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So, you?re convinced that cloud computing is the new way to go for your company. That?s great, and it?s an easy choice to make, seeing as the cloud affords organizations benefits such as increased productivity, improved collaboration, anytime/anywhere access, and much more. Now that you?ve decided to go with the cloud, what?s your next move as far as making this a reality? The first thing you?ll need to understand about migrating to the cloud is that it?s a much more involved process than simply performing a single software upgrade. Truth be told, properly migrating your data to the cloud involves a lot of prep work, and, as is the case with other kinds of moves like packing up your personal belongings to settle into a new house, the better prepared you are for the move, the smoother the transition will go and the less of a chance that you?ll lose something of value. ITProPortal provides some insight into what migrating to the cloud properly takes: ?It involves a complex infrastructure migration process. Good preparation is the key to success. Those organizing the migration process should ensure that all data is ready for the move and that the company network has the necessary capabilities to interact with the cloud.? This is a major reason why you?ll want a professional assessment of your IT infrastructure before deciding to move to the cloud. Preparing your network for a move to the cloud involves a few considerations: Sorting and Labeling Your FilesIt?s important to take the time to determine what files are worth saving and moving, and what files aren?t so you?re not wasting time and resources moving and storing old files that your company no longer needs. This can be a time-consuming process, but the work will be worth it in the long run. Preparing Your Network InfrastructureMigrating to the cloud comes with demands on a network that may require major adjustments to be made to your IT infrastructure. When migrating to the cloud, there are two major additions to your network you?ll want to consider; setting up a direct Internet breakout in order to distribute traffic across external networks, and multiple firewall instances in order to secure the various Internet connections. Have a Migration TimetableEven the best planned move to the cloud can take weeks or even months to complete. Therefore, you?re going to want to present your staff with an accurate timetable so the transition won?t interrupt workflow. One particular thing to plan for is how user settings will be migrated, like profiles, address books, calendars, etc. To help with this, ITProPortal advises: ?Instead of moving all their data to the cloud, more and more companies are opting for a hybrid solution. This means that some users and storage locations stay with Exchange on-premises, while the rest move to the cloud.? With all of your data successfully migrated, you will next want to consider strengthening security, archiving, and data backup in order to fully prepare your organization for the unique challenges of cloud computing. Rest assured, White Mountain IT Services is here to assist you with any challenges your organization faces as you operate within your new cloud environment, as well as to help you through every step of your cloud migration process. Reach out to us at (603) 889-0800 for any IT assistance that you […]
There are plenty of reasons why you may want to do this. Perhaps you?d like a second phone number that you can use to sign up for promotions, just to keep your primary phone number off of the lists of annoying telemarketers. Maybe you want to take calls from your business phone on your personal smartphone. Regardless, the technology you need to do so is very accessible and easy to set up. Call TransferThis technology has been around for far longer than smartphones, and comes with most phone plans. If your current phone system supports it, you?ll be able to set up forwarding for calls to your personal cell phone. This can allow you to accept business calls, even while you?re out of the office. Granted, this feature does have a catch. It might be great for receiving phone calls, but it doesn?t necessarily allow you to make calls from your device using the transferred phone number. There are plenty of business phone solutions that are designed specifically for this situation, like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Solutions like these are dynamic and responsive enough to make it easy to manage a second phone number. Second Phone Number AppsIf you just want a second phone number for personal use, there are plenty of great options that can give you similar functionality. Here are a few of the most popular options: Google Voice and Hangouts: You can use your Google account to set up a second Google Voice phone number, which you can then use through Google Hangouts to make and receive phone calls. This is a great option for those who are already fully using their Google accounts, and it?s free. Sideline: Sideline might only provide the basics, but it gives you a second phone number. You can make and receive calls, and have a voicemail, but that?s about all it can do. It?s $3/month, so it?s an inexpensive option? that is, if you can get around the advertisements. Line 2: Line 2 offers more features than the previous examples, which make it a better solution if you?re willing to shell out some extra cash for it. Line 2 has two plans: a $10/month plan, which provides a personal number, and $15/month, which provides a business line. Many smartphone users may find the mobile app and online dashboard desirable. Skype Number: Skype has made it quite easy to get a second phone number, and if you?re already using it for video chat, you may as well use it for your second phone number solution. An online Skype number offers a robust set of features at $6/month, which makes it both affordable and convenient. If you want to put a second phone number on your smartphone, as you can see, you have several options to consider. However, if your business wants the most dynamic phone solution that can benefit your entire infrastructure, there?s only one option. White Mountain IT Services suggests implementing a Voice over Internet Protocol solution for your communication needs. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Every security professional?s worst nightmare consists of the National Security Agency (NSA) being hacked. While there?s no proof that the NSA itself has been hacked, there is some evidence to suggest that some of the exploits used by the agency are up for grabs on the black market. What this means is that a lucky group of hackers could potentially get their hands on some very dangerous tools. Of course, there?s no guaranteeing that the tools obtained are actually tools used by the NSA. Unfortunately, there could be a hint of truth to these claims. After all, security researchers have found that some of the sample files provided by the hackers do contain some actual, legitimate exploits. Some of them even include exploits for widely-used security services and firewall solutions, which could be dangerous if acquired by hackers who are more interested in using them than making a profit. The hackers who obtained these exploits claim to have stolen them from the Equation Group, a cyber-espionage group that reportedly may be tied to the NSA. The Equation Group is known as the hackers who, according to Kaspersky Lab, probably helped to develop the Stuxnet computer worm, and are known to deal with advanced malware. Apparently, a group of hackers, known as the “Shadow Brokers”, are looking to auction off these cyber weapons to the highest bidder. Specifically, the exploits on sale are designed to target firewall technology from big names such as Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, and a Chinese brand called Topsec. Security professionals are calling the code legitimate, and one even managed to confirm that one of the exploits has an IP address that?s registered to the United States Department of Defense. It?s thought that the exploits were found on an infrastructure they were monitoring, and thus gave the hackers exactly what they needed to turn a profit. The hackers are currently offering the exploits on the black market in exchange for Bitcoin, but there?s no guarantee that they will make good on their promise and hand them over. Some professionals even believe that it?s an elaborate scam. The NSA hasn?t confirmed any affiliation with the Equation Group or the exploits stolen, so who knows if the Shadow Brokers are telling the truth about any of this? The Shadow Brokers claim that they will publicly expose these exploits if they can get 1 million Bitcoins. Can you imagine the sort of chaos that could be unleashed should they make good on their threat to reveal this information? Hackers would have government-grade espionage technology at their fingertips; and until patches are released for the exploits, hackers could mercilessly assault systems that fail to keep themselves safe, and even those that are. How secure are your mission-critical files? To find out, contact White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.
