When your computer slows down or begins acting in an unusual way, it may be infected with a virus or malware. While most malwares are annoying, others may be malicious and hijack your computer’s information. Here are some tips to keep your hardware safe and prevent your computer from becoming infected.
Install Anti-Virus Software
Installing an antivirus or anti-malware software is the first step to protecting your computer. Without some type of protection software, your computer is an easy target for hackers. It is important to make sure the software stays up to date as well. For the best protection, install updates regularly as they alert you on your computer.
Run Regularly Scheduled Scans
You should be scanning your computer regularly with the anti-virus software you install. To best protect your computer, schedule your scan one night every week. Make sure your computer does not shut down automatically or go into hibernation mode to ensure the scan completes.
Use a Secure Network
Always use a secure network for computers to connect to files, printers or internet. Using an open network makes it easier for hackers to access your information. This means you should avoid using your computer at places that offer free WiFi. If your business likes to offer complimentary wifi to customers, consider offering a guest wifi with a different password than your main network for added protection.
Think Before You Click
Good protection software will automatically scan any links or unusual emails on your computer. However, it does not hurt to always be cautious when opening an email from an unknown sender or making sure a link is taking you where it says it is.
Use Multiple Strong Passwords
Finally, never use the same password for all of your important accounts. We often use the same email address or username for all accounts. Knowing this, it becomes crucial to use multiple strong passwords to prevent hacks. Your passwords should be easy to remember, difficult to guess, and always avoids dates or names.
Following these tips can help protect your computers and information from viruses and malware. For more information on how WesTec’s IT experts can help your business keep its information safe from hackers, contact us.
Sometimes, accounts will ask you to update your passwords for security reasons. This often feels like an unnecessary task meant to make your life more complicated. However, in a world full of hackers and online predators, one must regularly update their password to protect valuable information.
Change Your Passwords Regularly…
By regularly changing your login information and passwords, you make it harder for someone to steal information. This is increasingly important for accounts without two-factor authentication. Communication accounts, like email and chatting apps, should also be updated every so often for increased protection.
…But Don’t Change Them Too Often
Traditionally, experts recommended you change passwords every 30 to 60 days–this is no longer the case. Mandatory password updates lead to money loss and lack of productivity with minimal security payoff. Now, changing your password doesn’t hold near the protection it used to. Because cybercriminals continue to learn more advanced hardware and software, they can typically discover your password if they look hard enough.
As humans, we tend to create patterns. This is no different in password creation. Typically, we use similar letters, numbers and themes when updating a password. Updating your password too often leads to confusion with little added benefit.
Keep Your Data Secure
As a rule of thumb, update your passwords when there is proof of some sort of security breach or online attack. This includes unauthorized use of an account or evidence of malware. By doing so, you’re preventing a hacker from gaining access into your personal accounts and obtaining sensitive, private information or data.
There are other ways to protect your data. Contact the experts at WesTec Services for more information about our cybersecurity services.
If you’re not sure how to create a secure password that will outsmart the online hackers, read our recent article for tips.
Doesn’t your computer always seem to lag when you have a rapidly approaching deadline? A slow computer can decrease productivity and increase frustration. To help eliminate frustration, try one of these tips to increase your computer’s speed and performance.
Uninstall Unused Programs
Programs take a lot of space on your computer. Over time, you accumulate programs that might run in the background without your knowledge. Uninstalling the programs you don’t use on a regular basis may increase your computer’s speed and response time.
Delete Temporary Files
Every time you download or install a file on your PC, it keeps a temporary file. If your computer is running slow, you can delete these files to free up space. To do this, find the “Temp” folder in your drive. Select older files and press the delete key. Make sure you empty the recycling bin to completely wipe files from the computer.
Invest in Hard Drive Storage
Sometimes you might need to have easy access to many files. However, keeping them all in once place will affect your computer’s speed. To keep your computer tidy, you can purchase an external storage drive to store thousands of files.
