Are You Guilty of These Computer Goofs?

Everyone makes mistakes. This is especially true when it comes to the technology that is used by your organization every single day. For this week’s tip, here are some things to avoid when using your computer.

Not Reading Terms
It’s something we’re all guilty of--reflexively clicking ‘Okay’ or ‘Next’ when confronted by a wall of text. However, not reading the terms and conditions of whatever it is you are trying to do (usually downloading and installing software) can potentially put you at risk. These options often include consent to have bloatware and other unpleasant programs installed on your system. Before you click through, make sure you are aware of what each prompt is having you agree to--or better yet, have your IT professional handle any installations.

Not Updating
There is an arms race being waged between software developers and hackers behind the scenes of your computer. Hackers are always seeking out vulnerabilities and weak points in the programs that you have installed. Likewise, developers are also constantly at work, patching and removing the threats caused by those vulnerabilities. If you aren’t regularly updating your solutions, you aren’t receiving the improved protections that these updates deliver, leaving you vulnerable to threats.

Not Using Surge Protection or Uninterruptible Power Supplies
Electricity is a fickle thing. The right amount will power your computer and allow you to use it, while too much can cause a damaging surge that will ruin many of a modern computer’s components. Lightning strikes hitting nearby power lines are notorious for causing these power surges. A good means of protecting your computer is to--rather than plugging it directly into the wall--power it through a surge protector. Better yet, use an Uninterruptible Power Supply, or UPS, to protect your devices. Not only do they also protect against surges, they can maintain your system briefly after a power outage so that you can avoid data loss.

Not Keeping a Backup
This is a subject that we will never stop impressing the importance of--whether or not you have a backup system in place can make or break your business. While it is always tempting to assume “Nothing like that could ever happen to me,” fires, natural disasters, and old-fashioned user error don’t discriminate. Your data’s best insurance is a comprehensive data backup. This backup should meet a few requirements, the first of which being that it is not the only copy of your data, and secondly, that these multiple copies are not stored in the same place. Ideally, your backup would be stored in the cloud, where it could be accessed once you were ready to do so.

Yes, we all make mistakes. Horne & Benik is here to help you avoid making too many with your IT. For help with recovering when mistakes are made, call us at (603) 499-4400 for more information.