Five Top IT Tips: Good Working Practices
Five top tips: Good working practices in the office
There are so many easy things that you can do to ensure you keep good working practices in the office.
Here are our five top IT tips:
1) Restart your computer regularly: It may seem like a joke, but restarting your computer at least once a week is an essential practice to keep it functioning at its best. When you restart, your computer performs important updates and resets, and it also gets the opportunity to cool down. This is especially important for laptops and micro/mini pcs, as their internal components are not designed to handle high temperatures for long periods of time.
2) Shut down your computer at the end of each shift: If you are not on a managed IT services contract, we recommend shutting down your computer at the end of each shift to ensure that updates are performed properly. For managed IT services, restart your machine at the end of your shift and leave it logged out of your profile so that any subscribed automated backups can happen. Screens can be turned off to save power.
3) Don't install applications without vetting them first: It can be tempting to download new and free applications from the internet, but they may be malicious and can contain viruses or open "back doors" for unauthorized access to your device. Ensure that all the necessary software for your job is provided by your manager, and if you require additional software, talk to your manager or contact your IT Support Partner to determine whether it is safe to install.
4) Stay vigilant when receiving antivirus alerts: Antivirus alerts may seem scary, but they are a sign that your antivirus software is doing its job by recognizing malware or a virus on your computer. In this case, there is nothing you need to do except relax and trust that you are being taken care of.
What to do when you get an Antivirus Alert
Sometimes your computer will show you a scary looking virus alert. We often get calls from users who worry about these alerts and wonder what they should do about them. Good news! There is nothing to do. These alerts simply mean that your antivirus software is doing its job.
Of course, if you are still unsure, call or contact us and we can check it out for you.
5)Going away from Your Workstation: The topic of computer security is currently being widely discussed, but one aspect that is often overlooked is physical security. It is crucial to ensure that your computer is secure when you are not using it. Whenever you step away from your computer, it is important to secure it to prevent unauthorized access. Leaving your computer unlocked while unattended can give malicious individuals or internal staff access to sensitive information.
To prevent unauthorized access, you should always lock your computer whenever you are not using it. This can be easily done by pressing
Setting your computer's "Power and Sleep" settings to automatically lock the computer after a period of inactivity is a great way to ensure physical security of your computer. We recommend setting the maximum inactivity time to 5 minutes. This means that if you forget to lock your computer, it will automatically lock after being idle for a short period of time, minimizing the potential for unauthorized access to your sensitive information.
If you require any more information on any of these five tips or practices, or how to increase your security in the office, please reach out to CT Business Solutions, your local ITA member.
This article was kindly written by our IT Alliance colleague Victoria McNoe from Decision1 in Dunedin
IT Alliance Members:
CT Business Solutions - Hamilton
@Computer - Northland
IT Live Auckland
Technology Partners - Tauranga
Vision Lab - Te Puke
AdvancedIT - Rotorua
BlackSANZ - New Plymouth
GTB - Kapiti, Wellington
Decision1 IT Solutions - Dunedin
IT Centre - Wanaka
Voicecom - Invercargill
IT Alliance Website
Last updated: 15/02/2023
Tech Tips 2022
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