Will artificial intelligence take everybody?s job? Will robots truly take over? We decided it would only be fair to let an actual artificial intelligence chime in and defend itself, but before we do, let?s talk about what this technology is, how it works, and where it could lead us in the future. What is Artificial Intelligence? Ever read Isaac Asimov? How about the 2001 film, A.I. Artificial Intelligence? If you want to be a little more contemporary, we can reference Marvel?s Age of Ultron or HBO?s Westworld. Either way, most dramatized references to artificial intelligence usually involve a being that has a computerized brain that decides it isn?t quite a machine and it isn?t quite human, but it definitely is capable of making better decisions than those that created it.  Usually this goes very badly for the humans, at least for a while. This isn?t something strictly bound to the concept of artificial intelligence, but more to intelligence in general. Without getting too dorky on you, if we made contact with aliens tomorrow that were massively more intelligent than humans, we would struggle to understand their motives. The concept of most science fiction AI is the same?artificial intelligence in most science fiction is able to scale far beyond the scope of what a human brain can process, thus making it scary and potentially very dangerous. This is all just science fiction and entertainment though. In movies and books and all the other entertainment mediums, we tend to give the AI a character. It isn?t just a source of information, it is a living, breathing, thinking person?it just thinks and acts on its own and then (usually) tries to conquer the world.  Fortunately, we?re not even close to producing that.  Instead, the thing that we call ?Artificial Intelligence? is more of a virtual intelligence. It takes data that its developers feed into it, and is able to make billions and billions of connections between that information, and from that, it is able to see and derive patterns and make informed decisions on the fly.  Modern-day autopilot features on self-driving cars do this. After feeding millions or billions of different driving scenarios into a system, an AI can be developed that says ?Hey, sometimes stop signs can be a little crooked, but I can still recognize it as a stop sign.? In fact, almost everyone uses AI nearly every single day. If you do a Google search, you are technically using AI because the search engine crawls millions of websites and indexes information automatically without a human directly manipulating it. At the end of the day, modern artificial intelligence is taking massive amounts of information and coming up with different, digestible ways to put it together. It finds patterns that we might not have the time or patience to see, or to produce new combinations of information in totally new and unique ways. Will Artificial Intelligence Take My Job? Perhaps we should let the AI answer this question, but we wanted to give our prediction first?probably not.  Like any technology, it might make your job easier. There might be businesses that downsize because they think some new AI technology will replace human workers. After all, some businesses would love to cut payroll. Just look at the Fort Worth McDonalds that is nearly […]

In the case of the password, it?s often beneficial to know what not to do in addition to what you should do. What Makes for a Bad Password? Bad passwords are a little bit of a misnomer these days, especially as passwords are simply not the ideal way to protect important information anymore; rather, they should be a part of a multi-factor authentication solution. But alas, that?s not why we are here today. Passwords are still popular methods of protecting accounts, so we have to go over what makes them effective or ineffective. Passwords are bad when they are not as secure as they need to be, which could be for a variety of reasons. Maybe they aren?t as complicated as they should be, or maybe they are simply repeated over too many accounts. Passwords can be a hindrance to account security, but they can also be boons when created properly. Let?s discuss how you can make strong, complex passwords. Creating Strong Passwords Be sure to keep the following practices in mind for creating strong passwords: Don?t Repeat Your PasswordsIt doesn?t matter how strong a password is when it?s your single line of defense for multiple different accounts. All it takes is one instance of a data breach to expose that password to hackers, leading to multiple accounts being vulnerable. You can increase your security substantially by simply using different complex passwords for each of your accounts. Make Them ComplexWhat do we mean by complex passwords? It?s simple; they should be easy enough to remember, but difficult to guess. You can use a passphrase, for instance, using random words that you?ve put together. Throw some numbers and symbols in there too for good measure. Never Include Personal DetailsYou shouldn?t include personal details in your passwords because depending on how much information you share publicly on social media, the information could be used against you. Remember, the password should be easy to remember, but difficult to guess, and if there is information about you known to the hacker, they can potentially guess the password. Use a Password ManagerThe average user has countless passwords that they use to secure their accounts, so keeping track of multiple, complex passwords is a tall order even for the most dedicated employee. A password manager can make it easier to keep track of them all, and for those who have trouble with recycling passwords, many of these managers have built-in password generators. A password manager works by securing multiple passwords in an encrypted vault protected by a master password, so instead of remembering multiple passwords, you just have to keep track of one. Need a Hand with Cybersecurity? White Mountain IT Services is happy to help you navigate the challenges associated with cybersecurity. To learn more about what we can do for your business, contact us today at (603) 889-0800.

