Recent Blog Posts

Your Computer is Slow Your computer could be running poorly for any number of reasons, one of which is that you might have too many applications open at once or too many web browser tabs operating. Basically, if you are trying to do too much on a device that can?t handle the amount of work, it?s going to be slow, period. A slow computer could mean there are some underlying problems, so it?s not a bad idea to have someone look at it. For a short-term fix, however, consider closing your apps so that the more resource-intensive tasks don?t produce too much slowdown, or restart your computer. A Bad Internet Connection Your computer might suddenly drop its Internet connection or slow down considerably, something which can cause a lot of problems for an organization that depends on cloud-hosted productivity applications like Google Workspace or Office 365. In the event you have a poor Internet connection, you can check the connection by clicking on the icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. If you aren?t connected, then simply connect, but if you are, then there is likely a problem with the network itself. In this case, try restarting the device or your router. Your Computer Makes Lots of Noise Computers are machines, and as such, they have complicated internal parts and components that can go faulty when you least expect them to. If your computer suddenly starts making noises that it?s not supposed to be making, then you know for sure that there is something going on with it. You might have to replace certain parts, for which we definitely recommend you call White Mountain IT Services. This means that you don?t have to worry about whether you are hooking things up correctly or replacing the correct component. You might be concerned about your technology budget not being able to withstand the brunt of getting the help you need, which is why we offer managed services. Thanks to this service model, you?ll never have to worry about breaking your IT budget and getting the assistance you need. Our managed service offerings give you all the help you might need with your technology management in accordance with a service level agreement. All you have to do is pick up the phone and get a hold of us; we?ll take care of the legwork and make sure your technology is in proper working order. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

What is Desktop as a Service? Similar to other ?as a service? offerings, desktop as a service delivers desktop infrastructures to the user via the cloud. Basically, any connected device can connect to the Internet and utilize cloud-deployed applications and desktop software, effectively granting your employees access to their work desktops in a virtual environment. Most DaaS services follow a subscription-based model or one in which you pay X amount of dollars per month for your virtual desktop infrastructure. Why Is it Helpful? Think about the various benefits that the ?as a service? moniker is typically associated with. One of these benefits is that DaaS can easily fit into a budget?especially much more easily than picking up a few dozen licenses for the latest Windows operating system every couple of years. It?s ideal for small businesses that have limited budgets, as it essentially eliminates the need to purchase new hardware in many situations as well as purchasing new software licenses?you just use the latest versions of available software through the cloud. These cost savings allow you to focus on your business and ensure that you are being as productive as possible with your existing solutions. Since DaaS is easy to implement, you don?t have to fret about how to manage or maintain it; leave the heavy lifting to your provider. Since DaaS is scalable to suit the current needs of your business, you can expect a much easier time as your organization grows and expands. Furthermore, you gain an enormous amount of flexibility in terms of which operating systems you can run without compromising on security. Since the instances of these desktops are located in a secure cloud environment, you can even get away with running unsupported software or legacy applications without running older server hardware just for one or two solutions. Get Started Today If you aren?t sure where to get started with your company?s desktop infrastructure, you?ll find working with White Mountain IT Services to be helpful in any capacity. We can help you make the decision as to whether or not you should move in the direction of cloud-based desktops and how you can do so with minimal frustration. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

