The technology available to consumers today is truly incredible. Smartphones give users a veritable Swiss Army of Knife of telecommunications and survival tools in a portable form, and cloud computing can trivialize even the most resource intensive calculations that are thrown at it. However, the average person has little in the way of knowledge or experience when it comes to technology. This primer can help average Joes understand the basics of modern technology.
Care and Maintenance
If there’s one thing that just about everyone knows about high tech gadgets and gizmos, it’s that they can be incredibly costly. Likewise, having your cell phone repaired can cost you a small fortune. Therefore, it’s in your own best interest to invest in keeping everything in working order with minimal issues. It’s also important to note that the situation is that much more complex when you have to consider both hardware and software. Each of these aspects of modern tech has its own rules, and the software side of things can be much more or less complicated than a mechanical failure, based on a variety of factors.
Hardware
One of the most essential aspects of preserving computers, for example, is protecting it from the dangers of electricity. Technically speaking, any electronic device runs the risk of being ruined by a power surge, and surges are often due to unpredictable natural forces. This means that protecting your electronics from danger entails offering a comprehensive form of protection. For example, installing a load center in your home can separate your home from the power grid, most importantly, disable the flow of power to the rest of your home in the event of a surge. Likewise, plugging sensitive electronics into surge protecting power strips can insulate your devices from the full force of a power surge, allowing the surge protector to take that damage instead.
Foreign matter also presents a number of problems for sensitive devices. For example, computers use internal fans to keep cool, and an excess of dust or animal dander can accumulate to the point that the fans slow down or stop completely if they’re not cleaned regularly. On that note, keeping your computer away from pets as much as possible is always a good idea. On the other hand, moisture is a more serious problem. Water conducts electricity, and that means that moisture inside of your computer or your phone can disrupt standard operations and potentially cause a severe electrical disturbance that, like a power surge, can damage the delicate inner workings of computers. For this reason, many smartphone designs include a moisture warning for the charge port that not only alerts users to the presence of moisture but also disables the charge port until the problem is resolved.
Software
On the other hand, taking care of your technology from a hardware perspective is a little bit trickier. Avoiding computer viruses isn’t exactly difficult, but it’s also easy to fall for malware if
you let your guard down. Malware can not only leak your data to hackers, but can also inhibit your machine’s ability to function as normal. Likewise, filling up your devices’ hard drive space can cause them to slow down, among other symptoms. That means that taking care of your system entails removing excess files in addition to avoiding and/or removing malware.
Antimalware software can be of tremendous help when it comes to preserving the sanctity of the system, but it’s also not perfect. Proper cybersecurity takes both software solutions and best practices, because hackers are constantly innovating to infiltrate systems and networks in increasingly difficult ways to counteract. While cybersecurity is more or less in lockstep with hackers, they must necessarily be one step behind at all times, meaning that you can’t depend on software to solve all of your problems.
Modern technology is complex by nature. However, simply taking care of your devices doesn’t have to be. These basic tips can help you get the most out of your devices before it comes time to pay for costly repairs.
