In this fast-paced, competitive, tech-driven world a lot can change very quickly and consumers find themselves having to keep up with the latest updates. Updates and having the latest tech can be expensive. Software and applications require money to buy or have in-app purchases to unlock key features for you to use. Some of that is about to change, here are four free desktop software available on Windows, Mac, and Linux that perform great and can be alternatives for more expensive programs;
It is incredibly frustrating to see the popup window telling you your disk is full and you need to clean up and free disk space. A lot of us get into a frenzy thinking of all the important documents we cannot afford to lose and are unable to sort through the files to delete because we fear that we may end up deleting something important in the process.
BleachBit is an easy solution offering disk cleaning, privacy managing, and optimization for your system. With this program, you can delete cookies, free cache, clear internet and temporary files all while cleaning applications like Chrome, Firefox, and Adobe Flash among others. It will give you a warning if you are about to do something detrimental which it reduces the fear of doing so permanent damage by deleting something you shouldn’t. It is also available for email servers and BlackBerry.
With the last stable release being in 2014, Banshee is an open source media player with features to help organize and import your music, videos, podcasts and audiobook library. You can also create playlists, rip audio CDs and listen to and organize internet radio stations of your choice. It has a similar look and feels to the Windows Media Player, whether that is a consoling factor or not depends on your personal preferences although it will not affect your user experience either way.
Say hello to the latest privacy focused browser. It has built-in ad-blocker and search that delivers fast results and does not save private data. You will have the top news and your favorites on the home page. It allows you to add to your favorites. You also have the option to turn on anti-tracking, ad-blocker and anti-phishing features as well as your preferred HTTPS which can help improve your security levels by forcing encrypted connections. Cliqz is available on all systems except for Linux.
It is a free and open source media player software and can be used to view media directly from your computer or if you have a supported Smart TV or streaming device that also has Kodi installed. It allows your computer to become a media server and thus can stream your favorite movies, TV shows, music and other media. It also has several add-ons for videos and audios to stream internet content. It also has add-ons for skins so you can customize the look of your Kodi. It is available for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, Raspberry Pi, and iOS.
When you first load up your PC your desktop wallpaper is the first thing you and anyone around you will see. It goes without saying that you should always set your PC up with a fully Sick wallpaper.
But where do you go to find awesome graphics? Well a simple search in Google will return a few options. When I did I found an article on Life Hacker of the 5 best wallpaper sites. Life Hacker always produce some pretty good content so I have no trouble recommending them.
However maybe you want an even easier process to follow than reading... Boring! Yeah I know right! Well here you go my my friend. Watch and learn!
Note: This video starts out a bit lame and they guys voice is a little hard to hear. But the site and process he shows is worth recommending. Cheers!
If your like me you love keeping up to date with the latest tech and gadgets. So I downloaded Windows 10 when I could and after all it was FREE. so why the hell not!
However once I did I found myself wanting to change the look and feel of the Start Menu and Start Screen right away. I played around for hours to get it just the way I want it, which is simple unbelievable.
So it you too have downloaded the latest and greatest version of Windows only to find it looking standard and average. It's time to tweak the shniz out of it!
Watch this short video to gain full control over your Windows 10 start menu and start screen and gain back your customized control. Enjoy!
Data security is important and everyone from small business owners, to bigger companies to costumers’ should be concerned and try to adhere security measures to protect their information.
Security measures will protect your computer’s data and your privacy.
The reason why is because in this software-centric world everyone may suffer a serious damage to their business or privacy if not using a well-protected software and secure their data.
No panic! There are key measures for protection.
According to the Chief of Security for ADP, Roland Cloutier, these are the multiple key measures everyone should be taking to protect their data and private information from being abused.
Implementing a strong password is the easiest way to provide a basic security for your data on your software. Always use a combination of capital, lowercase letters, symbols and numbers between 8 to 12 characters long, and never use just one same password. Create several passwords in your software and never save them in a document but write them down on paper.
In order to properly protect your network and server, you must use a strong firewall, says Cloutier. A firewall will keep your network safe by controlling the internet traffic coming in and flowing out of your software. Any of the major brands will fit your needs, according to Cloutier’s experience.
Installing an antivirus program will protect your software and network from possible unwanted attacks and is one of the online security weapons used worldwide.
Make sure the programs on your computer are updated on time because constantly updating your programs will keep your data safe, and fulfill the holes in your computer that programmers have already fixed by sending you an update.
Laptops are easier to steal than a regular PC, so If you have a laptop with an important data information, make sure you keep your information safe by encrypting your laptop. Same goes for your mobile phone.
