one drive

Windows 7 and 8 users will need to update or lose OneDrive access

by with No Comment GuideLatest NewsTips and TricksTrends

Millions of Windows users could lose access to their online cloud storage within weeks as Microsoft looks to encourage upgrading to the latest software.

The tech giant has warned that the OneDrive app will stop syncing with Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 on March 1, 2022, meaning users only have a few weeks to upgrade to a newer version or possibly lose access to their files.

Despite Windows 7 and 8 being initially released nearly a decade ago, the two operating systems still see millions of users, meaning many will need to get updating soon.

“In order to focus resources on new technologies and operating systems, and to provide users with the most up-to-date and secure experience, beginning January 1, 2022, updates will no longer be provided for the OneDrive desktop application on your personal Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 devices,” Microsoft’s Ankita Kirti wrote in a blog post announcing the news.

“Personal OneDrive desktop applications running on these operating systems will stop syncing to the cloud on March 1, 2022.”

The closure does not affect business users in the same way, with Microsoft saying that starting January 1, 2022, support for the OneDrive desktop application for business will be aligned with the Windows support lifecycle.

Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are in extended support until January 10, 2023, however Windows 8 reached end of support on January 12, 2016, meaning it no longer receives vital security updates that keep devices safe from the latest cyber threats.

Microsoft says it advises upgrading your operating system to either Windows 10 or Windows 11 “to avoid disruption” – although it does note that many devices currently running Windows 7 or 8 may not fit the hardware system requirements for the latest software.

To see if your PC is compatible with Windows 11 system requirements, you can check out our guide above.

webcare-global-solution-windows-10

You need to change these default Windows 10 settings ASAP

by with No Comment Tips and Tricks

Windows 10 may know a little too much about you. Here’s which settings to turn off to improve your privacy, computer speed and more.

Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system started rolling out to eligible devices Oct. 5. The new operating system’s gradual rollout means not everyone will get the upgrade right away. Some people will be using Microsoft’s older OS until mid-2022, while others debating if upgrading to Windows 11 is worth it, may keep Windows 10 until support ends in 2025. (Here’s how you can download Windows 11 now and skip the wait.) No matter the reason you’re still using Windows 10, some of the OS’s default settings collect information, make you see more ads and notifications, and may be slowing down your device.

If you’re a Windows 10 user, you’ll want to spend just a few minutes looking into these default settings, and potentially turning them off, for the sake of privacy, speed and convenience. Here are eight settings that are turned on by default that you can disable in Windows 10. (You can also check out the top Windows 10 tips and tricks and how to troubleshoot common Windows 10 problems.)

File-sharing updates

A feature Windows 10 added is an optimized update delivery system, which lets you download updates from other Windows 10 computers over the Internet (not just from Microsoft’s servers). The catch, of course, is that your computer is also used as an update-sharing hub for other Windows 10 users.

This feature is turned on by default, but you can turn it off by going to Settings > Update & security > Advanced options > Delivery optimization, and toggle Allow downloads from other PCs off.

win-10-delivery-optimization
Screenshot by Alison DeNisco Rayome/CNET

Annoying notifications

The Windows 10 Action Center is a handy central hub for all of your notifications — apps, reminders, recently installed programs. But notification overload is definitely a thing, especially when you add unnecessary notifications (such as Windows tips) into the mix.

Get your notifications under control by going to Settings > System > Notifications & actions and turning off things like Get tips, tricks and suggestions when you use Windows or Show me the Windows welcome experience after updates and occasionally when I sign in to highlight what’s new and suggested, and individual app notifications.

win-10-notifications
Screenshot by Alison DeNisco Rayome/CNET

Start menu ads

Microsoft pushes its Windows Store apps — so much so, in fact, that you may be seeing apps you never downloaded in your Start menu. These suggested apps are basically ads.

Turn off these pesky ads by going to Settings > Personalization > Start > Show suggestions occasionally in Start. For more information, check out our Windows 10 Start menu guide.

win-10-start-suggestions
Screenshot by Alison DeNisco Rayome/CNET

Targeted ads from third-party apps

Microsoft is definitely keeping tabs on your preferences and browsing habits in Windows 10. You even have a unique advertising ID (tied to your Microsoft account), which the company uses to show you targeted ads. Oh, and Microsoft also shares this advertising ID profile with third-party apps from the Windows Store, unless, of course, you turn this information sharing off.

