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Let?s go over some reasons why it is beneficial to work with trusted technology professionals when disposing of your old connected devices. It?s Good for the Environment Before you throw away an old device, consider what happens to it after it leaves your office. Chances are it will just get shipped to a landfill somewhere in an off-shores country where it will sit for who knows how long. This is unfortunate, as devices are manufactured with parts that contain precious metals and other hazardous or harmful materials that can seep into the ground and contaminate it. Furthermore, doesn?t it just seem like a waste to you? All of these devices?some of which might still be functional?just getting tossed into the trash? There has to be a better way to dispose of devices. To keep the environment cleaner and safer, it helps to work with a managed service provider to ensure that your device will not wind up in a landfill. Depending on the age and condition of the device, it might also be repurposed or donated to others in need. Just make sure that the device is properly wiped before being disposed of. Speaking of which… Data Privacy is Critical While recycling or repurposing your old devices rather than throwing them away is great for the environment, the primary reason why your business must be cognizant of device disposal is the security ramifications of not doing so. If you improperly dispose of devices, there could still be sensitive data on the device that could lead to a data breach somewhere down the road. This might seem like a rather innocent thing and a wild possibility, but we assure you that even if your device isn?t discovered by a hacker, this could have very real consequences. For example, Morgan Stanley was fined an exorbitant $60 million in 2020 for failing to wipe its devices of personal data prior to disposal. Deleting files on your devices is not enough. Due to the way that files are stored on devices, you want to work with a professional to ensure that no traces of data remain on your end-of-life devices before you dispose of them. Understand Your Technology?s End of Life Timeline In today?s era of upgrades, replacing devices often happens prematurely. The next big thing comes out and everyone jumps on the bandwagon, eager to take advantage of the next new solution. This leads to implementing new technology for absolutely no reason, meaning that perfectly fine devices get thrown away or disposed of simply due to the urge to get something shiny and new. On the other side of this impulse are businesses that might try to cut costs by using technology until it absolutely has to be replaced, oftentimes right up until the device?s operating system or installed applications? end-of-life date. This is a dangerous practice in and of itself, as hackers are always looking for the next window into your organization?s defenses. Yet, you will eventually have to replace these devices, so how can you go about this process in a safe and secure way? We recommend working with White Mountain IT Services to properly dispose of your retired connected devices. Our technicians can ensure that not only are your devices wiped of any and all important data, but also that the device follows […]

Let?s discuss some of these hurdles, and how they can be overcome. Not Everything We Use is Compatible With Hybrid Work As of right now, many businesses still rely on tools that?while perfectly workable in-house?aren?t particularly well-suited for remote work. As a result, hybrid work isn?t really a workable option for these businesses. Moving forward, these businesses will need to shift their focus to tools that are consistently reliable in either work environment. This means that cloud solutions, digital communications, and mobile solutions will need to be embraced more than they are even now. On top of this, security will need to be refocused on remote workers to ensure they are fully secured wherever they are. Hybrid is Currently Viewed As a Half-Measure to Keep Employees Local Many employers have used hybrid work as a kind of leash to ensure that their employees remain local. After all, they need to be close enough to commute to the office when their in-house time comes. This effectively serves as the business version of testing the waters of fully remote work, leaving the employer free to pull their toe out and keeping everyone in house if they begin to feel too uncomfortable. While these practices are understandable, they aren?t going to help a business remain competitive in the hiring market as other businesses currently offer hybrid and fully remote positions. Labor Laws Focus on the Employee?s Location, Not the Employer?s As the labor laws currently stand, they are based on the location of the employee, not the company they work for. This simply is no longer applicable to many employees, who may have to travel for work purposes, live in temporary housing, or otherwise break the convention. Some people who work completely remotely have no permanent address, acting as so-called digital nomads? many of whom are full-time employees. These new methods of work have resulted in calls to shift how labor laws are written to reflect on the employer?s location. Culture and Management is Lacking for Hybrid Workers Let?s face it? a lot of businesses just don?t know how to manage workers that are only in-house some of the time. Job performance needs to be evaluated differently, meetings need to adjust, never mind how these employees should be hired, organized into teams, and promoted. Policies need to be developed that standardize these processes before hybrid work can really take off. White Mountain IT Services is here to help, at least in terms of equipping employees for their needs and supporting their technology. To learn more about how managed services can improve any work approach, give us a call at (603) 889-0800 today.

