You?ve got plenty of services to choose from, but three stand out from the crowd. The best thing about these digital services is that the person you?re giving the gift to will think of you every time they open the app, and judging by how time-consuming these apps are, it could mean that they?ll be thinking about your generosity–a lot! Let?s compare these online video-streaming services for the sake of holiday gift giving. Netflix – Starts at $7.99 a MonthWith more than 65 million subscribers, Netflix is a popular subscription-based online video streaming service that?s drawing the ire of broadcast television networks. It has plenty of movies and TV shows to choose from, and Netflix has upped its game by adding lots of exclusive content. Of course, with this many users, there?s a fairly good chance that most people on your gift list are already using Netflix, so it might be a good idea to bring up Netflix casually in a conversation before paying for a subscription as a gift, or you could offer to cover the renewal of their existing subscription. Although, gifting Netflix isn?t limited to just online video streaming. Netflix still offers a DVD-by-mail service. Even though getting movies in the mail isn?t as instantly gratifying as pressing play, it does cause one to actually look forward to opening their bill-laden mailbox–and that is a gift that keeps on giving! Amazon Prime – $99 a YearAmazon Prime also has millions of members, up to 80 million at the time of this publication. Therefore, like Netflix, you?ll want to first find out if your intended gift recipient is already an Amazon Prime member or not. Also like Netflix, Prime comes with its own online streaming entertainment service with thousands of TV shows and movies to choose from. One advantage of Prime is that it gives users the option to rent more recent movies–similar to pay-per-view. However, streaming entertainment is merely one aspect of Amazon Prime. The most useful Prime feature is its free, two-day shipping service on selected products from Amazon?s massive web store. With some savvy shopping, one can actually purchase enough items from Amazon that what they?ll save in shipping will more than pay for the prime membership. Additionally, Amazon really knows how to spread the cheer with Prime by tacking on a whole mess of additional membership benefits, like Prime Music, Prime Photos, Prime Pantry, Prime Early Access, Kindle Owner?s Lending Library, and more. Plus, if you actually use Prime to buy physical presents for people, they?ll gift wrap it for a small charge. Hulu Plus – Starts at $7.99Not to be left out of the video-streaming party, Hulu Plus brings a unique offering to consumers by streaming television shows shortly after they air. This, in addition to their healthy library of TV shows and movies, makes it a valuable gift that keeps on giving this holiday season. Like Netflix, Hulu is getting into the original content game by producing shows of its own. At this point, Hulu Plus has 9 million subscribers, which means that there?s a greater chance that someone on your gift list wouldn?t already have it. Each online service is different enough that one of them is sure to be a hit with someone on your holiday gift list. Or, you […]

E-waste is defined by ewasteguide.info as: e-Waste for short – or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) – is the term used to describe old, end-of-life or discarded appliances using electricity. It includes computers, consumer electronics, fridges etc which have been disposed of by their original users. On this website – the e-Waste Guide – “e-waste” is used as a generic term embracing all types of waste containing electrically powered components. e-Waste contains both valuable materials as well as hazardous materials which require special handling and recycling methods. In more basic terms, your computers, servers, network components, and other hardware, all contain valuable metals that could be dangerous to the environment if they aren?t recycled properly. With a proper workflow set up for recycling these materials, old devices getting thrown out shouldn?t be a problem, right? Wrong. Most of the world?s e-waste is sent to third-world countries that don?t have environmentally friendly practices for recycling these devices. Here?s your daily dose of capitalism: it?s actually much cheaper to ship discarded devices overseas rather than recycling them, which leads to large accumulations of the devices that pile up in places like Guiyu, China. Dubbed the e-waste capital of the world by Slate, Guiyu has a population of around 150,000. One of the large industries in Guiyu is dismantling discarded devices and obtaining the valuable metals. While it?s great that they?re finding ways to make the most out of the e-waste problem, another huge issue is that their unregulated methods are very dangerous to both the population and the surrounding environment. For example, Slate explains that ?to extract metals from a circuit board, the workers burn each part over an open fire; this process releases large amounts of toxic gas into the air and the town?s water supply.? This practice is naturally a cause for concern, especially considering the fact that the pollution winds up in the bloodstream of the inhabitants in the form of harmful metals like lead, copper, zinc, etc. The most effective way to take the fight to environmental pollution caused by e-waste is for your business to go through the proper recycling process. First thing?s first: make sure that none of your devices are still storing critical or sensitive information. It helps to have a trusted technology professional on-hand during this process, like those at White Mountain IT Services. Following best practices when ditching your old technology is imperative, especially when you consider what could happen if some stranger (or worse, a hacker) were to find your device and resuscitate it. Once you?re sure that no more information is on the device, it can safely be recycled through the proper channels. We can assist you with this, too; White Mountain IT Services can recycle your old technology in an environmentally-friendly manner. The best way to handle the implementation of new technology and the recycling of your old technology is to contact White Mountain IT Services. To learn more, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

