Alliance Technology Professional
Providing Information on Technology Professional Development
The Importance of Protecting Your Online Data
Apr 7th
Identity theft happens every day, and anyone can be a victim of this crime. Today though, instead of looking over your shoulder and copying your account number at the mall, they steal your information while you’re online. If someone manages to get your information online, they can make charges and even buy large items with your account number. Fortunately, you can do some things to make sure that your online data is protected.
You probably know that you need to have an anti-virus program installed on your computer, and that can stop a lot of problems and prevent viruses. It’s also necessary to have anti-spyware to stay a step ahead of the criminals. There are many reputable companies like Norton and McAfee that offer protection for these issues.
Another tip that can protect your data is when you buy something online, be sure that you are making your purchase at a secure site. You can tell that it is secure because the URL will be HTTPS, not HTTP. The S on the end means that it is secure and that your information is encrypted. If an online thief tries to translate your information, it will be jumbled and they won’t be able to get your account number or other personal data. Most big sites have this security feature for their customers. If they don’t, it’s best not to buy from them.
Chasing A Network Trouble Maker
Apr 4th
Here is a short how-to guide for locating and eliminating a peculiar network problem.
Perhaps you are in-charge of a middle to-large network and a day might come when hell may break loose as staff can’t access the internet.
You as network administrator or as a knowledgeable techie first check the DSL line and modem and find probably nothing wrong with it. You plug a laptop directly to the 1st router or switch after the DSL modem and are able to browse the internet.
5 Tips to Keep Your Computer Smooth, Fast, and Problem Free
Apr 1st
Your computer, much like your car, needs continual maintenance in order to keep running smooth, fast, and problem free. Below we’re going to list 5 simple tips that are quick and easy to perform and will ensure a longer computer lifespan and more enjoyable computer experience.
1). Defragment the Hard Drive
While some find this step to be quite obvious, most don’t really understand what this does or why it’s important, nor do they do it on a regular basis. In order to understand the importance of defragmenting your hard drive you need to understand a little bit about how a hard drive works. While you may organize items in your house in a logical order (food in the fridge, shoes by the door, clothes in the closet, etc), a hard drive doesn’t. A computer stores information in the first available location it finds.
This works great if all you’re doing is copying files on a clean hard drive as the process is quite fast. File A gets stored first, followed by File B, then File C, etc. However, problems arise when you start to delete old files and copy new ones. Removing a file leaves an empty space where the file used to be stored. When copying a new file, the computer will store as much of that file as it can in the first available empty space, and store the rest in the next available spot(s). Over time your files become very disorganized and the speed at which your computer can read files drops significantly.