subject: Business Networks Support Charlotte-protecting Your Home Network [print this page] Computers are vital to many lifestyles todayComputers are vital to many lifestyles today. As a result, they contain a lot of information that is critical to the work place and to every personal life.
It is vital that this information is kept a secret as there are many who would misuse the information at another's expense. Fortunately, there are many ways you can protect the information on your home network and at work that do not cost very much.
The first thing you should do is never let any strangers use your network. This means that you need to make the connection between your router and any computers secure by creating a password that must be entered to gain access to the internet.
As you are setting your password, you will want to turn on the wired equivalency privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi protected access (WPA). This will need to be done on all o the computers and other electronics that you expect will be connecting to your network that you want to allow.
This includes your router, media center, and gaming systems. Make sure that you are choosing a strong password when you set it, but make sure that you do not forget what it is or it will be difficult for you to connect to your own internet.
If you do not set a network password and you allow strangers to drive by and use your network, you will be inviting them to view your personal information. For some people, that will be the first thing they do when they discover they can connect to your network.
The second thing you will want to do is move your wireless router. The closer your router is to the street, the easier it will be for hackers to connect to your network.
By keeping the router in the center of the home, it will not be nearly as easy to connect to your internet, let alone hack into the network without your knowledge. In addition, the router being placed in the center of your home will increase the coverage of the intended area while decreasing the coverage of the unintended areas around your home.
The third thing you will need to do is make sure that all of your programs are properly updated. It is easiest to simply set the updates to occur automatically, but if you are consistent in making sure that you update your computer manually, then that is fine too.
Be sure to purchase and use excellent antivirus, antispam, and antispyware programs that have been highly recommended by friends, family, or others online. Be sure to watch out for fake alerts for your security software.
In addition, to the defensive move of getting the proper protection software, be sure to take an offensive stance by backing up your data as well. Someone will bad intentions for your computer does not have to have targeted your computer in order for you to lose your information.
Your laptop may simply have given up the ghost or had a number of other things go wrong in which you could lose your information. Make sure that you continue to back up your data often as data loss could occur at any time.
A data backup that occurred six months ago will be helpful, but you will still feel a significant loss for the things you recently created and need for your work place. However, the importance of your information will determine how often you will want to back it up.
The router that you are choosing to use should be modern enough that it has a firewall option. If it does not have firewall option then you need to get a new router.
Be sure to set up the firewall immediately or it will be completely useless. Your computer could pick up a virus within the first couple of days before you set up the firewall if you are not careful and then it could be too late.
Then, turn on the WPA for all of your devices and add a password to your network for these as well. After this is done, you will want to make sure that your Operating system has all of the up to date patches.
It is best to set the updates to occur automatically so that you do not forget to check for them. However, if you know that you are reliable and will check and update your materials weekly then this method will work as well.
