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Alt+Tab: Move through your open tabs. Alt+Home: Open your homepage. Alt+Left Arrow: Move backward a page. Alt+Right Arrow: Move forward a page. F11: Show the current website in fullscreen mode. Esc: Stop a page from loading or a file from downloading. Ctrl+(+) or (-): Zoom in or out on the screen. Ctrl+0: Reset the zoom to normal. Ctrl+1 through 8: Jump to the corresponding tab in your web browser. Ctrl+9: Jump to the last open tab. Ctrl+Shift+B: Hide or show your bookmarks bar. Ctrl+D: Make the currently opened tab a bookmark. Ctrl+H: Show history in a new tab. Ctrl+J: Show downloads in a new tab. Ctrl+F: Find something on the page. Ctrl+N: Open a new window. Ctrl+Shift+N: Open a new window in incognito mode. Ctrl+R or F5: Refresh the page. Ctrl+T: Open a new tab. Ctrl+W: Close the currently open window. Ctrl+Shift+T: Open the most recently closed tab. Spacebar: Move down a page at a time. Shift+Spacebar: Move up a page at a time. Well, now you have a whole batch of Google Chrome keyboard shortcuts to consider for your daily productivity. For more great tips and tricks on how to take full advantage of your business? technology, subscribe to White Mountain IT Services?s blog.
Virtualization can change a lot for your business. Since you can use multiple types of solutions to expand the way your operations work, virtualization is the perfect strategy to improve your business. But what is virtualization, exactly? At its roots, virtualization takes a service or solution that your business relies on and abstracts it so that it can be accessed through the cloud or some other location. For examples of virtualization, examine what are called digitized servers and workstations. Virtualization can keep your business from relying so much on expensive hardware. Other opportunities lie in placing your applications or entire data infrastructure in the cloud, allowing for near constant, and ubiquitous access. We want to help your business take full advantage of virtualization to empower your operations. Here are some of the best ways you can use virtualization to your business?s benefit. Virtual Cloud HardwareIt?s not out of the ordinary to virtualize servers. This is due to the virtual server not needing the same maintenance or management required of a physical server unit. You can further augment these benefits by virtualizing your hardware through a service provider like White Mountain IT Services. This lets your business essentially store your servers on an infrastructure that?s hosted and maintained by seasoned professionals. We can deliver the maintenance needed without the need for an on-site visit. Furthermore, you?ll reduce the costs of operations thanks to removing hardware from your workplace. For example, you won?t need as much air conditioning or electricity to keep your infrastructure intact, which is an advantage in its own right. Virtual Desktop InfrastructureSimilar to your servers, you can host your desktop infrastructure in a virtual cloud environment where it can be accessed through the Internet. Thin clients allow for this convenience. These are basically desktops that allow you to access resources and applications through the cloud–since they use fewer resources, they are easier on the energy bill. Plus, since they are overall cheaper than a full-blown workstation, they are easier on the budget. Since you?ll be accessing your infrastructure through the cloud, you can access your virtual desktop through any connected computer or laptop, allowing for a more dynamic (and highly customizable) work experience. Virtual SoftwareIf you store software in the cloud, you can improve how much value you get out of it. This presents a unique opportunity that allows you to access data and applications through the cloud via a mobile app or web browser. This keeps your employees productive regardless of their circumstances, whether they are out of the office or across the country on a business trip. If you can think it, you can virtualize it. Where does your business want to start? To find out, reach out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.
