Android tablets are one of the more popular mobile devices because of the large variety of apps available to users. Unfortunately, as of 2019, there are reportedly over 2,000 fake apps on Google Play Store. These apps impersonate popular apps to trick users to install it. Once installed, these apps usually steal personal data or infect tablets with malware.

So, how can people protect themselves and make sure that their tablet is running only safe applications?

Downloading from a trusted source

Downloading an app from well-known and legitimate sources like Google Play Store, Samsung, or Amazon used to be a good security measure since these sites are routinely monitored and scanned for fraudulent apps. But reports of fake apps plaguing these sites have led users to reevaluate their downloading habits. Recently, Android fans were warned about six malware-filled apps on Google Play Store that have been downloaded 90 million times. One of those apps is “Followkade,” a fake Instagram likes-and-followers-boosting app, which had over 50,000 installs and a 4.0 rating from almost 7,000 reviewers.

Taking more vigilant measures

There are several effective ways you can take to make sure your tablet is not vulnerable to fake applications:

• Before downloading from a trusted source, read the small print and reviews about the application. This will help protect yourself from security risks.
• Enable or disable the security settings of your tablet as you see fit. The Android operating system (OS) comes with built-in features that will help detect or prevent any threats. If activated or configured properly, the OS will alert users when there is abnormal behavior from the apps installed on the device.
• Update your software. Some users may find this an inconvenience and forego updates when they come in. But patches from these updates can fix bugs or vulnerabilities, which can thwart cyberattacks.

Use third-party antivirus software

Because the market for tablets is growing, more and more companies are offering antivirus solutions. Although there are free but effective legitimate antivirus software programs, the better option is to purchase from well-established companies to get maximum protection.

Third-party antivirus software may come with monthly or yearly subscriptions, as well as different premium rates for different types of security measures. But do consider the benefits versus the cost before you make any purchase.

If you are looking to learn more about protecting your Android tablet, contact us today to see how we can help.

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Knowing about the perks of virtualization is cool, but setting this up and implementing it properly will require you to tackle a few things. Handle these three items well to enjoy nothing but virtualization benefits.

Backup

Incorporating a robust backup system in a virtualized setting can become a huge challenge. You’d have to determine which data you want to store and how often it should be backed up. You would then have to decide whether you should back up all your virtual machines or just some vital ones that have important apps and data.

In any case, you’ll be caught in a grueling battle because of the overwhelming amount of data that needs to be backed up. The only way to overcome this is to integrate a powerful backup-to-disk solution offered by a reputable managed IT services provider (MSP).

Security

Security concerns are more complicated in a virtualized setting since you have to monitor security on two tiers, namely virtual machine security and physical host security.

Compromised physical host security will affect every virtual machine running on that particular host server. Meanwhile, a compromised virtual machine will disrupt the physical server and affect every virtual machine residing on the same host. To address this problem, you need to set up strong network defenses — including firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, antivirus software, and virtual machine security tools — and a hardened physical security system in the form of surveillance cameras, locks, biometric scans, and security guards. Of course, if you don’t have the funds to set these up, it may make more sense to leave it to a security-conscious MSP.

Monitoring

Since your team has to oversee both virtual machines and physical servers to ensure that you have a fully operational environment, it does have a few pain points.

First, running a monitoring software on the physical host server will likely impact the virtual machines’ performance since it takes up valuable processing power and memory. That means you’ll need to compute the resources used by your monitoring software and make sure they’re not consuming too much from your physical host server.

Second, keeping tabs on your virtual machines and making sure they’re secure and running at all times comprise a full-time job. So unless you have a team of professionals in-house, you’ll definitely need some help from the outside.

Without a doubt, virtualization brings a lot of benefits to the table, but you have to know how it affects every aspect of your business — particularly issues involved in management. Let us show you how you can use it to its full potential. Just give us a call today!

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