By Scott Cooper.
It’s time for digital spring cleaning. Just like you are sweeping away and packing clothes for donation, now is the time to dust off your digital closet too. Here are a few simple tips to get your tidying started:
1) Organize and delete old social media profiles
Sit down and make a list of all the social media and business sites for which you have a profile.
If you haven’t used it in one year, it’s time for it to go! Sites that you may not use anymore – like Myspace or Yahoo! – have experienced major hacks. A hacker could potentially utilize information from those breaches to log into your Facebook or Gmail accounts.
Furthermore, one should consider how their old social media could jeopardize their career. Take the recent case with Kevin Hart who “tweeted his way out of a job hosting the Oscars,” as an example. Remove any content that no longer aligns with your values.
2) Patch and update your software
Now that you’ve deleted what you no longer need, fix what you’ve kept. Patching software is critical, as it enhances performance and fixes security vulnerabilities. Clean out those old bugs!
This task is quite simple as you only need to press a few buttons to start updating your software. Begin with your mobile device. Go to the App Store and update every app on your phone, then go to Settings and update your operating system if you haven’t already.
Update the software on your desktop next.
3) Consider using a password manager
Marie Kondo loves to organize, sometimes keeping shoe boxes or jewelry boxes to store small items neatly. How do you keep your passwords, safe, secure, and all in one easy-to-remember place though? A password manager!
UC San Diego’s Chief Information Security Officer, Mike Corn, is a fan of password managers for their simplicity as he explained, “The only password I need to remember is my password for LastPass.”
Take a look at the list of the best password managers of 2019 to get started. All of them should include multi-factor authentication and encryption.
4) Recycle your old electronics
Wipe sensitive information off the devices first. Then, recycle them at a certified E-cycler in order to protect your identity (in case something was accidently left on the machine) and ensure that the waste does not end up contaminating the environment.
Here are a few examples of centers near our clients:
• San Diego: EnviroGreen Electronic Recycling Services
• Tucson: Rise Equipment Recycling Center
• Phoenix: Westech Recyclers
Now that you’ve organized and updated your online spaces, as well as cleaned the old hardware out of your physical space, you can jump into spring with confidence in your tech strategy.
The title image was originally posted to Flickr by RISEConf at https://flickr.com/photos/134927260@N02/27355402306. It was reviewed on by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0. The computers were added later.