Plugging Your Computer Equipment Directly Into an Outlet This best practice might come as a bit of a shock to those who don?t think twice about plugging anything and everything directly into outlets, but the truth of the matter is that plugging computer equipment into outlets can cause irreversible damage. This is due to power fluctuations that happen within a building?s wiring–as seen when the lights suddenly grow dimmer and then brighter. Instead, make use of a surge protector. This is an easy-to-find power strip designed to regulate electrical surges. For many power strip models, you can actually see the power fluctuations inside the flickering on/off button. When choosing a power strip, it?s important to use a surge protector that?s rated to protect computer equipment, instead of a cheap model only designed to provide extra outlets. The best thing you can do to protect your computer equipment from power inconsistencies is to plug your gear into an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). This is a heavy duty solution that comes equipped with a battery in order to provide consistent power for a short period of time in the event of a power loss. Clicking ?Ok? or ?Next? Without Reading What You?re Agreeing ToIs anybody else guilty of this? We?ve all done it, and while you can probably get away with skimming over the content of a software agreement for something like an OS update, you definitely want to pay attention to the details of an agreement from a third-party company. ComputerHope.com explains: It is not uncommon for new users to click Ok or Next without reading what they are agreeing to and not making sure there are no checkboxes still checked. Make sure you read every prompt before agreeing, or you may be agreeing to install new browser toolbars, a program you didn’t intend to install, or other crapware. Opening Unknown Email AttachmentsHopefully, you have a spam filter in place to keep the majority of email threats out of your inbox. However, even the best email security solutions let a few bad apples through, which leaves the user’s discretion as the last line of defense. Hackers know this, which is why they use email phishing tactics to try and trick people into downloading a corrupt email attachment. These fake messages often disguise themselves as originating from a trustworthy source, like one?s bank or even their own IT department. It?s up to the user to spot the scam, which takes a keen eye. Therefore, take the time to carefully look over every email message before downloading its attachment. If you suspect that something’s sketchy about it, then you?re probably right. One way to double check the validity of the message is to reach out to the sender over the phone and ask them if they?ve emailed you–using the phone number that you have on record, not the one provided in the bogus email. Don?t feel bad if you?re guilty of falling for any of these common PC mistakes. This is why it?s important to learn PC best practices, so that you won?t fall for them again and put your system at risk. To learn more PC tips and best practices that will keep your computers in good working order, subscribe to White Mountain IT Services?s blog and give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

What is a Firewall?The firewall is your first line of defense against online threats. It analyzes the traffic that goes to and from your network, making sure that any threats that are identified are not allowed passage. You can think of it like a bouncer for your network, making sure that only the data that you want gets in, and that any data you find threatening stays out of it. As defined by Gartner?s IT glossary: A firewall is an application or an entire computer (e.g., an Internet gateway server) that controls access to the network and monitors the flow of network traffic. A firewall can screen and keep out unwanted network traffic and ward off outside intrusion into a private network. This is particularly important when a local network connects to the Internet. Firewalls have become critical applications as use of the Internet has increased. In other words, it keeps the bad stuff out while still allowing you to browse the Internet and take advantage of your web connection. In today?s online society, a proper firewall is an absolute necessity, even for the average PC user. Computers and other devices aren?t nearly as wary about sharing their information as they should be. This is generally why businesses integrate separate security solutions that are crucial to the success of operations. Why You Need OneThe Internet is full of threats of all kinds, including viruses, malware, spyware, and so much more, all of which that can put your organization at risk. These threats can steal information, render your infrastructure inoperable, lock down your systems for ransom; the potentials are, quite literally, limitless. This is why it?s so important to keep threats out of your network, and promptly eliminate those that do infiltrate it. Furthermore, if your organization handles sensitive data, like Social Security numbers, credit card information, and personal records, the last thing you want is for your business to be subject to the immense fines that come from violating HIPAA, PCI, and other compliance regulations. The key benefit of using a firewall is that you?re taking a proactive stance against threats that could potentially derail your entire operation if left unchecked. By keeping the threats out of your infrastructure in the first place, you can effectively limit the damage done to your business. This is why it?s a best practice to integrate a firewall, as well as other aspects of cyber security, including antivirus, content filtering, and spam blockers. All of the above can be found in a Unified Threat Management solution that?s designed to keep your organization?s network threat-free and functional. To learn more, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

The primary problem that so many small and medium-sized businesses run into is that their budget often cannot accommodate the services required to achieve the efficiency levels of an enterprise. However, thanks to modern technology management solutions, this triviality is almost completely in the past. Here?s a quick rundown of how you can optimize your infrastructure to meet your specifications, all without breaking the budget, thanks to outsourced IT management solutions. Software as a ServiceMany vendors are turning to Software as a Service offerings that are designed to eliminate the up-front costs of implementing mission-critical software that?s vital to the everyday success of your business. Examples of this include your business?s chosen productivity suite, like Microsoft Office 365. Basically, instead of purchasing the software for your entire team, you pay a monthly rate that gives your team access to all of the great pieces of software that they need to fulfill their responsibilities. Hardware as a ServiceHardware as a Service (HaaS) is when your technology infrastructure (servers, workstations, routers, etc) is procured, managed, and maintained by a managed service provider. The primary benefit that this type of solution offers is that your business isn?t spending exorbitant amounts of cash on expensive new technology. Instead, you only make monthly payments that are designed to transform the huge capital expenses of purchasing the latest innovations into operational expenses. Infrastructure as a ServiceOne of the greatest ways your business can save money in operational and capital expenses is by taking advantage of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings. This is, essentially, cloud computing, where the tools your employees need to function on a daily basis are hosted online in the cloud, and deployed over your business?s Internet connection. Basically, the cloud is your business?s key to cutting out unnecessary operational costs. If you virtualize your software and hardware infrastructure and host it in the cloud, you?re mitigating costs associated with energy and maintenance. You can take these savings even further by hiring an outsourced IT provider to take care of your IaaS offering, making it a valuable investment. Is your organization ready to save money and optimize its infrastructure with ?as a service? offerings? For more information about what the latest technology services can provide for your business, contact White Mountain IT Services.