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August 7, 2020

5 reasons to use Cloud

1. Cost Savings

One of the most appealing reasons to switch to the cloud is the cost savings. With cloud computing, the need to pay for large amounts of disk and storage space is instantly removed as well as the need for buying, installing and upgrading pricey software. With the cloud, you’ll pay for applications only when needed and many applications are included free of charge. Usage can easily be scaled to fit your needs and adjusted for peaks or troughs in demand.

This “a la carte,” incremental way of paying can save your business a lot of money. Pay-per-use reduces (or in some cases eliminates) the cost of maintaining in-house servers. The savings applies to your desktop, too — with SaaS (software as a service), desktop software need not be installed, which saves your business both time and money.

2. Ease of Use

Quite simply, cloud computing is easy to get up and running. Instead of having to download and/or install software yourself, in the cloud it is all done for you. The cloud also offers virtually unlimited storage capacity relative to typical hard drive and server limits. The cloud is also adaptable. If you need more storage, it’s instantly available for a slightly larger fee per month. Since your business data is stored in the cloud, your employees will be able to access software and data anywhere from nearly  any device that has Internet connection.

3. Increased Storage Capacity and Automation

The cloud offers virtually unlimited storage capacity when compared to typical hard drive and server limits, and is flexible — if your business needs more storage, you can upgrade at any time. Also, the cloud keeps software up-to-date with the latest versions, so you’ll never have to worry about doing software updates yourself. File sync with all of your devices as well as file back-ups are also fully automated. Your data will continually be kept consistent and current among all of your devices in use.

4. Agility, Flexibility and Scalability.

Cloud computing also offers far more flexibility and agility compared to past computing methods. Your employees will no longer be tethered to their desks and will be able to access files and data from wherever they are, 24 hours a day. You’ll also be able scale your cloud usage up or down on an as-needed basisand only pay for what you are actually using. In the past, making changes to your service could take months. Now, with the cloud, this can be done in minutes.

With the cloud, your staff will be able to access information from home, from clients’ offices, on the road, or even from their smartphone . Your staff members can also work collaboratively on documents and files, even when they are not physically in the same room. Also, documents can be viewed as well as edited simultaneously from multiple user locations.

5. Freeing up Your IT Staff

Since the cloud does most everything for you, there is no need to use valuable IT staff resources on things like maintaining servers, fixing bugs or taking care of software updates. Your IT department will spend less time on maintenance and be free to spend more time focusing on strategic initiatives to increase your company’s bottom line.

What is cloud storage? It could very well be exactly what your company needs.

Article courtesy DataCenter Knowledge

August 7, 2020
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August 4, 2020

Protect computers

  1. Do you need to be connected to the internet all the time?
    The answer to this for me (and I suspect more and more people) is a resounding “yes!”, but if you have a computer running for long periods of time and you don’t need to be connected to the internet, then it’s probably quite prudent to switch your internet router off. Hackers tend to prefer to exploit “always on” connections, and if your internet connection is more sporadic, you’ll be less attractive to them.
  1. Make sure your router has a decent firewall
    A firewall is a piece of software or hardware that (simply speaking) lets the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. Most internet service providers offer a free router and modem when you sign up with them. Make sure that it has a decent firewall. If you are a tech-savvy person then you can even upgrade the firmware (using the likes of Tomato or DD-WRT) on many routers to improve the security amongst other things. This Lifehacker article gives some good tips on how to do this.
  2. Make sure your Computer or Device has a decent firewall
    Most computers these days have an integrated firewall built in to the operating system. Windows has the imaginatively titled “Windows Firewall” and Mac OS X has an integrated one too (see here for more information on how to enable the Mac OS X firewall in Snow Leopard). For Linux, it depends on your flavour, but this article from Tech Radar gives a list of decent firewalls you could consider.
  3. Install Decent Anti-virus Software
    I know some people believe the conspiracy theory that some of the software houses that produce anti-virus applications actually generate the viruses in the first place. The thought is that they do this in order to whip up some hysteria so that more people will buy their product. Although it’s tempting to believe this, I don’t think there is much truth in it. This article from Computer Hope gives some excellent points against the view. There are some people that say having anti-virus software is a waste of time as long as your careful and that all they do is slow down your computer.

