Recent Blog Posts
The E-Waste ProblemPlastic waste has become a major issue over the past few years, and today, we?ve come up with an effective system to get this managed. E-waste, on the other hand, despite being nearly all recyclable remains an issue. E-waste is actually a remarkably expensive issue for the world, with some reports placing the value of e-waste as high as $62.5 billion–more than the GDP of most countries, to put it in perspective. With less than 20% of all e-waste being properly recycled, most devices find themselves in landfills, taking up space in developing countries and exposing people to dangerous substances. E-waste that finds itself in a landfill might be burned, in turn spilling toxic and hazardous materials into the air, or contaminating soil and groundwater, creating further issues for countries unable to manage the sheer volume of e-waste. Several initiatives have been attempted to revamp the way we, as a society, approach the issue. Some think that making devices more durable will resolve it, as devices will be less likely to break and more long-lasting. Others think that a buy-back program is the correct approach, as it encourages users to trade their old devices in for a new one, improving the odds that the old devices will be properly recycled. Ultimately, it becomes a question of whether the device, and the resources used to create it, will be thrown out and become unused. How Your Organization Can HelpIt might seem like your business won?t make much of a difference on its own, but every little bit helps. You can start by being more mindful of how your organization handles unneeded technological assets, like workstations, smartphones, laptops, and other IT-related devices and components. E-waste recyclers: Your local businesses might have opportunities to recycle unused devices, so look into your options before throwing that device in the trash. Repurpose old devices: Do you have an old monitor that?s not seeing much use these days due to being replaced? You can turn it into a digital signage system to aid in displaying important information to your office. Donate devices: If you have unused devices in the office, consider donating them to the less fortunate. After all, just because you have the latest smartphone and junked your old one doesn?t mean that the old device was bad or unusable. You also need to make sure that any devices you want to recycle are wiped of any company and personal data, so be sure to work with a technology professional to make this happen. White Mountain IT Services can help you make this happen. We can also help you make the most out of your old devices, whether it?s recycling them or repurposing them for other uses. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Just to be as clear as possible, we are going to be discussing how to be more efficient with communications that don?t involve face-to-face interaction. This includes email and instant messaging, where context and emotion can be misconstrued. Limit the Scope of Messages It might seem easy to send a message that is simple, but you should never discount the importance of sending multi-purpose emails. The issue, is that certain tasks might be put to the wayside because they are either forgotten or are set aside because they aren?t seen as ?urgent.? Therefore, if you devote some time to crafting specific messages for specific tasks, they will have less of a chance to be put to the wayside or glossed over on accident. Be as Clear as Possible That being said, it can be easy to see how you can get ahead of yourself and try to explain a ton of information in an email or IM when it?s not necessary at all. This can actually overcomplicate the problem and create issues that didn?t exist with it before. Remember, more doesn?t always make the message better. Save Important Meetings for Face-to-Face Conversations If there?s something important to say, it?s often the best course of action to just say it in person. This is particularly the case if there are rather strong feelings felt on either side. It keeps expectations managed and avoids the prospect of people taking things the wrong way. After all, having face-to-face conversations is the best way to handle these situations in the first place, so take advantage of it if you can. White Mountain IT Services can help you implement enterprise-level communications that can help you keep your employees and your business productive. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
How It?s Used Today It?s likely that you?ve already used wireless charging. The Qi wireless platform became the standard for wireless charging, and it has been used in both Apple and Android devices since its inception. It made the jump from 2.5W to 15W delivery. Wireless charging?s convenience has made it a mainstay in certain sectors. It?s a great solution to include near workstations and nightstands, as well as public places like restaurants. There is no evidence suggesting that it has a widespread negative influence on the battery?s lifespan, meaning that there?s no real reason not to have it; this just means that it will get people using their applications and mobile devices more and more. For example, the Wireless Power Consortium–the developers of Qi charging–has been developing large-form-factor charging pads for the kitchen to provide power to appliances. In the realm of businesses, there is an investigation going on into decreasing constraints on wireless charging power. Will Wireless Charging Be Possible at a Distance? Some manufacturers have developed a means to send power over a short distance, so whether or not this technology is possible is yet to be determined–especially with efficiency being taken into consideration. Once the power source and receiving device are far enough apart, the charge being delivered falls in terms of what would be practical to send to the receiving device. In other words, when it reaches its destination, it retains about ten percent of the power source, meaning that charging is, quite simply, not efficient. Resolving this issue is something that is extremely unsafe, as well. True wireless charging achieves about ten percent efficiency compared to the Qi?s near-field rates of 75 percent efficiency, as well as a wired charge?s 85 percent efficiency. It makes it hard to see how such a long-distance charge could be worth it–at least with today?s technology constraints. What are your thoughts on this wireless technology? Let us know in the comments and be sure to subscribe for more think pieces and informational discussions about modern technology.
Keyboard ShortcutsYouTube is great for both researching and presenting subjects, and with its built-in features, you can get more productivity out of it. Keyboard shortcuts are the best first step to take. You can jump to the beginning of a video by pressing the zero key. You can also use the arrow keys to fast forward or rewind a video as needed. The default is five seconds, but by holding down the Ctrl key, you can increase this to ten second skips. If you?re using YouTube for a presentation, you can pause and resume the video by hitting the spacebar or the K key. You can use the up and down keys to adjust the volume, as well. The M key will mute or unmute the video. Start from a Specific Point in the VideoYou can alter a link to a YouTube video to start at a specific point. The easiest way to do this is to just grab it from the video on YouTube. For example, check out this video about phishing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfnA7UmlZkE Under the Share option, you will see the Start at option. This gives you the ability to select a specific part of the video to start it at. The link will ultimately look something like this for around the one-minute mark. https://youtu.be/jfnA7UmlZkE?t=63 Use Search Filters to Improve ResultsIf you?re not finding the right content you?re looking for, you can use filters to customize your results based on specific criteria, including channels/playlists, specific durations, and other types of media. YouTube is a great resource for many businesses. What are other ways you might use YouTube? Let us know in the comments.
For many small businesses, the difference between the various types of technology management might seem trivial, but the reality is that they can be budget-breaking when mismanaged. Take break-fix IT management; it worked for businesses in the past, but how much did it really help? After all, the entire premise of break-fix IT management relies on the breaking and fixing of technology, when in reality the goal should be to prevent the breaking from happening in the first place. This is why managed IT is such a valuable investment. It actively prevents IT issues from hampering your business? operations, meaning that downtime doesn?t become a problem. In a way, managed IT takes your organization?s capital expenses related to technology and transforms them into operational expenses, saving you lots of time and money that can be spent elsewhere. However, you don?t want to implement just any managed IT provider. You want to work with only one who can answer the following questions in adequate detail. Does this provider help my business become more competitive? Can this provider help my business leverage technology more quickly? How does this managed service provider help my business utilize the cloud? How transparent is this managed service provider? How can your investment in managed IT free up funds that are better spent elsewhere? How quickly can the provider respond to new industry trends and ideas? Not sure how to approach managed IT? White Mountain IT Services might be able to help. Ask us these questions yourself and see what we can offer your business. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
