I want you to think back to how your business operated just a few short years ago. How similar was it to the way you currently do things? Hopefully, not very. Consider this: in 2013, mobile technology was just starting to become more commonly used for computing than the PC. In 2016, ?unified communications? was still a buzzword, and collaborative solutions were experiencing widespread adoption. Today, just a few short years later, these are some of the basic solutions that all organizations should be leveraging. Many businesses can easily fall into the trap of believing that their past success guarantees more of the same in the future. This comes with a few operational and behavioral warning signs. For example: Are any potential changes or growth opportunities avoided or rebuffed through the use of highly selective facts? Do conversations amongst your team skirt around topics like new markets, possible competition, or other developing business opportunities? Are failures used to postpone new attempts instead of as learning moments? Do meetings frequently end in a holding pattern? These factors all signal that a business has slipped into patterns that are comfortable, rather than habits that are operationally sound. ?Okay? becomes the standard, as do shortcuts and cut corners. The question is, do you want your business to be ?okay?, or do you want it to be a success? Fortunately, once you?ve identified it, there are many ways to mitigate complacency. Ask yourself a few more questions about your business, its policies, and its culture: Is there any way that your processes could be made more efficient? Is your service offering a good fit for your current audience? What needs will they have in the near future? Are there any technologies that could soon cause a disruption in your market, or could be used as an invaluable tool? How engaged are your employees? Many of these questions will require a big-picture perspective of both your business and your industry. Macro-views like these can be challenging, especially when one is accustomed to the micro-perspective into a single business. Answering these questions on your own will prove to be challenging as well, and then you still have to resolve any issues that they unearth. White Mountain IT Services has plenty of experience with managing the technology that businesses rely on to be successful and efficient. While up-to-date technology isn?t the only thing necessary to avoid becoming complacent in business, it is a good start, and one that we can help with. Reach out to us at (603) 889-0800 to learn more.

Many organizations have a lot to lose through data leakage, where it makes its way out of your protected infrastructure and into an unprotected environment. To make sure your operations aren?t affected by these complications, you need to ensure that data leakage is something that can?t occur. The first step to making this happen is understanding why and how your data is leaking. The Three Kinds of Data Leaks All types of data leakage can be attributed to one of the following categories: At Rest: Data that is in storage, waiting to be accessed. If your data is stolen from a database or from a workstation, your data is stolen while at rest. In Transit: Data stolen while in transit is intercepted on its way to a particular location. This can happen if sensitive information is left unprotected in an email or in your web traffic. In Use: This kind of data leakage happens while the data is being actively used. The way this happens is if an insider threat is able to take screenshots or documents out of the office where they don?t belong. Securing Your Data Against Leaks There are several methods of keeping data leakage to a minimum. First, you need to educate your users about the risks associated with data leakage. While you might be aware of the data that should and shouldn?t be shared, this doesn?t mean that your employees know too. It?s your job to make sure that your employees are aware of how they can keep data from leaking into the wild. You can also implement IT solutions to keep data leaks from influencing operations. Here are a few of them: Encryption: Encryption is the biggest way you can keep your data safe. It effectively renders any data stolen from your organization indecipherable without the proper decryption key. Content Filters: You can prevent certain threats from even making their way to your infrastructure with the right content filtering solution. These can also alert the administrator of suspicious data transfers. Access Control: The fewer people who have access to data, the fewer the chances that they will leak it, either intentionally or on accident. Keeping close watch on data access and permissions is one way you can cut down on unnecessary risk. Hopefully you can use these tips and tricks to minimize data leakage for your organization. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