Disasters are an unfortunate part of doing business in a technology-heavy workplace environment. You need to expect the worst, but it?s often difficult to predict what types of disasters your organization will have to endure. There are a few universal disasters that you?ll encounter, regardless of where in the world your business operates. Here are four of the most common ways that your business could lose data, and how disaster recovery thwarts them at every turn. Natural DisastersAll you have to do is watch the local weather channel to get a glimpse of just how unpredictable and apocalyptic natural disasters can be. One minute the sun could be shining, and the next your business could be assaulted by roaring torrents and flash flood warnings. Or, the earth would quake under your feet and you?d never know until it?s too late to do something about it. An even more common occurrence would be an electrical storm or a power outage, which could threaten to bring down your technology or fry its circuitry. The point is that it?s next to impossible to predict what effect a natural disaster could have on your business, but the fact remains that it?s most certainly nothing good. Hardware FailuresAnother common problem for businesses that rely on technology is the hardware failure. If you have resource-intensive servers that are responsible for the brunt of your network operations, you might already be intimately familiar with the devastating effects of a hardware failure. No technology can last forever, so when an untimely hardware failure claims the lives of your server units or workstations, you?ll need to be prepared. User ErrorIn much the same way as hardware failure, user error needs to be expected and planned for. You can?t realistically expect your users to never make mistakes. It?s part of human nature. People might accidentally misplace files or hand over credentials to threatening entities. Regardless of how they do so, user error is one of the primary reasons for data losses and data breaches, so it?s crucial that you prepare for this by educating your team on best practices, and implementing data backup. Hacking AttacksYou might not expect to become the victim of a hacking attack, but no matter how large your business is, you need to consider yourself a target. As long as you deal with sensitive credentials like credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and other financial or personally identifiable information, you have something of value to hackers. When a hacker attacks, they can either steal or delete your data, so it?s best to have a backup stored in the event of something like this. Regardless of how your data is lost, you?ll need a way to recover it. The best way for a SMB is to reach out to White Mountain IT Services. We can equip your business with the dynamic BDR solution you need to keep your organization afloat, even when you think that your business will sink. Our BDR solution features only the best and brightest features for your data infrastructure, including fast and efficient recovery times, multiple backups taken per day, and off-site, cloud-based storage. With BDR, you?ll know that your data is safely stored, just in case you need it. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
Depending on who you?re addressing and the context of the email, there are a few different ways you can approach your email heading. One surefire way is to make the subject line relatable and personable. According to Unbounce, a message with the subject line, ?Steve, where are you?? achieved a 43 percent open rate, compared to a Mailchimp report citing the industry average to be 24 percent. This is due to both the personalization of the subject line, as well as the perception that, by not reading the email, the recipient will miss out in some way. Another great way to reach your email recipient is to include a detail about their recent activities with you. You can use the subject line to catch their attention. For example, you can ask them how their experience was, and customize it to make sure that the message doesn?t get identified as spam. You can do this if someone has recently purchased a new product or service from your company. Doing so establishes a personal connection, and can inspire the recipient to take further action. Offering a special benefit, like a limited time offer or important information, can also inspire a reader to open the email. Perhaps you could try educating them on how best to perform a certain task or even a surprising fact. Whatever you decide to include, make sure that it?s either useful or interesting. On the other hand, if your email is conveying bad news to the reader, it?s best to be honest at all times, as well as authoritative. If the service that you provide is disrupted, it?s best to let them know about the issue, as well as any plans that you have to resolve it. Basically, the thing to remember is that your message, including the subject line, should be tailored to meet the expectations of the recipient. No two people are the same, and you will have varying purposes in reaching out to them. Your mission should be to make all of your recipients feel like they?re special; otherwise, they?ll suspect that you?re emailing everyone in your contacts, and assume that the message isn?t genuine. This can cause them to put your message in the back of their mind (or in the spam folder). What are some of your favorite ways to get your emails read? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to our blog for more great technology tips and tricks.
