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One phishing attack can mean hours of costly downtime. Stay on top of the newest phishing trends so you can prepare your team... In 2020, 75% of companies around the world experienced a phishing attack. Phishing remains one of the biggest dangers to your business's health and wellbeing because it’s the main delivery method for all types of cyberattacks. One phishing email can be responsible for a company succumbing to ransomware and having to face costly downtime. It can also lead a user to unknowingly hand over the credentials to a company email account that the hacker then uses to send targeted attacks to customers. Phishing takes advantage of human error, and some phishing emails use sophisticated tactics to fool the recipient into divulging information or infecting a network with malware. Mobile phishing threats skyrocketed by 161% in 2021. Your best safeguards against the continuous onslaught of phishing include: Email filtering DNS filtering Next-gen antivirus/anti-malware Ongoing employee cybersecurity awareness training To properly train your employees and ensure your IT security is being upgraded to meet the newest threats you need to know what new phishing dangers are headed your way. Here are some of the latest phishing trends that you need to watch out for in 2022 PHISHING IS INCREASINGLY BEING SENT VIA TEXT MESSAGE Fewer people are suspicious of text messages than they are of unexpected email messages. Most phishing training is usually focused on the email form of phishing because it’s always been the most prevalent. But cybercrime entities are now taking advantage of the easy availability of mobile phone numbers and using text messaging to deploy phishing attacks. This type of phishing (called “smishing”) is growing in volume. People are receiving more text messages now than they did in the past, due in large part to retailers and service businesses pushing their text updates for sales and delivery notices. This makes it even easier for phishing via SMS to fake being a shipment notice and get a user to click on a shortened URL. BUSINESS EMAIL COMPROMISE IS ON THE RISE Ransomware has been a growing threat over the last few years largely because it’s been a big money-maker for the criminal groups that launch cyberattacks. A new up-and-coming form of attack is beginning to be quite lucrative and thus is also growing. Business email compromise (BEC) is on the rise and being exploited by attackers to make money off things like gift card scams and fake wire transfer requests. What makes BEC so dangerous (and lucrative) is that when a criminal gains access to a business email account, they can send very convincing phishing messages to employees, customers, and vendors of that company. The recipients will immediately trust the familiar email address, making these emails potent weapons for cybercriminals. SMALL BUSINESSES TARGETED MORE FREQUENTLY WITH SPEAR PHISHING There is no such thing as being too small to be attacked by a hacker. Small businesses are targeted frequently in cyberattacks because they tend to have less IT security than larger companies. 43% of all data breaches target small and mid-sized companies, and 40% of small businesses that become victims of an attack experience at least eight hours of downtime as a result. Spear phishing is a more dangerous form of phishing because it’s targeted and not generic. It’s the type deployed in an attack using BEC. It used to be that spear-phishing was used for larger companies because it takes more time to set up a targeted and tailored attack. However, as large criminal groups and state-sponsored hackers make their attacks more efficient, they’re able to more easily target anyone. A result is small businesses receiving more tailored phishing attacks that are harder for their users to identify as a scam. USE OF INITIAL ACCESS BROKERS TO MAKE ATTACKS MORE EFFECTIVE We just discussed the fact that large criminal groups are continually optimizing their attacks to make them more effective. They treat cyberattacks like a business and work to make them more profitable all the time. One way they are doing this is by using outside specialists called Initial Access Brokers. This is a specific type of hacker that only focuses on getting the initial breach into a network or company account. The increasing use of these experts in their field makes phishing attacks even more dangerous and difficult for users to detect. BUSINESS IMPERSONATION IS BEING USED MORE OFTEN As users have gotten savvier about being careful of emails from unknown senders, phishing attackers have increasingly used business impersonation. This is where a phishing email will come in looking like a legitimate email from a company that the user may know or even do business with. Amazon is a common target of business impersonation, but it also happens with smaller companies as well. For example, there have been instances where website hosting companies have had client lists breached and those companies sent emails impersonating the hosting company and asking the users to log in to an account to fix an urgent problem. More business impersonation being used in phishing attacks mean users have to be suspicious of all emails, not just those from unknown senders. IS YOUR COMPANY ADEQUATELY PROTECTED FROM PHISHING ATTACKS? It’s important to use a multi-layered strategy when it comes to defending against one of the biggest dangers to your business's wellbeing. Get started with a cybersecurity review of your current security posture and identify ways to improve. Article used with permission from The Technology Press.

