Backup

Best Computer Backup Solution: Which Service is the Best? What are Some Useful Features to Look For?

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Losing data is something we all go through at least once in our lives. But as the years go and technology improves, data backup becomes easier and easier. Whether you just need to back up some important files on your PC or big data from your business, it’s important to research your options so you’ll know what the best computer backup is for your needs.

Any personal photos, documents, home videos, or any kind of business data on a computer’s hard drive could be lost due to failure, theft, hacking, house or office fire, etc. While using a free cloud storage service can be helpful, there is always the possibility that your account could get hacked. Plus, you have to upload everything manually yourself. Wouldn’t it be better to schedule backups or arrange for everything to sync into a server off-site automatically in a highly-secure building?

It isn’t just files and documents that can be backed up these days. Your entire OS, programs, and PC settings can also be backed up. While you won’t necessarily need to back all of this stuff up, it really makes life a lot easier in the event that your hard drive fails – especially if you are running a business and don’t have the time to reinstall everything.

There are some additional features offered by the best computer backup service, such as a mapping option and web client that allows you to locate your computer if the mapping is turned on and it is stolen. You should be able to request a copy of everything on an external hard drive and that it be mailed to you immediately if you need it.

Reviews of the Best Computer Backup

Read reviews on services to see which ones offer an easy backup experience. If there is an option to select files by default, this will simplify things considerably since you won’t have to pick and choose what you want to be backed up. If there is a desktop application involved, what is its design like? Is it a minimal design that makes sure users are not overwhelmed with the options? Look at screenshots in reviews.

You might want to have some control over what is saved and what is not saved. If there are files you can do without, you might be able to speed up the process of backing things up. There might or might not be size limitations on the data you backup. Even if there aren’t any, it’s still nice to have control over the backups. Or, if you’d prefer to just have everything always be automated, that should be an option to.

In short, the best computer backup company should provide flexible solutions for home users and business users alike, and that’s exactly what Backblaze offers. There are tons of positive Backblaze reviews as many, many people are satisfied with this company and its services.

Parental Control

App to Limit Phone Time for Families: Why Use This Kind of Tool? What Else Should You Look For?

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People are spending way too much time on their phones these days. It’s not just kids, but adults as well. It’s hard for families to spend quality time together when everyone has mobile screens in front of their faces. In order to start developing better habits for everyone, including yourself, your spouse and your kids, you might want to get an app to limit phone time.

Device addiction is becoming a bigger and bigger problem in most societies around the world. Even people in their early 20s barely remember a time when mobile phones weren’t an important part of our day to day lives. If you’re old enough to remember a time when families spent more quality time together and kids could go outside and play and get exercise, then you can set better examples for your kids by limiting their screen time.

Do this with a parental control program that includes support for mobile devices. Parents can control everyone’s usage by setting time limitations and scheduling “off times”. Do the same for yourself as well so your kids won’t accuse you of being unfair. Encourage the family to enjoy dinner together the old fashioned way, or go for an outing during the weekends. After school, limit your kids’ screen time so that they can do homework. Reward them with screen time for finishing their homework and displaying good behavior.

App to Limit Phone Time With the Right Software

It really is that simple, just as long as you use the right software. There are a lot of companies that claim to offer the best “app to limit phone time”, but not all of them are all that great. Some come with additional features that allow you to better protect your kids from potential dangers commonly found online. Screen time management is usually one feature found in a suite for parental control tools, that allow parents to also filter content, monitor or even block certain apps, monitor their kids’ social media profiles, and even track locations.

The location tracking is one of the most important tools any parent could have. With a location tracking tool running your child’s Android or iOS device, you can track the phone location if your child loses it, or track your child if he or she doesn’t return your calls to find out if he/she is in a possibly dangerous area. A “Panic Button” is a nice safety feature too.

Whether you need these extra features or just want an app to limit phone time for yourself or entire family, Qustodio is the app to use. Qustodio Parental Control has some basic features for free, with the option to upgrade to the Premium version with a lot of extra tools.