You can turn this off by going to Settings > Privacy > General > Let apps use advertising ID to make ads more interesting to you based on your app activity (Turning this off will reset your ID).

win-10-app-tracking
Screenshot by Alison DeNisco Rayome/CNET

Cortana ‘getting to know you’

Cortana, your adaptive personal assistant in Windows 10, gets, well, pretty personal with the information she collects about you. Cortana “gets to know you” by collecting information such as speech and handwriting patterns and typing history, which you may consider to be just a little creepy.

You can stop Cortana from getting to know you, and clear your information from your device, by going to Settings > Privacy > Inking & typing and toggle the option off.

win-10-inking-and-typing
Screenshot by Alison DeNisco Rayome/CNET

Apps running in the background

In Windows 10, many apps run in the background — that means, even if you don’t have them open — by default. These apps can receive information, send notifications, download and install updates and otherwise eat up your bandwidth and your battery life. If you’re using a mobile device and/or a metered connection, you may want to turn this feature off.

To do this, go to Settings > Privacy > Background apps and either toggle off Let apps run in the background, or toggle off each app individually.

win-10-background-apps
Screenshot by Alison DeNisco Rayome/CNET

All the syncing

Windows 10 is all about syncing. Everything — system settings, themes, passwords, search history — syncs across all your signed-in devices by default. But not all of us want our search history to sync from our phones to our computers, so here’s how to turn syncing off.

To turn off settings syncing (including themes and passwords), go to Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings. You can turn off all settings syncing, or you can selectively turn off specific settings.

win-10-sync-settings-edit
Screenshot by Alison DeNisco Rayome/CNET

Automatic updates

Windows 10 downloads and installs updates automatically, and you can’t really turn them off. And honestly, you shouldn’t turn them off — an up-to-date operating system is a secure operating system. But if for some reason you’d like to prevent your computer from automatically downloading and installing Windows 10 updates (perhaps so you can manually download and install said updates on your own schedule), you can pause the updates for a set amount of time. Got to Settings > Updates > Advanced options, and under Pause updates, choose a date within the next 35 days. You won’t be able to pause again after that point until you update, though.

win-10-pause-updates
Screenshot by Alison DeNisco Rayome/CNET
Published by CNET
socialmedia-webcare-global-solution

11 Simple Social Media Marketing Tools to Help you Succeed

by with No Comment Editors PickGuideStart UpTips and Tricks

Hootsuite

If you’re posting on multiple social-media accounts at once, then Hootsuite is a must.

It can help make that juggling act with multiple tabs and tons of copy-pasting a whole lot easier.

You can organize and schedule hundreds of posts on all your social-media accounts at once.

Notably, most of its features are free to use.

 

Tagboard

If you want to get a closer and more organized look at what’s trending or viral, try Tagboard.

It’s a social-listening tool that lets you enter a term, topic, or hashtag to see what’s buzzing.

You can use it to monitor brand or product mentions, or find out what hashtag is making waves.

That information can then give new content ideas and ways to engage the audience.

 

IFTTT

Standing for “if this, then that,” IFTTT is another one of my go-to social-media automation tools.

It allows you to set up recipes.

For example, you can create a recipe to automatically upload your Instagram posts to a Facebook Page’s album.

Or you can set up recipes that will tweet content from a specific user’s Twitter account, or you can sync your Instagram posts to a Pinterest board.

 

The possibilities are endless.

IFTTT is a major time-saver and a helpful automation tool for social-media marketers everywhere.

Tailwind

For visual marketers who use images and video, Tailwind is the answer.

It has hashtag lists and tons of shortcuts for your Instagram and Pinterest marketing.

 

Tailwind also lets you track the performance of your posts to see what works and what doesn’t.

Its competitive pricing makes Tailwind accessible to consultants, small businesses, and large agencies alike.

Unsplash

Visuals in your social-media posts may include photographs of places, objects, events, etc.