Think your business is too small for hackers to worry about? Think again! Smaller companies are being hit 3x more than larger ones. Let's explore the reasons why this trend exists... Have you felt more secure from cyberattacks because you have a smaller business? Maybe you thought that you couldn’t possibly have anything that a hacker could want? Didn’t think they even knew about your small business. Well, a report by cybersecurity firm Barracuda Networks debunks this myth. Their report analyzed millions of emails across thousands of organizations. It found that small companies have a lot to worry about when it comes to their IT security. Barracuda Networks found something alarming. Employees at small companies saw 350% more social engineering attacks than those at larger ones. It defines a small company as one with less than 100 employees. This puts small businesses at a higher risk of falling victim to a cyberattack. We’ll explore why below. Why Are Smaller Companies Targeted More? There are many reasons why hackers see small businesses as low-hanging fruit, and why they are becoming larger targets of hackers out to score a quick illicit buck. Small Companies Tend to Spend Less on Cybersecurity When you’re running a small business, it’s often a juggling act of where to prioritize your cash. You may know cybersecurity is important, but it may not be at the top of your list. So, at the end of the month, cash runs out, and it’s moved to the “next month” wish list of expenditures. Small business leaders often don’t spend as much as they should on their IT security. They may buy an antivirus program and think that’s enough to cover them. But with the expansion of technology to the cloud, that’s just one small layer. You need several more for adequate security. Hackers know all this and see small businesses as an easier target. They can do much less work to get a payout than they would trying to hack into an enterprise corporation. Every Business Has “Hack-Worthy” Resources Every business, even a 1-person shop, has data that’s worth scoring for a hacker. Credit card numbers, SSNs, tax ID numbers, and email addresses are all valuable. Cybercriminals can sell these on the Dark Web. From there, other criminals use them for identity theft. Here are some of the data that hackers will go after: Customer records Employee records Bank account information Emails and passwords Payment card details Small Businesses Can Provide Entry Into Larger Ones If a hacker can breach the network of a small business, they can often make a larger score. Many smaller companies provide services to larger companies. This can include digital marketing, website management, accounting, and more. Vendors are often digitally connected to certain client systems. This type of relationship can enable a multi-company breach. While hackers don’t need that connection to hack you, it is a nice bonus. They can get two companies for the work of one. Small Business Owners Are Often Unprepared for Ransomware Ransomware has been one of the fastest-growing cyberattacks of the last decade. So far in 2022, over 71% of surveyed organizations experienced ransomware attacks. The percentage of victims that pay the ransom to attackers has also been increasing. Now, an average of 63% of companies pay the attacker money in hopes of getting a key to decrypt the ransomware. Even if a hacker can’t get as much ransom from a small business as they can from a larger organization, it’s worth it. They often can breach more small companies than they can larger ones. When companies pay the ransom, it feeds the beast and more cyber criminals join in. And those newer to ransomware attacks will often go after smaller, easier-to-breach companies. Small Company Employees Usually Aren’t Trained in Cybersecurity Another thing is not usually high on the list of priorities for a small business owner. We're talking about ongoing employee cybersecurity training. They may be doing all they can just to keep good staff. Plus, priorities are often sales and operations. Training employees on how to spot phishing and password best practices often isn’t done. This leaves networks vulnerable to one of the biggest dangers, human error. In most cyberattacks, the hacker needs help from a user. It’s like the vampire needing the unsuspecting victim to invite them inside. Phishing emails are the device used to get that unsuspecting cooperation. Phishing causes over 80% of data breaches. A phishing email sitting in an inbox can’t usually do anything. It needs the user to either open a file attachment or click a link that will take them to a malicious site. This then launches the attack. Teaching employees how to spot these ploys can significantly increase your cybersecurity. Security awareness training is as important as having a strong firewall or antivirus. Need Affordable IT Security for Your Small Business? Reach out today to schedule a technology consultation. We offer affordable options for small companies. This includes many ways to keep you protected from cyber threats. Article used with permission from The Technology Press.