Internet Security and Ransomware

Best Protection Against Ransomware Overview: Choosing the Best Program and Protecting Yourself from Being a Victim of Cyber Crime

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Becoming a victim of ransomware is a nightmare for everyone, from individual computer users to large companies that stand lose a fortune if all of their essential, big data is held for ransom by hackers and identity thieves. The cybercriminal promises only to allow the victim access and turn everything back over to the victim after the latter pays the ransom money exactly how the criminal says to pay it. The obvious question most people ask is “what is the best protection against ransomware”?

To start, nothing beats prevention and using caution with every single thing you do on the internet. If you have employees, make sure you have the best practices in place and that they can identity phishing scams, Trojans, and so forth. As great as computer security programs and antiviruses can be, some effort needs to be put in from the humans as well.

If you’re a personal user who just uses your home computer or tablet, then you won’t have to spend as much money on security. Just have a basic understanding of how ransomware occurs in the first place. It could start out with a malicious attachment in a spam email, a hole in an older version of software that you should’ve updated already, an infected file from an external drive, exploit kits, somebody you know figuring out your password, and so forth. Essentially, it can infect your device the same way any kind of malware can infect your device.

Best Protection Against Ransomware Besides Common Sense

The best protection against ransomware, in addition to yourself and your own common sense, is an antivirus program that will protect you against all known attacks as well as those that are just popping up. It will warn you about possibly malicious attachments in spam letters and anything else you might download from the internet, remind you to keep all of your software up-to-date so that no malware can get in through old vulnerabilities, and utilize behavioral detection as the last, yet very powerful line of defense. Make sure you choose a software that has an extremely high detection rate.

However, TRUE cyber security protects you from ALL types of malware, hacking attempts, identity threats, and being spied upon. There are so many possible things that can go wrong when using the internet on a daily basis. It’s important to keep all aspects of security in mind when looking for an internet protection program.

Kaspersky is one of the biggest names in cyber security, and definitely worth considering as the best protection against ransomware. For home users, there is Kaspersky Antivirus and Internet Security. For businesses, there is Kaspersky Total Security and advanced Cyber Security Solutions.

Password Manager

Best App to Store Passwords Info: Understanding How Password Managers Work and Their Most Essential Features

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A password manager app makes it fast, easy, and convenient to log into all of your accounts so you won’t have to keep manually entering them with the tiny smartphone keyboard. It’s also a safe way to keep your personal details stored and encrypted so that no hackers will ever be able to view it and try to steal it. Not all of these managers are particularly good, however. What is the best app to store passwords? What are the most important things to look for?

If you make your passwords easy so that you can remember them, then other people might be able to figure them out as well. If you try and make them hard, you’re probably not going to remember them all. It’s not a good idea to try and use the same one over and over again, either. Once somebody is able to break into one of your accounts, they’ll be able to break into all of them since they’re all the same.

This is why you should choose a reliable, highly-rated password management app. It will generate complex passwords for you and remember them so you won’t have to, and then help you create a “master password”. This is the only password you’ll have to remember with the app. Your own input should be required a little bit. Your data / details will only be entered into the blank fields when you give your permission.

Best App to Store Passwords and Its Features

One neat function that the best app to store passwords uses is the removal of secret item details from the clipboard, so that nobody will be able to use clipboard tools to read it. If there are any attempted security breaches or issues with any of your accounts and details related to the accounts, you should receive a notification right away informing you of the issue.

Two-factor authentication is another important feature to look for. An example of this is the use of a secret key in addition to the master password. The secret key is created locally on whichever device you are using, and will need to be entered with the master password for authentication with the server.

All of the information is stored in an encrypted digital vault or cyber “wallet”. Zero-knowledge technology is important, as it allows only the user to have full control over the encryption and decryption of his / her own data. Even the app provider and storage provider will never be able to decrypt the user’s data.

While there are some pretty good tools out there, the best app to storepasswords is 1Password. It offers zero-knowledge technology, two-factor authentication, and affordable pricing. Choose the right subscription plan for your needs. Check and see if any 1Password coupons before you sign up for an account.

Antivirus

Best Antivirus 2019: Guide to Evaluating Computer Security Programs and Picking the Right One

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It’s almost hard to believe that 2019 is nearing an end, and yet the fight against cyber crime and viruses still goes on, and probably always will. As technology evolves, so do the cyber criminals and thieves. These days they are doing all they can to trick people into giving out their financial details via phishing scams or hold their files as “ransom” until they pay the money. What can be considered as the best antivirus 2019 to help protect people and PCs from such scams and attacks?

