What is Virtualization? Virtualization is the process of replicating some physical resource (like a server, desktop, operating system, or storage solution) in digital form to increase scalability, thereby helping a user manage a workload. Simply put, virtualization makes your equipment behave like more than one would. Using what is known as hypervisor software, one physical resource (the ?host?) can be divided into virtual environments called virtual machines (the ?guests?). These guests can draw on the resources of the host as needed from a shared pool, allowing more functionality from a single piece of hardware. In this way, virtualization can help you to maximize the return on investments you?ve made, as well as potentially decreasing the investments you will have to make down the line. Varieties of Virtualization There are various types of virtualization, each with its own applications toward a business? functionality. Data Virtualization – This kind of virtualization helps to gather disparate information and data and assemble it into one source. Operating System Virtualization – Multiple operating systems can be hosted and run on a single computer. Desktop Virtualization – Replicated desktops can be opened and utilized. Server virtualization – One server can be made to act as though there are multiple servers in use. Network Virtualization – One network can be used to create multiple isolated networks. How could your business improve operations by leveraging virtualization? Reach out to us at (603) 889-0800 to find out!

The information here is gathered from a study performed by Cisco, which analyzed the findings of 3,600 data security professionals from organizations like Talos and other partners from all around the world. Malware Grows More Autonomous Early types of malware depended on the user clicking on a link to install it on the computer or workstation. Nowadays, malware is depending less and less on the user making a mistake and is instead becoming more network-based. A good example of this is ransomware, which could install on a single device and spread to the entire network. Cisco even imagines that this type of ransomware could take over the entire Internet. Ransomware is About More than Just Money The ransom involved with ransomware was the major reason why a lot of hackers would use it as their attack vector of choice, as it virtually guaranteed that they could make a profit off of an attack. People are too scared to lose their data, even on an individual level. Businesses would basically be forced to pay up or risk losing everything. However, the growing trend is that hackers aren?t as interested in money anymore–instead, they are interested only in the complete leverage they gain by stealing this data and holding it hostage. Threats are Getting Better at Avoiding Detection Ransomware has started to hide in encrypted traffic to avoid detection, which can make it much more difficult to identify and eliminate. Furthermore, through the use of cloud-based applications and services, any attacker can implement a command and control attack and hide it within normal traffic to obscure it. Internet of Things Devices are a Problem Devices that connect to the Internet have become a major problem for many businesses, especially considering how fast they have been implemented. IoT devices are often patched poorly, and they can create backdoors that allow for unauthorized access to your infrastructure. Furthermore, IoT endpoints are simply not secured properly, which makes them even more dangerous for your company network. While security is a topic that is constantly changing, White Mountain IT Services can help your organization adapt and change to the times. To learn more, call us today at (603) 889-0800.

Ransomware Ransomware, in many ways is the most honest of malware. Once it sets up shop on your network or device, you are given an option: pay or else. With the number of devices with Internet connectivity growing quickly; and, the amount every business seems to be relying on these devices, it presents plenty of opportunities for threat actors, like those that disseminate ransomware, to do so. Despite the nature of ransomware to infiltrate and take over your network, if you don?t let the ransomware bug in, you won?t ever have to deal with it. That is why proactive measures are vital to an organization?s anti-ransomware policies. Your staff will have to shoulder a lot of the responsibility of keeping malware out of your businesses network, which is why training them to look for suspicious variables in the emails they receive is key. In 2018, the best defense against ransomware is awareness. How to Promote Organizational Cybersecurity Awareness First you will want to ascertain if your business is in an industry that will be more apt to be targeted by hackers and their ransomware. If you hold a great deal of sensitive data, or are heavily reliant on your information systems, your business is a popular choice to be a victim of ransomware. Industries like healthcare, education, government, finance, and utilities (all known for having individual personal and financial information) get the most ransomware attacks, but other businesses have been known to fall victim as well. Even with the increase in ransomware attacks, and the new and different features each strain has, the main reason your organization would be hit with a ransomware attack is because it was directed at an organization that could provide a nice return for the hackers involved. From 2016-2017 there was nearly a 74 percent increase in the types of ransomware, but saw those strains used on many less businesses than in the past. Ransomware is also a competition. Since the advent of the ransomware malware, cybersecurity has changed. Today anyone who chooses to go down that route can purchase a ransomware-as-a-service model that provides developers financial gain and give less-than-expert hackers a tool in which to bring wholesale destruction to their enemy?s computing networks. For the IT administrator, there are a lot of potential problems. Doing what you can to ensure that your organization?s staff is trained on industry best practices, that your network is outfitted with a powerful security platform, and that it is constantly monitored and frequently maintained, is the only way that you can ward off a potential ransomware attack. For those companies who are looking for a comprehensive network and cybersecurity platform, or that is interested in backing up their data to ensure that any malware won?t take their business down with them, call the IT professionals at White Mountain IT Services today at (603) 889-0800.

