This service–hardware procurement–is one of the best ways that your organization can save money when performing a technology revamp for your office. Considering the fact that nothing lasts forever, including your workstations and server units, you?ll need to have a plan in place just in case you need to replace a workstation in a pinch. This is what hardware procurement allows for, as it presents a much more affordable alternative to purchasing hardware solutions outright. Procuring New HardwareNormally, procuring new hardware can break the bank and cause a problem for months, or even years. Despite this, hardware refreshes are an important part of ensuring that your network is functional. How can your organization take advantage of these helpful practices without limiting your business?s IT budget in the future? One way that you can get around this roadblock is by working with your IT provider. Depending on your service agreement, you might be able to procure hardware at a more reasonable price, perhaps even at a flat monthly rate instead of a large up-front cost. We like to call this Hardware as a Service (HaaS), and it provides businesses more freedom in their budget and lets them take advantage of the latest and greatest technology solutions without going over the edge. If you?re unsure if White Mountain IT Services provides this service, be sure to ask. Start with an AssessmentIf you?re unsure of where you stand in terms of hardware procurement, we know where you can start. An assessment from White Mountain IT Services is a great way to start thinking about a hardware refresh. This takes into account much more than just the condition of your current assets. In fact, it also covers where you hope to be in the near future. This strategy helps your business on track for where you want to be down the road. Upgrading your hardware routinely is also an important part of staying up-to-date with security protocol. Old hardware might not be capable of running more recent versions of operating systems or enterprise software, which will in turn affect your ability to resist threats like malware and viruses. Even if you don?t think you need the assistance with hardware upgrades, an assessment is a great way to see how you can improve the current status of your network. To schedule your IT assessment, call us today at (603) 889-0800.

Every business owner needs to have a plan in place to backup their company?s data. Ignoring this basic task can lead to some pretty grim consequences, like a data-loss causing disaster. Fortunately, when it comes to backing up your data, you?ve got options. Having a Local Backup SolutionGoing with a local backup solution is an okay option that will alleviate much of the risk associated with not having any backup solution. Two popular local backup solutions are backing up with tape and using external hard drives. Having an extra copy of your files on premise is a good start, but it won?t provide sure protection from data loss. The shortcoming of depending on a local backup solution is seen when a major disaster like a fire, earthquake, or flood, destroys your PCs/servers along with your backup. In a situation like this, your local backup solution just failed and there’s a high likelihood that you’ll have to scramble just to stay in business. Plus, don’t forget about other disasters like malware, user error, and hardware malfunctions that can hit your local backup solution and cause major damage. Backing Up to the CloudThe advantage of backing up data to the cloud is that it’s stored in a data center off-site. This means if there’s ever a major disaster that takes components of your IT infrastructure offline, you can rest assured that your data is safely stored off-site. Plus, backing up to the cloud is a much more convenient way to back up data than having to store and replace tapes every day. Backing Up to Multiple Data CentersBefore you sign up for a cloud-backup service, ask your cloud-service provider about how many data centers will be storing your information. Essentially, the more locations your data is stored in means the more secure it will be. For example, if your data is only backed up to one data center, then it could be lost if a natural disaster strikes that single location. Full Disaster RecoveryFor ultimate protection, there?s the complete Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution. A solution like this backs up your data regularly throughout the day and stores files incrementally to a local device. This allows for only the files that are changed or edited to be backed up, instead of wasting time and resources backing up files that aren?t. Then, the BDR sends all of your data off to a data center for secure storage, so it can be accessed anytime you need it. Depending on the severity of the disaster, you can either restore directly from the device, pull files from the data center, or in the worst case scenario, have a new backup device sent overnight so you can set up an ad-hoc network to get you by while you figure out your next move. To help you better evaluate your data backup needs, consider the following questions: Do you have a policy and solution that allows you to routinely test your backup? Are email inboxes backed up? Are backups done automatically throughout the day? Do you backup all of your data, as opposed to some of it? Could you get by with JUST the data recovered from your backup? For assistance with any and all of your company?s data backup needs, give White Mountain IT Services a call today at […]

