Contingencies You Need to Have as a Tech User and Enthusiast
Spending a lot of time in front of the computer or smartphone has its perks. I’m sure most of you have been asked by friends or relatives to help with computer or smartphone problems before. Being familiar with computers and gadgets is a huge plus these days.
Unfortunately, the same problems are threatening our devices too. Hardware failure or a software glitch can happen to anyone. Having contingency plans and knowing how to deal with potential problems are good investments to make as a tech geek; here are some of the things you can do to get started.
Data Recovery
Whether it is an SD card that you accidentally formatted or sounds coming from an old drive with precious files, dealing with the risk of data loss is never fun. While these situations were bad a few years ago, they are actually more manageable today.
Data recovery specialists like Secure Data Recovery are making their advanced software available to more users. You can use Secure Data Recovery’s scanning tool to see if you can salvage your files safely.
If the hardware is too far gone, on the other hand, the best thing to do is remove the drive from your computer safely. This will prevent your computer or device from writing more data to the drive, increasing the chances of recovering your files.
Package the drive safely and send it to a data recovery specialist for a deeper scan. Companies like Secure Data Recovery have advanced tools, replacement boards, and more resources to deal with this type of problem.
Identity Breach
Ideally, you want a different password for each online account you use. Unfortunately, no one has the time to come up with unique passwords and remember them, so we tend to use one that we think is secure enough for everything.
Over the last couple of years, however, a weak password has become a huge security risk. There have been more breaches of information, causing millions of accounts to be compromised. Additional steps need to be taken to protect your accounts.
You can start by checking if your online IDs have been breached. You can use haveibeenpwned.com to see if your email address and password have been posted somewhere. You may need to change your passwords if your account had been pwned.
Since you need to change your passwords anyway, it is time to use a password generator. Solutions like 1Password and LastPass will help protect your accounts better.
More Issues to Deal with
There are other risks to prepare for too, including the risk of getting hit by an actual cyberattack – remember the ransomware outbreak not too long ago? – and the risk of physically losing your hardware. These additional risks need to be mitigated as well.
That said, there are always ways to mitigate them properly. In the case of protecting your smartphone, for example, you can use services like Find My iPhone as an added security layer. You can never be too secure or too prepared for tech-related problems. After all, dealing with these problems is part of being a tech enthusiast. If you need assistance with your technology, BCA IT in Miami is a managed IT support company that can help you.