Introduction

Computer viruses are a significant threat in our digital world. Understanding their definition, types, and protective measures is crucial. This article provides a concise introduction to computer viruses, covering their definition, various types, and essential tips for safeguarding your digital security.

Definition of a Computer Virus

A computer virus is a malicious software program that is designed to replicate itself and infect other computers or devices. It typically attaches itself to legitimate programs, files, or documents, and when executed, it spreads throughout the system, often without the user’s knowledge or consent.

Computer viruses can cause a range of harmful effects, including corrupting or deleting files, disrupting system performance, stealing sensitive information, and even allowing unauthorized access to a computer. They can spread through various means, such as email attachments, infected websites, or file-sharing networks.

Protecting against computer viruses requires the use of reliable antivirus software, regular system updates, cautious internet browsing, and avoiding downloading files or programs from untrusted sources.

Types of Computer Viruses

There are several types of computer viruses, each with its own characteristics and methods of operation. Here are some common types:

1. File Infectors:

These viruses attach themselves to executable files, such as .exe or .dll, and infect them.

When the infected file is executed, the virus activates and may spread to other files on the system.

Examples include the notorious “Melissa” and “Sality” viruses.

2. Boot Sector Viruses:

These viruses infect the boot sector of a computer’s hard drive or other storage media.

When the infected system starts up, the virus loads into memory, allowing it to control the system’s operation.

The “Stoned” and “Michelangelo” viruses are well-known examples of boot sector viruses.

3. Macro Viruses:

Macro viruses target applications that use macros, such as Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

They infect these files by embedding malicious code within the macro programming language.

When the infected file is opened, the macro virus executes and can perform various actions, such as corrupting files or spreading to other documents.

The “Melissa.A” and “Bablas” viruses are examples of macro viruses.

4. Polymorphic Viruses:

Polymorphic viruses have the ability to change their own code and appearance, making it difficult to detect and eradicate them.

They achieve this by using encryption, mutation engines, or other techniques to alter their signature.

Polymorphic viruses can evade traditional antivirus scans that rely on recognizing specific virus signatures.

5. Worms:

While not strictly viruses, worms are self-replicating malware that can spread independently across networks or through various communication channels.

They exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems or network protocols to propagate and can cause widespread damage.

Examples include the “Conficker” and “ILOVEYOU” worms.

Understanding these different types of computer viruses is crucial for developing effective defense strategies and implementing appropriate security measures. Regularly updating antivirus software, practicing safe browsing habits, avoiding suspicious downloads, and keeping operating systems and software up to date are essential for protecting against these malicious threats.

How To Avoid Them

To stay safe from computer viruses, even if you have limited technical knowledge, here are some practical tips:

First, install reliable antivirus software and keep it up to date. This software can detect and eliminate known viruses, providing a crucial layer of protection.

Exercise caution when dealing with email attachments and downloads. Avoid opening attachments from unknown senders or unexpected sources, and be cautious about downloading files or programs from untrusted websites or file-sharing networks.

Keep your operating system and software updated. Regularly install updates and patches to fix security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by viruses.

Be mindful of links and pop-ups. Avoid clicking on suspicious links or pop-ups, especially those asking you to install software or provide personal information. Hover over links to see their actual destination before clicking, and stick to reputable websites.

Regularly back up your data. Create backups of important files and documents to an external storage device or cloud-based service. This way, if you ever fall victim to a virus or experience data loss, you can easily restore your files.

Use strong and unique passwords for your online accounts. Avoid reusing passwords across different platforms and consider using a password manager to securely store and generate complex passwords.

By following these simple practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of computer viruses and protect your digital life. Stay informed, be cautious, and take proactive steps to ensure a safer online experience.

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Smart Home

Smart home is a modern home, where technology products, such as lighting, TV etc. can be automatically controlled from a distance and from anywhere with an internet connection, using a computer, a smart speaker or a smart mobile phone.

Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is the loss of hearing in one or both ears, in any degree.

Smart Devices

• TVs

Smart Google Fiber TV includes special accessibility characteristics which are available to people without the need for any special equipment.

Closed captions make television programming more accessible to the hearing impaired. Closed captions are available with the Fiber TV service and in the built-in applications.

