A New Year  is about decluttering and organising your life, you want to start off your new work year with everything in order and you want to make sure everything is up to date. This should also cover your technology.

Have you just returned from a long Christmas work break? It can be difficult to return to the daily grind of work life but think of January as a fresh start. A New Year  is about decluttering and organising your life, you want to start off your new work year with everything in order and you want to make sure everything is up to date. This should also cover your technology. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to make sure your computer security is up to date.  If you are having issues with your machine it is more than likely that something could be wrong with your security, here are a few tips to help you make sure everything is in order.

You should be aware that modern day hackers are no longer trying to send you viruses. The time of worrying about computer viruses is behind us and you should now fear malware. Malware is a programme that hackers use to take over your computer and get it to do something without your permission. If your computer has been taken over by malware you will probably notice an unusual amount of advertising. Your web browser could also be taken over and the hacker will try to find a way of extracting money.

One vital computer security tip you will always hear about is antivirus software. Antivirus software is important but as the internet changes hackers will change their plans too. Many web sites will now show you pop ups saying ‘chrome would like to install x in order to view this page’. If you click yes you have given permission for this random piece of software to be downloaded onto your computer. This software could be malware and as you have clicked yes your antivirus will become useless as you have given permission for this access. Make sure you visit trusted sites and don’t download any unusual programmes.

Something that is always extremely important to think about is passwords.  As it is a New Year, it could be a good idea to review your passwords, now is the time to update them. Now this may seem like a time consuming task, but you should always update passwords every so often to keep your profiles/data protected. You should also make sure you don’t use the same password for everything. If a hacker finds one password they will just try to use it on everything. It could also be a good idea to use a browser plug-in that works as a password manager, this way you won’t have to try and remember every login.

Is it time to update your office computer security system? Contact Applewood IT, we are currently offering a FREE audit to every business. We can identify your security issues quickly and make sure you are correctly protected.

Call: 020 3141 8833

Or visit: http://apple-wood.co.uk/