How Can AI Image Generation Be Used to Boost Microsoft?s Tools? Ask any designer, writer, or other content creator you know?the blank page can be daunting to face down. The intention behind these new tools is to help give a user something to put on that page that they can then use as a springboard. Take the new Microsoft Designer application that is being released?AI is functionally built into the software, with users having the capability to provide a description of what they need to the DALL-E 2 AI. The image generation platform will then provide numerous generated images for the user to select from. Designer was originally a feature within Microsoft PowerPoint, but its utility proved sufficient for a standalone application to be developed. Microsoft also has plans to add Designer into Edge and Bing to allow users to access these capabilities as they create social media posts and custom images. It Isn?t All Smooth Sailing for Microsoft?s AI Project There are assorted concerns that this kind of technology presents that Microsoft has needed to consider as they have developed these features?both in their existing software titles and in those newly-developed ones, like Designer. First off, AI-generated images as a practical concept are not without some controversies. In simple terms, the platforms (referred to as image synthesis models) used to create these images do so by effectively compiling the millions of images on the Internet that relate to the prompts?the vast majority of which are protected by copyright laws, and it isn?t as though your AI platform is securing permission to reference each and every image from each and every respective owner. It?s almost as if you went online and looked at Edvard Munch’s famous painting The Scream, and then immediately painted The Shriek or The Shout or The Squawk, just with exponentially more pieces of art referenced. In fact, almost this exact scenario is boasted about on the OpenAI website, where Johannes Vermeer?s Girl with a Pearl Earring is ?reimagined? numerous times, all in the same art style as the original. This is all to say nothing of the fact that the Internet is, well, the Internet, and that DALL-E 2 is sourcing its data from the variety of reference material to be found there. As a result, damaging social biases, inappropriate materials, and other potentially problematic content could easily find its way into the images of DALL-E 2?and by extension, Microsoft?s integration of it. However, it is important to note that Microsoft has been communicative about how these issues are being proactively addressed, citing their partnership with OpenAI to ensure that safeguards are put in place to prevent the aforementioned concerns and demonstrably taking their time with the rollout of these tools. Is This Something You?d Use for Your Business? If not, what are a few things that your business could use to improve its technology? Give us a call to find out how we can make it easier for you to implement and maintain these tools and solutions. Reach out at (603) 889-0800.
What is a Hybrid Work Environment? When people imagine the workplace, they generally see it in black and white rather than shades of gray. Either an employee works in the office and gets everything done from their work desk, or they work remotely and do not need to make the trip to the office. Hybrid work is a mixture of both, where the employee spends a certain amount of time working in-house and the rest of the time working remotely. If anything, a hybrid workplace model is more of a compromise than anything else, giving employees the freedom to work remotely while still coming to the workplace as needed for meetings and other responsibilities. How Can It Be Achieved? So, you want to implement a hybrid workplace. That?s great, but how can it be done in a way that gives employees the flexibility they desire while ensuring that employers get what they need from in-house operations, too? One way that you can ensure that your hybrid workplace solution works in your favor is to design with remote work as the priority. The reasoning behind this is simple; if it can be done remotely, it can be done in-house. The reverse cannot be said quite so easily, as in-house systems are designed specifically for in-house operations. Since remote work is so accommodating in the fact that it allows employees to work from anywhere, it also allows those who do choose to work in-house the ability to do so with little-to-no restriction. It also helps to ensure that your office has the accommodations necessary to handle any amount of in-house workers as needed. Some companies utilize a desk reservation system where employees can book a desk or workspace for the days that they plan on coming to the office. This transitions into the next tip we have, which is to make sure that employees have access to the technology they need to succeed, be it laptops, smartphones, software, data access, or any other assets that they might require on a day-to-day basis. By making sure that your employees have access to this technology, they will be able to transition between remote work and in-house work seamlessly. Don?t Let Technology Be Your Sticking Point As you might imagine, the proper hybrid workplace will revolve around access to technology solutions that allow your employees to work anywhere at any time on whatever devices they have been assigned or choose to use. The possibilities might seem overwhelming, but remember that you are not alone in this pursuit. White Mountain IT Services is available to assist your organization with the shift to a remote or hybrid workplace. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
