Malware

My Internet Connection is Slow, Should I Change Providers?

By : Joaquin Hernandez |August 31, 2017 |Internet, Small Business IT |Comments Off on My Internet Connection is Slow, Should I Change Providers?

Top 10 Small Business IT Questions

#10 ? My Internet Connection is Slow, Should I Change Providers?

There are several reasons your internet connection may seem slow. Before you jump to the conclusion the problem is with your internet provider you need to do some investigation.

First, run a speed check of your internet provider. This is actually quite easy to do. A speed test program will test the speed of your computer connecting to the Internet – called the “upload” speed. It will also test the speed of copying data from the website onto your computer – called the “download” speed. There are many speed test programs available. You can search by typing “internet speed test” into your search engine. One I found on Google is http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/.

After you run the speed check and have both the upload and download speeds, compare them to the contracted speed of your internet provider. Most of the time you’ll find the internet provider is not the problem. If yours is not, continue the investigation.

The most common cause of a slowing computer is a virus or malware. Check your virus protection or malware program status. You may find your computer is infected and needs attention. Take steps to clean or quarantine the problem.

Another possibility can be a problem with a specific program or website. If one program seems slow, log in to a completely different program to determine if the problem is widespread or limited. I use Quickbooks to manage my accounting so I’d log in to Quickbooks to see if I still notice a similar response time problem. If the slowness only occurs in one program, you have probably found the culprit. If the slowness affects multiple programs, your computer may be to blame.

After investigating all of these without finding any issues, your computer itself may be the source of the problem. You will most likely need help from a local computer expert who can evaluate further. If you live near Torrance, I’d recommend PC Parlor run by Tony Musorafite. Ask for his bench rate which is very reasonable.

Hopefully, these tips will help you find the problem and get your computer back up-to-speed!

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How do I protect myself from hackers?

By : Array Systems, Inc. |February 02, 2015 |Security, Small Business IT |Comments Off on How do I protect myself from hackers?

Top 10 Small Business IT Questions

#4 How do I protect myself from hackers?

Hackers are people that want to get access to your computer network and access your data from your servers and computers.Hacker

A few year ago, hackers would most often gain access through your wireless network. Hopefully, we’ve all secured our wireless networks and have these access points protected with hard-to-break passwords.

Today, hackers may get access by stealing equipment. Laptops, desktop computers, servers, USB drives, and phones can be a “jackpot” for hackers. Most small businesses don’t secure their equipment with cables and physical locks. Additionally, when equipment is stolen if your data is not encrypted, your storage device is easily accessible and can be moved right onto the hacker’s computer.

Believe it or not, the most common way hackers access your information is by invitation. An employee invites a hacker into the system without their knowledge. This may happen when opening an email attachment that looks like an electronic birthday card from a friend. Once the file is opened (by clicking on it) a program is installed onto your computer and notification is sent to the hacker that it has successfully infiltrated your system. Another common way a hacker gains access is by an employee accessing a website on the internet that contains a hackers program. If you don’t have updated anti-virus or anti-malware software installed software on your computer you will not even know it has happened.

One of the most frustrating attacks, sadly, is also becoming more common. Crypto Locking programs encrypt your files so you can’t use your computer. The only way to eliminate this program is to completely wipe out your hard drive and restore from a backup. If you don’t have a backup then you are held ransom. Typically the hackers demand “ransom money”, usually about $500, to “release” your data. The payment is made in bitcoin – the new online currency that is hard to trace.

As we’ve seen recently it’s getting more and more difficult to keep hackers out. Like most criminals, they look for the easiest prey. So please, don’t make it easier by inviting them in.

Array can help ensure your company’s computer systems are protected.

 

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