Computer underperforming lately? These top signs of malware on your system may reveal the reason why... Malware is an umbrella term that encompasses many different types of malicious code. It can include: Viruses Ransomware Spyware Trojans Adware Key loggers And more... The longer that malware sits on your system unchecked, the more damage it can do. Approximately 34% of businesses take a week or longer to regain access to their data and systems once hit with a malware attack. Most forms of malware have a directive built in to spread to as many systems as possible. So, if not caught and removed right away, one computer could end up infecting 10 more on the same network in no time. Early detection is key so you can disconnect an infected device from your network and have it properly cleaned by a professional. Keep an eye out for these key warning signs of malware infection so you can jump into action and reduce your risk. STRANGE POPUPS ON YOUR DESKTOP Some forms of malware can take on the disguise of being an antivirus app or warranty notice that pops up on your screen. Hackers try to mimic things that users may have seen from a legitimate program, so they’ll be more apt to click without thinking. If you begin to see a strange “renew your antivirus” subscription alert or a warranty renewal that doesn’t quite make sense, these could be signs that your PC has been infected with adware or another type of malware. NEW SLUGGISH BEHAVIOR Computers can become sluggish for a number of reasons, including having too many browser tabs open at once or running a memory-intensive program. But you’ll typically know your computer and the types of things that slow it down. If you notice new sluggish behavior that is out of the ordinary, this could be an infection. One example would be if you don’t have any programs open except notepad or another simple app, and yet you experience freezing. When malware is running in the background, it can often eat up system resources and cause your system to get sluggish. APPLICATIONS START CRASHING Applications should not just crash out of the blue. There is always a reason. Either the software is faulty, there’s been an issue with an update, or something else may be messing with that application’s files. If you suddenly experience apps crashing, requiring you to restart the app or reboot your system, this is another telltale sign that a virus, trojan, or other malicious code has been introduced. YOUR BROWSER HOME PAGE IS REDIRECTED If you open your browser and land on a homepage that is not the one you normally see, have your PC scanned for malware right away. Redirecting a home page is a common ploy of certain types of malware. The malware will infect your system and change the system setting for your default browser home page. This may lead you to a site filled with popup ads or to another type of phishing site. Just trying to change your homepage back in your settings won’t fix the situation. It’s important to have the malware removed. SUDDEN REBOOTS Another annoying trait of certain types of malicious code is to make your system reboot without warning. This can cause you to lose the work you’ve just done and can make it difficult to get anything done. This may happen when malware is changing core system files behind the scenes. With files corrupted, your system becomes unstable and can often reboot unexpectedly. YOU’RE MISSING HARD DRIVE SPACE If you find that a good deal of your hard drive space that used to be open is now gone, it could be a malware infection taking up your space. Some types of malware may make copies of files or introduce new files into your system. They will cleverly hide, so don’t expect to see the word “malware” on a file search. Instead, the dangerous activities will usually be masked by a generic-sounding name that you mistake for a normal system file. YOU RUN ACROSS CORRUPTED FILES If you open a file and find it corrupted, this could be a red flag that ransomware or another form of malware has infected your system. While files can occasionally become corrupt for other reasons, this is a serious issue that deserves a thorough malware scan if you see it. PC “PROCESSING SOUNDS” WHEN THERE SHOULDN’T BE Most of us are familiar with those “thinking sounds” when our computer is processing something memory intensive. You’ll usually hear a type of whirring that will go away once you finish that activity. If you begin hearing this processing sound when you’re not doing anything particularly intense on your computer, this could be a sign that malware is running in the background and it should be checked out. GET EXPERT MALWARE SCANNING & REMOVAL Free online malware and virus scans aren’t very reliable. Instead, come to a professional that can ensure your entire system is cleaned properly. Contact us at Gigabits today and we'll be happy to discuss what we can do for you to get your PC running smoothly again! Republished with Permission from The Technology Press

