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Would you be surprised to hear that there are at least 1.4 million phishing websites set up each month? These numbers come from the Webroot Quarterly Threat Tread Reports, which estimate May 2017 as an all-time high for phishing website increase at over 2.3 million websites being set up during that month. This makes phishing one of the most prevalent methods of fraud in the world–in fact, phishing scams are the number one reason for data breaches all over the world. Here are three of the most notable phishing scams from 2017 that you may have missed. Amazon Shipping Phishing SchemeEarlier this year, there was a massive phishing scam which disguised emails as coming from Amazon. The emails appear to be legitimate, but when you click on the link located in the email, you?ll be directed to a domain that either has nothing to do with Amazon, or closely resembles it, but isn?t quite the genuine article. The emails try to convince users to confirm their login credentials by logging into a portal that looks like the actual login screen. Google Docs HackIf you?ve ever used Google Docs to share text documents with others, you know that you?ll receive an email with a link to the document. You should never click on links in unsolicited emails, but you?d think you can trust something supposedly coming from a big company like Google. The truth of the matter is that the phishing scheme was notable because it tricked users into granting permissions to third-party apps rather than hand over personal credentials. It?s part of a growing trend that sees phishing malware growing more sophisticated, which should be cause for concern for just about anyone–particularly business owners. IRS W-2 Tax Season Phishing ScamsYour business deals with employee W-2 forms and other information that?s important during tax season. In particular, tax season is a very popular time for phishing attacks, as users are expecting emails to confirm the submission of their tax forms. Recent phishing attacks targeting businesses asking for W-2 forms or other personal information can safely be regarded as phishing scams, and they only get worse during tax season. For more information about how to avoid phishing scams and other issues, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

The world?s most profitable consumer technology company is said to have something special in mind for their 10th anniversary flagship smartphone, while still rolling out two additional phones. Deciding to scrap the iPhone 7s, Apple has recently introduced the new iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X. For all those Apple aficionados out there, which device will you have to get your hands on? All three phones feature Apple?s new A11 Bionic chip, which brings a more efficient device performance–a qualification that every user willing to shell out a pretty penny for a new iPhone, must consider. The A11 comes equipped with two performance cores, which are up to 25 percent faster than the ones found in the iPhone 7, Apple?s most recent device offering. Additionally, the new chip offers four high-efficiency cores, which allow less resource-intensive applications to run efficiently to preserve the device?s battery life. The two versions of the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X have many similarities (as you?d expect), but one major difference the iPhone X offers is the display. The iPhone X not only features the use of an OLED display, it also takes a page from other smartphone manufacturers and removes the famous bezel and home button every other iPhone has featured. Traditionally, OLED displays offer perfect blacks and much more vivid colors than LCD displays (which have come standard on every iPhone for some time). The OLED display on the iPhone X is Dolby Vision and HDR 10 capable and has a resolution of 2,436 x 1,125–far superior to the 1080p display of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. The iPhone X also has a small cut-out at the top that actually dips into the screen a bit. This bar houses sensors and the front-facing camera of the device. As far as software goes, all three of the new devices run iOS 11. iOS 11 features a litany of new features that include a much-improved Siri, a new Control Center, and a redesigned App Store. Since the iPhone X does not come equipped with Apple?s standard Touch ID system, some tweaks in iOS will allow the edge-to-edge display to have a virtual home button. As a result, the iPhone X features Face ID, which scans a user?s face for authorization opening the phone, and more amazingly as a way to authenticate App Store purchases. The cameras on the devices are much improved. While the iPhone 8 has a single 12MP sensor, the cameras on both the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus have dual 12 MP cameras with an extra sensor that acts as an optical telephoto zoom lens. The iPhone X?s sensors both have optical image stabilization, while the iPhone 8 and the 8 Plus, only has it on one. As with the previous iPhones, all three options are IP67 water and dust resistant, and feature 7 MP front-facing cameras. The iPhone X absolutely wins in a design contest, but for functionality, the choice between these options will largely come down to price. With 64 GBs of onboard memory, the flagship iPhone X starts at a whopping $999, the iPhone 8 Plus at $799, and the iPhone 8 at $699. Can you justify paying the more than $1000 price tag on a device you will likely upgrade in one […]

The 2016 United States presidential election was an ugly one for multiple reasons–chief among them the accusation that hacked voting machines could have altered the outcome of the election significantly. Thankfully, there are steps being taken to alleviate the worries that third parties might alter the outcome of such important events. One state that has been taking measures to keep hackers out of their affairs is Virginia, which has recently made the choice to phase out direct-recording electronic voting machines with those that can produce paper documents. Furthermore, Virginia has introduced legislation that will eliminate touch-screen voting devices by November 7th. This is the date when voters will decide on who their next governor will be, among other political positions. Politico reports that Governor McAuliffe requested legislation which would provide funds to purchase new voting hardware, but it was initially denied. That was two years ago. Now, however, they have little choice but to upgrade away from their current systems, as the machines used currently will no longer be certified. The Board of Elections has recommended that other states follow suit with this decision, but who can say whether they will or not? It?s easy to suggest that paper ballots retain the authenticity required of important elections, but counting paper ballots is a time-consuming process that we wouldn?t blame anyone for wanting to automate with more advanced technology. Still, the risk of using technology to do the dirty work is a risky one, as you are placed in a position where hackers can easily influence the data contained by the election system. In a way, your business is no different. While it makes sense to have physical documents in the office for certain reasons, it makes even more sense to have these documents backed up in an online environment. Unfortunately, the same risks that plague voting systems can exist in your technological infrastructure. If the systems aren?t maintained, they could be subject to various vulnerabilities and hacking attacks. No business wants to endure one of these, especially with so much sensitive data on the line. White Mountain IT Services can equip your business with the tools you need to secure your organization?s future. We can equip your business with a Unified Threat Management tool that?s designed to augment your organization?s network security with a four-pronged defense mechanism designed to prevent infections in the first place. Call us at (603) 889-0800 today to learn more.