Remove Applications You Don?t UseDoes your business waste money on applications and programs that aren?t used very often? Sometimes you will find a program that better suits your needs and you?ll forget all about that which came before. Other times, the app may fall out of use simply because it?s no longer useful. Regardless of the reason, you might be spending money and precious network resources keeping them around. It?s your responsibility to uninstall unused software before it becomes a problem. Update the Applications You Actually UseOn the other hand, you want to make sure that the tools you use every day are working in tip-top shape. This includes applying patches and security updates that are issued by the software developers. This serves two purposes: to patch up holes in security, and to improve performance. Just make sure that your business?s legacy apps will still communicate with your network properly, as there are often complications with upgrading to new versions of older software. To assist you with this, you?ll want an experienced technician on hand who can help you make the best decisions for your infrastructure. Run Defrag SoftwareHave you ever wondered how your computer handles moving, saving, and deleting so many files? The answer is ?not well.? Whenever you perform any of these functions, bits and pieces of these files wind up scattered all across the hard drive, making it difficult for your PC to load files on demand. To resolve this problem, try defragging your hard drive. This will improve your PC?s performance by essentially organizing the pieces of your drive?s data to where they?re supposed to go. Keep in mind that defragging only applies to hard disc drives, not solid state drives. Also, newer versions of Windows will automatically defrag your hard drive when it?s not being used. If you don?t know how to defrag your computer, just reach out to us at White Mountain IT Services. Clean Out Your DustIf you don?t move something for a while, dust will collect on it. Computers are no different, but they stand to suffer a bit more from dust collection than your bookshelf at home. Dust collects near vents and fans, which affects air circulation and could trigger overheating. Use a can of compressed air to blow it away before it causes more trouble than expected. It?s also a best practice to take your keyboard and turn it upside-down and give it a shake to clear it of debris. Don?t Forget the InsidesIt?s easy to forget that the inside of your computer could be just as dusty as the outside. This is caused by your PC?s fans using the outside, dust-filled air to cool the machine. This buildup of dust can cause components to overheat and your computer to crash, which is why users shouldn?t ignore the insides of their computer. Before opening the case to clean out your computer, shut it down and disconnect it from the outlet. Take a can of compressed air and blow dust away from the internal components, but be careful not to touch any of them with your bare hands. In fact, it might just be best to leave the maintenance to professionals like those at White Mountain IT Services. We?re a low-risk, high-reward option for PC users who want to take advantage of proactive maintenance without doing it […]

Studies by Dr. John Fleming of Gallup show that customer loyalty to a brand, product, person, or company, happens when a person who is satisfied with the subject makes an emotional connection. To take someone from point A (satisfied), to point B (loyal), a formula can be employed that focuses on what you deliver and how you deliver it. Jay Forte of REWORK explains this formula: If we don?t get it right, we create a dissatisfied customer. These customers don?t return. If we get it right (deliver the service or product as expected) then we create a satisfied customer. These customers may return. If we get it right and do something more (something that creates an emotional connection), then we create a loyal customer. These customers not only return, but they become brand evangelists. Makes sense, right? Think for a moment of your favorite brands and ask yourself why you?re so loyal. According to this formula, you may be able to trace this ?conversion? from satisfied to loyal when you experienced something more than what you expected of the brand. Now apply this formula to employees who may be satisfied with their job, but perhaps not engaged, emotionally invested, or even loyal. If you?re looking to inspire such loyalty amongst your staff, then try delivering an aspect of their job that they?re satisfied about in a way that exceeds their expectations, thus making an emotional connection. To give you an example of this, let?s consider the different ways your company can go about providing employees with technology–an aspect of the job that many workers care deeply about. Not getting it right: When employees are given technology that?s slow or frequently breaks down, frustration mounts and they will perceive that management doesn?t care about their job performance (so why should they?). Getting it right: The technology provided to employees works just fine and minimal downtime is experienced. The pain points associated with using subpar technology are alleviated, allowing workers to do their job to the best of their abilities. In a technology scenario such as this, employers and employees are satisfied, which produces good work–but not great work. Getting it right and doing something more: Instead of just assigning an employee a workstation, you take the time to listen to their preferences when it comes to technology and do your best to accommodate. This could mean allowing employees to use their personal devices for work purposes, or even giving them the flexibility to work away from their desk or even remotely. By taking the extra effort to meet the needs of your employees, an emotional connection will be made and they?ll stick around longer and perform better. When it comes down to it, most of the reasons employees leave are because managers don?t think proactively about what can be done to get them to stay. Similarly, the main reason why technology breaks down is because issues are not proactively taken care of–a need which White Mountain IT Services can handle for you. At White Mountain IT Services, we don?t want to provide just satisfactory IT service, we want to exceed your expectations and make you happy. Tell us how we can do this by calling us today at (603) 889-0800.

How much of managing your IT resources are your employees responsible for? SMBs will often have their employees service their own workstations to some degree, primarily because they don?t have the resources to devote entirely to IT management and maintenance. This lack of IT talent can largely be made up for by training your employees on basic computer tasks. Here are two ways White Mountain IT Services can augment your staff?s IT knowledge: An Outsourced IT Help DeskA help desk works by offering your employees an avenue for assistance when they need it most, on either a phone call or a live chat system accessed online. This helps them resolve common IT troubles without bothering your internal IT department, which is an invaluable opportunity to save time and resources for more important parts of your business. A help desk assists employees to help themselves. In terms of being a training tool, a help desk allows your employees to learn more about minor IT troubles. In fact, the help desk provider can even remote into the employee?s computer and guide them through the problem step by step, making sure that they know the correct process. Your employees won?t be able to make big mistakes because they will have someone on the other end of the computer helping them every step of the way, and they?ll be able to learn from the experience to mitigate future problems. Plus, since this interaction is remote, it will be more cost-effective and easier to budget for your organization. Special IT TrainingAll offices have some sort of training procedure for new technology, and one of the best qualities that your organization can instill in its employees is how to take care of technology. Make it a point to go over basic IT procedures, such as password security, network security, troubleshooting methods, and so on. Basically, you want your employees to have a decent understanding of how to approach common situations, or at least know who to contact should they need assistance with one. If your business is needs IT support, look no further than White Mountain IT Services. While your employees might be able to stave off the inevitable, we can prevent it outright through proactive IT maintenance and management. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.