First of All: What is Network Segmentation? Network segmentation, or the act of segmenting your network into different parts, is a practice intended to help protect different resources. Think about a bank, for instance, and the safety deposit boxes held within it. It isn?t as though the bank is only secured at the front door, is it? No?the front door is locked, sure, but there are also security cameras watching the inside, with assorted additional locked doors providing obstacles, with the vault door heavily secured and all the safety deposit boxes inside also locked up tight, requiring multiple keys to open them. Network segmentation effectively does the same in regards to your business? infrastructure. Firewalls, authentication requirements, and assorted other access controls are all used to accomplish this segmentation?which both helps protect data from external threats as well as internal overreach or malice. If you?ve ever heard of a zero-trust architecture, network segmentation is a big part of that. How Can Network Segmentation Protect My Business? It?s simple?by restricting different areas of your network to certain people based on their roles or work responsibilities, you reduce the risk that different data or resources will be accessed by those who shouldn?t. Not only does this help harden your business against cybercrime, it also helps to keep your employees from accessing data they have no reason to access. For instance, let?s presume that one of your employees works making sprockets, another works to sell the sprockets, another works to distribute the sprockets, and you have HR working to keep the entire sprocket-making system running by handling employee needs. Naturally, each of these departments has its own data, as well as data that needs to be shared amongst the different departments. If your sprocket-making business didn?t segment its network, your sprocket-producing employee would not only have access to the documents they need to create the sprockets, they would also be able to access every other department?s documents?including the personal and financial information that HR has on the rest of the team. Yikes. However, if your sprocket-producing business? network was properly segmented, this wouldn?t be an issue. Your employee in charge of production, for instance, would only have access to the documents and data that their production-based responsibilities required. The same would go for your sprocket salesperson, your sprocket distributor, and yes, your HR person. Not only does this help keep your team focused on their individual tasks, it also helps prevent a larger cybersecurity incident by ensuring that one person or department?s vulnerability doesn?t enable access to the entire network. We?re Here to Help You Segment Your Network, and More! Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more about what we can do to help your business in both its operations and its security!
We wanted to share a few warning signs that your technology has reached the point where you?re ready to upgrade it. Your Technology Has Slowed Considerably It?s pretty predictable that, as it ages, your technology will gradually work more and more slowly?both due to its age, of course, but also compared to the newer devices that your coworkers may have access to. If the reduced speed becomes a challenge for your daily processes, that?s a pretty reliable sign that an upgrade is in order. Your Productivity Has Suffered On a similar note, you need to consider if your technology and its aforementioned slowness is having an impact on what can be accomplished during the day. If it is, or if you?re dealing with persistent crashes and other issues, that?s another good sign that an update or upgrade is in order. Your Devices Are No Longer Compatible with App Upgrades or Necessary Security Patches This is how you know beyond any doubt that an upgrade is in order. Upgrades and security patches are implemented for a reason, so going without puts you at risk of data theft or other security breaches. If a hacker sees an opportunity, they?ll take it. Applying these updates and patches?and ensuring that your device can handle them?is something you need to prioritize as a result. Having said that, it is important that you keep these devices maintained and fully repaired to ensure that they can accept these patches and updates. Desktop workstations are complicated pieces of hardware, so asking a professional to give a problematic device a once-over before committing to an expensive investment is a practical course of action. We can serve as that professional for you. We?ve assembled a team that is more than capable of assisting you with your updates and upgrades, regardless of where you may be in the process. Whatever your needs may be?from acquiring new devices to properly wiping the data from your existing ones before disposing of them appropriately?we have you covered. Get started today by giving us a call at (603) 889-0800.
What is Business Email Compromise? Unlike other threats out there, business email compromise, or BEC for short, does not require incredible technical skills to pull off, making it a dangerous prospect indeed. BEC is when a hacker or scammer convinces the user that they are someone within the organization?usually an authority figure or executive?and asks them to transfer funds for a variety of reasons. You wouldn?t believe it, but this kind of request actually works. After all, nobody likes to turn down a request for help from the boss, right? According to the FBI, BEC has cost businesses upwards of $43 billion, and this number is growing larger by the day. Furthermore, companies in at least 177 countries have been reported. How Does BEC Work? Really, all it takes is for a hacker to do a little bit of research into the organization, determine who they can feasibly impersonate through email, spoof that email account, and contact employees within the organization using that spoofed email address. These types of social engineering attacks are uncomplicated and can pay off in spades if the hacker can manage to pull them off. Other types of BEC are more dangerous and difficult but are equally lucrative, if not more so. Hackers can break into the actual email account of the executive or employee and keep watch over their inbox to look for legitimate purchases that need to be fulfilled. This combination makes for a dangerous and convincing request, and an eager employee might not think twice before fulfilling the hacker?s request. What Can You Do About It? We always like to recommend that you implement the best and brightest email security solutions out there, as well as multi-factor authentication to ensure that anyone who logs into your business-critical applications is who they say they are. Ultimately, however, who falls for business email compromise attacks will largely depend on how well you have trained your staff to identify and respond to these types of attacks. Security training should not be a one-and-done deal; you need to provide comprehensive training during the onboarding process while also providing periodic refreshers to keep security at the top of your team?s mind. White Mountain IT Services can equip your business with the comprehensive security tools to keep themselves safe, as well as the training needed to identify these types of hacks before they accidentally allow a hacker to make off with your business’ hard-earned capital. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
