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Technology Improves Operations Some businesses can be successful without the use of technology, thus leading them to be skeptical about how much time and money can actually be saved by implementing new solutions. You might be surprised by how much technology can influence your policies and procedures for the better. For example, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform can help you automate tons of tasks that would normally fall on your staff so they can focus on revenue-generating activities rather than general upkeep. Speaking of Your Employees? Your workforce is the biggest beneficiary of your new technology solutions, as your staff can use these new tools to work more efficiently and produce higher-quality work. Businesses that are able to make this change can generate more capital and provide better services and solutions to customers. When you invest in your technology, you invest in your employees. Some younger employees might even refuse to work for companies that can?t keep up with modern technology trends. The Effect on Your Customers Your customers expect that your product or service will provide value, but they also expect that you will communicate with them should they need assistance with these products or services. If you can use technology to help make happy customers turn into returning customers, then you can yield considerable returns on your investments in new technology. Technology Every Business Needs All that said, there are certain solutions that all businesses can benefit from implementing. Here are a few of them. Communications There are several ways your business can improve its communications infrastructure. One such way is implementing a Voice over IP system (VoIP). Not only does it utilize your Internet service to effectively replace your phone infrastructure, it also provides plenty of other great features that make communication much easier and more efficient, like instant messaging, video conferencing, and so on. Productivity Providing the right tools for your employees can work wonders for their productivity. Even if you can?t provide state-of-the-art laptops or smartphones for your employees, you can still provide access to tools through the use of the cloud. These types of cloud-based productivity tools are more cost-effective per user, especially compared to the up-front costs associated with deploying a software solution across your entire infrastructure. Cybersecurity With countless phishing attacks making up over 80 percent of the world?s successful cyberattacks, you need to be serious about addressing these issues with your employees and protecting your business. It can take months to discover a data breach, and an ongoing phishing attack could put your business at risk. Thankfully, security researchers and developers have built many great tools to help you protect your business, like antivirus and spam protections. Furthermore, it?s important to train your employees to identify sources of breaches so they can be more cognizant of their role in protecting your business. We know that investing in technology can be challenging; that?s why we make it easy. Here at White Mountain IT Services, we want to help you get the tools you need to be successful and profitable. To learn more, contact us at (603) 889-0800.
How Does AI Security Work? When used appropriately, AI security is a set of tools that can be used to autonomously detect and respond to potential threats. The activity is built upon previous or similar activity, so in a sense, AI security tools learn and grow over time to accommodate changes in the threat landscape. AI is always trying to learn about new threats, so you can expect to see a large number of false negatives and positives. Still, the process itself is much less involved because of its automated nature, and if it?s set up correctly, it can be a huge help when identifying suspicious behavior on your network. What Are the Benefits? It?s a fact that security professionals are expensive to find and hire, and small businesses often have smaller budgets and deadlines. AI makes these problems easier to manage through automating much of the process. AI makes it easier to discover threats and easier to address them over time. That being said, if you have AI with no one to manage or maintain it, it will likely become a burden rather than a help. Is AI Security the Future? When you consider that there is a downward trend in cybersecurity employment, it makes sense for autonomous and automated systems to make up for the shortage in labor. This unfilled labor gap could potentially reach 3.5 million positions by the end of the year alone. AI makes for an easy and efficient way to bypass hiring and training practices, and once it is set up, it can be left to its own devices, as long as someone is around to monitor and maintain it. How Can Your Business Use AI Security? AI security is perfectly accessible to small businesses, and with the right solutions, you can scale them in accordance with your specific needs and goals. If you can implement AI tools that appropriately align with your operational goals, you will find that your team will spend far less time worrying about cybersecurity and more time focusing on getting their work done. White Mountain IT Services can help your business implement the best security practices and solutions for your organization?s needs. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
