How to Stay Safe on the Internet

Keeping Your Family Safe Online...

It's important to know how to keep your family and your businsess safe from hackers, predators, and those bent on on-line mischief... and your best defence is education!  Educate yourself, your team and your loved ones about all the beneficial potential of the Internet, the risks that come with it... and how to use it safely.  Here are a couple of useful links to informative websites... sites to help everyone learn what to do to enjoy their online experience without worry...

www.cybertip.ca – A Canadian company dedicated to the prevention of Internet crimes of a sexual nature.  Excellent sections devoted to education, prevention and for reporting incidents... along with some great success stories.

www.safecanada.ca – A Government of Canada website with a section dedicated to Internet safety

Keeping Your Files Safe...

Probably the # 1 hot topic these days... "How can I use my computer safely (and more specifically, keep your data safe ) while I'm using the Internet." 

OK... here's what you need to know.  We've all heard of computer viruses, worms, trojans, etc... and the harm and disruption they can cause.  But did you know there's ever nastier 'stuff' going around these days? 

Things like 'spyware,' 'malware,' 'grayware' and 'adware' that can result in undesirable, unwanted side-effects for your computer. But keeping up with all the new one's, and knowing what you need to do to protect yourself can be quite daunting and very time-consuming.

At Ottawa Computer Services, we can help protect your computer data with the latest defensive tools and state-of-the-art technologies. We specialize in securing business networks of all sizes, configuring desktop and server firewall products, as well as installing and configuring the most current, up-to-date anti-virus, anti-spyware, 'adware,' and 'malware' prevention programs and products available. So we're sure to have a solution for you and your unique situation... just ask us!

And if your computer is already infected with any of these, we have the spyware removal, virus removal, trojan removal tools and expertise to get rid of them for you... just ask us!

Online Banking – Myths, Facts and Things to be Concerned About...

There's absolutely no reason on-line banking can't be essentially as safe and user-friendly experience as banking in person. In fact, most financial institutions will be pleased to give you all the information you need to do your banking on-line... quickly and safely... and it's very important to follow the advice they give you.  Here's a brief recap of what most will tell you...

• Ensure the website you're on is indeed your bank's secure website and not a rogue site. If you're unsure, call your bank and ask them for the proper URL (web address or link).
• Ask them about level of encryption they're using to protect your personal data on their website. Anything less than 128-bit encryption over an SSL-secure connection is not acceptable by today's standards.
• Make sure your anti-virus and Internet security software is up to date and that you keep it turned on at all times. You'll want to learn about and protect yourself from phishing scams.

Remember, you're responsible for keeping your access card, credit card, pin numbers and any other banking information safe.

Getting the Computer Performance You Paid for...

There are a ton of things you can do to keep your computer running at peak performance level.

Software Enhancements...

A lot of these things are simple and require little effort.  Here are a few (these apply only to MS Windows™ users)...

• Clearing your Web Browser's Cache
• Defragmenting the Data on your Hard Disk Drive
• Keep Windows™ up to date with Latest Patches from Microsoft™
• Keep your Anti-Virus/Security Solution updated: Symantec (Norton), McAfee, TrendMicro PC-cillin, Grisoft AVG, Avast.

Hardware Enhancements / Upgrades...

When thinking about upgrading your computer hardware, here are a few things to bear in mind...

• First – Assess your computer performance needs before making any decisions.
• Second – Read user product reviews and get acquainted with the pros and cons of the product.
• Third – be sure to shop around!  The computer hardware industry can be quite cut-throat.  Finding someone with a great price on the product doesn't mean they'll be inexpensive when it comes to installation and support.  Try to find the vendor that best suits your needs.

For small business applications, Ottawa Computer Services will do the leg work for you – at no cost or obligation to you – promise!  Based on your needs and applications,  we'll give you a recommendation for software and hardware products that would best suit you.  Not only that, but we quote using prices from our preferred vendors – which will include installation costs.

 
Getting Connected - Cyber Space...

Most Common Connection Issues...

·         Getting connected to the Internet

o        Dial-up and High Speed

·         Staying connected

·         Getting your Home Network setup

OK... So there's obviously way too much we could write about here for each topic, but... if you need help with any of these situations, please contact us.  Ottawa Computer Services has the tools needed to ensure you get connected the right way – the first time.

 
Data Backup and Recovery

Is it Easy?

Backing up your data actually is relatively easy!  The main thing to do to keep this process easy is to keep your data all (documents, music, video's, etc.) all in the same place. 

And fortunately Microsoft's operating system does this for us already!  Now all you have to remember is never to keep your backup files in the same location as your data.

How do I backup my data?

There are many ways to back up your data.  You can put it on a DVD/CD, a removable drive, use online storage space, or even to another physical disk within your computer.

Talk to us to find out which solution best fits your requirements.

Recovering 'Lost' Data...

When it comes to getting your data from your backup, the biggest thing to be careful about is making sure you're not overwriting newer data with older files.  Make sure you only restore what you need.