To get the most from your system  and possibly prevent issues from arising, we provide some suggestions below about what you can do to make your data safer and your computer experience less prone to disaster.

Don’t leave or stay at home without it.

One item that we see being neglected more often than not, is threat protection software. This is a big  mistake and one that can cost dearly. There are new threats unleashed everyday and unless you have current and updated threat protection software,  chances are high that you will be a victim.

Our current favorites are:

Client-Server protection-

• Symantec Endpoint Protection

PC -

• Microsoft Security Essentials

MAC -

• Norton Internet Security 4 MAC

• Norton Internet Dual Security 4 MAC (for those running both MAC & Windows)

While we are familiar with and use other protection suites, the above represents our opinions of those that offer best-in-class real world protection, combined with a need for fewer system resources and backed-up with good vendor support. Trend Micro, McAfee, CA and other vendors also have credible entries many of which may have been pre-installed on your system when purchased. If this is the case and they seem to be doing the job for you, then by all means stay with them. Just remember to stay updated and to renew the subscription.

When we talk about suites, we are speaking of software that has more than just an anti-virus component available. We prefer an integrated suites that has a built-in software firewall and will protect/ prevent phishing, antispam, trojans, malware, spyware and other risks. An antivirus solution alone is good, but not complete.

Don’t let cost stand in the way of protection. There are free  protection suites (albeit you may get nags to buy or even other ads) available. Microsoft has finally come to the table with their entry - Security Essentials - and it has a number of things going for it: 1) It is FREE, 2) You do not get the nags to buy a paid for version, there isn’t one and, 3) It works very well. It has found and removed things that some of the others have missed.

Just remember that no matter which suite you choose, updating frequently and keeping the subscription in-force is your best insurance to keep your system and personal information safe.

One last note, at some point you may be faced with a pop-up that proclaims your system to be  infected and that you should click on the announcement to immediately invoke a scan that will fix your system. Do not answer “OK” to these or similar type of scams. If you do select “OK” or otherwise allow the so-called scan to occur, chances are that you will be infected. The scam then goes on to say that the on-line scan could not remove the threat, but that for $50 or more you can download the software that will remove it. It is a scam plain and simple.

To do or not to do, there is no question.

As systems and software matures and new titles and features are introduced, the need to insure that your system is updated is critical. Both Microsoft and Apple offer these updates through built-in utilities that will check and install the updates on a scheduled basis. We recommend installing the updates as a preventative measure. This may help fend off future problems.

In the case of Windows systems, the automated updates will be comprised of the critical ones. These are the updates that Microsoft has determined to be critical to the security and/or stability of its products. There is also a custom option that expands the updating process to include those that are not critical, but which may enhance or upgrade certain features to possibly include some of the drivers for the installed hardware. As mentioned earlier, Apple has a similar feature as they too constantly strive to keep their systems and security up to date. Their utility is located on the “Apple Bar”.

We have seen all too often where the updates are ignored or purposely not installed as the process is not understood or fears exist about what the update might do and or how long it may take. Our advice - install the updates without delay and further, go to the Windows Update website (Internet Explorer - Tools - Windows Update) on a monthly basis and use the Custom Update option. This will provide a listing of the optional updates where you will be given the option of which other updates to install. To some, the listing will be intimidating or have little meaning as the updates may make reference to some of the “under the hood” applications not readily visible or known to the general user.  If this is the case, we advocate that all the optional updates be selected and installed as otherwise it may mean that the updates are ignored.

Don’t chance it, make sure you have a plan.  

In the event of a hard drive failure, do you have any files that you cannot afford to lose? It never ceases to amaze us how many folks fail to consider or plan for the inevitable. Hard drives are electro-mechanical devices that will, given time, fail.

While the defective hard drive can easily be replaced, the files that were on the failed drive may not come so easily. There are drive recovery service firms available, but there is no guarantee that they will be able to recover everything needed. What is guaranteed is that the cost of these services will far outweigh the costs of establishing a reliable backup plan.

Depending upon how many files (size) are to be backed-up and the number of systems involved, will determine the most cost effective solution. For multi-system environments or those with a large number of files, we prefer Network Addressable Storage (NAS) solutions. These are devices that are attached to a network, have their own network address and can store large amounts of data. They are essentially enclosures containing one or more hard drives with a web browser interface for set-up and monitoring. They also frequently come with a backup software utility. We prefer these in a multi-drive arrangement and running in a RAID configuration for added safety. We strongly advocate this type of backup system for the Small Business with vital data. The D-Link DNS-323 is a practical solution as are the multi-drive devices from QNAP.  

USB hard drives are also viable solutions and offer single system backup storage with relative ease. Prices have come down and storage space has gone up.  The drive can be shared and other systems can be backed-up as well or the drive can be used from system to system as needed. These also may come with a back-up software as a part of the package.

On-line backups are another viable option. Some of the Antivirus programs noted earlier offer this feature as a part of their purchase. For some, the on-line option is also a potential for the back-up to the backup. The downsides to the on-line option are that it may require a subscription to the service (possibly with a minimum subscription time) and the subscription may be based upon the space the backup requires. As your data grows, so does your fee plan. You will also need a broadband (DSL or Cable) Internet connection as large amounts of data will likely be involved.  And a final note of caution - just remember that your data is being stored remotely. This is good in the sense that should a disaster hit, your data is still safe. However, also keep in mind that if the disaster also affects the phone and/or cable company, such as with a hurricane, your data may not be able to be retrieved. This is why it may be worthwhile to employ both a local and a remote backup strategy.  Carbonite (www.carbonite.com) is an on-line service that offers a very attractively priced solution with an easy to use interface.

USB Flash drives can be used, but we are not big fans of them for a back-up plan. Their size both physically and from a storage standpoint leave us wanting more. While they do offer a better solution than doing nothing, we suggest a different alternative. Just keep in mind that any back-up plan should take into account how frequently the data changes and that the latest existing back-up should not be overwritten. That is to say, you should plan to have storage space or Flash Drives available to support multiple backups such that should a Flash Drive go bad, you still have a relatively recent copy as a fall-back.   

Tape drives are also a very viable method, but we won’t get into them here. They are generally very expensive and more suited for large enterprise networks. The other options listed are more suitable for the market we serve. If you would like to know more, drop us an email.

Back-up software is also important. Our current favorites are Novastor and Backup4All. They both have relatively intuitive interfaces and are well featured allowing for a variety of back-up types, schedules, virtual shadow copy and notifications.