To get the best protection possible, you’ll need to choose a security suite that provides all-round protection against current and emerging cyber threats. If you’re a home user, then you probably won’t need business-level protection. If you run a small business, you likely won’t need enterprise-level security. Just look for a solution that best suits your personal needs.

Be careful when trying out antivirus software. Never have more than one installed on your PC or tablet at the same time. This is because their technologies will have conflicts with each other, which could lead to some annoying issues with your computer. If you try out one security suite and don’t like it, uninstall it completely and make sure no traces remain before downloading and installing another program.

Another important consideration when choosing the best antivirus in 2019 is on-demand malware scanning capabilities. Get monitoring in real-time, with the option to run manual vulnerability scans, so that you can always be in control of what is going on with your data.

Best Antivirus 2019 With Up-to-Date Protection

ALWAYS look for up-to-date antivirus testing details and results online. Some independent testing organizations to look into include AV-Comparatives, AV-TEST, Virus Bulletin, and West Coast Labs. Pay close attention to things like detection rates, false positives, and malware removal capabilities. The higher the real-time detection and removal rates and the lower the false positive rates, the better.

The independent labs typically run their tests quarterly and score each program on detection and even give out awards to companies that have a 99%+ detection rate. This industry is always-changing, and each results with each lab can sometimes vary a bit. Look over current results as well as past results and select the antivirus program that has been the most consistent across the different labs in terms of awards and high-detections.

That being said, what IS the best antivirus 2019 software? Bitdefender Antivirus 2019 is a safe choice as it usually performs very well in tests. You can give Bitdefender 2019 free version a try or go ahead and opt for Bitdefender Plus 2020.

Cloud Backup Services: Advantages of Using This Kind of Solution for Your Business

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Even if you have a very small home business, you still might want to look for a professional cloud solution for backing up all of your files and data. Having things backed up on an external hard drive at home is good, but what if something happens and your home gets destroyed? Or everything is stolen? Free and cheap cloud backup services such as Dropbox only offer so much storage and don’t guarantee the best security and encryption protocols.

Think for a moment how important business data is. It is by far your best asset. If all of that data were erased tomorrow, it will be very difficult – if not impossible – to come back. The consequences will especially be bad if you lose clients’ personal details. You could have to deal with lawsuits. Nothing beats the use of a highly-encrypted and secure cloud for a backup solution.

As you probably already know, the cloud offers businesses of all sizes the ability to save data securely in a “cyber vault” that cannot be broken into. The ideal cloud backup services handle the backing-up process automatically so that you won’t have to keep doing everything yourself, such as you would with the ‘free” cloud storage sites. Only those to whom you give permission will have access to the data, and the data can be accessed from anywhere in the world on any device, just as long as the individual trying to access the information goes through the authentication process.

Cloud Backup Services for a Good Price

Don’t worry too much about price – even if you have to pay for quality cloud backup services, you’ll still be reducing annual operating costs, and you won’t need any extra hardware in your own office to store the information as it is done remotely and automatically.

What if you do need a physical copy of all of your data? The right service will give you the option to have everything sent to you via external hard drive or flash drive and shipped overnight. It might cost additional money, but that option is there just in case an emergency situation occurs.

It’s really great to know that this kind of technology is available. Prior to the advent of the cloud, businesses had to rely on software, external hard drives, servers, Linux OS, cooling, extra storage space in the office, and so forth. There was also the cost of having to hire an expert to install everything.

Now, you can save a lot of money and have a peace of mind that everything is being backed up automatically and securely, just as long as you choose the best of the cloud backup services. Many people agree that Backblaze is #1. There are many different levels of services available and you select one that is ideal for your business.

VPN

Trusted VPN Providers: 5 Tips for Determining if a VPN Service is Truly Trustworthy and Reliable

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Many VPN companies are trustworthy for the most part, but there are some that aren’t as transparent and don’t provide a 100% no-logs policy guarantee. The one thing to really watch out for are the “free” VPNs. They have to make their money somehow, so who knows what kinds of underhanded tactics they might try and use. How do you know which ones you can really rely on? What do the most trusted VPN providers offer to make them stand out from the other?