A business continuity plan is a strategy that covers every possible outcome of a situation that threatens the continuation of your business. It?s a plan which allows your business to keep operations moving even when it seems the world is against you. Take, for example, a lightning strike. It could fry the power infrastructure in your building. Similarly, the uncontrollable torrents of a flood could leave your business underwater. Thus, the importance of preparing for such occurrences. You must enact a business continuity plan before any of these incidents have a chance to harm your organization. You certainly can?t go without one, as the risk is simply unthinkable. This type of preventative thinking is exactly what you need to keep your business afloat. First, you need to decide what exactly needs to be addressed by your business continuity plan. Build out a list of where you stand to lose the most in case a disaster hits home. In other words, think about the absolute worst-case scenario. What?s the maximum cost of your organization losing all business functionality? How do these expenses affect your budget? How much time would it take to recover from such a catastrophe? This is called the Business Impact Analysis, and it?s used to help you prioritize the biggest problems in the event of a disaster. Your business continuity plan should include the following: Establish the plan?s reach. Identify your key business areas. Establish which business functions are critical. Outline which business areas and functions are interdependent. Establish a limit to how much downtime each function can experience. Plan to continue operations. Once your plan has been created and well-documented, and your responsibilities have been distributed to your team, you need to train your staff and test the process thoroughly to ensure that it works as intended. You could have the best process in the world and it wouldn?t be complete without a comprehensive data backup plan. The ideal backup solution is one which allows your data to survive even an in-house disaster like a hardware failure, which can be done by storing it in the cloud or an off-site data center. These backups should be continually updated throughout the day to minimize data lost in the event of a disaster. Just make sure that you keep the backup in a separate location from the rest of your infrastructure, as you could lose both the original and the backup if they are in the same location. We can?t know when you?ll experience a data loss disaster, but that?s why managed IT services that take preventative measures exist. To learn more about how we can help your business survive in the face of inclement weather or other dangerous scenarios, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Each worker within an organization is delegated some sort of responsibility based on their role. Managers are responsible for managing, while human resources keep all workers accountable for their responsibilities. Yet, there are multiple responsibilities designated to all employees who use technology for their everyday duties. Here are ten of the most important responsibilities of all employees utilizing business technology. Take Advantage of the NetworkSaving to the network is much more beneficial than saving locally on your PC. This is simply due to the fact that the network is likely better equipped with the necessary redundancy to handle data loss disasters. It is also better for sharing information with others in your organization. If you store data on the network, you?ll be more likely to avoid a data loss incident, as it will be secured even if your workstation itself breaks down. Be Mindful of Your EmailIf you receive a lot of email messages throughout the day, it?s tempting to just quickly go through them without actually absorbing what they contain. Worse yet, it?s sometimes difficult to judge how secure a message is, as it could be nothing but a vessel for malware or viruses. You should always be aware of who is sending you messages and why, so be sure to keep an eye out for unfamiliar senders or unexpected attachments. Keep Data In-House and Backed UpYou want to ensure that your data is being kept on your network and not spread out across multiple devices, like mobile devices or portable media storage. Without the necessary protections and security protocol, your data could be at unnecessary risk–especially on unsecured devices that are outside your network. Use the CloudIf there is a reason to access data while outside the security of your network, you should be using a proper cloud solution that does all it can to protect your data. It?s also important to consider the use of a virtual private network so as to minimize the risk of your data being compromised while in transit. Implement Strong PasswordsSecure passwords are trickier to implement than you might think, and that?s because secure passwords are difficult to remember. With letters, numbers, and symbols, you might be hard-pressed to figure out what you made your password in the first place. Thankfully, password managers make this easier to do, as you?ll only need to remember one major passphrase compared to remembering multiple complex passwords. Don?t Share PasswordsYou shouldn?t be sharing your passwords with anyone in your organization. You know what they say; the more users of a password or account, the more likely it is to become compromised. You never know just how careful someone will be with credentials that aren?t their own. Think of your passwords like you would your Social Security number or credit card number. You wouldn?t share those with someone, would you? Lock Down Your WorkstationIf you have to step away from your computer for any reason, be sure to lock it, even if you?re in the office. You never know if someone will feel feisty enough to steal data from your computer, be it a stranger or an employee on his or her way out. Plus, you never want to go through your settings undoing the pranks of your coworkers. Report Any and All IssuesYou can take all […]
Cooperation Through CollaborationMicrosoft Office 365 offers its users the ability to work together on a single document, reviewing and editing in real-time. However, you will first need to enable others to access the document. To do so is fairly easy. First, start a new document in Word 2016, or in Word Online. Select Share, and then Save to cloud. This will present the option to save the document to either the OneDrive or SharePoint Online location. Press Save once you have made your selection. To share your document, open the Share pane. You have a few options for how to handle this part–you can either use the Invite people box to bring additional resources into the fold, or you can Get a sharing link to send an invite via email or instant message. Once these invitations have been accepted, everyone with access to the Word document can make changes–and if they?ve agreed to share those changes automatically, everyone will be able to see them as they are made. Communication Helps, TooCommunication and collaboration go hand-in-hand, so it only makes sense that Microsoft has also incorporated plenty of features that focus on keeping the channels of communication clear. Thanks to its integration with Skype for Business, Word offers the ability to instant message anyone working in a given document, as well as to send a group chat to everyone involved. Finally, so that everyone can be on the same page where progress in concerned, Word keeps a record of any changes made to the assorted versions of the documents. This makes it easier for everyone involved to see how the document is taking shape, and to work cohesively toward a unified end goal. Many of these features are also available in the other programs included in Microsoft Office 365, including Publisher, Excel, and PowerPoint. How do you most often use the features of Office 365? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you subscribe to the White Mountain IT Services blog.
