Security for your Computer System

by Jim Malachowski

As great as the technological advances have been over the last ten years, there are some real downsides. We as Professional Photographers are becoming more and more dependent on computers for image manipulations, maintaining our business records and communicating with the outside world via email and connections to Web Sites.

As we become more dependent on our computers it becomes more important to protect them and our data from the sick side of society that believes it is cute to spread viruses.

A computer virus is a piece of software that has been written to enter your computer usually via email and it infects your files. Some viruses are benign and won't harm your system, while others are destructive and can destroy your data or even damage your hard drive.

Typically a computer virus will replicate itself and try to infect as many users as possible. It does this typically by attaching itself to your outgoing emails, so you can infect your friend’s computers unwittingly.

New computer viruses are being written all the time, and it's important to keep your anti-virus program updated, so new viruses will be detected and neutralized. This update should be done monthly.

Everyone knows about viruses, and may even have had a bad experience with them. However, not everyone is aware that there are some hidden security issues. An Associated Press story from earlier this week spoke about Microsoft XP operating system silently collecting what people are looking at or listening to with Media Player. This info can be sent back to Microsoft. What the purpose of this is not clear; but it may not be something people want to share.

Many programs will communicate back to the companies that wrote them - unbeknown to the user who installed them. This could be innocent communication or the program could be sending back information from your hard drive. This situation is much more of a problem with the constant connection of Cable or DSL. These connection types leave your system vunerable anytime your system is on and therefore connected.

So… the question is what to do to protect our computer.

The answer is fairly simple and straightforward.

1. Be more selective about what programs you download and install on your system. Trying a program that you found online; trying it, then deleting it Does Not necessarily remove all the program. There is still clutter and program remnants left on your hard drive. If nothing else, these will slow down your computer
2. Purchase an Anti-virus program. There are several on the market that will do a good job Norton Anti-Virus, Dr. Solomon's Virus Central and McAfee. If you watch the discount stores such as Office Depot or Best Buy, they usually have one of these products on sale for about $50. Take my advice buy a Product that has both anti-virus and a firewall. The vendors mentioned previously have integrated packages that have both products and can usually be purchased for under $100.The firewall protects you and allows you to control who has access to your computer from the internet. When you install the anti-virus program, take the time to let is scan your entire hard drive. That way you will be sure that your system is virus free.
3. Always virus scan a disc that you receive from another person even if you know the person very well. They could be spreading a virus, and not know it.

As always, a bit of prevention is much better than trying to repair a problem causes by a virus. Viruses have the potential to put your computer, and your business, out of commission; and can take you days or even weeks to repair. Keep in mind the importance of backing up your important data. An investment in a tape backup device is well worth the money.

If you protect your business with insurance and locks and keys why not protect your computer to the same extent?