Moreover, you can turn closed captions on or off and set various formatting options for closed captions on your Fiber TV. Also, you can turn closed captions on or off for any show using the Fiber TV app for Android and iOS.

• Security Systems

A regular security system calls the police or raises an alarm when it’s triggered. A smart system does this, but it also sends an alert to your mobile phone or hearing aid.

If carbon monoxide or smoke is detected, it will similarly alert you and the appropriate authority. It can flicker the house’s lights on and off, if you are asleep and need to act quickly.

• Lighting

If you have hearing loss and somewhat rely on lip reading, then a darkened room might not be the best environment to talk in. Smart lighting can be dimmed and brightened through the owner’s mobile phone, without even having to stand up.

It’s not just for talking, either. Like we said above, your lights can flicker on and off in the event of an emergency etc.

• Doorbells

Smart doorbells, when pressed, use the house’s lights rather than sound to alert their owners to the arrival of someone.

Furthermore, this smart technology can also connect to the owner’s mobile phone, sending an alert. They can also come with video feeds, allowing you to communicate with your visitor using sign language.

If your hearing aid can connect to the internet, you can actually set it up so that you receive an audio alert in your hearing aids when a visitor rings your bell, no matter where you are.

• Hearing Aids

Smart Hearing Aids can connect to their own applications. They can help you do stream phone calls, audiobooks, and music, as well as check on the status of the hearing aid battery or locate your lost hearing aids on a map etc. actions.

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Microsoft Outlook Hybrid Working Age

Show Where You Are Working thanks to a new update of Microsoft Outlook.

The e-mail service is working on a new feature that will allow employees to have more flexibility and productivity, when working away from the office.

Functional Flexibility

Microsoft Outlook ‘s new working hours and location solutions allows people establish more flexible working hours every day and locate from exactly where they get the job done.

The update will be available for all Outlook users globally, with a release day, on June 2022.

The news does mean that Outlook is lastly catching up to some of its rivals when it will come, getting flexible working linked tools available.

Google Calendar enabled a similar feature in August 2021. It makes it possible for consumers to specify where they would be working, with the selections of dwelling, business, or a distinct other site.

Furthermore, consumers can also generate a weekly workplace schedule if they strategy on likely into the business office on particular days and work remotely on other days. This can be up-to-date at any time if strategies alter.

There was no info as to regardless of whether Microsoft’s Outlook update will do the similar, but we’re hopeful it will.

Google Calendar also added in July a choice that allows users to specify whether they would be attending a meeting face to face or virtually using video conferencing software.

Outlook has released lots of updates lately as it appears to be the main e-mail service for consumers globally.

Moreover, the organization says it is functioning on a resource, that will aid users remove errors from their messages with the start of spelling and grammar checks for  Outlook on a mobile platform.

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Alienware Cyprus – Gaming Laptops

Christmas is just a few weeks away, that means most of us are busy buying gifts for friends, family and why not; for ourselves, because we all deserve something special!

Having a gamer friend or family member, for those who don’t play video games, buying a gift for a gamer can be a risky proposition.

Whether you’re treating yourself in the run-up to Christmas or looking for the perfect gifts for gamer friends and family, you can check out the best of what’s Fidelity Technology Solutions offers: The best Christmas Deals in Cyprus on all Dell Alienware Laptops!

Alienware are special gifts for gamers. The newest high-performance tech to make their day.

Alienware, preparing technology for tomorrow, it’s a whole different world! Alienware laptops will have you ready to game from wherever you are!

Don’t think about it just hurry up and shop for Christmas! Check our Best Christmas Deals Alienware Gaming Laptops!

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What is Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is designed to help you achieve more with innovative Office apps, intelligent cloud services, and world-class security.

Your productivity cloud across work and life

Office 365 is now Microsoft 365. Learn what this means for you.

