Facebook Workplace Improves CommunicationIf there?s anything that is critical for collaboration to take place, it would have to be communication. To this end, Facebook has created a desktop app to work with the chat element of their enterprise social network, Workplace. Workplace Chat, as the application is called, allows users to share screens and files in addition to the prerequisite text and video capabilities apps of its kind usually feature. There are also integrations with third-party applications in the pipeline for Workplace Chat, which will only help the over 30,000 organizations that leverage Workplace to communicate more clearly and effectively. Slack Adds Improved Screen SharingSlack has always been intended for collaboration, reaching back to when it was an internal tool to assist in game development. While Slack has offered a comprehensive set of collaboration tools, its screen sharing tool is getting a pretty impressive upgrade: interactivity. After Slack purchased Screenhero in 2014, certain features and elements have been slowly incorporated into Slack?s flagship application, with the latest update as of this writing finally moving the last function over to Slack. Now, paid subscribers will be able to use an improved version of Slack?s remote access capability that enables users to share control of the displayed screen, a useful feature for remote workers. With the ability to make temporary notes, navigate through the shared document, and edit it freely, Slack has given its previous collaboration functions a considerable upgrade. Gmail Accepting Third-Party Add-OnsGoogle plans to make Gmail play nicely with common enterprise applications, potentially improving upon the utility that the email program offers. By accessing the settings button, Gmail users will soon be able to use a variety of tools and programs to incorporate information without having to leave Gmail. With a growing list that includes, among other programs, Trello, DocuSign, Intuit QuickBooks Invoicing, and RingCentral, Gmail will soon have the means to become an invaluable collaboration tool. App developers will even be able to create add-ons for their applications with a write-once code. What is your favorite collaboration tool? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to this blog!

For the ShutterbugThese days, we have the technology that enables a complete novice to pick up a camera and take a passable picture. There?s plenty of gift options out there, whether the recipient prefers using a mobile device to take their shots, or is a camera-lugging hobbyist. For the smartphone ?togger, there?s accessories like a lens adapter, a selfie light or remote, while a camera-user might prefer receiving a basic point-and-shoot like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V or Nikon D5500, or might prefer some accessory that provides quite a bit of use, like a tripod. Some photography fans might even like a portable backup and editing tool, like the GNARBOX. For the IoT DevoteeThe consumer market has become flooded with connected devices and other Internet of Things doodads. As a result, there are potential gifts for users of every level of experience with the IoT. For beginners, there are kits like the Philips Hue Starter Kit to introduce the idea of the IoT and what it can do. Digital assistants make a great gift for someone who wants to automate the world they live in. Some gifts to consider getting someone like this include the Amazon Echo, Echo Spot, and Echo Show, or the Google Home, Home Max and Home Mini. For the Media JunkieEntertainment has always been a driving force behind technological advancement, which means that there is always a new gadget to give someone who loves gaming, reading, or watching. The groundbreaking Nintendo Switch and Microsoft?s latest console, the Xbox One X make great gift options for a gamer, while someone who always has their nose in a book might appreciate the library they can carry in an e-reader like the Amazon Kindle Oasis. For those who you might plan to spend a little more on, there are always televisions like the Samsung 4K HD and the Sony A1E series OLED 4K. While these items might cost a little more, the smiles these gifts will bring will be worth the cost. What other gifts can you think of for a technology lover who has another particular interest? Have there been gifts that you have given that we haven?t mentioned but belong on these lists? Tell us in the comments!

Online Shopping at Work – By the numbers. 53 percent of employees are using time at work to shop online, an increase from last year. 49 percent of employees use their personal smart phones or tablets to shop at work, an increase from 42 percent last year. Here?s a few ideas that might help you address the issue of excessive use of the Internet for personal purposes: Develop a solid Internet and email policy that provides employees with clear expectations about the employer’s stance on personal time online at work. Follow through with enforcement of the policy when necessary. Train your managers and supervisors about how to establish and maintain the expectations and policies of your workplace. Train them to recognize when an employee might be abusing their Internet access at work. Designate times and/or durations that your team is allowed to use company Internet for personal purposes. Stress that those who don?t comply with designated time/duration will lose the privilege altogether. For those businesses that are looking for a more aggressive approach to handling Internet abuse, consider implementing a web content filter. Web filters give you access control, allowing you to decide which websites your team can access. Filter settings can be deployed company wide, as well as individually for specific user permissions. Since no two companies are alike, you may have to use trial and error to curb Internet abuse by your staff. Whatever you choose to do, White Mountain IT Services can help. We can design an Internet usage policy that works for your company, or implement content filtering or other solutions to keep your staff on-task and productive. Contact us today at (603) 889-0800