As we look toward the new year, here?s a look at how working with a managed IT service provider (MSP) can help your business leverage technology to drive growth and revenue. Managed IT The vast majority of SMBs rely on technology for day-to-day operations. From customer contact records to production blueprints, productivity and revenue generation are directly influenced by technology. Downtime and data loss ricochets beyond the affected devices and, ultimately, reduces the overall performance of the entire company. A proactive approach will help your technology maintain maximum productivity and efficiency. Remote Monitoring: Time is money – and downtime or other technology issues cost SMBs thousands of dollars a year. Managed IT takes a proactive approach to technology by constantly monitoring your network, looking for the warning signs of potential technology issues and remedies them before your company experiences loss of time or resources. Proactive Maintenance: If you take a look at data security breaches from the last six months, there is a trend among them. They could have been prevented if the victimized companies would have performed regular maintenance and applied security patches released by the software manufacturers. SMBs that are looking to expand their client base must make every effort possible to avoid the damage that results from a security breach. Think of IT maintenance in the same way that you think about oil changes for your car. It?s not a frivolous expense, it?s an absolute must-do. Help Desk Support: For entrepreneurs and IT decision makers, an SMB is going to be more than a 9-to-5 job. In fact, about ? of US adults work for an hour or more every weekend. If you operate outside of traditional business hours, your IT support should, too! Subscribing to White Mountain IT Services?s 24/7 helpdesk support is there whenever you need it. Cloud Services Continue to DominateA survey conducted among SMBs for Q2 of 2017 found that 92% of small businesses currently use one or more cloud-based solutions – and the number is expected increase continuously. One of the biggest advantages of cloud solutions is the flexibility it offers businesses. In general, cloud services are easily scalable and secure. Companies that have mandatory compliance and regulatory standards often find the security of cloud solutions desirable. Unified Communication and Collaboration One of the biggest parts of any customer service-centric business model is consistent, transparent communication at all stages of the customer?s life cycle. To facilitate desired growth, it?s equally as important to maintain that type of communication internally, as well as with vendors and other affiliates. Traditional phones are no longer meeting the needs of an increasingly digital market. For 2018, many small businesses are looking to invest in a more versatile, comprehensive solution for both internal and external communication. Unified Communication and Collaboration (UCC) is the key to meeting their communication goals. When virtual meeting room software was first introduced, it was associated with low functionality and a high price tag. Today, there are enough choices available for any business to find cost-friendly, high performance software and applications. UCCs generally feature collaboration on documents and projects, virtual meeting rooms, internal messaging apps, VoIP telephony, and more. Often a UCC will integrate seamlessly with customer management systems and other line of business apps. With the rate that technology changes, partnering with White Mountain IT Services as technology […]

A network audit helps your business know which parts of your infrastructure are working well, and which parts could use a helping hand in the form of software updates, hardware upgrades, and most important of all, security patches. We’ll run through some of the best reasons why your organization can benefit from a comprehensive network audit from White Mountain IT Services. You?ll Know Where Network Inefficiencies LieThe flow of data can be a rather complex one. The same network could work perfectly fine for one business, but cause another more trouble than you might think. This is why a network audit is such an important investment. If your network isn?t set up in a way which is conducive to the success of your individual organization, you?re setting yourself up for failure. Network bottlenecks are just one example of how the flow of data could be restricted. These issues can be solved by simply finding where they are, and immediately addressing the issue before prolonged inefficiencies result. You?ll Identify Hardware Issues Before They HappenIf your business has been around for a while, chances are you?ve experienced your fair share of hardware replacements over the years. If you haven?t, though, and you?re still using technology that served you well 10 years ago, you?re one of the lucky few who haven?t had to experience a hardware failure at a critical moment. If you run your hardware into the ground, you?re more likely to experience catastrophic hardware failure that could hold up operations and place your business at risk. Hardware solutions like workstations and servers often give hints that they are on their way out ahead of time, so a network audit can help you identify these before it?s too late to do anything about them. You?ll Be Able to Identify Security IssuesSoftware solutions aren?t the easiest things to maintain, as you have to frequently implement patches and security updates to ensure that they are protected from developing threats. The problem here is that businesses often don?t have the time or resources to implement such patches on every single machine, and sometimes the patches aren?t compatible or cause problems with other software solutions on your network. A good network audit can help you by both implementing necessary patches and updates, as well as identifying problem areas that could cause trouble for your organization. But Most Important of All, You Meet UsThere?s something that can be said about face-to-face meetings with IT professionals who love the work they do. When you request a network audit from White Mountain IT Services, you get a chance to see us in action, doing the thing that we were meant to do; help small businesses just like you get the IT services you need to succeed. To learn more about what White Mountain IT Services can do for you, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.