Look, we?re just as sick of talking about hackers and such as you are sick of hearing about them?we?d much rather spend more time discussing how you could make your business better instead of warding off the leeches who are just trying to steal the spoils of your hard work. Unfortunately, here we are. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to help protect your small business, its data, and its infrastructure. Put More Effort Into Using Quality Passwords It?s pretty standard for computing systems to require a username and password login before access will be granted, giving you your first opportunity to tighten your defenses. Make sure that your team both understands how to create a secure password, and how important it is that they are diligent in doing so. Developing a unified password strategy will help to do this. The three elements of this process are as follows: Password creation – First, it is important that the passwords being used are secure. Best practices dictate that the best passwords and passphrases are those that are easily remembered, but wouldn?t necessarily be guessed. Your secret code can be further strengthened by sprinkling in different cases and alphanumeric switching. Password management – The average user?provided they are following best practices?will ultimately need to remember dozens of passwords. This practically impossible task becomes far easier to manage with a quality password management system?an encrypted vault that allows you to securely store your passwords behind a singular credential. Multi-factor authentication – Many modern accounts feature multi-factor authentication (also known as two-factor authentication) as an additional means of protecting verified access. With MFA enabled, anyone trying to log into one of your accounts will need to provide the correct username, password, and additional proof of identity, whether that?s a generated code or a biometric scan. The point is, improving how effective your identity authentication measures are, the more of a challenge for a cybercriminal to overcome. Maintain Your Software Secondly, you need to make sure that you are attending to any vulnerabilities that present themselves via the software your business utilizes, primarily because the software hasn?t been updated and patched appropriately. While zero-day threats may not have a patch released yet, this is just a fraction of the vulnerabilities that hackers regularly utilize. Whatever size it may be, a security-focused company will always prioritize patching and updating their software?and that?s inclusive of every piece of software a company uses, from productivity to security to communications. Naturally, this takes some time, which is why it is an integral part of the managed services provided by White Mountain IT Services as a part of our professional agreements. Not only is it important to do for your security, it also makes it far easier for us to do our jobs. Effectively, it?s a win-win. Patch and Update Software Another frequent form of infiltration into any network is accomplished through exploiting vulnerabilities in the business? infrastructure. This happens when the software that a business depends on is not patched and updated promptly. Sure, there are situations where no patch is available for a vulnerability (known as zero-day threats), but these are much less likely than cyberattackers using known vulnerabilities that haven?t been patched yet.  There are dozens of steps that can be taken to prevent hackers from […]

Technology Is Always a Thing Before we get into the question at hand, we?d be remiss if we didn?t mention that modern society is basically an example of how innovation fuels progress. I mean the spoon and the wheel were examples of technological improvement. If you consider that the whole of modern computing happened in the past century (mostly the last half century), you?d have to consider that things like the advent of electricity, the manufacturing of the first microprocessor, and the invention of modern networking were all new technologies that have allowed our society to get to where we are today.  Now to the Question at Hand So has technology made us happier? Whether it has or hasn?t, the Internet seems to have made people happier. One poll found that 90% of respondents admitted that their lives have improved due to the Internet?s existence. That probably isn?t a surprise, but it does say something about how society has changed. People rely on the Internet, especially in the mobile age. We interact with the people around us over mobile phones and video conferencing, many of us work via the Internet, and every part of our lives has some type of technology tied to it. People can now never leave their houses and live a relatively normal life (not that it is recommended at all).  But does this ubiquitous technology make us happier? There?s no way to know, but we can break down the major parts of a person?s life to come up with what will do for an answer in this space. For our purposes, we?ll consider work, leisure, relationships, and other social interactions. Work Most of us use technology for our jobs. In fact, a lot of our jobs wouldn?t be here if it weren?t for the underlying technology. Many younger workers, who have entered the workforce over the past 10 years, seriously consider the merits of an organization?s commitment to technology as a factor when choosing whether or not to apply to a company. For older workers, there has been a learning curve but with the advancements in technology, hosted systems, and automation, most people can do more actual ?work? than ever before. This improves employee morale and leaves workers with more time to themselves, a consideration that has come to be known as ?work-life balance?. With all this considered we?d have to admit that technology has made today?s average worker happier than in the past. Leisure Technology has a marked effect on the way people spend their leisure time. Activities that were once universally popular like family outings at the park, going to the mall, and even going for a leisurely drive have all been pushed out of the social lexicon because the technology that surrounds us at all times has changed the way people view these activities. For example, before we had ubiquitous technology fueled by a seemingly unlimited number of applications, people would go for a drive. They would take a day when they didn?t have anything to do and they would drive. Technology doesn?t like aimless tasks. If every task has a purpose then an aimless trek in your car is taboo. This can be said for most things. There is a reason why every video game developer puts in worthless achievements into their […]

First, you have to choose whether you want to copy an existing worksheet into the same workbook or to a new Excel file. You can do both with relative ease! Copy Your Worksheet Within the Workbook To copy a worksheet, all you have to do is right-click the sheet tab of the target worksheet and use the menu which appears. Select Move or Copy?, and after you have done so, you should select Create a copy from the options available. Select OK, and that?s it! You now have your copy, which you can edit and rename as you see fit. Copy Your Worksheet to a Different Workbook Copying a worksheet to a different book is a bit more involved, but still manageable. First, you might notice that Excel has this function built right into its user interface, but you will need to have both the current workbook and the target workbook open. On your original worksheet?s window, right-click the sheet tab. Then, you select the Move or Copy? option using the To Book option to locate the new target. You?ll see a list of open workbooks to select from, so find the one you want and make sure Create a copy is selected. Once you?re ready, click OK. You can also drag one worksheet to another, if you have both workbooks open. To do so, under the View tab, select View Side by Side from the Window group. Doing this tells Excel to split the view in two, allowing for an easier time doing this. You can then click and drag the sheet tab you want to copy from one workbook to the other while holding down the Ctrl key. Without the Ctrl key, you?ll just move the sheet over. We hope this tip helps you cut down on some of the time you might waste moving data around unnecessarily. To learn more tips and tricks to make the most of your technology, be sure to call us at (603) 889-0800.