Computer Help at Home

admin — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 00:15:02 +0000

Due to the pandemic, there is additional demand for our IT systems to be working at their best. Some of us need computer help at home so that our laptops, computers, internet connection, and even our TVs, are working properly. Computer help at home does not necessarily mean something is broken. In many cases our friendly staff do on-site visits, or help you remotely, to optimize what you already have. Optimizing might involve something as simple as making your computer run faster, making sure your router is giving you a good internet connection, or just removing some applications from your computer that you never use so you can work easier with less clutter in your way.

Computer help at home can also include vulnerability assessments, which look at your computer to make sure that you do not have any viruses or malware, and that you are well protected from them into the future. We use sophisticated tools and cutting-edge technology to keep you safe and to prevent things like identity theft and hacking. We also cater to a wide variety of different people from students who need help with their university’s online systems, through to those who might just need a helping hand to show you how to do an online shopping order from the supermarket.

In many cases getting that computer help at home does not require a huge overhead or reinventing the wheel, we find that usually people just need to be guided in the right direction. If you need training in simple things like putting through an online order, or in more advanced things like technical troubleshooting, we don’t just show you once and expect you to remember it – we will come to your home or help you remotely and go through the steps as many times as you need until you are comfortable. For a small extra charge we will even include simple, well explained instructions so that you can follow the steps with confidence when we aren’t there.

In all cases we follow through with our customers. Unlike the massive computer help at home businesses that are already on the market, we don’t just charge you and walk away. You can expect follow up phone calls and ongoing support to keep your technology running smoothly or to make sure that you are confident with the training we have provided. We like to think of ourselves as a digital grandson, someone that is always there to help and is not just operating on a price tag. These are challenging times and we want nothing more than to get you up and running and remove at least one source of stress.

We have many ways of being able to offer simple IT support, which include:

> Computer help remotely. This could include assistance over the phone, and we can even take control of your computer to help you step through the process without needing to be there in person. We are a trusted and registered business, so you can be sure that once the troubleshooting is done we have absolutely no access to your computer anymore. For some of our customers this is the preferred method, because you may not want somebody in your house, but you still need computer help at home.

> If you still need extra help, or you’d prefer to have somebody in person helping you, then rest assured we take COVID-19 restrictions and safety very seriously. You have our guarantee that we will sanitize our hands before entering your home and that we will be wearing masks when we do the work.

The Cost of being Hacked

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 09:37:09 +0000

Not long ago, a breach that compromised the data of a few million people would have been big news. Now, breaches that affect hundreds of millions or even billions of people are far too common. About 3.5 billion people saw their personal data stolen in the top two of 15 biggest breaches of this century alone. The smallest incident on this list involved the data of a mere 134 million people. Even if you look at non-traditional services like TV (like when Channel 9 got hacked just days ago), getting hacked translates to costing you a lot of money, time & effort!

Below is a list of fifteen of the biggest data breaches (so far). If you ever had an account on any of these services your email account associated with it and personal information could be at risk. Any passwords you used on theses services below could also be compromised. The average breach is not discovered until 200 days after the hacker has already gained access to your systems! If you think about that in a real-world situation, imagine if you had someone break into your house and they were living there in the basement for 200 days straight, listening to all your conversations and watching through the floorboards, how would that make you feel? Creepy right?

Top 15 biggest data breaches of all time:

Adobe
Adult Friend Finder
Canva
Dubsmash
eBay
Equifax
Heartland Payment Systems
LinkedIn
Marriott International
My Fitness Pal
MySpace
NetEase
Sina Weibo
Yahoo
Zynga

How will I know If I’m safe?

Hackers don’t want you to know they have access. By the time you have discovered them the damage is already done. Prevention is the best strategy.

Contact us at Instant IT to make sure your antivirus is up to date and that you have sufficient coverage as free antiviruses can only do so much. We also offer free virus scans on the spot to ensure your computer is safe. We can check if a specific email address has been compromised in a previous breach so you can be sure that no one is listening in or sending emails from your account.

Updates on latest Security Threats – Adobe Flash Player – End of Life Cycle

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 05:18:16 +0000

Here at Instant IT, we are experts on cybersecurity and how to stay safe on your home devices while browsing the internet. As part of a series of posts intended to keep you informed on important threats, today we would like to highlight the newest vulnerability in an app that many people might’ve heard of: Adobe Flash Player.

If you are like us, then you have definitely used Adobe Flash Player, directly or indirectly, by watching videos or playing flash games online. It’s an app that plays videos or executes programs on web pages. Its popularity peaked a long time ago, and it’s been used less and less over the years as new, more efficient video player apps have come out. Because of this, Adobe Flash Player has finally reached the end of its life.

What does this mean ?

Well, when an app or service has reached the end of its life, there are a couple of stages that progress in order:

The developers stop updating the app.
Then, depending on the app, the service is taken offline.

The Security Threats begin at the start of point 1.

Why are updates so important?

To understand why updates are so important we need to understand their purpose. Updates serve three main purposes.

To add features
To fix bugs
To patch security vulnerabilities & exploits

This means that once the developers stop updating the app or service, the vulnerabilities in the app go unfixed and start to be exploited more and more by cyber criminals. Threats grow more dangerous and powerful as time goes on, so time is of the essence in this scenario.

What You Can Do

To ensure you are protected both in the office and at home you need to remove Adobe Flash Player from your computers. It has already been removed from most websites, but there may be an installation still on your computer from past use.

There are a couple of easy steps you can perform to check and remove Adobe Flash Player.

> If you are on Microsoft Windows – visit your Add or remove programs utility in your settings and look for Adobe Flash Player, if you find it click Uninstall.

> If you are on Apple Mac – go to your Finder and click Applications, then right click on Adobe Flash Player and select Uninstall, then drag it to the Bin.

Remember, you can always Contact Instant IT to do this for you, especially if you have a fleet of computers, as removing Adobe Flash Player is time critical. Our techs will scour all your computers to make sure there isn’t a shred of a possible vulnerability left behind by Adobe Flash Player’s end of life cycle. Anywhere that Adobe Flash Player is installed represents a security risk.

Best Laptops of 2021

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 04:29:01 +0000

Whether you’re buying a fleet of laptops for your employees or just looking for a productivity system for yourself, you’ll want one of the best laptops out there as they are typically durable, powerful, secure and easy-to-use and will give you much better value for money so that you’re not replacing your laptop every year or 2. Let’s cut to the chase.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen) remains the best laptop for three years running thanks to its lightweight design, fast performance and good display options. One option among the top competitors to the X1 Carbon is the HP Elite Dragonfly, a gorgeous 2-in-1 laptop with long battery life, an awesome keyboard and fast performance. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been updated with new CPUs and it’s even more expensive than the X1 Carbon.

On the macOS side of things, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 is an excellent option for power users who run massive simulations or transfer large files. The new M1 processor is a speed demon but also efficient enough to give the MacBook Pro an absurd 16 hours and 32 minutes of battery life.

Whether you’re a Apple Mac user or a Windows lover, either of these options will see you browsing, writing, compiling, editing and producing your way to better and faster results. Remember, if you decide to purchase one of these options be sure to get it setup by Instant IT as we can assist you to configure the system to its best ability and help you migrate all your apps and files over. We also offer a safe disposal service for your old machine so you can be sure that no unauthorised parties will gain access to your data. We provide a 100% system reset and disk wiping service that will render the old hard drives unreadable when disposed of.