10
L E H A V R E
N E W S
A P R I L Common Dilemmas of Working from
Home and How AI Can Help
(BPT)–As more people work from
home in lieu of commuting to crowded
corporate offices, people are in their
homes in greater numbers than ever
before balancing both job-related tasks
and home responsibilities. From sticking
to a set work schedule to allocating
a certain area of the house as a home
office, people are thinking of interesting
and useful ways to better their
experience when working from home.
Thankfully, the tech industry's leading
players have been hard at work
finding new and inventive ways to
make home life more convenient.
Laptops and webcams aren't the only
devices you need; from voice-control
to personalized performance, the latest
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tech and
smart solutions are making it possible
to get more accomplished with a lot
less effort, and without ever setting
foot outside the front door.
Here are a few solutions that may
help us be more effective when home
also happens to be our office:
Finding it hard to focus
at home?
Shifting from a bustling office to
the peace and quiet of your own home
(when the kids aren't around) can be
a relaxing and refreshing change, but
it can also make it difficult to stay
focused. Research shows that changing
out of pajamas and into smart-casual
clothing and setting up a dedicated,
10 LEHAVRE COURIER | APRIL 2020 | WWW.QNS.COM
well-lit workstation can help keep you
on-task and productive. One of the
most effective solutions is to allocate
a certain area of the house as your
home office–and it doesn't have to be
simply isolating yourself in a room
for less distractions. Get creative and
change the atmosphere around you
using today's tech to the fullest.
If you find yourself struggling,
why not ask your AI speaker, such as
Amazon’s Alexa, to play some white
noise, café sounds, or whatever type of
music helps you to concentrate. Take
advantage of services like Spotify to
set up playlists and stations that create
the right soundtrack for your working
day, and for when you're off the clock.
Noise-cancelling headphones can also
prove to be useful for those who prefer
to work in silence, while smart lighting
systems can help maintain a sense
of work-life balance by switching to
bright during office hours, and to dim
for the all-important coffee break and
after-work movie.
Scrambling to keep tidy and get
your work done? Connect your
AI-powered appliances for ultimate
smart control!
Working at the office isn't easy with
project deadlines, client meetings and
constant phone calls—not to mention
kids running around. It's easy to feel like
you have to be a multitasking machine
to stay on top of everything, but today's
smart technology can connect everything
in the home, from your lights
and TVs to the thermostat and robot
vacuum. Virtual assistants like Amazon
Alexa or the Google Assistant let you
control them all with just your voice, as
do convenient smartphone apps.
Keep calm and stay
smart
Working from home can be difficult
to manage, but with tech companies
introducing a range of innovative
solutions to make life indoors more
efficient, there's plenty of room in the
home for both productivity and relaxation.
With the latest smart home technologies
at your disposal, that report is
as good as done.
5 tips to protect your network from hackers when staying at home
(BPT)–Being home 100% of the
time has become the new norm for
many Americans, as social distancing
is implemented in communities
across the country to slow the rapidly
spreading COVID-19 pandemic.
Connected devices are being used
virtually nonstop, as the homebound
stream shows to binge watch and video
chat with friends to help pass the
time. Unfortunately, most residential
computing networks aren't regularly
maintained and monitored to protect
against security breaches. This presents
hackers with a virtual playground of
which to take advantage.
"Cybercriminals are continuously
looking for ways to exploit computer
system vulnerabilities and home networks
are popular targets because so
many of our devices–phones, TVs,
computers, even appliances–are connected
to them," said Jane Li, Mercury
Insurance director of product management.
"Insurance companies like
Mercury provide solutions to help
financially protect homeowners and
renters if they fall victim to a cyberattack.
There are also steps they can take
ahead of time to help prevent one from
happening in the first place."
Following are five tips to protect
your home network–and the devices
connected to it–from hackers.
Power down your devices
This disables the internet connection,
cutting off access to any personal
information stored on your computer,
tablet or phone. Unattended machines
are easy targets for hackers, especially
if you're asleep.
Secure your wireless network
Information accessed on an open
network, including email passwords
and sensitive bank information, is fair
game for hackers. Don't make their
jobs easier–protect your Wi-Fi network
with a strong password that's difficult
to guess. Wireless routers that are
issued by cable providers are typically
assigned a network name and password
that's easily located on a label on the
device itself. These can be changed
using your online account, so do this
as soon as possible for added security.
Invest in anti-malware software
Malware–or malicious software–can
be installed on your computer without
your knowledge so hackers can
damage your system, steal personal
information or restrict your access to
extort money from you. Anti-malware
software helps protect against, detect
and remove malware, stopping cybercriminals
from doing further damage.
Also, avoid downloading music or
video files from suspicious websites,
and clicking on links or email attachments
in messages sent from unknown
senders to help prevent malware from
infiltrating your system.
Install recommended updates
Smartphone, computer, tablet and
smart TV manufacturers, among other
providers of connected devices, offer
periodic software updates to protect
against potential security breaches.
Chances are, if an update is recommended,
hackers have already discovered
a way to access your personal
property and information, so keep your
software up-to-date. Set your devices
to install auto-updates when possible.
Beware of phishing scams
Phishing scams aren't new, but hackers
continually use more sophisticated
email–and even text messages–to trick
people into providing their personal
information. Once again, do not click
on the links or attachments in messages
from unknown senders.
Li suggests homeowners and renters
consider adding Home Cyber Protection
to their existing policies as an additional
way to protect against hackers.
"Even the most vigilant individuals can
experience a cybersecurity breach," said
Li. "Having coverage to help recoup
financial losses that are brought on by
cyberextortion or stolen personal information
can offer peace of mind during
an otherwise stressful time."
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