White Mountain IT Services is in the business of equipping companies with great security tools that allow them to go about their day-to-day operations with little to fear from hackers and other cyberthreats. One way we help organizations shore up weaknesses and allow for convenient and consistent management of security tools is through what is called a Unified Threat Management tool. It differs from the traditional method of threat management in one significant way: it provides a single point of reference for your entire security infrastructure. What does this mean for security? Well, a whole lot. The Greatest Benefit of a UTM Let?s say that you have a team working on a project. Each of them is responsible for handling one specific task and nothing else. While they might excel at doing one particular task, they struggle while communicating with each other. This is often how network security works when you do not have a centralized security tool controlling the process. Your solutions don?t talk to each other correctly, and since you have multiple security software tools, each of them will have licenses that must be renewed every so often. Having a centralized security solution like a Unified Threat Management tool is the equivalent of assigning a project manager in the aforementioned comparison. The project manager is the central point of contact that each individual team member reports to and the one responsible for steering the trajectory and overall strategy of the project. The UTM is the centralized hub of your cybersecurity infrastructure, each individual aspect of it serving as one of the spokes that keep it together. A UTM commonly consists of a comprehensive array of cybersecurity solutions, including antivirus, firewalls, content blocking, and spam filtering solutions, all of which combine to provide considerable protections against most threats out there. Imagine managing all four of these individually?wouldn?t it be easier to just do so from one central location? That?s right, it would, and that?s why the UTM is such a valuable tool. Get Started with Unified Threat Management Today White Mountain IT Services wants to help your company overcome the countless challenges that come from securing its network infrastructure. We like to start with a comprehensive network security analysis that gives you a clear picture of the current state of your network?s security. We can then work toward implementing comprehensive measures that are designed with your specific needs in mind. To learn more about how to keep your business safe, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Keep Your Devices Clean Your business desktops may be tools, but they?re nothing like the classic hammer or screwdrivers that the term ?tool? often brings to mind. These complicated and dynamic machines rely on a lot of moving parts, which means they need to be maintained. One aspect of doing so is to keep them as clean as possible, inside and out. Removing dust with compressed air is a key step, as is regularly tidying your mouse and keyboard of any grime and avoiding situations where new grime would be introduced?there?s a reason we encourage you not to eat at your desk. Patch and Update The software your computer relies on needs to be maintained in order for the device to function properly, particularly where security is concerned. Apply vetted patches and updates promptly to ensure your devices work effectively and again, securely. These improvements can usually be applied remotely, removing the need for an on-site visit from IT (the same can be said of most maintenance needs, by the way). Remove Unnecessary Programs Over time, unused applications can overtake your desktops. Tracking how often your applications are opened and used with a monitoring solution will help you eliminate these unused applications, making for a simpler and more manageable infrastructure. White Mountain IT Services Can Help You Accomplish This, and More Our technicians can take over your desktop maintenance on your behalf, assisting you in keeping your technology working effectively. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more.
Use Strong Passwords Most likely, any telehealth will require users to set up an account and password. Just like any other time you need to do so, it is important to develop unique and complex passwords. You will want to create a password that would be hard to predict, but easy to remember. One tip is to use a passphrase with at least three words that don?t have any correlation to one another. You can also use a varying amount of upper and lower case letters, symbols, and numbers to ensure that your password is unique and strong. Also, you will want to set up multi-factor authentication on your account if it is available. This method provides an extra layer of security. Use a Virtual Private Network One way to ensure that your virtual telehealth meeting with your physician or counselor is secure is to utilize a VPN. You will definitely want to use a VPN that you pay for and is reputable. The VPN creates an encrypted pathway to keep all information private and anonymous. You are basically setting up a direct connection to your health provider as any transmitted messages are extremely difficult to collect. Make Sure You Protect Your Privacy In an attempt to protect your online privacy when doing telehealth meetings, you are going to want to make sure that you conduct your meetings in private. Many people will do theirs in their personal office space or their bedroom to protect the private connection they have with their doctor. Obviously, you won?t want to pick a public place to conduct a private meeting with your doctor, but even some conversations you think are private can be overheard by the wrong people. Remember, healthcare is a private matter and even though you may be on a laptop talking to your doctor, you should be mindful of your surroundings when on a telehealth call. Use Security Software One of the best ways to protect yourself on Internet-connected devices is to have security software installed. This is because these tools are designed to help any user do a better job at protecting their device and their data. This includes spam filtering, anti-malware and antivirus software; as well as firewalls designed to stop potential threats. This doesn?t just pertain to PCs either. You will want to ensure that your smartphones and tablets you may use for meetings of this nature have digital protections installed to ensure that your health information isn?t vulnerable to theft. What do you think? Do you use telehealth and have some advice for those who are considering giving it a try? Leave your comments below and check back soon for more cybersecurity best practices.