Recent Blog Posts
Even if your business has a family-friendly culture where pornography isn?t a problem, your company may still struggle with the heart of the issue–wasting company time; and, depending on the taste of an employee, they can easily waste just as much time watching a squeaky-clean Disney movie. Whether company time is wasted via YouTube or PornHub, it?s your responsibility as the business owner to make sure that your workers are getting work done whilst on the clock. How should an office manager go about monitoring their employees? The go-to solution for years has been the walk-around-the-office-and-peer-over-their-shoulders method. While this is a semi-effective solution at keeping middle schoolers from cheating on tests, it?s not very effective at keeping adults from accessing forbidden websites. This is especially the case as employee mobile devices are concerned, a trend commonly known as BYOD. You may be able to position a workstation monitor so you can see it from across the room, but a clever worker with a smartphone can easily conceal their device and stream whatever media they like. That?s why you need a network solution that monitors Internet traffic, provides history reports, and offers content filtering so that you can altogether block time-wasting websites. White Mountain IT Services provides such a network tool with our Unified Threat Management solution, which is far superior and better for workplace relationships than creeping around the room. In addition to non-work-related websites that waste company time, many of these frowned-upon sites contain malware and viruses that can compromise your company?s data. This is especially the case with online pornography. Therefore, you need an enterprise-level firewall that can block such threats from slipping through your defenses. Our UTM solution is more than a monitoring tool, it?s an all-in-one security solution that provides your business with the strongest firewall you can find, and it?s the key component to an effective BYOD policy. If you want to learn more about how White Mountain IT Services can help protect your business and keep your workers productive, we encourage you to get in touch with us at (603) 889-0800.
Watch the video for yourself to see what we find so objectionable: Did you spot the controversy? At 0:16 a clumsy IT technician spills his bottle of Coca-Cola on a server unit, presumably located in large data center. The sugar water proceeds to leak into the unit, causing sparks and a Matrixized Coca-Cola logo. What happens next is pure poppycock. Magically, the happiness found in every bottle of Coke is digitized and spread all across the Internet, cheering up kids the first world over–and with a bland indie tune to boot. Pa-lease! In all our years of computer repair, we?ve not seen one person experience a single iota of happiness from accidentally soaking their equipment with a beverage. In fact, it often leads to regret and even tears, as seen by YouTuber Gail. Her laptop suffered significant damage from having Coca-Cola ?spilled all in it.? Poor Gail. This Southern belle is ?really upset,? ?on the verge of tears,? and ?just about beside myself.? This is all your fault Coca-Cola. #MakeItHappy, more like #RuinedGailsLife. It?s never a good idea to pour any liquid on an electronic device. Still brainwashed by the commercial that pouring Coke on your computer is a good idea? Check out this experiment by YouTube user TechRax as he pours Coca-Cola all over his new iPhone 5 (at 0:53). Surprisingly, the iPhone seems to hold up to the Coke bath, but we can assure you that a server unit wouldn?t fare as well. In fact, it would be disastrous–as pointed out by several observant YouTuber users. TrevorSpace Animations: Whoever made this commercial clearly doesn?t know how computers work. 0yisaicai0: But seriously though, coming from one who works in a security firm, I cringed a bit when that bottle tipped over. That?s serious network damages, right there. TECGaming: I tried this with my servers, it totally just fried them. Thanks a lot Coke for not brightening my day but costing me 25 Grand on my server. Data Cave (an actual data center company) shares our sentiments: Coke?s Super Bowl commercial definitely had a great message overall, but not exactly the best message for having drinks inside of a data center. Server rooms are Coke-free zones! Exactly Data Cave. What was a techie doing with a bottle of Coke in the server room anyway? #FirableOffense What to Do if You Really Do Spill Coke on Your ComputerIf you accidently spilt a soft drink on your hardware, the first thing to do is turn it off. Liquid like Coca-Cola conducts electricity and can potentially fry the electrical components. You might get lucky like the iPhone user and still have a working piece of equipment, but it?s more likely that you?ll end up like poor Gail and be beside yourself with a dead computer. After turning off your soaked equipment, your next move is to use a dry cloth to absorb the liquid. Be sure to refrain from moving the equipment too much or else risk causing the liquid to seep deeper into the machine. If you?ve got the technical know how to open your computer and dry it out, then go ahead and do so, but we strongly recommend that you know what you?re doing. Otherwise, you may jostle a critical component and cause even more damage. In fact, it?s in […]
A hacker or worse can easily access the personal or company information located on a mobile device if you do nothing to keep them out. Thankfully, there are several methods you can use to keep unwanted eyes off of your mobile device?s data: Lock Out Strangers with a Lock CodeThis should be a given. Without a passcode on your phone, anyone with physical access to your device can obtain whatever is on it, be it personal information, company data, or even your family?s home address. This is not information you want to share with any potentially malicious entity, both in the virtual world or the material world. Encrypt your DataMost smartphones and tablets allow you to encrypt your entire device so your data can’t be read if a user doesn’t have a password. This makes it much harder for someone to steal and sell your information. Prevent Websites from Tracking Your BrowsingWhen you are browsing a website, that website is collecting information from your device to provide you with advertisements based on your interest. While this works (sometimes), you probably don?t want to accidentally leak unwanted information about your person to the Internet. By selecting the Do Not Track option in your mobile device?s browsing settings, you are asking websites to not collect information from you. While this doesn?t always work, most websites will adhere to your preference. Avoid Calls from Unknown NumbersYou might remember being called by anonymous numbers that you?ve never seen before and listening to automated messages from some company you don?t care about. These are a waste of time, and annoying. Even when there is someone on the other end, they are usually trying to sell you some meaningless service. Other times, they might have more malicious intentions. The stranger on the other end may be posing as a bank representative to steal sensitive information from you without you realizing it. In these cases, it?s better to not say anything, and in some cases, not answer the phone at all. Find Lost Devices with GPS TrackingIf you have lost your device, there?s a good chance that nobody will find it? but there?s also a chance that someone will find it. What if that person were a hacker, or someone with less-than-pleasant motives? In this case, don?t forget that you can track your phone via GPS. Both Android and iOS offer services which can help you lock down your phone and even find it with GPS tracking. Add Contact Information to Your DeviceUnfortunately, locking down your phone won?t help a good samaritan who finds your phone and wants to return it to you. In case you are somehow unable to locate it with GPS, and your phone is found by a decent human being, you should include at least some information about how to return it to you. Just be careful not to leave too much information in it, or you might risk being the target of identity theft or worse. Keep Your Device on Your PersonObviously the best way to avoid any of these scenarios is to keep good track of your device. If you don?t lose your phone, the chances of someone else getting their hands on it are greatly diminished. Try a Mobile Device Management Solution from White Mountain IT ServicesThese tips only really apply to physical […]
