Disasters are an unfortunate part of doing business in a technology-heavy workplace environment. You need to expect the worst, but it?s often difficult to predict what types of disasters your organization will have to endure. There are a few universal disasters that you?ll encounter, regardless of where in the world your business operates. Here are four of the most common ways that your business could lose data, and how disaster recovery thwarts them at every turn. Natural DisastersAll you have to do is watch the local weather channel to get a glimpse of just how unpredictable and apocalyptic natural disasters can be. One minute the sun could be shining, and the next your business could be assaulted by roaring torrents and flash flood warnings. Or, the earth would quake under your feet and you?d never know until it?s too late to do something about it. An even more common occurrence would be an electrical storm or a power outage, which could threaten to bring down your technology or fry its circuitry. The point is that it?s next to impossible to predict what effect a natural disaster could have on your business, but the fact remains that it?s most certainly nothing good. Hardware FailuresAnother common problem for businesses that rely on technology is the hardware failure. If you have resource-intensive servers that are responsible for the brunt of your network operations, you might already be intimately familiar with the devastating effects of a hardware failure. No technology can last forever, so when an untimely hardware failure claims the lives of your server units or workstations, you?ll need to be prepared. User ErrorIn much the same way as hardware failure, user error needs to be expected and planned for. You can?t realistically expect your users to never make mistakes. It?s part of human nature. People might accidentally misplace files or hand over credentials to threatening entities. Regardless of how they do so, user error is one of the primary reasons for data losses and data breaches, so it?s crucial that you prepare for this by educating your team on best practices, and implementing data backup. Hacking AttacksYou might not expect to become the victim of a hacking attack, but no matter how large your business is, you need to consider yourself a target. As long as you deal with sensitive credentials like credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and other financial or personally identifiable information, you have something of value to hackers. When a hacker attacks, they can either steal or delete your data, so it?s best to have a backup stored in the event of something like this. Regardless of how your data is lost, you?ll need a way to recover it. The best way for a SMB is to reach out to White Mountain IT Services. We can equip your business with the dynamic BDR solution you need to keep your organization afloat, even when you think that your business will sink. Our BDR solution features only the best and brightest features for your data infrastructure, including fast and efficient recovery times, multiple backups taken per day, and off-site, cloud-based storage. With BDR, you?ll know that your data is safely stored, just in case you need it. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Depending on who you?re addressing and the context of the email, there are a few different ways you can approach your email heading. One surefire way is to make the subject line relatable and personable. According to Unbounce, a message with the subject line, ?Steve, where are you?? achieved a 43 percent open rate, compared to a Mailchimp report citing the industry average to be 24 percent. This is due to both the personalization of the subject line, as well as the perception that, by not reading the email, the recipient will miss out in some way. Another great way to reach your email recipient is to include a detail about their recent activities with you. You can use the subject line to catch their attention. For example, you can ask them how their experience was, and customize it to make sure that the message doesn?t get identified as spam. You can do this if someone has recently purchased a new product or service from your company. Doing so establishes a personal connection, and can inspire the recipient to take further action. Offering a special benefit, like a limited time offer or important information, can also inspire a reader to open the email. Perhaps you could try educating them on how best to perform a certain task or even a surprising fact. Whatever you decide to include, make sure that it?s either useful or interesting. On the other hand, if your email is conveying bad news to the reader, it?s best to be honest at all times, as well as authoritative. If the service that you provide is disrupted, it?s best to let them know about the issue, as well as any plans that you have to resolve it. Basically, the thing to remember is that your message, including the subject line, should be tailored to meet the expectations of the recipient. No two people are the same, and you will have varying purposes in reaching out to them. Your mission should be to make all of your recipients feel like they?re special; otherwise, they?ll suspect that you?re emailing everyone in your contacts, and assume that the message isn?t genuine. This can cause them to put your message in the back of their mind (or in the spam folder). What are some of your favorite ways to get your emails read? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to our blog for more great technology tips and tricks.