Your business can benefit a lot from working with an IT provider. However, you need to avoid several key mistakes when choosing your team. Time spent on trying to figure out the technology you use in your business can be costly. While doing that, you can’t focus on your business needs, which can then result in poor customer satisfaction. This is where IT providers come into play. They enable you to outsource hardware and computing-related services, such as managed IT security and cloud computing. IT providers can also provide a robust IT infrastructure so that you can direct your attention to revenue-generating activities. While there are numerous IT providers to choose from, not all of them may accommodate your business’s specific needs. And integrating with the wrong team can raise your spending due to irrelevant services, recurring security issues, data backup problems, and downtime. Therefore, you need to be extra careful when selecting your team. The only way to avoid disappointment is to avoid these eight common mistakes when looking for the right IT provider. THE SEVEN MISTAKES MISTAKE #1 - INSISTING ON THE NEWEST TECHNOLOGY Many advertisers want to trick you into believing that the latest technology will resolve all your issues. While the newest virtualization or cloud offerings can boost operations in many enterprises, they might not suit your business. Hence, don’t let the hype surrounding new products dazzle you. Carefully consider the results your IT provider will help you achieve and determine if the investment enables you to fulfill them. Your provider shouldn’t confuse you with state-of-the-art features – they should guide you and allow for seamless integration. MISTAKE #2 - FAILURE TO CONSIDER THE RESPONSE TIMES Determining the response times of your prospective IT providers is essential. You need to ask them how long they usually take to reply to queries and resolve problems. Be sure to gauge their onsite support efficiency, too. Not inquiring about their availability is another grave error. Your IT team should provide round-the-clock services, including specialists that will monitor your system. Constant monitoring and availability can help ensure you can detect IT issues early. With this, the provider can immediately administer patches and updates to safeguard against disasters. Furthermore, your IT provider should offer simple access to their desk support. You should be able to contact them via email, phone, and chat for instant guidance. MISTAKE #3 - NEGLECTING THE SECURITY ASPEC Disregarding the security features of your IT provider might be the most severe mistake. Teams with improper defense mechanisms can’t shield your system from cyber attackers, increasing the risk of losing data and access to resources. To avoid this, look for IT providers that can protect you from malware and other threats. They also need to prioritize protecting your business’s confidential data, like trade secrets and customer information. When it comes to specific security measures, your IT provider should have features that prevent data intrusions instantly upon detection. The list includes phishing attacks simulations, web content filtering, DNS security, endpoint protection, mobile device management, and dark web protection. In addition, responsible teams should eliminate point-of-sale and network intrusions before they compromise your system. Making sure they abide by security compliance and government regulations is also paramount MISTAKE #4 - FORGETTING THE BUDGET Many IT companies operate under pay-as-you-go pricing schemes. Although this helps you minimize upfront investment, adopting a large number of technologies simultaneously without considering the recurring costs can cripple your finances. Thus, think twice before signing on the dotted line. Research your providers thoroughly and draft your budget with professional assistance. These steps can prevent considerable frustration down the line. MISTAKE #5 - NOT DETERMINING SCALABILITY One of the biggest impediments to growing your company is choosing an IT provider with poor scalability. By contrast, scalable IT teams allow your business to evolve and grow. They can continually extend their services to accommodate your company’s goals, even if these goals change MISTAKE #6 - OPTING FOR A NON-RESPONSIVE SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT Service level agreements (SLAs) hold IT providers accountable for their services. It establishes standards for responsibilities, quality, scope, and delivery time in writing. Without it, you’ll have no way of ensuring transparent collaboration. When selecting your IT provider, find one with a responsive agreement. It can help guarantee the SLA scales with their services while rendering continual improvement. MISTAKE #7 - IGNORING EXPERIENCES WITH PREVIOUS CLIENTS Choosing an IT provider is similar to buying standard products and services. Failure to check user reviews can lead to disappointment. To get a clear picture of your IT team’s capabilities, analyze their current and previous clients from similar industries. Look for reviews, testimonials, and ask the provider for a list of projects and references. After doing your due diligence, you should be able to tell whether an IT provider is an ideal match for your company. However, keep in mind that every IT team is different. For instance, they might be well-versed in the healthcare industry but have no experience working with retailers. That’s why as mentioned, stick to IT providers servicing your industry to get the best results. FIND THE RIGHT FIT Nobody wants to end up with a poor IT provider that can’t deliver great results, leaves your company open to cyberattacks, and causes other vulnerabilities. Your investment goes down the drain, and your operations suffer. Luckily, we can show you a way out. Let’s arrange a quick, 10-15-minute obligation-free chat. We can discuss more ways on how to find the right IT provider for you and ensure you get your money’s worth. Republished with Permission from The Technology Press