Schedule a regular backup in your software to an external drive or in a cloud and ensure that your information is stored properly and safely. Don’t allow yourself to use important data only because you forgot to make a regular backup.
Never open emails that seem suspicious to you and you don’t know their origin. Also, you need to be careful when downloading software or just clicking on links while surfing the Internet. Links are in fact the most common way for malware to end up in your computer and infect your software. As for the downloading, always download from official websites and never from suspicious ones.
Share what you’ve learned with others and help them protect their software and data before it’s too late. Educate your friends, family or share information on forums in order to help people without any experience in security measures in today’s software-centric world to protect their information.
Protect your privacy and information today!
Although almost everyone knows the basic security measures, not everyone uses them to protect their computer and data until someone teaches them a lesson. Don’t let fraudsters teach you a lesson. Learn it yourself and protect your privacy and information today!
Cyber crime is constantly increasing and numerous smaller businesses are vulnerable due to ineffective digital security. In the past a business would call a locksmith for commercial security. Nowadays it's all about cyber security and different solutions are essential for all types of businesses, especially if you think about how crucial internet and digital systems are for your daily operations.
In the past few years, a lot of businesses suffered from cyber attacks and without realizing the importance of cyber security, most of them have suffered with decrease customer loyalty and theft of personal information. If you are running a business, whether it’s small or big, as long as you deal with online transactions, cyber security is important. Below are just some of the perks of cyber security for your business:
The main benefit of cyber security for your business is that it can offer you a comprehensive digital protection to your business. It will allow your workers to surf the internet whenever they need it and ensure that they are not at risk from possible threats.
Without the finest cyber security systems for business, you and your workers are at risk constantly from a possible cyber attack. If your system or computers become infected, it can hamper their productivity and would force them to replace computers.
Personal information is considered as the most valuable commodities in the digital age. If the virus can obtain personal information about your customers or employees, they’re quite capable of selling that information or even using this to steal their money.
Viruses may slow down personal computers to a crawl and make working on these practically impossible. It may cause lots of wasted time for your workers and may often bring your business to a standstill.
As a business, chances are you are hosting your own website. Once your system becomes infected, there’s a real chance that your site will be forced to shut down. It means that not only you’ll be losing money from your missed transactions, but also you will lose customer trust and particular viruses may often do lasting damage to the system.
Spyware is a kind of cyber infection that’s designed to spy on your computer actions and relay the information back to cyber criminals. Good cyber security may prevent this spyware from taking effect and ensure that the actions of the employees remain confidential and private within your workplace.
Adware is a computer virus that fills your computer with ads and this is fairly common. Nevertheless, all of these adverts can have an impact on productivity and may often enable some viruses to enter your computer when you have accidentally clicked adware.
It could be unpleasant to hear, yet majority of cyber criminals will have more experience compared to your average employee in terms of digital crime. The finest IT security systems can give your team with the support and features that they need to fight against even the most determined criminals.
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, the list goes on. Every day more and more Social media platforms are created and evolve. We share personal information online with the world to see, all with often little regard to who has access to our private information.
Now some people actually read into things before signing their lives away. These people will realise there are often privacy settings allowing you to hide sensitive information from prying eyes. But of course if someone creates a fake account and you accidentally add them to your group of friends then they too will see some of your hidden detailed info.
Protecting yourself online is much harder than in the real world. In the world where you can actually see and touch things you would simply call your local professional locksmith to ensure your home and possessions are fully secured. After a quick security inspection of your property they may identify security weak points that could be improved with new deadbolt latches, sliding door and window locks and even a CCTV security system. Online, however things become a little more tricky. And our social media accounts is where things get really messy..
You see if someone wanted to perform identity theft on you they could find a good amount of personal information from your social media account. Data such as date of birth, parents names, phone number, address, all the important stuff that thieves may use to setup accounts in your name or possible access your own bank account. This is where setting these details to hidden in privacy settings is essential.
I mean unless you are known to be wealthy you probably won't become a target, however if you have your details easily accessible there is nothing to stop a bot from scouring the web and collecting these details to complete your profile. And if the scrapping bot provides another profile for a would be thief, guess what? They will most likely use it.
So take your online security to the next level by starting with the basics. Ensure your personal info is not widely available. Next protect your access. Simple passwords are out and make sure you don't have one password to rule them all. If someone gets this one master password your whole world could be turned upside down overnight. Keep track of all your passwords securely and also protect your devices from malware and viruses which may steal your login info.
Playing it safe online is paramount for your security. Get smart with your security measures now and form solid processes that will protect your for life.