A quick disclaimer: some of these tips will require you to change some settings. If you are not comfortable doing so independently, make sure you ask an IT resource or give us a call for assistance. Keep Tabs on Your Browser Tabs with Tab Groups Most people will keep multiple browser tabs open to make it easier to keep track of the information they need. However, this can get confusing when too many tabs are open. Enter Google Chrome?s tab groups. These allow you to collect tabs into groups to condense them into a more manageable toolbar. That way, the pages you need will be more accessible to you. To start a new group, right-click on a tab and select the option to Add tab to new group. Once a group is created, you can add new tabs to it by right-clicking the tab you want to add and selecting Add tab to group. Removing a tab is as simple as right-clicking a grouped tab and selecting Remove from group. Open Certain Web Pages when Chrome Starts We all have a few websites that we routinely go back to throughout the workday, oftentimes opening them first thing and keeping them open throughout our time in the office. Whatever these websites happen to be, you can have Chrome open them upon startup, every time. Access Chrome?s Settings by clicking the triple-dot menu button, and from there, select You and Google. In the On startup section, select Open a specific page or set of pages and then Add a new page. For each page you want opened, paste or type in the URL of your desired startup websites and click Add. These can also be removed from the list. Alternatively, you can simply replicate what you want Chrome to open on startup and repeat the process, selecting Use current pages on the On startup page. Quickly Find Useful Websites I?m sure you?ve also found at least a few websites that deliver exactly what you?re looking for. Chrome can help you find others like it extremely easily. All you have to do is type related: in the address bar before the address of the website you find so helpful. Chrome will kick back a Google search of similar websites. Of course, if you?re looking for useful websites related to managed services, you?re already there. Then again, why stop at our website? Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to find out how else we can make your business? IT management and maintenance far easier.

The numbers below are from a guide put together by Harbor Networks, and they illustrate just how much the average small business can save by switching to a hosted VoIP solution. The Capital Savings Are No Joke The most immediate savings come from the costs associated with VoIP compared to your traditional telecommunication solutions. A report by Telzio found that businesses saved up to 50% on monthly communication costs simply by switching to a VoIP service. This 50% was separate from the additional cost savings of performing annual maintenance on the telephone system. Furthermore, the startup costs associated with VoIP are practically nonexistent compared to your standard telephone system, and organizations with VoIP can cut costs associated with teleconferencing up to 30%. It is estimated that local calls can save businesses up to 40% compared to traditional telephone systems. Enhanced Productivity Leads to Additional Cost Savings While the COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to adopt a more flexible approach to remote work, there was an increasing trend prior which saw many employees working remotely at least part of the time. This led businesses to adopt VoIP in a certain capacity, and businesses that did so saw an increase in productivity. And you know what they say? when time is money, productivity transforms into cost savings. This increase in flexibility as a result of using VoIP saw a 20% rise in productivity and an average savings of an extra 40 minutes per work day, all of which can add up over the days, weeks, months, and even years. Hosting Alleviates the Challenges of VoIP One of the primary challenges that inevitably comes from implementing a solution like VoIP is who will be the one responsible for managing and maintaining it. Many small businesses are already stretching their resources thin, especially when it comes to IT, so what is the SMB to do when their budget is already stretched to the max? Well, hosted VoIP offers these companies a solution to their dilemma. Rather than having someone on-premises manage the VoIP solution, it makes sense for a managed service provider to host the server which houses your VoIP solution. This allows your business to focus instead on taking advantage of VoIP?s great features and maintaining productivity. In fact, only 14% of businesses without full-time IT staff have issues with VoIP, and it?s likely that MSPs like White Mountain IT Services have contributed to this number being so low with our accessible and affordable technology management services. Don?t wait to get started with a hosted VoIP solution from White Mountain IT Services. The sooner you implement these great tools for your business, the sooner you can start to reap the benefits of these cost savings. To find out more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Introduction to the Study The study in question, published in June of 2021 jointly by think tank Autonomy and Alda, the Association for Democracy and Sustainability, spanned a total of five years and specifically examined workers in Iceland. The trial was split into two parts: one conducted by the city of Reykjav?k and another conducted by the Icelandic government. Both trials involved employees working shorter hours during the work week. It is notable that employees who participated in these trials did not suffer from a reduced salary as a result of working fewer hours during the work week. Employees participating in the program typically worked 35 or 36 hours per week, while the control group worked the typical 40 hours expected of most positions. In the end, the study involved around 2,500 employees from over 100 offices. In both cases, the studies hoped to find out whether or not shortened work hours could address poor work-life balance and improve productivity. Let?s take a look at the results! The Results The results of these studies are quite promising and indicative that a shorter work week has several benefits for employees. According to the study, the results of the trials show that the reductions in working hours maintained or increased productivity and service provision? and ?Improved workers? wellbeing and work-life balance.? The report examines the following: How effectively work time was reduced How service provision and productivity were affected Whether improvements in workers? wellbeing and work-life balance took place One of the big reasons why a shortened workday is such a concern for some is that it could unintentionally lead to overwork as a result of having fewer hours to accomplish tasks, but this was generally not the case with the anecdotal evidence offered by the study. In general, employees found that they were more likely to effectively organize themselves and their work processes as a result of the shorter workday. Even managers were able to work shorter workdays! As for service provision, the idea was to look for if shorter work hours had an impact on the availability of goods and services. As evidenced by the study, ?On the whole, indicators of service provision and productivity either stayed within expected levels of variation, or rose during the period of the trial.? Finally, we get to wellbeing and work-life balance, the big one that a lot of employees think shorter work days might address. The indicators for this part of the study took place toward the tail end of the study, where stress levels and energy levels were measured. As for work-life balance, employees in the shorter work day group found that they had more time with their families and were less inclined to say no to overtime when it was needed and were less likely to take on a part-time job. Other benefits included easier-to-do errands, more balance in participation in home duties, more time for oneself, less stress at home, more exercise, and so many others. It is clear that work-life balance saw major improvements in participating employees. What are your thoughts on this study? Do you think it might benefit your office to shorten the number of hours worked by your employees? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.