Keep your computer safe

Technology plays a huge part in our daily routine, whether it’s work related, surfing the net, catching up on social media or playing a few games!

We take it for granted and so it’s something easy to become complacent about it, but we should never take our eye off the ball.  Here are some reminders on how to keep your computer and personal information safe.

Make sure you update the software on your system when they become available.  If you don’t download the latest versions, your computer is more likely to be susceptible to malware attacks. 

Java is rarely used now but tends to be a program that’s been incorporated into systems so is there running in the background.  It’s recommended that you uninstall Java if you don’t need it. 

Have you got the latest malware protection? It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind and to ensure you have decent security software installed to fight off viruses, trojans, spyware.

We’re probably all guilty of it but how often do you use the same password for multiple programs or devices?  While it can be a pain, we can’t stress enough the importance of having different passwords for different sites.  Make them strong by using at least eight characters with a mix of upper and lower cases, numbers and special characters.  If you can’t remember all your passwords, there are management systems available (accessible by using one password!) which stores all your passwords in one place.

What would happen if you lost all your data or your system was infected with a virus?  Would you be able to access it elsewhere?  Use the Cloud to back up your files or use an external hard drive.  Using the two in conjunction with each other is even better just incase the unimaginable should happen, like a fire, which could destroy a hard drive.