Data Backup is now a mission-critical process that is neglected far too often, unfortunately. In fact, studies show that 30 percent of people have never backed up their data – despite being inundated by a myriad of situations where data could be lost, stolen, or corrupted. With 113 phones being stolen every minute, and 1-in-10 computers being infected with viruses and malware every month, protecting your data has to become a priority. Frankly, data is a very easy thing to lose without the right precautions in place, which is precisely why World Backup Day was created to promote data protection. Nobody wants to see an organization fail, and the statistics for a business? survival after a data loss event indicate that if you are not strategically protecting your digital assets, your company is one situation away from catastrophe. Maintaining a comprehensive data backup can negate the effects of such an event, allowing your business to bounce back. In order to do so effectively, however, there need to be certain standards met by any backup solution your business puts in place. They include: Redundancy It isn?t uncommon for businesses to streamline their operations, eliminating redundancies wherever they can. When it comes to data backup, the opposite is actually preferable. To optimize your data?s survivability, your backup should consist of more than one copy of your data – safety in numbers, so to speak. Frequency Of course, there?s a limit to how useful an older data backup will be for your business. The progress that would be lost between the time of the backup and the time of the data loss incident would be less effective than one that is current. The best data backups are taken frequently enough to protect your progress without causing downtime. Off-Site Your backup won?t do you much good if the same disaster destroys it along with your original data. To keep this from happening, you need to make sure that your backup is kept separate and disconnected from your network. Your business needs its data in order to be successful. Observing World Backup Day is a great opportunity to ensure that it will be safe. Visit the official World Backup Day website for more information.

Of course, you should always check with IT to make sure it is okay before you make any changes to your system, or ideally, have IT handle it on your behalf. 1. Use Fast Start-up Windows 10 comes equipped with a special function expressly intended to speed up the time it takes Windows to boot. Fast Start-up saves your boot information in a special file system, which makes the startup process faster the next time. Instead of going to sleep or turning off completely, your device hovers somewhere in between. To activate Fast Start-up, open your Control Panel and navigate to Power Options (you may need to search for it). From there, select Choose what the power buttons do. One of your checkbox options will be Turn on fast start-up. Don?t forget to save your changes once you?re done. 2. Edit Your Start-up Programs Windows has a list of programs that start up along with the operating system. While this list is meant to improve the user experience, it can easily become overcrowded and bloated, ultimately bogging down your system. Trimming some unnecessary programs from this process can help speed things back up. Pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc will open the Task Manager and clicking the Start-up tab will bring up this list, where you can disable any unwanted applications. It is especially important that you check with IT to make sure this isn?t a task they want to have a hand in, as disabling the wrong program could cause you quite a few problems. 3. Simple Hardware Updates Finally, giving your equipment a few component upgrades can improve your performance considerably. For example, if you aren?t using an SSD drive to hold your Windows 10 installation, you are missing out on some speed benefits there alone. Adding a small SSD drive to run the operating system, and some additional RAM as well, can likely give you the performance boost you are looking for. Is your computer running slow? We can help you! Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 today.