Due to Android’s widespread popularity, it gets plenty of unwanted attention from cybercriminals. Recently, Android has suffered a string of security incidents that would make any user consider switching to a different operating system. Despite what the reports say, Android can be incredibly secure if you use the following features.

Find my device
If you lose your Android phone, anyone who picks it up -- could be a harmless passerby, could be a hacker -- can see what’s inside. Fortunately, Android has a “Find my device” feature that allows you to track, lock, and wipe data from your lost or stolen device.

Unless you’ve accidentally disabled Find my device, it should be running on your Android by default. To use it in the event that you’ve misplaced your Android device, make sure it’s registered. Then go to www.google.com/android/find, where you will be prompted to log into your Google account. From there, you can locate your phone and, if you think it has fallen into the wrong hands, wipe it remotely.

App permissions
One feature that’s often overlooked, but which you should pay close attention to, is the app permission settings located in the App & Notifications menu. In this window, you’ll be able to see which apps have permission to access different phone functions.

Pay extra attention to apps that have access to your microphone, camera, and biometric sensors, as these can be used to monitor your daily activities and private information. And given the recent Facebook privacy fiasco, it’s a good idea to closely watch what permissions your social media apps have.

Safe browsing
With “Safe Browsing” mode, Google Chrome users are given warnings before they enter a suspicious site. There are robust threat monitoring features that scan ahead to prevent you from falling for online scams, and much like “Find my device” this feature is enabled by default -- just make sure you’ve updated your Android and Chrome to the most recent versions.

Lock screen preferences
In the “Security” menu of your device, there are various settings for managing your lock screen. App notifications, for instance, still make their way onto your lock screen, which means people can still see important messages, even if your phone is locked. To fix this, you can simply limit how much is shown on your lock screen.

Another important setting is Smart Lock, a feature that allows you to automatically lock a device based on its location. For example, if you’re carrying your phone, it can let you automatically keep your phone unlocked; but as soon as it leaves your hand, it locks itself immediately.

Multi-factor authentication
Last but not least, you must enable multi-factor authentication. Aside from accessing your device and apps with just a passcode, multi-factor authentication forces users to provide another set of identification like an SMS code, fingerprint, or facial recognition scan. Although this adds another step to your sign-in process, it does make it much more difficult for anyone to hijack your accounts. This feature can be found in the “Sign-in & security” options of your system’s settings.

Once you’ve enabled these settings, you’re well on your way to keeping the wide variety of cyberattacks at bay. But before you go off on your own, you should consider strengthening your Android device’s security even further with the help of a highly experienced managed IT services provider. Call us today to see what we can do for you!

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Keep in mind that virtualization is one of the most effective ways to significantly reduce IT expenses, while simultaneously increasing efficiency and flexibility. But are issues hindering you from enjoying virtualization on your PC? Here are detailed answers for you to fix these problems.

#1 Enable Virtualization in Your BIOS

In most cases, virtualization won’t work because it’s disabled in your computer’s Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). Though most modern computers support the feature, it’s often disabled by default. Thus, you should take a look to make sure it is enabled on your computer.

#2 If You Don’t See It - Update Your BIOS

If you don’t see an option for virtualization in your BIOS, there’s a chance the manufacturer has provided an update that includes it. This may not be the case for all machines, but it doesn’t hurt to check.

To find a BIOS update, you can use the manufacturer app included with your PC or manually search the internet for it.

#3 Disable Hyper-V

Professional editions of Windows include a Microsoft program called Hyper-V. This is Microsoft’s own virtualization software, like Oracle’s VirtualBox or Dell’s VMware. Unfortunately, Hyper-V can hijack your computer’s virtualization privileges, blocking you from using other virtualization apps.

You don’t need Hyper-V unless you really want to use it, so removing it from your computer will let your virtualization app of choice work properly.

#4 Confirm Your PC Supports Virtualization

If you’ve tried all the above steps and virtualization still won’t work, chances are your machine doesn’t support it. It’s worth confirming this before you give up, though.

If you have an Intel CPU, download the Intel Processor Identification Utility. It’s a handy tool that helps you know features, package, intended frequencies and actual operating frequencies of your Intel processor. Those with AMD processors should download the equivalent AMD tool instead.

#5 I’ve Enabled Virtualization, but…

Maybe you’ve gotten virtualization to work after following the advice above, but still have issues with performance or getting a virtual machine (VM) started. Here are some other things to try:

1. Make sure you download the right version of the operating system you want to run in a VM to avoid compatibility issues.
2. Make sure you have enough free disk space, or your host computer could run low on space. This can cause performance problems.
3. Ensure you have enough RAM to dedicate to the VM.

Virtualization is important, easy-to-implement technology that companies of any size can take advantage of. And if you feel overwhelmed with anything related to this topic, just call us today for a quick chat with one of our certified virtualization technicians who might help you out.

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