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Jack Wallen offers IT professional advice that can prevent headaches and save users a lot of time.
I often start doing something on the computer and have to stop myself to say, “That’s not a good idea.” Fortunately, my need to prevent myself from doing something I shouldn’t do can cause an accident or at least ruin my day. But not every computer user has the knowledge or control to stop himself from such a mistake.
With that in mind, I’m sharing some basic tech tips you can give to your end users, friends, and family.
See: Security Awareness and Training Policy (TechRepublic Premium)
1. Don’t start clicking buttons when things go wrong
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to stop a user from accidentally clicking keys when something goes wrong with their computer. It doesn’t matter if you use Linux, macOS or Windows, the default action of the end user when something doesn’t work is to start clicking things. They may or may not know what they’re clicking, but if they click the wrong thing, they can make their computer useless until they can undo what they did.
The problem is that many users don’t understand that some settings options are not exactly user-friendly. Imagine, if you will, that an end user somehow accidentally opens the Windows Registry Editor and starts clicking around and deleting entries. Then you know what happens.
When a problem occurs, it’s important to help your users understand that they need to contact the help desk immediately to resolve the issue. Just randomly clicking buttons can do more harm than good.
2. Check the links before you install them
Phishing and other Internet scams are on the rise. I’d say at least 50% of the email I receive every day is a phishing scam attempt. But most users don’t know enough to quickly tell what’s tried and what’s not. One way to help your users easily see if something is a scam is to have them hover their mouse over a link and see if it matches the sender’s expected domain or copy and paste the link. in Notepad to verify the legitimacy of the link.
For example, I’ve been getting emails that are clearly scams trying to convince me that I’ve won a Dyson vacuum. Now, I know those emails are scams, because I can see the entire body of the email with images, misspelled words, and the like. One of the first things I do when suspicious emails arrive is verify the sender. If the sender’s address does not match the domain of what is advertised in the email, chances are very good that it is a scam.
It is important that you help your end users understand this concept as it will help them avoid malware and other attacks.
3. Don’t panic when things go wrong
As long as Mr. Murphy has a say in the matter, things get messy. It is inevitable. Printers stop working, networks go down, applications crash and operating systems stop responding. Users shouldn’t panic when those things happen, because panic can’t lead to button clicks and other behaviors that make for a healthy relationship with technology.
Make sure your users understand that when something goes wrong, all they have to do is pick up the phone and let their IT staff know. The problem is fixed and the user can get back to being productive.
4. Do not install random applications
If you don’t have a security policy that prevents users from installing applications on their computers, you need to help them understand the dangers of randomly installing untrusted software. I remember, when I worked in tech support, how many times I would go to help a user who said their PC was unresponsive, only to find they had installed too many browser extensions. Those users assumed it was safe without knowing how bad browser extensions are.
Your company should employ a policy that prevents users from installing software. That policy alone can go a long way in helping your users avoid the mistake of installing malicious software.
See: Cyber Security Best Practices: An Open Letter to End Users (TechRepublic)
5. Be organized
I see my fair share of chaos on the computer. I’ve seen desktops full of files, folders, and shortcuts, directories full of random files and folders, and PCs with no sense of organization. As your users move toward enterprise-conscious PC usage, they can achieve levels of productivity they’ve never experienced before. Usually this starts with the file manager.
Educate your users about the importance of maintaining a clean file system by creating subfolders within directories such as Documents. If they have to keep shortcuts on their desktops, help them figure out how to organize those shortcuts into categories or create folders to hold them. When chaos reigns on a PC, a chaotic workflow is the result.
Pass this advice on to your end users, friends and family, so you don’t have to constantly put out fires that need to be rationalized.
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