Managing data and IT solutions in-house can be challenging and expensive. That's why many organizations turn to MSPs. Digitalization has forced businesses to alter their operations and make IT a huge part of their day-to-day affairs. Still, some owners can't cope with the change effectively, so they hire a managed service provider, or MSP, to take care of the work. But what exactly is an MSP? Simply put, this is a third-party company you can collaborate with to help manage parts of your business, such as your IT or cloud needs. It provides technology and expertise to boost your organization’s scalability. Working with MSPs can have tremendous benefits for your enterprise. For instance, their profound understanding of cutting-edge technology can help you improve performance, operations, and security while reducing overheads. In addition, they can offer several creative solutions to help you navigate the evolving landscape of the big data world. But the strongest suit of any MSP is usually their ability to deliver tailor-made solutions that fit your company perfectly. Their expertise allows them to analyze your business thoroughly and render their services according to your strengths and weaknesses. Plus, they consider the regulatory environment and compliance to safeguard against legal issues. Another great thing about MSPs is that they can support your business even after hours. They offer support measures and staff to maintain and protect your organization 24/7. MSPs can even tap into your system to resolve issues and deploy updates without going to your office using remote technology. Overall, MSPs can help take your company to the next level. However, you can't work with just any service provider. You need to select the right team for your enterprise, and this article will show you how. CHOOSING AN MSP – WHAT TO LOOK FOR Hiring an MSP shouldn't be a hasty decision. Instead, you want to take a variety of factors into account. Here are the five important factors to keep in mind: FACTOR #1. THE MSP'S TRACK RECORD Prospective MSPs should provide case studies and success stories to demonstrate they're suitable for your business. You can also look for testimonials, references, and endorsements. These will help you determine if the team has been operating for a while and if its reputation is solid. Working with a reputable MSP can give you peace of mind with the knowledge that your system will be appropriately managed. Moreover, you'll feel confident that the MSP will do all in its power to preserve its name. The MSP's success hinges on yours in some respect, which is why they'll view you as a valuable partner. FACTOR #2. THE RANGE OF SERVICES IT PROVIDES MSPs offer a wide array of services. Some teams are full-service companies, meaning they address your cloud and IT needs comprehensively. In contrast, others may help you with different pieces of your tech puzzle. Therefore, consider your needs carefully and ensure your MSP can meet them. Regardless of your service package, the MSP needs to keep up with the latest technology trends. Otherwise, numerous security issues may compromise your company and allow the competition to prevail over you. FACTOR #3. RESPONSE TIME Your network can go down for any number of reasons, preventing your employees from working and your clients from reaching you. This situation can even cripple your reputation, customer base, and revenue. In the worst-case scenario, it can even make you shut down your business. Fortunately, a high-quality MSP can help you avoid this scenario. They can identify threats to your system and neutralize them before hurting your company. Moreover, if an incident takes place, they should respond immediately. They need to mitigate the risks as soon as possible to keep your organization from crumbling. FACTOR #4. SECURITY AND BACKUP One of the most important duties your MSP should perform is to shield your data from cyberattacks. This is critical to protecting your company and customers. Besides, safe data storage might be mandatory in your industry, which is why your IT department could use all the help they can get. Once you work with an MSP, they should recommend robust security solutions and endpoint protection to combat harmful software. And throughout their engagement, they should consider compliance to help prevent legal issues. Another major part of their mission should be the implementation of backup software. It enables you to retrieve your data in case of a breach. Such implementation may involve automation, a restoration plan, and a no-downtime policy. With a failproof backup and security strategy in place, you should be able to run your company more confidently. The risk of downtime will be drastically lower, allowing you to operate smoothly, maintain high sales, retain customers, and preserve your brand. FACTOR #5. GUIDANCE ON WORKFLOW OPTIONS Your MSP shouldn't just deal with cybersecurity – they should also suggest adopting the best practices across the entire tech landscape. For example, they should advise you on various CRM solutions and project management applications. They