Best computer practices Small and Medium Businesses Note: Some of the below best practices can be completed / implemented with ease by any computer end user, while some other practices will require an I.T. Professional to implement them correctly. Use a "Standard User Account" on regular basis and "Administrator Account" only when need it for administration purposes Avoid installing software you do not need or demo software Use NTFS instead of FAT32 / FAT16 for your Windows file system Set a BIOS password on your system Turn off file sharing on your computer (unless it is a business requirement) Install the following applications on your system:   antivirus firewall antispyware Enable account lock for 15-30 minutes when your password is entered incorrectly 3 times Rename the “Administrator” account of your computer If your computer is not in a company domain, rename the default workgroup name (MSHOME, WORKGROUP) to a different name, specific to your company Establish an Internet and e-mail usage policy for your employees – print it and distribute it Use strong passwords, 8+ alphanumeric and special characters Change your passwords every three months for enhanced security Change ALL passwords when an employee / colleague leaves the company Password protect your screen saver Enable “On resume, password protect” and “Wait” screen saver timer Enable your screen saver when you leave your desk Do not use the same password for all your accounts Turn on your browser pop-up blocker When banking on-line make sure the site encrypts the web traffic (https, lock icon) Clean your browser cache, cookies, and history on a daily basis (immediately after on-line banking) Clean your operating system temporary files Encrypt your confidential data and wireless network traffic, or your entire hard disk Enable confidential data access audit – 80% of attacks are conducted by your employees Do not communicate confidential data through Instant Messengers Secure your wireless network (hidden SSID, WEP2, MAC address filtering) Update the signatures for your: antivirus antispyware Update and patch your: firewall operating system installed applications Scan your system daily or weekly for: viruses spyware security vulnerabilities Make sure you save your files in your “My Documents”, not on your desktop Backup your critical and / or important data daily / weekly / monthly databases e-mail documents (in your “My Documents”, on your “Desktop”) appointments PDA data (PALM, Black Berry, Motorola, Nokia, etc.) favorites contact information Customer Relationshiop Management database Rotate the backup tapes, keep the monthly full backup for one full year If your company has the budget, switch to hard disk backup solution Have a secured and encrypted off-site backup of your critical data Test your backup monthly into a different folder or hard drive to ensure your data is not corrupted Clean your system registry to remove old applications entries Scan your system hard drive/s monthly for errors before you defrag it Defrag hard drive/s monthly after your scan it for errors Clean your system every six months of dust (power supply, CPU fan, keyboard) Scan for viruses all files (mostly with these extensions EXE, COM, BAT, SCR, VBS, GIF) received as e-mail attachments Use a router with a FireWall and Network Address Translation for your DSL, Cable Modem, T1, T3 Internet connection Verify the web address of an URL you click on before entering confidential information Avoid accessing your e-mail or company network from a public computer (if you have to, make sure you clean cache, cookies, downloaded documents, and temporary file) Avoid using your family computer to access your e-mail or company network (the hard drive can be split in two partition, each with its own operating system) Enable phishing filters in your Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Netscape browser Do not post personal information or compromising pictures on social networks Beware of new, free, demo software, web sites Ensure physical security of your computing equipment If you dispose your computer or hard drive make sure you wipe all data using special tools Create, print, and distribute instructions for your employees  Please send WebMaster your suggestions to amend the above list .