Your Computer is Under Attack!

Your computer is under attack!

Having worked in the IT industry for over eight years I often find that when explaining technical matters to end users, its best understood if you make everyday comparisons to the topic at hand. I use both the Microsoft and Apple platforms on a day to day basis in my work, and a topic that I often find myself discussing with customers is security. We live in a time where our dependence on technology continues to grow at alarming rates and as in most uses it has its pros and its cons. A news segment was recently published to create “user awareness” of a potential infection running wild on the Internet. I unfortunately didn’t see the news segment when it was aired but later played it on my computer when the following day I found myself smoothing the concerns of numerous users who contacted me wanting to ensure they were protected from this “wild infection.”

Sadly we live in a society where the intentions of many are laced with maliciousness coupled with darkness; there do exist many harmful infections on the Internet that can cause loss of revenue and, more importantly, your time. When someone finds themselves in the market to purchase a new vehicle, either they know or learn in the process that maintenance is critical to ensuring that said vehicle stays running in pristine condition. Vehicles are machines that get us from point A to B for numerous reasons, when you really think about it computers are no different. We depend on them to conduct business, or stay in touch with loved ones or colleagues, etc. They, too, require maintenance, and when done regularly they maintain a state of happy computing.

Having been a veteran in the IT industry, I have acquired countless stories, some humorous and others not so humorous. What I witness, more often than I would like to, is companies that sell consumers products that are supposed to “protect them” when in fact all they do is add to the problem. A very unappreciated human characteristic that the IT industry ignores is trust, consumers trust you to ensure there computers run well and ensure you equip them with the digital tools needed to be productive in any work environment. There exist many companies, such as Norton and McAfee just to name a few, that do an extremely poor job at providing products that efficiently and effectively provide the consumer with adequate protection.

I often find companies in other countrys make the best products and they do it with a much smaller price tag! So the logical question is, "Why is your computer under attack?"