A dependable and affordable source of stock photography is an asset for online marketers.

 

Unsplash is one such website that offers over 810,000 photographs in its library.

The most amazing thing about Unsplash is that it’s free, as unbelievable as that sounds.

Meet Edgar

If you think your social-media posts are a mess and need something to organize them, Meet Edgar may be for you.

Use Meet Edgar to find old posts on your social-media profiles and reschedule them.

 

It also has a browser extension to easily add new content you may want to share.

Meet Edgar also lets you edit and update posts in bulk, saving you a lot of time and energy.

Brand24

Keeping tabs on social-media competition can be rather tedious, but not so with Brand24.

This tools notifies you of sudden changes in conversations.

That can help you track down whatever interactions may affect your image.

Data in Brand24 can be filtered however you want and exported to PDF, spreadsheet, or infographics.

If you’re looking to get hardcore with your metrics, Brand24 is great.

Grammarly

If you’re worried about the grammar in your written content, then Grammarly has you covered.

It’s a great all-in-one online grammar, spell-checking, and plagiarism detection tool.

Using Grammarly can make sure your content is both well-written and original.

Canva

Most people don’t have either money for Photoshop or the know-how to properly use it.

Canva is for those who need visuals to go with their content, but need something free and easy.

The drag-and-drop interface makes it very easy for anyone to create good-looking visuals.

It also gives you access to over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts.

Both design novices and professionals can benefit from using Canva for their social-media marketing.

BuzzSumo

This can be considered the online marketer’s multi-tool with its versatility and effectiveness.

BuzzSumo is one of the best tools ever because it can help you find fresh content on the web.

You can enter a topic or keyword to get a breakdown of what’s getting engagements.

It also analyzes domains and back-links, as well as lists of influencers who are sharing that content.

BuzzSumo is a great tool for all sorts of content marketing and social-media campaigns.

 

Adopted from SMALLBIZ

webcare-global-solution-windows-ubuntu

Key Differences in Ubuntu And Windows

by with No Comment DevelopmentGuideNewsTechnologyTips and Tricks

What is Ubuntu vs Windows 10? They both are the operating system. The operating system is the software package that manages the hardware and software instructions and controls the computer.

What is Ubuntu?

 

Ubuntu is open-source software that was developed by Canonical in October 2004. It is a very reliable operating system. Its latest release is Ubuntu 18.10. Basically, it comes with three official editions: Ubuntu Desktop – for the personal computer, Ubuntu Server – for making the servers and Ubuntu Core for the IoT and Robots. Some key features of Ubuntu are given below:

  • It’s an open-source operating system.
  • Ubuntu has a better User Interface.
  • Security point of view, Ubuntu is very safe because of its less useful.
  • Font family in Ubuntu is very much better in comparison to windows.
  • It has a centralized software Repository from where we can download them all required software from that.
  • Unix Environment is the best for the programmer.
  • Command Line interface – It has both a command-line interface as well as the GUI interface.
  • Cost- It’s open-source, which is free of cost.

What is Windows 10?

 

Windows 10 is an operating system series that Microsoft develops. It was released in July 2015. It was launch to target personal computing. The key features of Window 10 are given below:

  • Windows 10 is the latest and the best update of the Windows series.
  • It is the best Operating system for gamers.
  • The UI interface of Windows 10 is very good.
  • Windows10 supports many apps, and keyboard and mouse attraction are very nice in this.
  • We can sync our windows mobile with the Windows 10 operating system very easily.
  • It has a Cortana, which is a visual personal assistant that is very useful and helpful.
  • It has a new browser name as Microsoft edge.
  • It has a better snap assist.

Key Differences between Ubuntu and Windows 10

Both are popular choices in the market; let us discuss some of the major differences.

