At the end of the day, should you … shut down your PC … or put it into sleep mode? This hotly debated topic has torn apart friendships, and ruined family dinners, since the late 1980s. Depending on the circumstances, you might want to consider which option benefits you the most. When the PC is at the office, for business use, it can make or break your I.T. security planning.
There are benefits to both
Leave on/sleep? Log out? You’ll be excited to hear that they’re both okay! Much like a refreshing beer, however, we recommend “everything in moderation”. We encourage our clients to leave their PC’s on, but ask them to sign out of their user account. This way, we are able to patch the computer while they’re away and it will be up to date upon their next log-in. Otherwise, Monday morning, they’ll have to wait a few moments for their PC to update.
Yes, from our point of view, your PC not working for just a few moments is a big deal. Does your provider follow the same success criteria for their clients?
The Benefits of a Full Shutdown
One of the greatest benefits of a full system shutdown is that your operating system will have a chance to restart itself, so to speak, by getting rid of minor OS problems. If you go too long without a reboot, these issues could increase and become a major impediment in the future. In fact, many updates to the Windows operating system require a full restart in order to install properly.
The Benefits of Logging Off
Logging off completely is the best way to secure your PC from a hacking attempt. Think about it from a hacker’s point of view….
…if a hacker wants to access your system but will have to spend time cracking your extremely secure password (..right?) first, they’re far more likely to move onto more lucrative things to do with their day. Your IT provider, however, can run security updates and other types of general upkeep that your device can’t take advantage of when it’s turned off.
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