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How much of managing your IT resources are your employees responsible for? SMBs will often have their employees service their own workstations to some degree, primarily because they don?t have the resources to devote entirely to IT management and maintenance. This lack of IT talent can largely be made up for by training your employees on basic computer tasks. Here are two ways White Mountain IT Services can augment your staff?s IT knowledge: An Outsourced IT Help DeskA help desk works by offering your employees an avenue for assistance when they need it most, on either a phone call or a live chat system accessed online. This helps them resolve common IT troubles without bothering your internal IT department, which is an invaluable opportunity to save time and resources for more important parts of your business. A help desk assists employees to help themselves. In terms of being a training tool, a help desk allows your employees to learn more about minor IT troubles. In fact, the help desk provider can even remote into the employee?s computer and guide them through the problem step by step, making sure that they know the correct process. Your employees won?t be able to make big mistakes because they will have someone on the other end of the computer helping them every step of the way, and they?ll be able to learn from the experience to mitigate future problems. Plus, since this interaction is remote, it will be more cost-effective and easier to budget for your organization. Special IT TrainingAll offices have some sort of training procedure for new technology, and one of the best qualities that your organization can instill in its employees is how to take care of technology. Make it a point to go over basic IT procedures, such as password security, network security, troubleshooting methods, and so on. Basically, you want your employees to have a decent understanding of how to approach common situations, or at least know who to contact should they need assistance with one. If your business is needs IT support, look no further than White Mountain IT Services. While your employees might be able to stave off the inevitable, we can prevent it outright through proactive IT maintenance and management. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

Fans of Google?s Android OS have some tough choices to make when selecting a smartphone, seeing as the software runs on so many devices of varying quality and price points. For the purposes of this review, we will take a look at and compare two current flagship devices: Google?s Pixel and Samsung?s Galaxy s7. Google Pixel & Google Pixel XLThe smartphone space is filled to the brim with devices that are all trying to gain market traction over the others. Attempting to use its brand recognition, Google has launched a flagship smartphone. The Nexus model which carried the name of the manufacturer, has previously been made by several of the industry?s top manufacturers including, Huawei, HTC, and LG. This time around, Google turns back to HTC, but has decided to use its own brand recognition to directly challenge Apple (and to a lesser extent Microsoft) by distributing a smartphone that is Google through and through. Google?s newest smartphone comes in two sizes. One neat feature about the two phones is that they both have the same specifications, outside of the display and the battery size. The Pixel, which comes with a 5-inch display and a 2,770 mAh battery; and, the Pixel XL, which features a 5.5-inch display and a slightly larger 3450 mAh battery, presents potential customers less to fret over when making a decision. Each device features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 12.3 MP dual-LED backward-facing camera. For security, the devices have a built-in, rear-mounted fingerprint reader that unlocks the phone. The Dual 16+8 MP rear-facing camera is being described as one of the industry?s best, while the front-facing 5 MP camera provides good results as well. Some other considerations are the lack of expandable storage or removable battery and, despite HTC?s role in its construction, the speaker unit on the phone is below average. The Pixel, and the Pixel XL, are available with 32 GB or 128 GB of onboard memory, and in three colors: Quite Black, Very Silver, and Really Blue. It can be purchased through the Google Store, where financing is available through Google Store Financing. The Google Pixel is also available at all major phone service carriers. Google PixelDimensions – Aluminum & Glass design, 5.04 ozDisplay – 5? AMOLED, 1080 x 1920 (~441 ppi)Particulars – Android OS v7.1 {Nougat}, Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, Adreno 530, 4 GB RAM, 32/128 GB Internal Storage)External Memory & SIM – None, Nano-SIMCameras – Rear facing: 12.3 MP, front facing: 8 MPBattery – Non-removable 2,770 mAhOther Information – Rear-mounted fingerprint reader, fast charging enabled, NFC enabled Google Pixel XLDimensions – Aluminum & Glass design, 5.93 ozDisplay – 5.5? AMOLED, 1440 x 2560 (~534 ppi)Particulars – Android OS v7.1 {Nougat}, Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, Adreno 530, 4 GB RAM, 32/128 GB Internal StorageExternal Memory & SIM – None, Nano-SIMCameras – Rear facing: 12.3 MP, front facing: 8 MPBattery – Non-removable 3,450 mAhOther Information – Rear-mounted fingerprint reader, fast charging enabled, NFC enabled Samsung Galaxy s7 & Samsung Galaxy s7 EdgeIf there has been a company that has leveraged the effectiveness and the general simplicity of the Android OS, it has been Samsung. The world?s leading smartphone manufacturer has been the industry leader for much of the past decade. In fact, of all smartphones purchased in the first quarter […]

One particular service offered by managed service providers is vendor management, and it will save you a huge amount of time in the long run. Instead of you having to deal with this time-consuming process, vendor management allows your IT services provider to directly manage your business?s vendor relations. Basically, you can think of White Mountain IT Services as your single point of contact for all of your technology vendor needs. This is especially important for problems that might not be covered by your vendors. White Mountain IT Services can help your business communicate with vendors for technologies like: Printers Copy machines Telephone hardware Your Internet service provider Ask yourself if you have the time to deal with communicating with vendors for all of your technology needs. This includes emailing them, making phone calls, and generally contacting them for everything you would need regarding your product or solution from them. Dealing with vendors in this sense can cost way more time than it?s worth, especially when you?re in the midst of finishing a project, which is one of the best arguments for vendor management services: you don?t lose time and you gain all of the benefits. Consolidate Technology Vendors into One Phone NumberWhen it comes down to it, you?re wasting valuable time that could be spent working on other initiatives for your business. This could be a time-sensitive project or important operational procedures. Outsourcing vendor management frees up all of this time to devote to keeping your organization operational, consolidating all of your vendor communications into one point of contact. To learn more about vendor management, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