  • Ubuntu was developed by Canonical, which belongs to a Linux family, while Microsoft develops Windows10.
  • Ubuntu is an open-source operating system, while Windows is a paid and licensed operating system.
  • It is a very reliable operating system in comparison to Windows 10.
  • Handling of Ubuntu is not easy; you need to learn lots of commands, while in Windows 10, handling and learning part is very easy.
  • It is purely an operating system for programming purposes, while Windows can also be used for other things.
  • MS Office doesn’t work properly in Ubuntu, while in Windows10 it will work excellent.
  • Adobe and photoshoot will also not work much properly in Ubuntu, while Windows 10 supports it very well.
  • Ubuntu kernel type is Monolithic while Windows 10 Kernel type is Hybrid.
  • Ubuntu is much secure in comparison to Windows 10.
  • Ubuntu userland is GNU while Windows10 userland is Windows Nt, Net.
  • In Ubuntu, Browsing is faster than Windows 10.
  • Updates are very easy in Ubuntu while in Windows 10 for the update every time you have to install the Java.
  • Ubuntu is the first choice of all Developers and tester because of their several features, while they don’t prefer windows.
  • In Ubuntu, your data privacy is much high compared to Windows 10 because any co-corporation does not own it.
  • Ubuntu doesn’t have any visual assistant, while Windows has Cortana.
  • Ubuntu has a Centralized Application installation, while in Windows 10, this kind of feature is not present.
  • Ubuntu we can run without installing by using in a pen drive, but with Windows 10, this we can’t do.
  • Ubuntu system boots are faster than Windows10.
  • For a Gaming point of view, Windows10 is the best choice for Gamers.

Both operating systems have their unique pros and Cons. Generally, developers and Tester prefer Ubuntu because it’s very robust, secure and fast for programming, while normal users who want to play games and they have work with MS office and Photoshop they will prefer Windows 10. Overall we can say both Ubuntu vs Windows 10 operating systems are well built and full filling the customer needs.

 

webcare-global-solution-phone-charging

Six things you must avoid while charging your phone

by with No Comment Editors PickTips and Tricks

Is been a while since we released any of our Tips and Tricks Article. But recently, we have been receiving lot sof complaints regarding mobile phone batteries so we decided to publish this article.

Many phone users tend to complain that their device’s batteries discharge quickly. They also typically blame the product manufacturer for this issue; however, the manufacturer isn’t always at fault. Here are some five mistakes that users typically make when charging their phones.

Waiting for the Battery to reach low levels before charging

Avoid waiting for your battery to reach a critically low level before charging. The effect of this on your phone battery is not immediate, but over time it begins to manifest and it eventually stresses out your phone battery (yes, batteries get stressed too) and shortens the battery life. Think of your battery as a human body, you really don’t need to wait until you’re about to die before you rest and eat to recharge yourself.

Keeping your phone case on while charging

Your phone typically emits heat when charging. To avoid exposing your device to ambient temperatures, it’s advisable to remove the phone case while charging your phone so that the heat emitted from your phone while charging can escape. This way you can prevent your device from becoming hotter and potentially overheating when charging. Charging your battery at uncomfortable temperatures can permanently damage battery capacity.

Charging your phone in the wrong places

You should mind where you charge your phone, because not doing so can negatively affect your battery capacity. Phones have a temperature range they can function normally and charging your phone in a hot area can raise the temperature and stress the battery out. Also, charging your phone in especially low temperature areas, like in front of an air conditioner, can also cause problems for your battery that will eventually affect its optimum performance.

Charging your phone overnight

The least you’ll sleep throughout the night is most likely going to be between 5 to 8 hours, your smartphone battery typically only needs 2 to 3 hours to fully charge. Charging your phone overnight, constantly stresses your phone battery each night. Sooner than later, your phone is likely to have battery problems. In addition, the temperature rises when the battery is overcharged, so apart from shortening battery life, it can also threaten user’s safety in the event it quickly heats up and explodes. It’s better to charge your phone before you sleep and switch it off while sleeping to preserve the battery till the next day.

Plugging whatever charger fits

This especially applies to smartphones. Most smartphones use a micro USB for its chargers and for this reasons most people tend to switch and swap chargers since it fits into and works on their phones. However, this is not appropriate and in the long run it can negatively affect your phone battery. The fact that most smartphones have the same micro USB doesn’t mean all chargers and phones are compatible. Some chargers function differently and that difference can be detrimental to your device if care is not taken.

