen to have another server unit that?s newer and underutilized, then server virtualization is an answer to your server woes. Essentially, this method allows you to consolidate the applications on your old unit to your new one. This allows you to get rid of your older unit entirely, which will save you significant maintenance and utility costs. Although, be warned that server over-consolidation with excessive virtual machines on a physical server can lead to deteriorating performance and system instability. This is why it?s always a good idea to have IT professionals perform such an important procedure, like the pros at White Mountain IT Services. A Hardware RefreshIt may be the case that a hardware refresh is in order to get your network performing like it needs to. By replacing key computing components, you may be able to extend the life of your equipment, as well as give it a performance boost. Common components to seek out in a hardware refresh are CPUs, RAM, and hard disc drives. Going with a hardware refresh can be tricky because you have to determine if a troublesome device is better off getting refreshed or replaced altogether. On one hand, you don?t want to sink money into hardware that?s a lost cause, and on the other hand, you don?t want to buy a new and expensive piece of equipment like a server unit if you can get the results you?re looking for by swapping out an inexpensive component. For a major decision like this, it?s a good move to first check with your IT consultant. Of course, no technology is perfect and every piece of hardware will eventually fail or become […]

OneDrive IntegrationMicrosoft?s OneDrive cloud storage solution is a big part of Windows 10, which makes sense with the cloud being so prominent these days. With Microsoft?s upgrade to Windows 10 comes a more integrated OneDrive for your data-sharing needs. For example, OneDrive is no longer exclusive to Microsoft; it now lets you access files using your Android or iOS device. Plus, you can use OneDrive to remotely access any files on your Windows 10 PC–not just the files stored in OneDrive. Battery SaverIf you?re using Windows 10 on a mobile device or laptop, you don?t have to monitor your battery levels quite as closely as you used to. With the new Battery Saver feature, Windows 10 will automatically detect when your power levels get low and respond by powering down your non-essential background applications. This will perhaps give you a few extra minutes to make it to that wall charger. To enable Battery Saver, go to Start menu > Settings > System > Battery Saver. Background ScrollingOne common pitfall for Windows users is to be actively working with an app, and then hovering your cursor over another open app that?s on your screen, but not one that?s selected. You then go to scroll up or down, but to no avail because the app isn?t selected as the primary app. Granted, this isn?t a huge problem because all you have to do is click once on the background app to select it and then you can scroll like you need to. Yet, it?s still enough of an inconvenience for Microsoft to address it with Windows 10. To turn on Background Scrolling so that you won?t have to again be bothered by this, go to Settings > Devices > Mouse and Touchpad. Customize your Start Menu AppsWindows 10 nearly eliminated the Windows 8 Metro interface. What?s left of it can be found on the new Windows 10 Start Menu. Instead of having a full screen view, you can pin your most important apps to this for quick access. To do this, click the Start Menu and click on All Apps. Scroll to an application you?d like to add, right click it, and select Pin to Start. This will put a shortcut to the application on the right side of the Start Menu. You can edit the apps on the right side of the Start Menu by right clicking them. You can change their size or unpin them if you want to remove them. Windows 10 is poised to be a major player in both office and personal computing environments for years to come, which means that we?ll have plenty of time to discover even more of its unique and helpful features. When we do, we?ll be sure to post about it here on our blog. Be sure to subscribe to get the latest tech tips from White Mountain IT Services.

Losing sight of innovation is common for organizations. Innovation seems to be related to inspiration and it comes and goes in cycles–at the apparent mercy of some muse-like character. As businesses grow, their focus shifts toward keeping things consistent and going with what works rather than trying new things. Eventually, it gets to the point where nothing new is happening and everyone in the office is too focused on preservation and preventing disruptions to the current operations. You have to be intentional about breaking this cycle if you want your business to be innovative. Innovation via Acquisition One of the more common ways to fix your company?s innovation problem is acquisition. Unfortunately, this is costly and it takes time to fully acclimate two different companies. If you think about it for a moment, you?ll realize that buying a company and forcing it to comply with the same standards that you currently have will eventually do the same innovation-killing thing to the acquired company that has happened to yours. The innovation will be short-lived or even nonexistent, and you?ll be stuck with the same problem you had in the first place, only with a lot less coin in your pocket. The proper way to acquire a company can be seen with Dell?s acquisition of certain aspects of IBM servers. It?s all about finding the thing that you value in the bought company and protecting it. You can further increase the acquired company?s strong points by providing them with resources which will bolster their ability to meet your expectations. Skunk Works: Gather Your Most Innovative Team MembersSkunk works might sound like a smelly idea, but it sure can help you get the innovation flowing. Skunk works is when you create a separate firm filled with innovative thinkers whose sole purpose is to come up with new ideas for your firm. This removes any restrictions you might have on your infrastructure which could prevent new ideas and innovations. The idea behind skunk works is that, by removing anything that can prevent innovative thinking, the separate entity can operate more like a startup. EMC?s Pivotal Labs is a perfect example of how skunk works functions. Innovation via Friendly CompetitionUnfortunately, for a large company, the problem still remains the same – its strict policies can block innovation. To help with this, Dell managed to put together an Innovation Day, which is a reality show-like program where multiple companies compete for a fully-funded innovation trial. The winning company gets the prize of springboarding into a full-sized company which includes further funding. An incentive like this is sure to motivate your team. Sometimes, innovation comes from just getting an outside perspective on your situation. White Mountain IT Services can be your muse and help you develop many of your ideas, especially when it comes to bringing new and helpful technology into the mix. Call us today at (603) 889-0800 to see how the latest technology can help your business become more innovative.

When you?ve gone quite a while without a hacking incident, it?s easy to feel that the waters of the Internet are pristine and free of corruption; however, this isn?t necessarily the case. Deep down, in the murky depths of the Internet, there?s questionable activity at every turn, and some hackers might even have their sights set on your organization. You might think that your company is small-time compared to the large businesses that have been hacked in recent times, but in all actuality, your organization holds a wealth of information that hackers want to take advantage of. For example, you probably have the credit card numbers of your clients stored away somewhere on your infrastructure for when they make purchases. Your human resources department holds the Social Security numbers of all your employees in their files. Despite the fact that you?re a small business, hackers will see this as more than enough of a reason to hack you. Of course, they might just be taking a chance and hoping to find something good; but either way, you should be prepared to fend them off. Hackers will often try to attack your organization through cracks in your defenses. If you use older hardware or software that?s prone to experiencing breaches of security, you will be in for a rude awakening when a hacker breaches your network. You always want your organization?s systems to be in tip-top shape, be it through purchasing reliable new hardware or applying updates to your infrastructure. The best way to ensure that your organization is secure from hackers is to keep track of these weaknesses and resolve them as quickly as possible. The problem with this is that it?s difficult to keep track of multiple systems, especially if you?re not an IT expert by trade. This is why small and medium-sized organizations often outsource this responsibility to White Mountain IT Services to make sure that it?s performed properly. One way to make sure that you?ve got all of your bases covered is with a comprehensive network consultation. By indiscriminately analyzing every part of your technology infrastructure, you can find out a lot about your current security situation. Or, better yet, have an external party perform the consultation. By doing so, you get an unbiased assessment that?s sure to give you hints on how you can prepare your network for the worst. All you have to do to take advantage of this offering is call White Mountain IT Services. We offer a network consultation that?s designed to identify weak points in your security, as well as components that might be on their way toward a hardware failure. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more.