It was expressed that, in comparison to its previous incarnations, Windows 10 is much more difficult to break into. That hasn?t stopped some hackers from trying, though. Among the Black Hat hackers at the convention were many who had tried to pinpoint potential outlets for malicious threats, and while they still managed to come up with a couple of solutions, it became clear that Windows 10 is much more challenging for hackers to infiltrate. Below are a few of the proposed attack models, and how Windows 10 challenges them. Windows 10 Uses Built-In Anti-Malware ToolsWindows 10 uses what?s called the antimalware scan interface (AMSI), which is capable of identifying and capturing malicious scripts in memory. The idea is that applications can access this information, and any antivirus or antimalware program can process it. For example, Windows Defender and AVG use AMSI. The reason that this is such a huge problem for hackers is that many prefer to use script-based attacks. The kicker here is that while AMSI is a valuable tool to detect and prevent attacks, it requires secondary security protocol in order to be most effective. While it?s great for detecting scripts executed in PowerShell, since PowerShell records logs, it still requires someone to regularly monitor the logs in order for it to be most effective. Active DirectoryActive Directory is a crucial part of how Windows administration functions, and it?s useful for both managing workloads in the cloud, and controlling identity and authentication management on in-house networks. Microsoft Azure uses Active Directory, which can provide exceptional security for an Azure-based cloud computing platform. The problem that admins run into in most circumstances is that any user account can access Active Directory unless the administrator removes those permissions. Therefore, it falls to your IT administrators to ensure that the credentials for your Active Directory authentication are secured and to control user permissions to mitigate potential access to AD. VirtualizationVirtualization-based security is a series of security features that are built into the hypervisor of Windows 10. In essence, Hyper-V can create a virtual machine that isn?t connected to the root partition. This virtual machine can then execute security commands as needed. The idea here is that Hyper-V creates a virtual machine that can?t be compromised, even if the root partition has been taken over. It?s a way of minimizing the extent of data breaches, should they happen in the first place. Of course, if the root contains credentials that allow hackers to access the virtual machine, it?s all over. Therefore, administrators need to take measures to ensure that hackers cannot access the VBS machine. Of course, no matter how secure an OS is, hackers will always find a way to get in. One way or another, criminals who are determined to bypass defenses will create a way to do so. Microsoft patches known vulnerabilities as soon as they?re discovered to be active, so it comes down to outplaying the opponent. Hackers will inevitably find ways to crack Windows 10?s innate security, so it?s your responsibility to complement your OS?s security with your own solutions. If you need assistance securing your Windows 10 devices, or any other workstations, servers, or network components, reach out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

Nobody likes talking about impending disasters or expenditures, but the failure of your mission-critical technology is something that you need to keep in mind, especially when planning your IT budget and expenses for the next few years. What happens with your old technology is of equal importance. Plan for Your Technology?s Inevitable ReplacementWhen it comes to your mission-critical technology, having a plan can go a long way. You don?t want to be caught unaware, as a hardware failure can strike at any given moment. It helps to be prepared for untimely technology troubles by having an IT roadmap; a plan which details your technology expenditures over the next five or ten years. You should account for regular technology tune-ups and replacements, as well as emergency maintenance that?s impossible to predict. Wipe All Hard Drives and DevicesIt takes a lot more than a traditional factory reset to ensure that all of your business?s data has been removed from a hard drive. Before throwing your old PC out, make sure that this data concern has been addressed. Only a trained technology professional can provide the thorough scrubbing that a used hard drive needs before it?s thrown out. White Mountain IT Services can give you a hand with this delicate task. Properly Dispose of Your DevicesOnce you?re confident that your data has been removed from your hardware, it?s time to get rid of it. This is easier said than done, though. The world has a serious e-waste problem, especially in some developing countries. Hardware components contain precious metals that, in great quantities, can cause damage to the environment. Furthermore, developing countries that receive the bulk of this e-waste will use dangerous methods of isolating these materials, which further damage the atmosphere. It?s recommended that you contact White Mountain IT Services to properly and safely get rid of your e-waste for you. Of course, if you?re just routinely upgrading your workstations, and there?s nothing really wrong with your old hardware, you might consider donating your outdated technology to local charities or nonprofits. Doing so gives your reputation a boost within your community, and can open the door to potential clientele. You can even keep it hanging around your office for use in the event that a workstation becomes unusable. Does this process sound like too big of a pain? Whatever you do, don?t just throw out your old and ailing technology. Instead, contact White Mountain IT Services. We can work with your business to build an IT roadmap to plan out future technology acquisitions, as well as help you wipe your old technology and dispose of it in an environmentally-friendly manner.

The truth is that outsourcing is a valid option for businesses these days, and it?s especially valuable for small businesses that have a limited budget or workforce. Some small businesses have trouble attracting and retaining top talent, especially in remote areas with a limited amount of talent to choose from in the first place. Others simply don?t have time to deal with routine maintenance, which will inevitably lead to broken technology. One of the best ways to take advantage of outsourcing is for your organization?s technical needs, like IT management and maintenance. You started your business so that you could do what you love and turn a profit. If you?re focused on these goals rather than managing your technology 24/7, you?ll find that, all of a sudden, your dreams are within your grasp. Besides, wouldn?t it be nice to know that your technology is being handled by professional technicians? You don?t want just any computer novice performing maintenance on your business?s IT. Information technology is difficult to handle at times, and failing to manage it properly can lead to disastrous results. If your company?s server were to fall victim to an untimely hardware failure, you could be looking at massive repair costs or replacement fees. That?s not even mentioning the irreplaceable data that was lost when the server went down. Unless you have support that?s ready and able to help at any given moment, these disasters could very well break your business and impede your progress further. By outsourcing this need to White Mountain IT Services, you can essentially eliminate this uncertainty. By having us on standby and ready to assist you with your technology at all times, you can say “goodbye” to downtime and say ?hello? to productivity. Even if you have an in-house team of technology professionals working to keep your workstations and servers working as intended, they likely don?t have enough time and resources to implement new and exciting technology solutions. We?re sure that your technicians could use a break from working around the clock, and you?ll appreciate having an extra set of eyes on issues that can prevent them from turning into major problems. Our trusted technicians want to see you succeed, and they?ll work hard to make sure that it happens; that?s more than any ordinary break-fix IT company can offer. If your organization could use a hand with both technology management and implementing new solutions, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.