Brief is BetterWhat?s your knee-jerk reaction to a long email? Best-case scenario for the sender, you skim it briefly before moving on to the rest of your inbox. You have other things to do, after all, which probably include reading the rest of your emails. Your contacts are in the same position, so it is better to keep your emails concise and direct. Any extra information that doesn?t serve the email?s purpose can be chopped. If an email is too long for you to read, it will be too long for the recipient to read as well. Write a Persuasive Subject LineYour subject line is your first, and only, opportunity to convince the recipient of your message that it is worth their time to read. You want to introduce the topic of your email in such a way that grabs the attention of the reader and encourages them to open the email and at least see what is inside. Give them a reason to open the email, not fluff. Personalization can HelpIf your email messages read like they could be sent to anyone, from any company, you need to revisit them. Each email that is sent out should look like the time was spent to create a genuine message, which means that you need to take the time to create that genuine message. You should always identify yourself and your company, especially when communicating with vendors, new clients, and prospects. Check Your SpellingIf you want to immediately discredit everything you have to say in your email, try misspelling a word or using improper grammar. These embarrassing and reputation-harming mistakes are easy enough to avoid by proofreading any message that is about to go out before clicking the Send button. Furthermore, don?t write anything that may be conveyed as unprofessional, like a sentence with Caps Lock activated. Business Messages Should be ProfessionalWe?re not saying that you shouldn?t share the occasional meme or joke with your organization, we?re saying that some ground rules need to be established. Provide your employees with an outlet that they can use to share these kinds of casual messages, so that their business inboxes aren?t filled with clutter that distracts them from their work. Otherwise, your email could start to contribute to a lack of productivity and focus. For more information on possible business communication solutions, including email, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.

When we say convenience, we are referring to the ability for a business? workforce to access the means of accomplishing their tasks from anywhere, not tied to their office workstation. We?ve assembled some solutions below that we anticipate more businesses will adopt in order to increase their capacity for remote work, and consequently improving their possible productivity. Cloud ServicesIf a company is utilizing remote technology, it is a safe bet that they are utilizing a cloud platform to enable their workers? remote access. Cloud platforms are web-based solutions that allow a user to securely access an online storage space and other utility programs that enable them to collaborate with their fellow workers. Using a cloud platform means that work can be done from anywhere that an employee can establish a secure Internet connection, while the files that this work requires are stored in a protected space. This maintains the security that modern businesses require while allowing productivity to take place. Video ConferencingHow does one hold a meeting when the people who all need to attend are spread across the country–or even the globe–when the meeting is scheduled to take place? Video conferencing provides the answer. Not only does this solution allow a spread-out team to work as though they are in the same room, it pushes them to collaborate. No matter the distance between resources, they can all contribute to a goal without the need to assemble and pay exorbitant travel costs. This is especially handy when one only needs someone to sign off on things from across the country, but that person needs to see some evidence first. TeleconferencingThis is one of the most basic, but most useful, methods of quick collaboration available. Without the ability to call up another resource and exchange critical information in a real-time conversation, progress would slow to a crawl. While email is an excellent collaboration tool, both resources have to be faithfully opening messages as they come in, which just isn?t realistic in modern business. Alternatively, meetings could take place in person, but as we established earlier, this isn?t a realistic method either, especially if your business plans to remain competitive. Telecommunications systems, including VoIP solutions, enable communications to continue despite physical distance, a proven utility in modern business procedures. In short, a business that passes up on these tools is allowing the opportunity to improve their business communications to go by. This is why we expect that most businesses will take the steps to adopt these solutions, assuming they haven?t already. What technologies do you expect that businesses will increase their use of in the coming year? Tell us what they are and why they?ll shape your office environment in the comments section!