The Omnibox and Its Search Capabilities While this area was traditionally called the address bar, Google calls theirs the Omnibox. The Omnibox is capable of many things, but since Chrome is Google?s browser, it is only fitting that the Omnibox has some of its clearest strengths where searching for content is concerned. Search in a New Tab While most people know that you can conduct a Google search simply by typing a query into the Omnibox, fewer may be aware that they can open this search in a new tab by pressing Alt + Enter. Even fewer likely know about how they can actually search within a website itself, although this does take some management. Search in a Specific Website Let?s say that you have a particular website that you frequently utilize as a resource. If you use it enough that you want to narrow your searches to that site in particular, Chrome allows you to do so. Once your IT team has given you the go-ahead to play with your Chrome Settings, access them and navigate to Search engine and from there, manage search engines. There, you?ll see the list of websites that you can potentially search directly from the Omnibox. To do so, type the URL of the website that you want to search within. On the far right of the Omnibar, you should see a prompt, urging you to press Tab to search that website. Do so, type in your query, and press Enter. Instead of bringing you to a Google results page, you should be brought directly to the results page of the website you entered, showing the results of the query you typed. Search for an Open Tab Of course, we?re all also guilty of opening tab after tab after tab, only to lose the one we were trying to work on or reference. Chrome offers a handy way to get it back. If you start typing the URL into the Omnibox, supported sites will offer a Switch to this tab option, allowing you to do so quickly. Tab Management Functions Speaking of tabs, Chrome offers many capabilities that a user can leverage to simplify their use of them. This includes general browsing. Jumping Between Tabs For instance, while we?re on the topic of working with multiple tabs, Chrome allows a user to quickly jump to another one with a simple command. Holding CTRL while pressing the number of the tab (1 through 9) will open that tab, allowing your work to go on with minimal interruption. Moving Multiple Tabs It can also be helpful to divide a mass of tabs into different windows, making it easier to reference one while working on another. To drag and drop multiple tabs, just hold the Control Key as you select your pages and you will be able to maneuver them as one. Reopening Closed Tabs Show me someone who hasn?t mistakenly closed a tab in Chrome, and I?ll show you someone who?s probably fibbing. We?ve all done it, and we can all undo it by pressing Control + Shift + T. Alternatively, you can open a new tab, right-click it, and select ?Reopen closed tab?. Again, there are many more Chrome features to be shared that we didn?t mention here. What are some of your most-used Chrome […]

Here are some ways you can adapt your office?s printing tendencies to match your goals. Putting Together a Print Policy Any policies or procedures you put together for your organization?s printing policy should be documented, in language that is both clear and concise, in a location where it?s readily accessible to your staff. It should include all of the following: How many prints each department/user should make in a given period of time. Which documents can be printed in color, and which should remain in greyscale. Which documents should be produced in hardcopy, and which can remain digital. Which pages from a given document actually need to be printed, and which can be omitted from the hardcopy. The cases in which double-sided printing is an option. Whether or not a document has received an initial proofreading. These guidelines should be preferable ranges that you can change and adapt rather than those that remain static. You can never know when your business will require that you have hard copies of documents, so don?t be afraid to throw away the printing caps when you need to. That being said, placing a cap on your business? printing will naturally save you quite a bit of capital through simple awareness of resources. Using Network Printers with Print Management Software This kind of organic decrease in printing will only get you so far. It?s more economical to invest in a network-attached printer that the entire office shares. This is great for your organization?s printing policy because it can give you key insights into your organization?s printing habits and provide ways to decrease waste. It also decreases the number of devices that need to be maintained. White Mountain IT Services can provide your organization with a plethora of ways to take advantage of the latest printing technology. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Unfortunately, sometimes diligence isn?t enough, as exemplified by recent events at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. The capital-based college was struck in early April 2019 by a rash of computer vandalism. Vishwanath Akuthota, a postgraduate alum, pled guilty to charges of using a device known as a USB Killer to permanently disable 59 Windows campus computers, as well as seven Apple computers. This act ultimately cost the college a total of $58,371 to replace these devices. Akuthota, an Indian national in the United States on a student visa, used his iPhone to film himself using USB Killer to destroy the computers. As a result, he faces a $250,000 fine and ten years in prison. Understanding USB Killer USB Killer is a specially made thumb drive that draws power from the USB port, charging a capacitor within the device, then releasing that power back into the USB port. This overloads the components, burning them out and breaking the machine. The USB Killer is freely available online, apparently intended to be used as a surge protection test. Where Your Biggest Risk Lies Naturally, no business looks to have this kind of catastrophe happen. Unfortunately, USB Killer is particularly difficult to resist – but that doesn?t mean that there aren?t things you can do to help prevent the various kinds of employee-related security breaches. An independent study revealed that, in 2018, over two-thirds of data breaches were the result of an employee?s actions – whether they were negligent in their duties, were directly responsible for the data theft, or actively sabotaged the company. That?s right – your employees are the ones who are most likely to put your business at risk. Now, this is not to say that your employees are actively working against you – only a quarter of data breaches were caused by the actions of employees, either current or former – but you still need to keep your network and infrastructure protected against the kinds of situations that could put your data at risk through the actions of your team. How to Keep Your IT Protected from Your Staff?s Actions The best way to approach these kinds of issues is to identify and mitigate them before they have an effect. This will require a two-fold approach: for your staff to be properly trained, and for you to have the tools necessary to monitor your business? technology. This is to help cover all of your bases. The better your staff is trained, the more prepared they will be to properly utilize the solutions you provide them with, making fewer and less severe errors as a result. However, the better your staff is trained, the more willing they will likely be to take liberties with these systems – liberties that they wouldn?t have otherwise. A comprehensive monitoring strategy will help you to keep your business, its infrastructure, and its data safe and productive. To learn more about protecting your business through proper staff training and security solutions, reach out to the team at White Mountain IT Services by calling (603) 889-0800.