The challenges of regulatory demands Regulatory compliance is challenging for any kind of business, but small businesses in particular can find it daunting. A limited budget and a lack of in-house IT personnel make it more difficult to adapt to changing security requirements. Also, the regulations themselves present difficulties in how they’re written. Sometimes they’re spelled out clearly, with specific steps that businesses should take and specific requirements to meet. Other times, the language is more vague and open to wider interpretation. For example, Massachusetts law demands that businesses come up with “administrative, technical, and physical safeguards” for their data; the specifics of these safeguards depend on a number of factors, including the company’s size, nature and resources. It’s often unclear to business owners if they’re acting appropriately to meet regulatory demands; each business is unique and so are its cyber security solutions. It doesn’t help that the law uses expressions such as “reasonable steps” without always detailing what these steps are. So what does compliance mean? Ensuring compliance means carefully reviewing the law, following the relevant specifics, and doing one’s best to keep in the spirit of the law when the wording becomes more vague. A key part of the law demands that businesses write out a comprehensive data security plan, implement it and maintain it. This plan must encompass major aspects of security, including the following: Technological strategies and defenses against data breaches. These include the use of encryption for stored and transmitted files, firewall protection, anti-malware programs, security updates, and strong password selection. They also involve monitoring your system for unauthorized intrusions. Administrative controls and employee training. You should carefully determine who has administrative privileges when it comes to knowing passwords, downloading software and performing system maintenance. You should also have protocols for different situations involving employees; for example, when employees leave your company, how do you prevent them from accessing sensitive data? Furthermore, part of your data security plan should include employee training and strategies to ensure their compliance with cyber security measures. Physical security. Businesses need to protect their offices and other work spaces from theft. Could a criminal easily break into your office and make off with a laptop or a folder full of printed files containing sensitive information? Could someone stroll in during business hours and sneak onto a computer when no one notices? Another concern is if your employees use a mobile device that gets stolen; are you able to remotely wipe the data from it if the device goes missing? Complying with Massachusetts data privacy law poses challenges, whether it’s meeting the specific terms of the law or interpreting its generalities and more vague instructions. Regardless of whether or not your business has hired in-house IT personnel, you should consult with experts who can help you bring your data security program up to regulatory standards. When you contact us, you’ll receive advice and assistance in developing a comprehensive plan to protect your data and comply with the law. Beyond legal compliance, your plan will help prevent the significant financial losses and diminished customer trust that accompany a data breach.

HIPAA compliance demands a comprehensive, multi-faceted security plan. As discussed in an article from Health IT Security, healthcare companies and providers face challenges on multiple fronts when it comes to remaining HIPAA compliant. What are some key tips for meeting HIPAA standards? 1) Take advantage of technological developments Rapid changes in technology offer both challenges and opportunities for easier compliance. On the one hand, these changes mean that companies need to devote resources to regularly updating their IT set-up and fighting against new threats. On the other hand, new technologies can offer cost-effective, reliable improvements in cyber security, making it easier for companies to safely store and transmit patient data. For example, companies can rely on HIPAA compliant cloud servers to store data instead of using a relatively less safe local server. And even though mobile devices have introduced new compliance issues, companies can adopt strong mobile device management strategies. 2) Conduct thorough employee training Even if you’re using top-notch technological solutions to comply with HIPAA regulations, you’ll remain vulnerable to data breaches and audit failures if you don’t train employees properly. Employee training should cover a variety of bad habits, such as thoughtlessly emailing patient information, sharing passwords openly or failing to log out of software programs containing patient information. Furthermore, employees should have levels of access to information commensurate with their position and responsibilities. Even after employees undergo training, it’s imperative for management to keep monitoring for unsafe behaviors. 3) Keep an eye on businesses you work with Healthcare companies and medical practices often collaborate with a variety of third-party vendors and other businesses. Depending on the data you share with them, you need to know if these businesses adhere to rigorous cyber security standards. Otherwise, they can potentially compromise your patients’ private information and undermine your HIPAA compliance. It’s critical that you coordinate your compliance with other businesses. Make sure that your partners are aware of HIPAA regulations and have a strong handle on them; you can outline steps for them to take and provide clear guidelines for HIPAA compliance. 4) Don’t neglect routine tests and internal audits Whatever tools and strategies you use to comply with HIPAA regulations, you’ll need to supplement them with routine monitoring, tests and internal audits. For example, if you set up a seemingly powerful system for detecting and blocking unauthorized access to your company’s network, how do you know that it works? Furthermore, are you keeping detailed and accurate records of failures in your system or lapses in security? You should regularly review your cyber security risks and adherence to HIPAA standards. Don’t wait for an external audit or an embarrassing data breach to alert you to problems developing in your company. Maintaining HIPAA compliance may seem daunting, and it does present various challenges requiring a comprehensive plan. However, you can work with IT experts to help ensure compliance and safeguard your company against security breaches. Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss HIPAA regulations and come up with solutions tailored to your company.