Here are a few features and protocols to look for when comparing various services:

1. Strong, military grade encryption. Only choose a company that encrypts its network traffic with AES-256, uses HMAC with SHA384 for message authentication, and uses 4096-bit RSA with key exchange. If you don’t fully understand what this means, just know that it is VERY strong encryption and it’s guaranteed to keep your network traffic completely private and protected.

2. As for the strong protocols, look for VPN protocols that are known to be absolutely secure, such as IKEv2 / IPSec and OpenVPN. The provider should be transparent about its protocols, and have a long and consistent track record in security.

More Trusted VPN Providers Tips

3. When many people evaluate the trustworthiness of a VPN, they often forget about the actual physical location of the hardware involved. There is actual hardware when it comes to VPN services. When doing research on trusted VPN providers, take the time to read about its physical security and where its infrastructure resides. The best places to have the hardware are secure former military bases and underground data centers. You don’t have to know the exact location, but at least have an idea of what kind of secure facility the physical infrastructure is kept in.

4. There should be DNS-Leak prevention. Not only must your browsing traffic be protected, but your DNS queries should be as well. The ideal VPN service will NOT rely on third-party DNS providers, but will route the DNS-queries through the encrypted tunnel, and make sure that your activity will not be exposed by any leaks from DNS-queries.

5. The “Kill Switch” is a plus. While it’s not necessarily something all users need, it’s still good to have for those who are involved in torrenting and other such activities. This kind of application will automatically block all network traffic in the event that you suddenly lose connection with the virtual private network server. You won’t have to worry about your privacy being compromised by your true IPS address getting exposed.

These are all features you’ll find with only the most trusted VPN providers. If there is one that offers all of these as well as affordable rates, it is ProtonVPN. Discount pricing is sometimes available, depending on which subscription plan / level of service you choose.

Parental Control

Parental Software for Windows: Advice on Selecting the Best Parental Control Suite for Your Home Computers

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While Windows 10 does offer a lot of parental control filters and tools, some older kids might figure out a way to get around them. Kids are very smart when it comes to technology. The only way to ensure that inappropriate content is truly blocked and that your children won’t be able to view anything they shouldn’t be seeing, is to buy some really good parental software for Windows.

What should you look for in parental control programs? One highly essential feature is the ability to filter out keywords. You can enable or disable specific keywords and websites associated with those keywords. However, the software should be intelligent enough to understand the difference between those specific keywords and certain phrases or words that contain some of the same letters. For instance, the classic novel “Middlesex” could be misunderstood as inappropriate by some software packages.

lt’s also important to pay attention to age-specific filtering and settings. What might be inappropriate for a 7 year old isn’t going to be inappropriate for a 17 year old. The younger the child, the less access to the internet they should receive, and the more filters you’ll have to put up. What if you have more than one child with some years and maturity levels apart? There is some great parental software for Windows that allows parents to create separate profiles for each child. If you have older kids with their own personal laptops or tablets, install a copy of the program on their laptop and everything should sync.

Scheduling Options With Parental Software for Windows

Schedule is an important feature for parents who are concerned about how much time their kids are spending on the computer. If it’s for homework and research, that’s okay. But what if they waste all their time playing games or watching entertainment videos on YouTube? Or chat on social media too much? You can control that by setting up a schedule for them. You can allow them to have free internet time as a reward for good behavior.

If you’ve never used parental software for Windows before, then look for a program that has an intuitive user interface. It shouldn’t be TOO easy to figure out, since you don’t want your kids to try and get around it, but you don’t want it to be too difficult for the average parent to use, either.

There are other security tools you might want to use to protect your family computers as well, such as a router / Wi-Fi inspector, anti-fraud protection, anti-virus and anti-malware, and so forth. The best parental software for Windows can be found with Bitdefender Family Pack, which can be used on up to 15 family devices, including Windows, Macs, iOs devices, Android devices, and so forth.

