Tips to Navigate the Digital Environment

Updates Keep Your System Safe and Secure

Your devices are like family. You love knowing they're safe and healthy. What happens when you hear a hacker is in town attacking every mobile device? Well, when you remember the recent updates you installed, nothing short of a feeling of relief sets in. Good work on your part.

The popup message that states an update is available is not a bothersome thing when you're in the middle of drafting a memo or opening an app. It's offering added protection for your device.

Hardware drivers, unlike software apps, are in a different category. Updates are required to keep your devices performing at an optimum level. Keeping a lookout for outdated drivers is like driving defensively in rush-hour traffic.

End of Support Needs Your Attention

These messages appear on websites and blogs, too. Don't ignore them. Be aware that a manufacturer intends to stop ongoing support of its software and may also intend to discontinue the product. No support is a red flag because it means no future updates. Then, your system is open to attack from hackers, identity theft and bugs lurking in the cyberworld. Think of an update as a security enhancement

BackUp and Save Are Not Interchangeable Words

Don't forget to save the document, you hear. But that's only taking a first step to keep a document safely stored on the hard drive of the computer you're working on.

The expression "it's not if the hard drive fails, it's when" is one to remember. And predictably, the failure comes when you least expect it. So what happens next? Everything on that drive is gone and lost forever, unless you spend dollars for a service to retrieve the contents.

Enter a backup. A backup saves all the documents you want to keep in a secure place away from your home device. Or, a backup retains all the contents of the computer hard drive.

And a backup puts all the photos and contacts on your phone in a safe place in case of loss, theft or if the device simply stops working.

A backup can be either a service — the cloud or an external drive. The One Drive that's available to Microsoft customers is a cloud service. An internet search shows there are different types of cloud services for home users or businesses. How safe is the cloud — that depends, and it's part of the choice you make.

My strategy for backups is three steps: save, save it again and save it again.

Choosing a backup that meets your needs is an important decision, and one that always saves the day.