Written by Bill Starkweather, IT Director (South Bend, IN)

As a reminder, please keep the following items in mind:

– 1 –

At the end of the work day, please close all of your applications, restart your computer, and leave it at the CTL+ALT+DEL screen. This will help with a couple of things:

• In case of power loss, open unsaved files will not be lost.
• In case of loss of connection to a database, users will not be locked out and require I/T to unlock.
• Microsoft Windows operating system updates are installed in middle of night instead of when you turn your PC on the next day. This will help prevent excess network traffic occurring first thing in the morning as well and slowness on your computer while updates are being installed.

– 2 –

Be mindful of the emails that you are opening. While our SPAM filter and AntiVirus software will capture harmful emails and email attachments, nothing is 100%.

• Only open emails and attachments from a trusted source.
• Upon receiving the SPAM quarantine email, think about whether you really need the email, because it was quarantined for a reason by the SPAM filter.
• If you have any questions about whether or not to open an email, error on the side of caution and contact Information Technology.

– 3 –

Be mindful of the internet sites you are accessing. Internet sites can contain harmful files and links. Please, only visit sites that you are familiar with or are from a reputable company. Downloads of files should be from a known site.

These tips will help to keep our computers and network running safely, and efficiently.