Personal computers have become an important part of our everyday lives. Whether we use a laptop, IPad, mobile device, or desktop computer as our personal computer, it is a very crucial part of our lives. We use it to research, keep in touch with family and coworkers, and even for scheduling purposes. When met with a broken computer, regardless of a business or personal setting, we can feel lost and frantic. All of our confidential information, photographs, and important documents are stored on that broken computer. Even with all of the positives personal computers provide to our daily lives, there are many things to look out for when something goes wrong with it.

Security
A lot of broken computers are caused by security breaches and viruses. A broken computer does not have to mean physically a broken computer. It can also mean a computer that no longer works properly because of a hacked virus. With 9 out of every 1,000 computers being infected with spam, many computer users are at risk of a breached or broken computer. A computer virus opens up all of your information and documents to another person. In many cases, this information is used to steal credit card and credit information.

Computer users cannot entirely prevent security breaches on their computers, but they can lower the risks. Most computer viruses have to be physically downloaded onto the computer by the user. This usually occurs when the user downloads an Email attachment, clicks on an unknown link, or offers secure information to someone who should not be trusted. Always take care when shopping, communicating, and opening attachments on the computer. If you do not know the sender, do not open anything. If you suspect you opened something you should not have, have your computer fixed and inspected immediately.

Regular computer inspections
The biggest problem with identifying computer threats is that they tend to sit on your computer and wait for the opportune moment to strike. You may have clicked a harmful link many months ago, decided everything was fine, and a third party may have access to all of your personal or business information. Between 75% and 80% of all malicious attacks come from within an organization, not from an external threat, making it all the more necessary to use ethical hacking services such as security auditing and penetration testing to evaluate your IT infrastructure thoroughly.

Even if your computer is used strictly for personal uses, you will want regular computer maintenance services completed. If you use your computer for business purposes, it is even more crucial to conduct regular business IT consulting services. In fact, it may be more beneficial to have IT consulting services conducted before a security breach ever occurs. IT consulting services will test security and confidentiality levels, notifying you of any areas of weakness.

Invest in computer protection services
Small businesses can be forced into bankruptcy and closing following a severe security breach. According to a recent survey, some 87% of small businesses experienced a security breach in 2012 alone. Smaller businesses tend to have less strict security measures and are more likely to be breached. Additionally, small businesses are more likely to have a harder time recovering from a severe data breach. Work with your IT consulting business on a computer services list, a list of security and breach protection services that they will provide.

It is also important to establish protection backings. When you invest more in computer storage security, some companies will back you. This means that if their protection services fail, and a security breach occurs, you will be compensated or the customer?s losses will be covered. This may be a very important piece for small business that could otherwise not afford to recover from a data breach.

We put a lot of trust and commitment into our personal computers. We trust them with our most confidential and secure of records. We trust them to securely hold onto our credit card and financial information. When a breach occurs, it can be devastating. Computers should regularly be monitored for suspicious activity and additional funds should be allocated for stricter security monitoring and preventing broken computers.