Increase RAM
Random Access Memory (RAM) acts as your computer’s short-term memory. It quickly loads items it thinks it will need to access soon. But, if your RAM can’t handle several applications at once, your computer will lag. Increasing the RAM can be an easy and cost-effective way to improve your computer’s speed.
Work with Our IT Professionals
Our trusted IT professionals at WesTec Services can help diagnose why your computer is slow and offer solutions to improve its speed through our managed IT and IT consulting services. Contact us for more information.
Have you ever accidentally deleted a file and then realized you need it back? Unfortunately, it’s happened to most of us at least once–and we’ve all experienced the headache that follows.
Here are a few tips that can help you try to recover a deleted file from your device:
Make sure the file is really deleted – If you’re not sure whether you permanently deleted a file, be sure to look for it before making an assumption. When attempting to recover deleted files, check the Recycle Bin or Trash on your computer. Typically, you can choose the filter “Date Deleted” to make your search easier. If your file was stored in a cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Drive, check your deleted files there–it may still be recoverable.
Check your backups– Making regular backups of your most important files on your device can prevent you from losing critical data when you need it. If you do have a backup, you may be able to recover your deleted files. if you don’t have a backup, now may be the time to implement one.
Try to recover the file– If you deleted a file on a magnetic hard drive, shut down the computer immediately. With the computer shut down, you should remove the hard drive from the computer entirely and place it in another computer as a secondary drive. Use file-recovery software to scan the drive. If you deleted the file recently and haven’t written to the drive much, you have a fairly good chance of recovering it.
Professionally recover the file– If all other methods were not successful in recovering the deleted files, you may want to consider a professional data recovery service. Professional data recovery services deal with everything from deleted and overwritten files to dying hard drives that need to be disassembled and repaired.
To continually ensure the security of business data and important files, it is recommended to perform regular data backups to your computer. If you feel that you don’t have the time or expertise, WesTec Services performs data backup and recovery services provided by our expert IT consultants.
For more information on our data backup or recovery services, contact the experts at WesTec today.
An unexpected computer shutdown can potentially harm your computer and its data, which is why it is important to properly turn off your computer by selecting shut down, restart or sleep.
Turning your computer off properly allows the computer to make sure that any running programs are closed. To avoid losing files or program corruption, it is best to cancel the computer shutdown and close the programs manually.
An unexpected computer shutdown can be caused by power outages, brown-outs, depleted battery or removed power cord, accidentally hitting the power button, or the computer may be experiencing some other internal technical issue.
Because of the issues that can occur with an improper shutdown, the only time to hold the power button until the computer turns off is if the computer freezes. Sometimes turning a computer off and on again will allow it to reset itself.
So, how does an unexpected computer shutdown affect your device? Even if you don’t have any programs running, there are other processes going on in the background. When a computer is performing an update or correcting device bugs, an unexpected shutdown may cause the files to download as incomplete and they will then be unable to perform their assigned tasks.
If software files or the operating system become corrupted from an unexpected shutdown, a professional may need to repair the files or reinstall the entire system.
Before making any major changes to your system, be sure to perform a backup of any important data. In fact, regular data backups are always recommended.
WesTec Services performs data backup and recovery services provided by our expert IT consultants. Our services include a free report, which will outline common mistakes that many business owners make with their computer network.
To avoid any worry during an unexpected computer shutdown, contact WesTec today.
Business mobile phones can be used for a range of commercial operations, including inventory control, customer relations, advertising, marketing, banking and more.
Here are few ways to ensure your mobile phone and its valuable data is protected against hackers and malware:
1. Update your phone.
Most of us are guilty of ignoring operating system updates on our business mobile phones. However, the longer you wait to update your phone, the more out of date your systems are, making you an easier target for hackers who can easily identify and exploit system vulnerabilities.
2. Lock your device.
If your business mobile phone contains private information about you or your business, it is important to always engage the four- or six-digit passcode on your device. Don’t use the same password for all your accounts and be sure to change your password occasionally for good measure.
