Data loss is a growing problem, as companies become more dependent on data than ever. The cost of data loss can be massive for many companies.
A data center outage can cost $7,900 in losses every minute. However, the cost of losing data on a regular computer can be significant as well. Many people store valuable company data on their laptops. Some people also store cryptocurrency wallets on their personal computers.
You may not realize how much valuable data rests on your laptop until it is no longer accessible. You will need to take the right steps to protect it.
Protecting Data on Your Laptop is Essential
We all want our laptops and computers to run safely and efficiently. This ensures that our work can be completed in good time, and we won’t spend time recovering hacked files. It is worth noting that network hacks are common in businesses of all sizes. Such attacks can significantly eat into your bottom line and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
You will probably recognize the importance of protecting your laptop data even more when you stop to think of all the valuable documents that you store on it. You might have tax returns, cryptocurrency wallets, work documents and a lot of other important data.
Therefore, it is imperative that you take steps to minimize the risk of data loss on your laptop. In this guide, we will look at some tips that you can use to keep your laptop running safely and efficiently.
Use a Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Exchange is a school or work email account that only runs on Windows operating systems. With this account, you will be able to improve your communication and productivity. It also protects your sensitive data and comes with data loss prevention capabilities.
If you run an organization, you can use a Microsoft Exchange Server to prevent members of your organization from accidentally sending sensitive data to unauthorized people.
Use a Firewall
Data breaches are becoming more common than ever. Over 4.1 billion data records were compromised in the first six months of 2019 alone. You don’t want your laptop to be the cause of a data breach.
Using a firewall is essential for businesses as it ensures that your device is not vulnerable to attacks. You may notice that firewalls affect the performance of your computer slightly, but this is worth it since attacks can paralyze your entire business. Windows and macOS devices have firewalls pre-installed, but you will have to enable them before you go online.
You might be surprised by how much a firewall can do to protect against a data breach. You would rather be safe than sorry.
Update Windows, Drivers, and Apps
Windows continually issues security and driver updates, and you should always download and install them. This helps to protect your system from malicious attacks. Hackers may discover security loopholes in outdated programs, so you should also take the time to download and install updates to your apps.
End Tasks that Are Consuming Resources
If your device is suddenly running a lot slower, it is likely that there is a new program that is consuming resources. You can consider shutting down certain apps that use a lot of data, and if this doesn’t work, you can go to the task manager and click the ‘Processes’ tab.
You can sort the apps based on the resources they are consuming. To close a program completely, you should right-click the application and click the ‘End Task’ button.
Stop Programs from Running on Startup
You may have noticed that some programs run whenever you start your laptop. Such programs can use a lot of data and slow down your laptop, which is why you need to stop them from running on startup. That said, you need to leave a few essential programs to always run, including your antivirus software.
To disable programs, you should access the task manager by right-clicking the taskbar or hitting Ctrl+Shift+Esc. You can then click the ‘Startup’ tab and disable unnecessary apps. For improved efficiency, you should especially disable high-impact programs.
Take Steps to Protect Data on Your Laptops
We have talked about changes in the designs of laptops in the past, but we haven’t talked as much about the risk of data loss or data theft with them. You have to take the right steps to protect your sensitive data.
There are many ways of ensuring that your laptop runs safely and efficiently and that the data on it is safe and secure. You should consider using Microsoft Exchange and installing a firewall. It is also important to update your operating system, drivers, and apps.
Finally, you should stop certain programs from running on startup, and you can even end programs that are taking up too many resources.