The truth is, anti-virus software is a must for almost everyone. Yes, they will slow down your computer a little, but I think that is a pill worth swallowing as opposed to being infected by a virus. You don’t need to spend any money on it either. One of the best anti-virus applications for PCs is Microsoft’s own Security Essentials which will be built in for the first time to the forthcoming Windows 8.

It’s a complete myth that Mac users are exempt from viruses as the recent Mac Flashback virus outbreak shows. There aren’t many free anti-virus applications for the Mac, as this article from the Guardian recommends, you could always try ClamXav.

Finally, anti-virus applications have to be updated regularly- I’d recommend at least twice a day. Make sure you check the settings. Also if you use USB thumb drives or external hard drives, do scan them for viruses- particularly if the drive belongs to someone else. I know of many friends whose computers have been infected by using an infected drive belonging to a friend.

  1. Keep Your Computer Up to Date!
    I know it’s annoying, but make sure you check your computer for updates! I’ve seen so many cases of computers that have never had any updates done to the operating system. Both Microsoft and Apple roll out updates regularly to their operating systems. These can be important security patches and you may be compromised if you don’t install them!
  2. Don’t Visit Porn Sites (or any other dodgy or affected site)!
    Did I really write that? Erm, yes I did. The problem is, that there are sites out there that are out to get you. They may have been affected by a worm that modifies the website with the intention to infect your computer with a virus. Some sites are there to deliberately get you. Things are a little better these days, but there are still plenty of cases of infected sites. Be careful where you’re browsing- and again make sure you’re anti-virus software is up to date.
  3. Keep Your Password Safe and Hard to Guess.
    I wrote an article before about how easy it is for your password to be compromised. The truth is you can’t trust any site that you give your password to because you don’t know how they store it. It’s best to use a different password for each website your sign up to. I know that sounds hard, but it’s quite easy to do- more information in my earlier article.

I’d also highly recommend the password manager- Last Pass. This manages all your passwords securely so that you never have to type it on your computer (in case you are infected by a keyboard sniffer) or store them anywhere insecurely. It also has a password generator, so you can effectively have a different strong complicated password for each site you visit. It is highly recommended!

Finally, be careful about saving passwords on applications on your computer. Famously, the FTP client Filezilla stores your passwords in plain text. Not great for security.

  1. Use a Decent Web Browser
    google chromeMost people still use Internet Explorer or Safari for browsing. They’ve come on in recent years- especially Internet Explorer. Still, my personal recommendation is to use Google Chrome as your browser as it’s been hailed as the most secure of browsers again and again.
  2. Don’t Trust Public Wifi
    WifiIf you surf the web whilst sipping your latte in your local coffee shop beware! Did you know that much of your internet connection (web browsing and email) is being sent over the connection unencrypted? Anyone malicious in the coffee shop could be listening in and stealing your passwords. If you have a 3G connection then use that, but if not, you’ll need to secure your connection. Websites that use https (Facebook and Twitter for example) encrypt your data, but most websites won’t. For this, you’ll need to use a VPN or virtual private network. This encrypts your connection by connecting to a secure server in the middle. You can build your own (as this Lifehacker article tells you), but it’s probably easier to use a VPN service. Again, Lifehacker comes to the rescue with a list of the best VPNs. Personally, I use the VPN service from Private Internet Access* which is reliable and very secure.
  3. Never Leave Your Computer Unattended
    I know this is obvious, but don’t leave your computer on if you’re not around. I suppose it depends on where the computer is. I have a server at home that is on all the time, but I do trust my wife not to hack in to the computer and install a virus! It’s not enough to go to the lock screen either, as someone could just connect a device to your computer and steal your data or even your whole computer. It’s probably a good idea to look at encrypting your hard drive, but that’s for another time…!

Article credit – https://iag.me/tech/10-tips-to-make-your-computer-more-secure/

August 4, 2020
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