Maintaining your computer is like maintaining your car.  In the same way you should take your car to the shop for routine maintenance, the same attention should be given to your computer systems.  Just as you rotate the tires or have the oil changed every 3,000 miles, quarterly computer maintenance will help prevent threats to your computer systems.  This will also give your computer technician the opportunity to inform you of anything that is out of the ordinary or a potential problem.  Maintaining your computer, like maintaining your car, allows you to be proactive to solve any issues that could lead to much larger and more costly problems later on.  Give NTP a call to give your computers a checkup.

The fact is almost all companies have confidential information on their computer systems.  For example, if you have employees then you store their social security numbers.  With identity theft on the rise, it is more important than ever to protect your company, your clients, and your employees.  Listed below are a few ways to start being more security conscious.

1)   Use passwords with at least 7 characters that include at least one upper case letter, a lower case letter, a number, and a special symbol (such as %).

2)  Never leave your computer unsecure.  Instead, log out whenever you leave your desk.  At NTP, we have a saying.  “Before you leave your seat, press CTRL, ALT, DEL”.

3)  If you use wireless access, make sure that it is encrypted to help protect yourself from unauthorized access.

For more information on how to secure your company’s network and information, call NTP today.

There are several definitions of spyware, but it generally refers to a category of software that watches what you do on your computer and then sends records of that activity over the Internet. While spyware typically does not take control of your PC in the literal sense, it allows a third party to take advantage of your computer often without your knowledge or consent. For example, some spyware keeps track of the Web sites that you visit and reports that surfing behavior to the program’s author. More disreputable spyware can actually record each keystroke, hoping to capture personal information such as passwords and account numbers.

Spyware does not spread like a computer virus. That is, it doesn’t seek to replicate itself among computers like viruses do. Most spyware is installed as a matter of deception. For example, a user receives a bogus email that tricks him into visiting a malicious Web site that installs the spyware. Unsuspecting users may also be tricked into downloading and installing spyware thinking that the program will do something else (a classic Trojan horse). In many cases, spyware is actually installed along with legitimate shareware and commercial software.