Computer Expert Recommends Safety Steps

Work from home (#WFH) may end soon for many, but as more businesses open up, home offices may become first choice for some employers and workers.  Is your computer anti-virus able to protect both your personal and business data?

Owner of Master Remodelers and radio talk show host of Around the House, Dawn Steimer recently interviewed a computer expert on the best I.T. practices for running a remote office from your home.

 

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Transcript:

Thomas Hill
Computer Depot

A couple of things that we recommend right off the top: make sure that you have a really good, managed anti-virus system. Unfortunately, the “off the shelf” virus protection does not work nearly as well as it used to 10 years ago. And so we highly recommend that you invest into a managed computer anti-virus system. 

Another thing that we recommend is that you use some sort of a VPN, which is a virtual private network of some kind. If it’s a medical base client, then that’s going to really probably require a hardware-type appliance.  But if it’s someone that just wants to make sure that they’re having an extra level of protection, then a software-type application may work just fine.  

And then the third thing that we want to look at is making sure that the device that they’re connecting through is updated. The firmware on your routers and your firewalls, and that kind of thing that you find in your home, are usually not up to date. You know, a lot of times you’re buying consumer-grade type routers; you know, the name brands people recognize are, you know, the Netgear or Linksys. But the homeowner doesn’t do a good job at making sure that the firmware on that appliance is up to date.  A lot of times, hacks and cyber criminals come right through, over firewalls, because the software on board is so out of date.  

And so, those are kind of the three major things that we’re recommending that people look at.