White Mountain IT Services is in the business of equipping companies with great security tools that allow them to go about their day-to-day operations with little to fear from hackers and other cyberthreats. One way we help organizations shore up weaknesses and allow for convenient and consistent management of security tools is through what is called a Unified Threat Management tool. It differs from the traditional method of threat management in one significant way: it provides a single point of reference for your entire security infrastructure. What does this mean for security? Well, a whole lot. The Greatest Benefit of a UTM Let?s say that you have a team working on a project. Each of them is responsible for handling one specific task and nothing else. While they might excel at doing one particular task, they struggle while communicating with each other. This is often how network security works when you do not have a centralized security tool controlling the process. Your solutions don?t talk to each other correctly, and since you have multiple security software tools, each of them will have licenses that must be renewed every so often.  Having a centralized security solution like a Unified Threat Management tool is the equivalent of assigning a project manager in the aforementioned comparison. The project manager is the central point of contact that each individual team member reports to and the one responsible for steering the trajectory and overall strategy of the project. The UTM is the centralized hub of your cybersecurity infrastructure, each individual aspect of it serving as one of the spokes that keep it together. A UTM commonly consists of a comprehensive array of cybersecurity solutions, including antivirus, firewalls, content blocking, and spam filtering solutions, all of which combine to provide considerable protections against most threats out there. Imagine managing all four of these individually?wouldn?t it be easier to just do so from one central location? That?s right, it would, and that?s why the UTM is such a valuable tool. Get Started with Unified Threat Management Today White Mountain IT Services wants to help your company overcome the countless challenges that come from securing its network infrastructure. We like to start with a comprehensive network security analysis that gives you a clear picture of the current state of your network?s security. We can then work toward implementing comprehensive measures that are designed with your specific needs in mind. To learn more about how to keep your business safe, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Keep Your Devices Clean Your business desktops may be tools, but they?re nothing like the classic hammer or screwdrivers that the term ?tool? often brings to mind. These complicated and dynamic machines rely on a lot of moving parts, which means they need to be maintained. One aspect of doing so is to keep them as clean as possible, inside and out. Removing dust with compressed air is a key step, as is regularly tidying your mouse and keyboard of any grime and avoiding situations where new grime would be introduced?there?s a reason we encourage you not to eat at your desk. Patch and Update The software your computer relies on needs to be maintained in order for the device to function properly, particularly where security is concerned. Apply vetted patches and updates promptly to ensure your devices work effectively and again, securely. These improvements can usually be applied remotely, removing the need for an on-site visit from IT (the same can be said of most maintenance needs, by the way). Remove Unnecessary Programs Over time, unused applications can overtake your desktops. Tracking how often your applications are opened and used with a monitoring solution will help you eliminate these unused applications, making for a simpler and more manageable infrastructure. White Mountain IT Services Can Help You Accomplish This, and More Our technicians can take over your desktop maintenance on your behalf, assisting you in keeping your technology working effectively. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more.

Use Strong Passwords Most likely, any telehealth will require users to set up an account and password. Just like any other time you need to do so, it is important to develop unique and complex passwords. You will want to create a password that would be hard to predict, but easy to remember. One tip is to use a passphrase with at least three words that don?t have any correlation to one another. You can also use a varying amount of upper and lower case letters, symbols, and numbers to ensure that your password is unique and strong. Also, you will want to set up multi-factor authentication on your account if it is available. This method provides an extra layer of security. Use a Virtual Private Network One way to ensure that your virtual telehealth meeting with your physician or counselor is secure is to utilize a VPN. You will definitely want to use a VPN that you pay for and is reputable. The VPN creates an encrypted pathway to keep all information private and anonymous. You are basically setting up a direct connection to your health provider as any transmitted messages are extremely difficult to collect.  Make Sure You Protect Your Privacy In an attempt to protect your online privacy when doing telehealth meetings, you are going to want to make sure that you conduct your meetings in private. Many people will do theirs in their personal office space or their bedroom to protect the private connection they have with their doctor. Obviously, you won?t want to pick a public place to conduct a private meeting with your doctor, but even some conversations you think are private can be overheard by the wrong people. Remember, healthcare is a private matter and even though you may be on a laptop talking to your doctor, you should be mindful of your surroundings when on a telehealth call.  Use Security Software One of the best ways to protect yourself on Internet-connected devices is to have security software installed. This is because these tools are designed to help any user do a better job at protecting their device and their data. This includes spam filtering, anti-malware and antivirus software; as well as firewalls designed to stop potential threats. This doesn?t just pertain to PCs either. You will want to ensure that your smartphones and tablets you may use for meetings of this nature have digital protections installed to ensure that your health information isn?t vulnerable to theft. What do you think? Do you use telehealth and have some advice for those who are considering giving it a try? Leave your comments below and check back soon for more cybersecurity best practices. 