Using cheap chargers

You can find a number of manufacturers offering top-grade chargers. No wonder these chargers are cheaper than the original ones. However, there are some that don’t include any safety mechanism against overcharging and continuous fluctuations. Unfortunately, if there is an adapter failure, it can damage the battery as well as a phone. So, act smart and stick to the original charger.

How to Check for and Install Windows Updates

by with One Comment Tips and Tricks

Checking for and installing Windows updates, like service packs and other patches and major updates, is a necessary part of running any Windows operating system.

Windows updates can support your Windows installation in many ways. Windows updates can solve specific problems with Windows, provide protection from malicious attacks, or even add new features to the operating system.

How to Check for and Install Windows Updates

Windows updates are most easily installed using the Windows Update service. While you could certainly download updates manually from Microsoft’s servers, updating via Windows Update is considerably easier to do.

The Windows Update service has changed over the years as Microsoft released new versions of Windows. While Windows updates used to be installed by visiting the Windows Update website, newer versions of Windows include a special built-in Windows Update feature with more options.

Below is the best way to check for, and install, Windows updates for windows 10. This process is critical as Microsoft has warned all windows 10 users to update till August 2019 to prevent a serious hacking issue. 

Check for and Install Updates in Windows 10

Windows Update checking for updates in Windows 10

In Windows 10, Windows Update is found within Settings.

To get there, select the Start menu, followed by the gear/settings icon to the left. In there, choose Update & Security and then Windows Update on the left.

In Windows 10, downloading and installing updates is automatic and will happen immediately after checking or, with some updates, at a time when you’re not using your computer.
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More on Installing Windows Updates

The Windows Update service isn’t the only way to install Windows updates. As mentioned above, updates to Windows can also be downloaded individually from the Microsoft Download Center and then installed manually.

How to Do Technical SEO for Ecommerce Websites

by with No Comment Editors PickTips and Tricks

Ecommerce is one of the fastest growing sectors and is often perceived to be dominated by the likes of Amazon and Walmart.

However, with appropriate marketing strategies, small ecommerce websites can also get their fair share of customers.

That’s where technical SEO comes in. It is crucial for improving your online store’s searchability.

Here are 12 technical SEO tips that will help increase your web traffic and generate more sales.

1. Don’t Miss Out on Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords may not attract more traffic, but they do have higher conversion rates as they allow you to understand the consumer intent correctly.

For example, a keyword such as “maternity yoga pants” rather than simply “pants” clearly shows what a consumer wants.

You have plenty of opportunities to use long-tail keywords in titles, meta descriptions, and product description.

Think about the various search phrases people may use to find a specific product. They will help identify the best suitable long-tail keywords.

You can use tools such as Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Trends for this.

2. Use Unique Title & Meta Descriptions

Create unique titles and meta descriptions for each product page. Try to include the relevant long-tail keyword in both the title and the meta description.

Make your meta descriptions as attractive as possible to encourage users to check out the product page.

For example, “Maternity Yoga Pants – best deals, big discounts, and free shipping on all orders. Order Now!” would be a fitting meta description for a maternity yoga pants page.

Ask your developer to insert such unique titles and meta descriptions dynamically into every page.

3. Check the Site Structure

The site structure should make the content easily accessible to visitors. Keep important pages no more than three clicks away from the home page.

The ideal site structure should be:

Homepage > Categories > Subcategories > Products

You can avoid adding subcategories in smaller sites. Make sure each product belongs to only one category or subcategory.

Similarly, your URL structure should also be clear and consistent.

  • Good URL: www.example.com/brand/category/product_name
  • Bad URL: www.example.com/brand/nsalkjdhsfha

For example, if you are selling a Samsung Galaxy M30 smartphone, the URL should be:

www.example.com/samsung/smartphone/Galaxy-M30 ‎

or

www.example.com/Smartphone/SamsungGalaxy-M30 ‎

However, try to keep the URL length under 160 characters.

4. Use Canonical Tags

Sometimes, large ecommerce sites have product pages reachable from multiple categories. Such situations often lead to different URLs with the same content.

To avoid this, use a canonical tag. This simple HTML element will tell the search engine which version of the URL should be crawled and shown in the search results.

You should proactively use the canonical tag on the homepage as homepage duplicates are quite common in ecommerce sites.