3. Manage app permissions.
On your mobile phone, you can grant apps permissions, like access to the camera, microphone, your contacts, your location, your pictures, and more. Be sure to keep track of which permissions you’ve given to which apps, and revoke permissions that are not completely necessary.
4. Back up your data.
Things happen, but you can always be prepared. When you back up the data on business mobile phones, you are able to protect your important documents and images in case of any loss.
5. Ignore spam and phishing emails.
One of the easiest ways for hackers to access your information is through email. Be sure you don’t click on links in promotional emails, open suspicious attachments or run updates that are promoted through emails. If you need to access sensitive information, report directly to the organization’s website to login.
Connecting the dots with business mobile phones can be confusing, time consuming and costly. For a reliable business mobile phone provider in Houston, contact the experts at WesTec today.
Because computers are powerful tools that we are likely to use in our everyday business or personal lives, we want to be able to get the most out of them. Here are a few tips to help prevent the most common causes of a PC meltdown:
Keep it cool Computers are complex electrical devices that hate to get overheated. The most common cause of overheating in your PC is dust accumulation inside the case, resulting in a slow-running, stopping and starting, and even a failed processor. To avoid overheating, locate and use your PC on a desk or other hard surface, as blankets or pillows block the cooling vents on the underside of the case.
Keep it secure
Passwords are important to keep malicious intrusion out of your wireless network, keep documents on your PC secure, and for use on internet sites where payments may be required. A strong password uses at least eight characters that combine upper and lower case letters, numerals, and punctuation marks. It is advised to avoid the use of personal information in your passwords and to not use the same password for every account you have. Keep it backed up
Due either to your hard drive wearing out or due to software corruption, you may need to replace your PC or hard drive in the future. To preserve personal or business-related data, is it important to keep a current backup of it on a separate device (with an external hard drive) or with a Cloud-based service. If you don’t have a lot of data, flash drives will work well. Backups can be configured to occur automatically.
Whether you need backup disaster or recovery services, a network installation, or IT consulting, the experts at WesTec have you and your PC covered. For reliable IT managed services, give us a call today.
A startup business looking to grow and establish its operations will find the value of an IT consultant life-changing. Here are a few benefits that startup businesses can expect when they hire an IT consulting company: 1. Adoption of IT Best Practices – Many business owners handle several tasks daily. Since startup businesses are still at their formative stage, all hands are typically on deck. Because of this, business owners won’t have the time to learn about the current IT best practices. Hiring an IT consulting company allows the best IT practices to be implemented while you focus on getting your business started. 2. Less Downtime – New businesses need every minute of operational time to maximize productivity. Whenever there is an IT issue, that is potentially costing the business money. However, hiring an IT consulting company can help your business quickly identify and fix the issue. Additionally, consultants can provide and develop monitoring protocols to help prevent and reduce future incidences. 3. Security and Compliance – Are you familiar with the data compliance laws in your industry? Do you know the security protocols you need when running your IT infrastructure? If not, hiring an IT consulting company can help you find the answers you need. In addition, IT consultants can help you identify your security weak spots and help design technical protocols that help deter unwanted actors. 4. Seamless Transitions – When it’s time to covert to new technology tools or a new IT system, you may not be too sure how your business will adapt. IT consultants can provide a smoother transition when making the switch. This will help your business avoid potential disruptions in operations and allow you to focus on your business and less on its technology.
If you’re seeking comprehensive, customized IT consulting services for your startup business, give the experts at WesTec a call today.
Learn more about our IT consulting services.
While business is driven by technology and the internet, many companies today will deal with their computer network problems and frustrations instead of considering a needed upgrade to a wireless internet network, or WiFi.
If your business is facing network challenges, such as network glitches and breakdowns, or accessing your network from home or on-the-go, it may be time to consider implementing a wireless internet network. Here a few advantages of installing a wireless network for your business:
Convenience Wireless internet allow users to access network resources from nearly any convenient location within their primary networking environments, such as a home or office. With the increasing saturation of laptops and smart phones, this is particularly relevant.
Mobility
Wireless internet networks allow users to access the web even outside of their normal work environment. Most coffee shops or restaurants offer their customers a wireless connection to the internet at little or no cost.