While we have a solution for you, let?s first examine a hypothetical scenario to illustrate just how time-consuming the process of communicating with vendors truly can be. Imagine This? Let?s say you have an ambitious idea for implementing some new technology solution in your office. That?s great! All it takes is a little bit of brainstorming and maybe calling up a hardware vendor to see what is available for your current needs. When you call that vendor, however, they tell you that due to supply chain issues, you might have to purchase from a third party or another source. They put in your order and give you an estimate for when it might arrive. Next, you might try to implement new software for your organization, but then you discover that the software itself is not compatible with the hardware you purchased. Furthermore, this software does not integrate well with your current infrastructure, and you spend countless hours trying to make a solution work the way you want it to when you could have instead been focusing on running your business. This is the main problem with working with vendors: it takes time, and that time is better spent on ensuring the operational continuity of your organization. It?s especially time-consuming when you have to work with multiple vendors that give you the runaround just to answer simple questions or to look into specific issues that you might be having. Meanwhile, you are still trying to make ends meet, and the time spent without properly working technology is not doing you any favors. Now, you can reclaim this time, and it?s all thanks to the vendor management offered by White Mountain IT Services through our managed services. Don?t Let Vendors Frustrate Your Business White Mountain IT Services knows and understands the many frustrations that can come from managing and working with your varied network of vendors. This is why we offer comprehensive vendor management services. Essentially, you trade in your multiple points of contact per vendor for one single point of contact that makes your life as a business professional infinitely easier. Instead of reaching out to multiple vendors for issues related to your technology, all you have to do is contact White Mountain IT Services. We?ll take it from there! To get started with vendor management services, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Before getting into how to cut costs, it?s prudent to look at all of the costs that are associated with printing in the workplace. Consider this: your business not only has to acquire printers, the paper and ink or toner required to do the printing (including color ink/toner when necessary), and filing cabinets to keep everything you print stored in a secure location and this doesn?t even mention the time spent maintaining and managing these devices. Let?s look at three ways you can adjust your printing needs to cut costs:  Upgrade Your Printers Depending on how outdated your printing infrastructure is, your organization could benefit from a hardware refresh. For example, if your business is still using old ink-jet printers, perhaps you could benefit from an upgrade to a laser printer. The reason for this is that laser printers are often more efficient with their print jobs, and they can cost you less money over a period of time due to their comparative longevity. Manage Your Resources More Efficiently While it might seem like cutting out printing entirely is too much, this doesn’t mean that you can?t control how your resources are spent. By closely monitoring your printing resources, you can more efficiently store what is needed and cut down on waste. Simply changing settings on your computers or printers could eliminate some of the waste, and storing just the right amount of surplus without risking running out is key to success here. There are also print management applications that can limit the amount of printing individuals can do. Businesses spend thousands of dollars a year per employee on printing and a lot of that money could be saved if they were more conscientious about their printer use. Putting in a system that controls output will surely save you plenty on ink and paper costs.  Go Paperless If you find your business suffers from having too many loose papers, or just has too many physical documents to keep track of, you can implement document management software that can give your organization the means to securely store your documents in a digital environment. This means you don?t have to store paper files onsite. You can scan them into a searchable cloud-hosted database where you can retrieve and share any file in the system from anywhere on nearly any device.  If you want to cut your organization?s costs of printing, White Mountain IT Services can equip your business with tools to both minimize the need for printing and methods to keep track of just how much waste you suffer from. We can even help you out with a hardware refresh for your printing devices. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.