Setting up and transitioning to new computers is a tricky time for any business. In this blog, we’ll go over your computer’s life cycle so you can have a better understanding of the process and prepare yourself accordingly.

1. Research products

If we had to pick one step where businesses go wrong, it’s this. Right at the beginning of the cycle.

When it comes to selecting a new computer, there’s no such thing as too much research. You have to make sure that you’ll be able to do the same tasks on a new PC. To do that, you’ll have to talk with each department and see what they require.

When you’re finally set on a computer, you can talk to a vendor and see what kind of discount you can get.

2. Set up your PC 

The second step is important for a smooth transition. You need someone (an IT professional or an agency) to set up your computer and import your data, files, and applications. If you miss something here, then it will create havoc when employees use the computers and can’t find the specific software they need.

3. Regular operations

This is (hopefully) the longest stage of your computer’s life cycle. Aside from all the normal tasks you’ll carry out for your job, someone will also need to take care of things like data backup, software updates, and security during the stage. The quicker you do this and spot problems, the longer your PC will last.

4. Transitioning to a new PC 

And finally, when your computer is too slow, glitchy, or just flat-out broken, you’ll need to transition to a new one. Before you restart the process, you need to follow your company’s policy and dispose of the PC correctly. Don’t forget things like your inventory, data, and licenses.

Computers don’t last forever, but the better you understand their life cycle, the longer you can extend it. For more information about your computer’s life cycle, contact us today.

Phishing is the practice of convincing people to provide personally identifiable information by pretending to be something or someone they are not. Here are three ways to spot a phishing scam.

Emails from banks or other financial institutions that show up in your spam mailbox telling you that there is a security problem. Usually, they will ask you to do something like click on a link to go to their malicious site and enter your credentials. If you do, they can now go to the legitimate site to steal from you.

To determine if the site is legitimate or not place your mouse over the link without clicking and look at the lower left corner of your screen. Most operating systems and browsers will show you where the link will take you if you do this. You will most likely see a different address than the one claimed in the email. Banks and financial institutions rarely send an email regarding these types of breaches so even if they are not in your spam mailbox be cautious. If you think there is a possibility that there has been a breach, type the URL of your bank or financial institution directly into the web browser. NEVER trust links to financial institutions in emails.

Phone calls that claim to be from a service company or technical support organization that you don’t know. These can be from people claiming to be from IRS, Microsoft, or any vendor that performs support services. They will ask for anything from the serial number of a device to your social security number or bank account number or credit card number.

If, you didn’t call them for service and don’t have a service agreement with remote monitoring and don’t know the person personally, ask for a call back number before you provide ANY information. The smallest seemingly innocuous information could be used to get a lead into how to penetrate your company. If you don’t know them, do an internet search of the organization before calling back. If they claim to be your service provider you should already have contact information for them. Use those contact details, rather than what you are provided to ensure you are speaking to a legitimate agent.

Review any windows that pop-up with offers to be sure they are legitimate. Clicking on unknown URLs that you haven’t searched for is dangerous and should be avoided. While browsing the web, many legitimate advertisements occur as do illegitimate ones. Read them carefully before proceeding and use the advice given in the first bullet point to make sure you are safe.

These are some brief security tips to share with your team. Any suspected phishing activities should be reported to your IT and or security teams. NEVER forward a suspected phishing email. Instead, have your IT support person review it. Forwarding increases the risk that someone will click on the link in the email with negative consequences.

For more detailed information on how to avoid phishing scams or how to mitigate the effects of one that has already taken place, contact 4 Corner IT today. We’d love to help you avoid the pitfalls of a cyber attack.

Backing up a computer is critical for your company’s success. If you permanently lose data, you could wind up suffering severe financial costs and experiencing extended downtime that kills your productivity and turns customers away. Data loss can come about in many ways, including employee errors and powerful malware (such as the WannaCry ransomware that popped up in 150 countries).

There are a number of options for how to carry out data backups. Among them is the use of an external hard drive. When choosing an external hard drive as a backup solution, what are some considerations you need to make?

Number of computers. The needs of a small business with multiple computing devices is going to be quite different than, say, those of an individual at home who has to back up a single laptop. When operating a business, consider a network attached storage (NAS) device that can perform automatic backups on multiple devices and offer you a greater storage capacity.

Speed. How quickly can your file get backed up on the external hard drive? This is an important consideration, especially if the files you want to transfer are large ones, such as high-definition videos.

Security. Some simple external hard drives are just straightforward storage bins for your data. You want to carefully look into various security features. For example, you can encrypt the data on your drive and use password protection as an extra safeguard.

Checking that the process worked. It’s possible that there’s a defect on the external hard drive and that some portion of your data didn’t get backed up. It’s important to doublecheck that your backup process is working and that your external hard drive remains in good condition. Even if the backups are automatic, include some oversight and periodically check that the process is working.

For additional questions and for assistance with setting up your external hard drive(s), please contact us. Businesses will often rely on multiple backup solutions. External hard drives can be a good choice depending on the kind of data you’re backing up.

Ransomware is hitting the headlines more and more lately. Just recently, thousands of companies and institutions, including hospitals, lost access to their data after being hit by a global ransomware attack and were forced to pay a ransom in bitcoins to regain access to it. Being proactive will help protect you from losing your data due to an unsuspecting hacking. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Back Up Your Data

This is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself against ransomware. If you have a copy of your data, you’ll be able to restore it without paying any ransom. Do daily backups if possible. Remember that hackers can encrypt your hard drive or your cloud storage if they are connected to the internet, so remove the hard drive with the backup from your computer.

Update Your Software

Windows is constantly releasing important updates that help secure your computer. Always install an update as soon as it’s available; enable automatic updates to make things easier. There are other things you need to keep updated as well, including your browser and its plugins, as well as your antivirus and any other program installed on your computer.

Be Careful and In the Know

Being careful about what you do online is probably the most effective way to protect yourself against any kind of virus or malware. Don’t click on links or open emails that you find suspicious. Only download programs from a trusted source.

For help with keeping your computer and data safe and secure, contact us today!