Time, Money, and Lives Blog

Microsoft is discontinuing support for Windows 7. Here's what you need to know:

Back in January of 2015, many panicked about losing their Windows 7 support from Microsoft. Luckily, the powers that be extended that deadline to January 2020, but now that date is looming over us like a scary, HIPAA violation-filled cloud. Microsoft released a statement saying that “any users or businesses who are running [Windows 7] are more susceptible to cyber attacks.”

What does that mean for hospitals who haven’t upgraded to Windows 8 or 10 yet? Well, it means you need to tread lightly and carry a big security stick.

Have you ever wondered why your computer starts to get sluggish? Opening your email is slow, news articles take FOREVER to download, and nothing seems to be working right. Well, your computer has probably been up too long. Calling IT or support will tell you to restart it, but why? Like a person, if you leave a computer up for too long without restarting, it just exhausts itself. Too many activities and programs are running, and the computer cannot keep up. "But how did IT know my computer had been up for so long?" You wonder, "Where are they finding a list of these activities?" The answer is the Task Manager, and understanding how to use it can actually empower you to take control of your own troubleshooting!

As you may have seen in the news recently, a massive, world-wide cyber attack has been targeting hospitals, banks, and other major corporations. It’s called ransomware and it's exactly what it sounds like. An email gets sent to you that looks official, you download the attachment, and BAM! the virus gets installed on your computer. Once installed, it locks all of your information and demands a ransom before it will give you back your files and programs. It’s very scary at first, and many people will just pay the ransom to avoid the hassle, but there are other actions you can take instead.