The survey, by Microsoft, indicates that employees would rather quit than return to the office full-time, showcasing a need for employers to at least consider hybrid options. This survey was conducted from October 7th, 2021 through October 15th, 2021, and it surveyed 2,046 employees and 504 HR decision makers in the United Kingdom. Whether or not these employees would actually quit is up for debate, but the fact remains that they feel strongly enough to answer a survey question in this fashion. Therefore, it is your responsibility as a business owner to take these feelings into consideration when planning your business model. Failing to do so might cost you talent in the long term, which could potentially be devastating to your workforce. While you can solve some issues through outsourcing, in the end, isn?t this the same as allowing your employees to work in a hybrid or remote setting? Here are some other statistics related to the study that you might find interesting: 36 percent of UK workers hired during the COVID-19 pandemic have never set foot in the office. 42 percent report that they have had trouble building relationships with their colleagues. 33 percent lack direction from their managers or supervisors. 24 percent claim that they have had trouble learning new skills and software. 23 percent fail to earn the confidence of their coworkers. 21 percent are not feeling the company culture. 36 percent of HR managers reported having difficulty with training new employees. 35 percent are confident that their employees have access to the appropriate information. Some of this might sound complicated, but it?s simply something that business owners need to work to understand and adapt to. Fortunately, the technology-end isn?t any more complicated than having internal IT. Whether or not your business chooses to offer hybrid or remote work options is your organization?s business, and it is a decision that should only be made after careful consideration of where your company currently stands in terms of technological capabilities and operations. If you are unsure if your company could stand to go with a hybrid or remote workplace model, we can help you make that assessment and/or assist with the implementation of technologies that would facilitate this process. Don?t let a hesitancy to embrace remote or hybrid work sink your big plans for the future. Get started today by contacting White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

What is Encryption? We?ve all heard of codes and ciphers, like the Caesar cipher where you take the original letters and shift them a set amount down the alphabet. For instance, the Caesar cipher with a shift of nine could result in the following: ?Vjwjpnm bnaerlnb jan cqn bdyanvn xycrxw oxa j kdbrwnbb bnntrwp jbbrbcjwln frcq cqnra RC.? While it is a relatively simple thing to decode if you have the key to it, lacking the key makes it effectively indecipherable?or inde-cipher-able, if you will. Encryption works in effectively the same way? albeit in a far more complicated manner. Encryption software takes data and puts it through a complicated algorithm that scrambles it up, with a key provided to help unscramble it when needed. Until that time, the data remains private, whether it’s being stored or transmitted. Encryption can be used to secure a website, a hard drive, or an individual email. What?s more, it really should be used whenever available to help secure your data. When is Encryption Needed? Encryption should be utilized whenever sensitive data is involved, so whether your data is sitting in storage or is being shared via email, it should have all protections available to it? including encryption. Want help incorporating encryption into your business? protections? We?re here. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to discuss your needs and how we can help you meet them. We?re here to help you secure your business and its data.

?I Resolve to Put Security First.? Cybersecurity is nothing to take lightly. Today?s threats range from mild annoyances to company-ending data breaches and everything in between. As a result, a business that doesn?t prioritize its cybersecurity awareness and preparedness is working on borrowed time. Fortunately, there are a few relatively simple ways that a business? security can be vastly improved. First, there?s implementing and maintaining basic cybersecurity protections, like keeping your firewall and antivirus and other defenses up to date. Secondly, but just as importantly, you need to ensure your team understands how an attack might be directed towards them and what they need to do to stop it. Phishing and other methods of targeting the end user are still popular.  Third, your team also needs to realize that some of their own behaviors could easily leave your business more vulnerable, so they need to be trained up on best practices to avoid these kinds of behaviors. ?I Resolve to Make the Most of My Technology.? Your team will primarily rely on two sets of technologies: what you are currently using, and what you will adopt in the future. With the right mindset now, it is possible for your business to maximize both. For your current IT solutions, having them is only part of using them to their fullest potential. You also need to be sure that your team knows how to do so, which will require them to be trained properly with them. By identifying your core software and applications and committing time to team training and user education, your employees will be all the more capable of accomplishing improved outcomes through the use of their software. Looking to the future, it always pays off to watch for the newest innovations and promising technologies to adopt if and when the time is right. By embracing new technologies and methodologies as they come, you can help your team maximize the value of their time spent.  ?I Resolve to Encourage My Team?s Collaboration.? It should come as no surprise that, considering collaboration is seen as a priority for many, bringing your team to practice it more is an excellent priority for a business to take. Many modern applications are now built with collaboration as a major feature, making it relatively simple to give your team the tools to follow through. You just need to enforce the behaviors you want to see from them. Regardless of what your priorities are in the coming weeks and months of this year, we?re here to offer our assistance in achieving them through our comprehensive IT services. Start a conversation to find out how we can help by calling (603) 889-0800 today.