should also help you revamp your approach to workflow and data to create efficiency in all departments. The fact is, you can yield tremendous results from their guidance. Your team can work faster, collaborate in real time, and be more tech-savvy. RECRUIT YOUR MSP CAREFULLY While price is important when selecting an MSP, it pales in comparison to all the factors listed above. Be sure they're a perfect fit for your enterprise, even if you need to pay more. With high expertise, customized services, and an understanding of threats, a reputable team can help you stay ahead of your competitors. If you need more assistance choosing your MSP, get in touch with our experienced team. Let's schedule a quick 15-minute chat and figure out the ideal MSP for your company. Republished with Permission from The Technology Press

Are you monitoring all the different endpoints that connect to your network? Each of these represents a potential data breach. Learn how to better protect your network with this simple endpoint protection guide. Endpoints make up much of a company’s network and IT infrastructure. This is a collection of computers, mobile devices, servers, and smart gadgets. As well as other IoT devices that all connect to the company network. The number of endpoints a company has will vary by business size. Companies with less than 50 employees have about 22 endpoints. Small businesses with 50-100 employees have roughly 114. Enterprise organizations with 1,000+ employees average 1,920 endpoints. Each of those devices is a chance for a hacker to penetrate a company’s defenses. They could plant malware or gain access to sensitive company data. An endpoint security strategy addresses endpoint risk and puts focused tactics in place. 64% of organizations have experienced one or more compromising endpoint attacks. In this guide, we’ll provide you with straightforward solutions. Solutions focused on the protection of endpoint devices. Address Password Vulnerabilities Passwords are one of the biggest vulnerabilities when it comes to endpoints. The news reports large data breaches all the time related to leaked passwords. For example, there is the RockYou2021 breach. It exposed the largest number of passwords ever – 3.2 billion. Poor password security and breaches make credential theft one of the biggest dangers to cybersecurity. Address password vulnerabilities in your endpoints by: Training employees on proper password creation and handling Look for passwordless solutions, like biometrics Install multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all accounts Apply Security Policies Throughout the Device Lifecycle From the time a device is first purchased to the time it retires, you need to have security protocols in place. Tools like Microsoft AutoPilot and SEMM allow companies to automate. They deploy healthy security practices across each lifecycle phase. This ensures a company doesn't miss any critical steps. Examples of device lifecycle security include when a device is first issued to a user. This is when you should remove unnecessary privileges. When a device moves from one user to another, it needs to be properly cleaned of old data. And reconfigured for the new user. When you retire a device, it should be properly scrubbed. This means deleting all information and disconnecting it from any accounts. Update All Endpoint Security Solutions You should regularly update your endpoint security solutions. It’s best to automate software updates if possible so they aren’t left to chance. Firmware updates are often forgotten about. One reason is that they don’t usually pop up the same types of warnings as software updates. But they are just as important for ensuring your devices remain secure and protected. It’s best to have an IT professional managing all your endpoint updates. They'll make sure updates happen in a timely fashion. They will also ensure that devices and software update smoothly. Use Modern Device & User Authentication How are you authenticating users to access your network, business apps, and data? If you are using only a username and password, then your company is at high risk of a breach. Use two modern methods for authentication: Contextual authentication Zero Trust approach Contextual authentication takes MFA a step further. It looks at context-based cues for authentication and security policies. These include several things. Such as, what time of day someone is logging in, their geographic location, and the device they are using. Zero Trust is an approach that continuously monitors your network. It ensures every entity in a network belongs there. Safelisting of devices is an example of this approach. You approve all devices for access to your network and block all others by default. Stop Malware Infection Before OS Boot USB drives (also known as flash drives) are a popular giveaway item at trade shows. But an innocent-looking USB can actually cause a breach. One trick that hackers use to gain access to a computer is to boot it from a USB device containing malicious code. There are certain precautions you can take to prevent this from happening. One of these is ensuring you’re using firmware protection that covers two areas. These include Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Security. TPM is resistant to physical tampering and tampering via malware. It looks at whether the boot process is occurring properly. It also monitors for the presence of anomalous behavior. Additionally, seek devices and security solutions that allow you to disable USB boots. Prepare for Device Loss or Theft Unfortunately, mobile devices and laptops get lost or stolen. When that happens, you should have a sequence of events that can take place immediately. This prevents company's risk of data and exposed business accounts. Prepare in advance for potential device loss through backup solutions. Also, you should use endpoint security that allows remote lock and wipe for devices. Reduce Your Endpoint Risk Today! Get help putting robust endpoint security in place, step by step. We can help! Contact us today for a free consultation. Republished with Permission from The Technology Press