5. Improve Your Crawl Budget

The number of pages on your site which Google search bots will crawl on any given day is your crawl budget.

Low crawl budget can lead to indexing issues affecting your search rankings. Owing to their large size, most ecommerce websites have to optimize their crawl budget.

You can use the Google Search Console to check your crawl budget.

To improve your crawl budget:

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  • Optimize your overall link structure.
  • Increase the number of backlinks.
  • Remove duplicate content.
  • Fix broken links.
  • Update your sitemap regularly.

6. Crawl the Website to Identify & Fix Link Issues

You can use tools such as Screaming Frog, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and DeepCrawl to identify and fix a variety of HTTP error issues including:

  • 3XX redirection errors.
  • 4XX Client errors.
  • 5XX server errors.

You can also identify duplicate or missing page titles, image alt text, H1 tags, or meta descriptions using this crawl.

7. Optimize UX for the Mobile-First Index

The UX in the age of the mobile-first index is a critical SEO factor. Make sure your website has a user-friendly UX that will allow visitors to find products and make online transactions easily.

You must include appropriate graphics, images, animations, and call-to-actions wherever necessary.

Ask your developer to design the site based on the mobile-first index as it will make the mobile version the primary one for indexing. This is important considering 52.2% of all website traffic worldwide came through mobile in 2018.

8. Optimize Images with Alt Text

Images are a critical element in an ecommerce site. All images must have an alt text that provides a clear description.

For example, a blue colored maternity yoga pants image should have the alt text, “blue maternity yoga pant by [brand name].”

Always use descriptive alt text. Customers, not just bots, will read the same information in case the image fails to load.

Screen readers will use this info to tell visually impaired shoppers about the image.

9. Redirect Out-of-Stock Product Pages

Most online stores have a few pages with out-of-stock products.

Although taking such pages down is the usual norm, doing so can lead to a 404 error, which in turn, can negatively affect your search results. Besides, most visitors find the 404 error annoying.

Instead, you can redirect the URL to the next most relevant page. If the product is gone for good, use the 301 (permanent) redirect. If not, you can use the 302 redirect, allowing Google to continue indexing the URL.

10. Create Unique Product Page Content

Apart from creating duplicate content issues, using a slam-dunk copy of the manufacturer’s product description will also affect the overall user experience.

While keeping it unique, try to use a more conversational and enticing tone throughout the content.

You should also avoid creating duplicate content by mistake. Use canonicalization to avoid such issues.

If you have a large number of product pages, focus on creating unique content for the ones that generate a lot of traffic. However, remember to use the “noindex” tag for pages without unique content.

11. Optimize New Product Pages

You will need to add new product pages frequently. When doing so, make sure to adhere to your optimization practices.

Add appropriate long-tail keywords in the titles, meta descriptions, H1, alt text, URL structure, and the content, among other things.

Try to include unique content to avoid duplication issues. Be sure the new page has the same level of optimization as the rest of your site.

12. Use the Latest Technology

Always use the latest technology to protect your online store from potential crashes or cyber hacks. It will also help improve your site indexing and search results.

For example, Magento 2 has a better source code than Magento 1, making it easier to index a Magento 2-based website.

In addition to this, make sure to update every single plugin, add on, shopping cart, and security patch regularly.

Wrapping Up

Ecommerce sites need to consider several aspects of technical SEO.

The key here is to identify and resolve the SEO-related issues right there and then to avoid disastrous consequences in the long run.

Hopefully, the 12 essentials mentioned in this checklist will prove to be great starting points to get your technical ecommerce SEO in order.

Give them a try and see if your website will drive more sales conversions.

ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE: WHY YOU NEED IT & WHICH ONE IS BEST FOR YOUR BUSINESS

by with No Comment Editors PickSecurityTips and Tricks

It’s no secret that cybercrime and data breaches are on the rise. As technology continues to evolve and more and more people plug into the digital world, the number of cyber attacks is increasing, and the need for antivirus software is greater than ever. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, “cyber intrusions are becoming more commonplace, more dangerous, and more sophisticated” on both private and public networks. In 2017, Pennsylvania ranked fifth in the number of cyber victims reported in the United States and had a total loss of $36,319,408 due to attacks.

