#computerprofessionals

The most powerful upgrade for gaming performance is a new graphics card (GPU). It will really transform your gaming experience in a meaningful way, as games will run smoother and look a lot better. However, in many cases it’s also the most expensive upgrade option.

Workplace technology almost eliminates the concept of space and time, with applications such as Skype conferencing reducing the need for travel and any costs associated with this. Business technology also allows a company to establish a global presence and connect with a greater customer base than it could previously.

Advertising, while having its place, is a very limited form of getting your business’s message across. It will generally be in one format with restricted word counts and/or a time limit. With a website, however, you can overcome these restrictions and portray what your business has to offer the way you want, without restrictions.

If your computer is slow to startup or open files and web pages, runs into issues frequently during memory-intensive tasks, or decides to reboot itself frequently, it doesn’t always mean the worst. Rather than having to shell out for a brand-new laptop or PC sometime soon, computer performance optimisation could help your device work better.

This probably sounds like hard work. How are you supposed to remember 20 different passwords? Well, if you can’t remember them, write them down. And make sure they’re tough to crack – passphrases (e.g. nonsensical sentences) are better than words or numbers. Every time you give your password to a site, there’s a chance that an unscrupulous operator is storing it, potentially for hacking your other accounts.

Do you share a house with people who are constantly grabbing your laptop when you’re making a coffee and posting not-very-hilarious Facebook statuses on your behalf? Lock them out by combining the Windows key with L, which will lock your computer and require your password to unlock it. That will teach them!

You may not realise that any conversations you’ve had on popular messaging platforms such as Skype are all stored somewhere, and can be retrieved. This is a worrying prospect, because the people we tend to speak to when using such services, whether family, friends or colleagues, tend to be those we’re closest to, meaning we are therefore more likely to disclose confidential or private information.

Sometimes there is a need to impart confidential information online. You may have to give someone your bank account details, or send something private. Without encryption in place, you never know who could intercept the information, and what they could do with it. Using a program such as GNU Privacy Guard for Windows (GPG4win) encrypts files and emails, adding a digital signature to show that the message was sent by someone specific, and hasn’t been tampered with. This sort of protection is vital for large businesses who may email employees, clients or customers, but can also be used in the home to keep any sensitive information that may be sent safe.