Productivity
When users can connect to a wireless network, they are able to maintain connectivity to their desired network as they move from place to place. For a business, employees can become more productive because work can be completed from nearly any location.
Expandability
Wireless networks can serve a suddenly-increased number of users with the existing equipment. On the other hand, in a wired network, additional clients would require additional wiring.
Cost
Although cost is difficult to quantify, there is a cost to constant computer glitches. Also, failure to access a wireless network on-the-go can keep projects from meeting their deadlines, ultimately causing company downtime.
If your business is ready to make the switch to wireless internet networking, call the experts at WesTec today, or read more about our network installation services.
As we discussed in a previous article, phishing is an attack that uses disguised emails as weapons aimed at masses of people. However, spear-phishing is a targeted attempt to steal sensitive information from a specific victim, such as account credentials or financial information.
During a spear-phishing attack, the perpetrator attempts to acquire personal details on the victim’s friends, hometown, employer, hang-outs, and their recent online purchases. This is typically done by disguising themselves as a trustworthy friend or entity through email, social media, phone calls, or text messages.
Because spear-phishing is the most successful form of acquiring confidential information online, it is important to practice how to avoid an attack. 1. Beware what you post: Review your online profiles. How much personal information is available for potential attackers to view? If there is something you do not want the public to see, delete it, or ensure your privacy settings are properly configured. 2. Use smart passwords: It is not wise to use the password for every account you own. In this case, if an attacker has access to one account, they effectively have access to all of your accounts. Passwords with random phrases, letters, and numbers are secure. 3. Use logic with emails: If an organization sends you a link in an email requesting a specific action or sort of personal information, go directly to the organization’s site rather than clicking on the link. Calling the organization can also help clarify the issue. Real businesses will not email you asking for your username and password. 4. Update your software: Software systems include security updates that should help protect you from spear-phishing attacks, as well as others. If you receive notice of a new update, be sure to take advantage, or enable automatic updates.
To learn more about how you can protect your data or sensitive information, contact the experts at WesTec.
Mission: WesTec will be a “turn-key” solution for all of its clients’ business connectivity needs. It will offer efficient and effective solutions, directly and with strategic partners, that create tangible value for its clients at every point of contact. Westec will serve all people and entities with a servant’s heart.
Get in touch
2916 West TC Jester Blvd.,
Suite 104
Houston, TX 77018
By regularly changing your login information and passwords, you make it harder for someone to steal information. This is increasingly important for accounts without two-factor authentication. Communication accounts, like email and chatting apps, should also be updated every so often for increased protection.
Delete Temporary Files
Make sure the file is really deleted – If you’re not sure whether you permanently deleted a file, be sure to look for it before making an assumption. When attempting to recover deleted files, check the Recycle Bin or Trash on your computer. Typically, you can choose the filter “Date Deleted” to make your search easier. If your file was stored in a cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Drive, check your deleted files there–it may still be recoverable.
other internal technical issue.
2. Lock your device.
Computers are complex electrical devices that hate to get overheated. The most common cause of overheating in your PC is dust accumulation inside the case, resulting in a slow-running, stopping and starting, and even a failed processor. To avoid overheating, locate and use your PC on a desk or other hard surface, as blankets or pillows block the cooling vents on the underside of the case.
2. Less Downtime – New businesses need every minute of operational time to maximize productivity. Whenever there is an IT issue, that is potentially costing the business money. However, hiring an IT consulting company can help your business quickly identify and fix the issue. Additionally, consultants can provide and develop monitoring protocols to help prevent and reduce future incidences.
Wireless internet allow users to access network resources from nearly any convenient location within their primary networking environments, such as a home or office. With the increasing saturation of laptops and smart phones, this is particularly relevant.
1. Beware what you post: Review your online profiles. How much personal information is available for potential attackers to view? If there is something you do not want the public to see, delete it, or ensure your privacy settings are properly configured.
2916 West TC Jester Blvd.,
Suite 104