As a small business owner, you may be thinking, “My company is small – why would we waste the money on antivirus software if we won’t be targeted?” Unfortunately, you will be targeted. In 2018, the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report noted that 58 percent of security incident victims were small businesses. While that number is a bit scary, there are steps you can take to help protect your small business from cyber threats. We’ll walk you through a rundown of what antivirus software is, why you need it, and what will work best for your business.

WHAT IS ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE?

The first big question you may be asking yourself is, “What is antivirus software?”

To put it simply, it’s software that is designed to detect, prevent, and remove viruses and malware from your computer or computer network. Nowadays, antivirus technology also will proactively protect you from a wide variety of malicious software intended to harm your computer systems. Any time you download something from the internet, open an email attachment, or even visit a website, your computer is vulnerable to becoming infected with malware. Antivirus software is designed as a layer of defense to help catch these security risks or find ones you did not know existed.

Unfortunately, having antivirus software installed does not mean you are completely safe. Think of cybersecurity in terms of playing defense on a football team—you don’t just have one line of defense (or in this case, security) on your team. You also have other people, like the linebacker or tackle positions, to keep the ball (or virus) from reaching the goal.

Since antivirus software only protects against known or predictable threats, it cannot always protect from human error. It’s important that you, as a user or small business owner, take the active steps in educating yourself and your team on safe internet and computer security practices.

WHY IS ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE NECESSARY?

As we already mentioned, viruses are not the only threat when it comes to cybersecurity. From Trojans to keyloggers, malicious software is lurking around every corner of the internet. It’s one of the reasons that exercising caution is always the best method of defense and will help you to avoid malware that even your antivirus software may not pick up.

A common misconception is that PC users are the only people that need antivirus software. While Mac and Android devices do not see as many attacks, if your small business only uses Mac computers, you still need to practice good cybersecurity. On the positive side, as technology has improved, so has PC security—Windows 10 now comes with Windows Firewall and Windows Defender as basic security measures to protect your computer.

So is antivirus necessary to prevent against all of these threats? Some may argue “no,” but antivirus software is a necessary player on your security defense team. It’s not going to solve all of your problems, and threats can still get through, but it’s a step in the right direction. If your small business doesn’t have the budget for a big IT department, antivirus software will at least help to protect you from the most common threats to your business.

WHAT IS THE BEST BUSINESS ANTIVIRUS?

Now that you understand the importance of having antivirus software, you’re probably wondering which one to choose. There are many options out there, both free and paid, but we’ll walk you through some of the best antivirus software for small businesses and which one may be right for you.

Free vs. Paid Antivirus Software

Finding the best antivirus software for your business can be daunting, and this raises many questions. Is free software good enough to protect your business? What’s the best business antivirus software for your company? Will paying money for software help better protect your business? These are all valid questions, but there is no straightforward answer—it all comes down to what kind of protection your company needs.

For example, if you own a small business and only have one or two computers with sensitive content on them, utilizing free software and educating staff on smart security procedures may be the answer for you. Programs such as Windows Defender, Avast!, AVG, or Malwarebytes, are good examples of free software that can be used for small businesses or your personal computer. Just be aware that some of the free programs are only licensed for personal use.

On the other hand, if you work with dozens of clients and multiple computers with highly sensitive or financial information, you will want to consider paying for the extra features that come with certain antivirus programs. Having things like spam filters, advanced firewalls, and more detailed scanning may help keep your business more secure. Most of these programs also have free trials so you can always test out which ones you prefer before making a purchase. A few popular choices include, McAfee, BitDefender, Norton, or Symantec and are some of the best PC antivirus programs out there.

The main difference in free versus paid software is that you’re going to get different types of features and security depending on the program that you go with. Do research on each one and see what will work best for you. Just remember that no matter what you choose, any software is better than none.

ARE YOU READY FOR IMPROVED INTERNET SECURITY?

At the end of the day, the best antivirus for your business is the one you don’t have to worry about. If you’re still not sure what to do about antivirus software and internet security, consider working with an IT service provider like Webcare Global Solution. 

(This article was adapted from its author)