Purchasing a new computer is a big investment. Many small businesses and home PC owners end up struggling with older systems because they want to get as many years out of them as possible. Have you found yourself banging on your keyboard in frustration? Have you tried every tip and trick you found online, only to still struggle with a slow PC? There are some promising upgrades you can do that will cost much less than the price of a new computer, while making your PC feel like new again. Here are some of the options you can try to improve the performance of an older computer. UPGRADE TO A SOLID-STATE DRIVE (SSD) Prices for solid-state drives have come down quite a bit in the past few years, making them an affordable upgrade that can breathe life back into an older PC that might be slowing down. Unlike hard disk drives (HDDs), SSDs do not have any moving parts and use a flash memory that allows for a quicker response time. You can improve your time to boot and your experience when searching files, opening applications, and other activities. Some of the advantages of upgrading your computer’s hard drive to SSD include: SSD read/write speeds up to 2500 MB/second compared to HDD at up to 200 MB/second SSD access time of 0.1ms as compared to HDD at 5.5-8.0ms SSDs use between 2-5 watts of energy compared to HDD at 6-15 watts INCREASE THE RAM (MEMORY) One upgrade that is very low-cost and can mean a significant increase in performance is a memory upgrade. If your PC was one of the cheaper ones that only had 4GB of RAM when you bought it, you likely have trouble opening too many tabs in your browser or using any graphics-heavy program. Upgrading your RAM, if your PC has available memory slots, to 8GB or 12GB can make it seem like you have an entirely new computer due to the big increase in speed. UPGRADE THE GRAPHICS CARD If you play computer games or work in any type of video, imaging, or 3D software, an outdated graphics card can ruin your experience. Instead of replacing your entire computer, just upgrading the graphics card to a more robust model can improve your PC’s performance and give you several more useful years from it. REPLACE YOUR PC COOLING SYSTEM Heat is an enemy of your computer’s internal parts. If your cooling system is getting worn out and not working the way it should be, then excess heat can be building up inside your device. When this happens things can get strange, with programs crashing or your system rebooting on its own. If you suspect excess heat may be an issue, have your computer’s fan and cooling system checked out to see if it needs replacing. CONNECT AN EXTERNAL MONITOR TO A LAPTOP If you’re working on a laptop and having a hard time multi-tasking due to limited screen real estate, consider getting an external monitor rather than replacing your entire PC. Monitors are just a fraction of the cost of computers and having a screen twice the size of the one on your laptop can make all the difference in the world and improve productivity due to the additional screen space. REPLACE YOUR KEYBOARD Older keywords can stick, lose keys, and have the writing rubbed off the keys, making it more difficult to tell a “prt screen” from a “delete” button. If the performance of your PC is hampered by a frustrating keyboard, an upgrade can be a very inexpensive way to improve your equipment. GET AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE Computers can slow down and be more difficult to use when the hard drive fills up with data. Over the years, files build up, and many users never take the time to go through and delete those that are unnecessary. Buying an external hard drive can allow you to offload files that may be slowing you down, while still keeping them easily accessible. Another benefit of an external hard drive is that it’s portable and can easily be carried between home and work and used in both places. GET A PROFESSIONAL TUNE-UP Those free PC cleaner tools you find online aren’t going to give you the type of tune-up that a professional IT provider can give. We will go through things like the Windows Registry, duplicate system files, internal errors, and more to clean up your system and remove all the “junk” that has built up over the years. We can also do a maintenance check for things like failing parts and provide expert guidance on your most impactful upgrade options. GET HELP IMPROVING YOUR COMPUTER’S PERFORMANCE TODAY! Don’t struggle with an older PC! We can help you with cost-effective upgrade options that will fit your system and budget perfectly. Republished with Permission from The Technology Press