The hard truth is that it can often be difficult to discern a technology issue from a problem, but if you?re in need of a cold, hard definition for the two, we?ve put these together: An IT issue is one which is potentially disruptive to everyday operations, but it may not be apparent at the present moment (i.e. it?s not immediately effecting your business). An IT problem is basically an IT issue which has matured. It is the result of not dealing with minor disruptions as they happen. It is now negatively affecting your business. One of the biggest differences between an issue and a problem is that one of them is easily preventable. To help you further understand the difference, we?ve put together several scenarios which can be prevented thanks to proactive IT services. Security DiscrepanciesYou?re checking your email and you see what looks like a perfectly legitimate sign-up form from one of your favorite websites. However, what you didn?t realize is that the URL to the form starts a download, which in turn installs malware on your system. In a situation like this, all of your pains could have easily been avoided if that email didn?t make it to your inbox in the first place. In this case, email spam is the technology issue which could lead to malware or viruses infecting your system, which is the problem. White Mountain IT Services?s Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution is designed to keep threats out of your system, and quickly neutralize the threats that do land in your network. In this particular case, the UTM provides spam blocking features which prevent suspicious emails from making it to your inbox in the first place. Putting Off MaintenanceYou know your business?s technology needs to be up-to-date and current, but in the throes of business it can be difficult to remember when patches and updates should be applied. Not applying the latest patches and updates to your operating system and your software is like leaving a wide-open hole in your defenses, and you?re practically begging for a threat to get through. If you?re thinking the issue is the unapplied maintenance, then you?re right. Neglecting proper maintenance leads to potential vulnerabilities and security breaches. With a remote maintenance solution from White Mountain IT Services, we can automate the patching process for you so your systems are always up to date and secure. Data LossA business that doesn?t keep external backups of their data stands to lose it all. Let?s say a flood wipes out half of your office. Technology certainly isn?t water-proof, so naturally your servers and workstations take some serious damage. In the event a natural disaster strikes, your hardware could be destroyed by the elements; and with it, your data. Businesses who can?t access their data for an extended period of time likely won?t be in business for much longer, so it?s important to take natural disasters and data loss into account. In this case, the issue is a lack of data backup, and the problem is data loss. Data backup is sometimes considered an afterthought for some businesses, even though it should be a top priority. White Mountain IT Services?s Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution prepares your business for any type of data loss disaster, whether it?s caused by hardware failures, natural disasters, or hacking. You?ll enjoy several backups […]
VPNs are a common means to extend the reach of your business?s network. They are often used by remote workers to access corporate data locally through their Internet-connected devices while on the go. This, in turn, allows for increased productivity and availability of mission-critical information. However, with the advent of cloud computing and the immense amount of new Internet-connected devices entering the market (thanks to the Internet of Things), your VPN solution might be in need of a good evaluation. To find out how your current solution holds up, it?s important to see how the cloud and other new technologies are going to affect it in the years to come. Considering the CloudAccording to Processor magazine, the cloud is changing the way that company?s look at VPNs and mobile computing in general. VPNs are a technology that?s been around for a while, and it hasn?t changed much since its inception; unlike the cloud, which is growing more popular and dynamic by the day. For instance, many VPN users might only be using it to manage their own on-site network, and their particular solution isn?t designed to cope with the advances in cloud technology. When considering that your business?s data will be directly available for anyone able to connect to your network, it?s important to take into account the different ways a user will access that data. This includes mobile access points, wired connections, and even through the cloud. Security and Identity AuthenticationThis, naturally, leads businesses to a solution which should be designed with security in mind. The purpose of the VPN is to provide users with a secure avenue of access for confidential corporate files, even if the WiFi hotspot is sketchy at best (think free hotel WiFi). Therefore, you need to ensure security if you?re hoping to reap the benefits of a VPN successfully. According to James McCloskey at Info-Tech Research Group, ?If a person is [connecting via VPN] from an unmanaged, non-corporate device, you do really want to make sure they?re not going to be in a position to intentionally or otherwise access resources they don?t need and store them on their local machine.? This is a very real risk that is associated with VPNs and must be addressed if you want to continue taking advantage of one. White Mountain IT Services?s VPN is capable of maximizing the security of your business?s network while taking advantage of a flexible, easy-to-use solution. Additionally, with our other managed IT services, we can augment your VPN with cloud management, security services, or a mobile device management solution. If you?re not sure how to approach a reevaluation of your network security and performance, we?d be more than happy to lend you our expertise on the subject. Give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800 today for a free analysis of your network security and efficiency. Together, we can help your business achieve optimal productivity with your technology and push your bottom line to greater heights.
