U
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O
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75% of Americans us the Internet and spend a?e n
average of three
hours a day
online
I
D
4. Training
Having to spend money training your
staff might sound like a waste, but most
employees understand less than 20 percent of the software packages they use.
The gain in productivity far outweighs the
training costs.
5. Firewall and security
The Internet is full of hackers who regularly try to access computers for
nefarious purposes. If they get in (either directly or with the help of malware
or viruses) the list of problems they can cause is pretty big, including stealing files or customer records and deleting important data. It’s important to
be sure that all computers in your organization are updated with the latest
security patches from Microsoft or Apple, and that firewalls are installed and
maintained properly.
6. Backing up data
It sounds so obvious, but most companies fail to keep 100 percent of their
important data backed up 100 percent of the time. There are often gaps in
what’s being backed up, which are discovered when it’s too late. The consequences of lost data can put a company out of business on the spot, and data
retrieval is frighteningly expensive.
7. Spam, viruses and spyware
Most service calls are from people with problems directly linked to
these issues. You should consider good virus protection, spam filters and
anti-spyware programs as mandatory if you want a trouble-free computer.
With a small amount of common sense, weekly maintenance (much of
which you can set your computer to do itself) and some small financial outlays, you can have many more trouble-free workdays and spend far less on
the repair person. This will allow you more “up” time to complete your work
and give you the chance to explore the myriad other technology opportunities
that can help you improve your business, or your life. Now that’s technology
in action. A
TIPS &TRICKS
SPONSORED BY
Chip Reaves is the U.S. director of Computer Troubleshooters, a full-service informa-tion-technology service company with 230 locations in North America. Reaves’ Web site
is at www.comptroub.com, and his blog is at http://technologysolved.blogspot.com/.
PROTECTING AGAINST
POWER SURGES
POWER SURGES AND lightning strikes are
not the only events that can damage your
home electronic equipment. Simply switching
appliances on and off can create electrical
imbalances that will cause cumulative,
permanent damage to computers, peripherals
and other electronic equipment.
Electrical surges can be small or large. In fact,
most surge damage occurs over a period of
time without obvious physical damage to
equipment. Most often it is small, repetitive
power fluctuations that destroy or seriously
damage sensitive electrical components.
Electrical surges and spikes don’t just enter
your household through the voltage power
line. Often, computers and televisions are
damaged by a surge through the data line
or cable connection.
The solution: Look for a surge protector that
offers phone/fax and coaxial protection,
automatic shutdown, EMI/RFI filtration and
a connected-equipment warranty. The higher
the joule rating, the longer the surge protector
will last. A
