Computer Advice for Home and Business

I have been working on a lot of desktops and laptops lately. Mostly making sure that virus, adware, and malware software is up to date and working, as well as removing some of the same.

People seem to have forgotten computer basics though. Security and backups are so important now that so many people are running their business on their desktop and/or laptop computers at home or at the office.

Not everyone has the money to hire a system administrator to take care of these systems. So, they must be responsible for backups being done and the security of computer. I'm hoping I can shed some light on things.

This is the first posting on some ideas that I have gathered from over 30 years in the computer field.

First of all, don't run your business on your home computer. You know, the one the kids and family all use. No virus, malware, adware, or other protection can prevent you from everything your family can do to your computer. Spend the extra money for another computer. If you are running your business from home, make one of the computers your business computer only. Routers are cheap, so everyone can enjoy the internet. In addition, you can also network your home computers quite easily through routers to share information and printers.

For home computers I definitely recommend accounts and passwords for all. This way, there is less of a chance of one user messing up the data of another. This also makes it easier if you want to add protection to some users on what content they can view on the internet, as well as the fact you can be able to track where they go. You should also have one account on every computer that is like a back door account. This is usually the administrator account. This account should have a password on it and the password should be recorded and store in a safe location.

Backups for your business computer at home is imperative, but it is also important for personal things like pictures, letters, and such. I will be talking about backups for both home and business at a later date, because there is more to it than you think.

I provide a monthly audit service that helps with many of the aspects of maintaining the effectiveness and security of your computer system. I will come in and check, verify, and audit the safety and security of your computer for $50 a computer. The service goes through the auditing of backups, passwords, security, virus, maleware, and adware protection, as well as the cleanup and organization of information stored on your computer. If something is not right, I will attempt to fix it, or advise you on what has to be done to make it right. This offer is for stand alone desktops and laptops at home or in the office. Contact me at info@robmac.org for more information.

Until next time...

Rob MacArthur
info@robmac.org