Antivirus

Best Antivirus for Laptop Guide: Top 5 Contenders for 2019 – 2020

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A lot of people these days have the attitude of “I don’t need an antivirus program”, or “a free malware removal tool is enough for my computer”. Unfortunately, free antivirus / anti-malware tools aren’t enough these days. Unless you hardly do anything at all on your laptop, then you’re susceptible for hacking attempts and infected files. Don’t let yourself become a victim – start looking for the best antivirus for laptop users.

You might not even become the victim of a regular antivirus infection. Computer viruses have evolved to something that involves money. Hackers want to infect your laptop so they can try to steal your identity, steal your money from your bank or PayPal account, or make your important documents impossible to access unless you pay ransomware. To prevent any of this from ever occurring, you’re going to need a quality security suite.

What is the best antivirus for laptop? Here are the top options:

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus

With this software, users get multi-layered antivirus protection that keeps them safe from the threats targeting Windows laptops. There is also a version available for Mac users. Bitdefender 2020 is a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface that even beginners can figure out and personalize according to their needs.

Malwarebytes Premium

You’ve probably heard of Malwarebytes, as it is often the most recommended malware removal tool for Windows. However, the free version can only eliminate some existing infections. Take the security to a much higher level by upgrading to Malwarebytes Premium. Its brand new detection engine is capable of finding all types of new threats with less performance impact.

Norton Antivirus Plus

It’s easy to upgrade to the Plus version of Norton Antivirus, and you can opt for monthly or yearling payments. Get real-time threat protection and advanced security tools to protect everything from personal files to financial information. Norton by Symantec has been an award-winning antivirus program for decades.

Kaspersky Internet Security

Not only is it one of the best antivirus for laptop programs, Kaspersky Internet Security offers other useful security tools as well, such as privacy / webcam protection. In addition to Windows protection, security for smartphones and tablets is included in a subscription.

Avast Antivirus

If you want to try the best “free” antivirus possible for the time being, before investing in a security suite, then Avast Free is probably your best choice. This Antivirus program won the 2018 “Product of the Year” award by AV-Comparatives.

Any one of these 5 products can pass as the “best antivirus for laptop”, including Windows and Mac. At this site, you will find Norton coupons, Bitdefender discounts, and plenty of other promo codes for computer security software.

VPN

Best Paid VPN Guide: Important Features and Details to Look for When Choosing the Right VPN for Your Needs

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VPN services are gaining in popularity all across the world as internet users are getting tired of being snooped on by their ISPs and other entities. Those who are looking for a solid virtual private network solution should be careful with their selection. Most experts agree that the “free” ones are definitely NOT good and are lacking in many ways, including in security and privacy. Like it or not, you’ll have to pay for one if you want a truly reliable and honest service. What is the best paid VPN, though? How does it stand apart from others?

It really depends on your specific needs. Some of these platforms focus more on P2P sharing, some put LOTS of extra focus on security and anonymity (for journalists who want to hide their research and contacts and anyone else in a profession that requires extra cyber security), some focus on video streaming, some focus on speed, and so forth.

Many users look for ways to get around region-restricted content. Are you getting tired of “This content is blocked in your country” messages whenever you click on a video? If you want to watch videos in other countries that you can’t watch in your own, then the best paid VPN for you will help you get around that.

No matter what you want to use a virtual private network platform for, make sure you understand how the technology works and that that particular platform guarantees that you get that level of security. When connected to one of the virtual servers, your internet connection should be routed through encrypted through tunnels. There is no way any person, organization, or even the VPN provider itself will be able to eavesdrop on your connection, as all outgoing and incoming data should be completely encrypted.

Best Paid VPN Speed and Location

Speed is another important thing to consider – especially if you are going to be streaming content or participating in torrenting / P2P sharing. If a particular VPN company is getting a lot of negative reviews and complaints about being slow, then it probably isn’t the best paid option. However, if there is a free trial, you still might want to consider trying it for yourself.

As for the locations of the servers, the more available in as many countries as possible around the world, the better.

One place you might want to start your search for the best paid VPN is ProtonVPN – especially considering it has three levels of “paid VPN” services, including Basic, Plus, and Visionary. There is also a free version, but the speeds are only medium and you can only connect to a few different servers on a single device. For the best deal, look into ProtonVPN Plus discounts.