Did you know that there may be hidden security risks in your office and that they can be found on your computer?  These security risks can make you more vulnerable to data loss and data theft.  So, what are these risks and how can you combat them?

There are four main security risks that you should be worried about and these risks are:

1 - The browser/browsers that are installed on your computer can be a security risk, especially if they are not updated on a regular basis or no longer supported. Older versions of Internet explorer are no longer supported and only internet explorer 11 and its replacement Edge are still supported by Microsoft. If you use other browsers such as Firefox and Google Chrome, make sure that you have the latest versions installed.

2 - The operating system that is running on your computer might not be supported anymore by Microsoft and that means you can no longer get updates for it. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows Vista 5 years ago and they will end extended support in April 11, 2017. Microsoft ended extended support for Windows XP in 2014. The extended support for Windows 7 ends on 14 January 2020 while the mainstream support for Windows 8 ends on 9 January 2018 (and extended support for Windows 8 ends on 10 January 2023). The difference between mainstream support and extended support is explained here.

3 - Legacy software and legacy systems can cause major security headaches and you must ask yourself if you still need them? If you are using older software that only works on an older Operating System, you should think about replacing the software with an up to date version. If this is not possible then you should think about limiting who can use it and if the computer that it is on needs to be connected to your network. If you have an older computer that is still being used, you must ask yourself if it can be replaced and if not take it off your network if it does not require internet or network access. If you are not sure if any Microsoft products that you use are still supported, please click here.

4 - Do you have Anti-virus software on your computers and how often is it updated/upgraded? You should be updating your Anti-virus software whenever an update is available and that should be around three to five times a week. Some Anti-virus software can slow your computer/computers or cause issues with any browser based SaaS software you use. If this is the case look for an alternative that won’t do this, as you might be inclined to just remove the Anti-virus software.

iPing provide managed services and IT services and we can help provide you with an overview of your computer/computers security risks and how you can improve it. So, if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.