As a business owner, you’ve probably noticed that technology is changing how your employees work, especially regarding devices. There are multiple options for managing employee devices in the workplace, each with its own strengths, drawbacks, and security considerations.
The main choices are bring your own device (BYOD), choose your own device (CYOD), and corporate-owned, personally-enabled (COPE). [Read more…]
In today’s digital age, securing your data is more critical than ever. With increasing cyber threats and the potential for data loss, robust encryption tools like BitLocker offer essential protection. BitLocker, a full-disk encryption feature included with Windows, helps safeguard your data by encrypting entire drives. However, to maximize its effectiveness, it’s crucial to understand the importance of backing up your BitLocker recovery code, how to do it, and how to use it when needed.
BitLocker is a powerful encryption feature available in certain editions of Windows. It encrypts the entire drive, making the data unreadable to unauthorized users. BitLocker can be used on internal and external drives, ensuring that your data remains secure even if the device is lost or stolen.
When you enable BitLocker, you are given a recovery code. This code is vital for accessing your data in certain situations, such as:
Without this recovery code, you risk permanent data loss, as there would be no way to decrypt and access the encrypted data.
Backing up your BitLocker recovery code is straightforward. Here’s how you can do it:
If you find yourself locked out of your BitLocker-encrypted drive, you can use the recovery code to regain access. Here’s how:
manage-bde -unlock X: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-RECOVERY-KEY, replacing X: with the drive letter and YOUR-RECOVERY-KEY with the 48-digit recovery code.manage-bde -off X: to decrypt the drive if necessary.BitLocker is a powerful tool for protecting your data, but its effectiveness depends on responsible management of the recovery code. Always back up your BitLocker recovery code and store it in a safe place. Whether you’re an individual at home or an employee in an office, understanding how to handle BitLocker and its recovery process can save you from potential data loss and ensure that your information remains secure.
By following these guidelines, you can take full advantage of BitLocker’s robust security features while maintaining access to your important data when needed. If any of this is confusing to you, don’t worry! We’re here to help:
The Power of Professional Virus RemovalInstalling antivirus software is a great first step toward protecting your computer. Still, relying on that software to keep viruses at bay may not be the best thing. Working with a professional to remove the virus and fix your computer adds security.
Antivirus software protects computers and other devices against various malicious software (malware). It’s designed to detect viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, adware, and more. It matches known malware patterns and detects suspicious behavior. Then, the program works to block files or websites that might contain malware.
If an infection happens, the software can attempt to limit the threat. It will quarantine or isolate infected files to prevent the malware from spreading.
Many programs actively monitor your systems for real-time protection. Regularly updating your software keeps it current with the most recently identified malware and threats.
If you’re worried about infection, you can also typically start a manual scan. This checks your systems, folders, files, and removable storage devices for malware.
All those benefits are useful, but antivirus software is not foolproof. It relies on databases of known malware and current threats and can miss new approaches, and it might not catch every malware variant out there.
The software is also vulnerable to zero-day attacks, whereby Hackers exploit a new vulnerability until vendors create and send out updates.
Meanwhile, your antivirus may not remove all malware if the infection is deep or complex. You’ll know it’s there but will need the help of a professional to manually clean your computer.
Working with a pro, you can cut device downtime. An expert can identify the problem and prevent data loss. They can also preserve device performance. Otherwise, malware can consume system resources and run processes in the background.
Antivirus software also can’t give you the full picture of what’s happened. A technician can help identify the information compromised, they can also help you change your passwords.
They can also set your computer up to prevent data loss in the future. They’ll protect sensitive files and ensure your data backup or other systems aren’t infected.
In short, they can remove the existing threat and add extra security measures.
Antivirus software is only one part of comprehensive device security, and it’s not infallible.
Don’t just remove viruses, prevent them from happening with a professional’s help. Book an appointment today. We can help you shore up your security against emerging threats.
Learning to share is an important early-life skill. Now, you’ve mastered it, and you’re out in the workforce. Happily, digital technology makes it much easier to share business files, but that doesn’t mean you want to do so willy-nilly. Consider these best practices for sharing with both internal and external users. [Read more…]
The public cloud service market is growing. Software, infrastructure, desktop, and other service numbers are all on the rise. Yet some businesses are still holding back from migrating to the cloud. This article addresses common resistance to this highly scalable and cost-effective solution. [Read more…]