For Home

1. Get premium Office apps, extra cloud storage, advanced security, and more all in one convenient subscription.

2. Use Premium Microsoft 365 apps on up to five devices at the same time including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices.
3. Manage multiple calendars in one view to stay on top of work meetings, remote schooling, and family time.
4. Create inspiring documents with smart assistance features in Word, Excel & PowerPoint​
5. Save up to 500,000 photos* & files with 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage (*assumes 2MB file size)​

For Business

1. Host online meetings, make calls, chat, share files, and collaborate in real time with Microsoft Teams.

2. Manage your files from anywhere with 1 TB of OneDrive storage.
3. Use, share, and collaborate on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files within Microsoft Teams.
4. Connect with customers and coworkers using Outlook and Exchange.
5. Protect against viruses, malware, phishing attempts, ransomware, spam, and other threats.
6. Guard information from cybercriminals, unauthorized access, and accidental deletion.
7. Help keep your data safe, even when it’s accessed from employees’ personal devices.
8. Easily set up and manage users, devices, and data so you can focus on running your business.
9. Always up-to-date desktop and mobile versions of Office apps: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote (plus Access and Publisher for PC only).
10.  Web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
11.  File storage and sharing with 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage.
12.  One license covers fully installed Office apps on 5 phones, 5 tablets, and 5 PCs or Macs per user.

For Enterprise

1. Get industry-leading apps combined with intelligent cloud services and world-class security.
2. Get intelligent tools that allow employees to work where and how they want, including a platform where they can meet, chat, call, and collaborate in one place.
3. Increase employee efficiency with custom apps, built-in automation, and powerful insights to streamline business processes.
4. Explore work patterns and learn ways to help employees work smarter—improving focus, wellbeing, networking, and collaboration.
5. Consolidate your security portfolio, deliver seamless user experiences, and help reduce cyber risk with integrated, best-in-class protection.

For Education

1. Empower teachers to unlock creativity, promote teamwork, and provide a simple and safe experience in a single, affordable solution built for education.

   Include students at no extra cost when you buy for teachers, faculty, and staff.

2. A new Microsoft 365 Education device license includes Windows, Intune for Education, and Office 365 Education.

3. Spark creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving with immersive and engaging apps.
   Enhance independence for students of all abilities with intelligent tools.
   Bring ideas to life in 3D and data visualisation tools.

4. Collaborate and save teachers time with a single hub for classes and teams.
   Easily connect with others and co-author in real time.
   Meet the needs of individual students with a universal toolkit to connect, share and communicate in class and out.

5. Manage users, data, and devices with a single dashboard.
   Protect identity, apps, data, and devices with intelligent security enhanced by machine learning.
   Manage data archiving, governance, and discovery.

6. All plans empower teachers to unlock creativity, promote teamwork, and provide a simple and safe experience in a single, affordable solution built for education.

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New way of looking at “Smart Home Ideas”

Having a smart home is now available to everyone thanks to devices that can turn your home into a comfortable, safe and sustainable environment.

Smart Home Requirements & Approach:

If you thought that setting up smart home automation is something only available to those who can invest thousands of euros in the installation of technology, you are wrong. Not only is it available to everyone, it is also becoming cheaper for your home to be more technological than ever.

Below is a draft listing of the requirements and suggestions for your smart home project based on projects we have designed and deployed:

Networking & WiFi (Indoor – Outdoor Areas)

In recent years wireless access to the internet has become the accepted standard for the home automation industry. WiFi has transitioned from being an amenity to a need and its quality a benchmark kpi.

Based on today’s increased performance requirements network infrastructure needs expanding to multiple network points across your project and targeted configuration to make it possible for combined systems to work seamlessly.

TV System (IP/SAT TV)

The current property development business environment is increasingly competitive. On today’s demanding market we are called to offer HD and UHD Live TV Channels, Movies, on-screen casting and more.

Our proposed systems offer the latest in digital interactive TV while providing new features to the existing TV system at no extra cost.

CCTV & Surveillance

To ensure monitoring of project areas (indoors & outdoors) for security purposes a fully automated NVR based system provides the optimum solution for monitoring and playback when needed.

By using branded equipment for monitoring, capturing and playback we aim to extend current functionality while providing access through Mobile Apps and Computer Software.

Sound System

A home sound system combines stylish ceiling, wall mounted & floor outdoor speakers with a multi input mixer and powerful amplifiers for predefined zones. Provide your project with the ideal lodging atmosphere by streaming background music or ambient sound via your Bluetooth enabled device or attach a music player via a USB input.

Here again special attention will be given to keeping the multi-zone multi-source and remote management philosophy.

Home TVs

The average TV screen size has jumped to 43 inches in 2018 and to 50 inches in 2020. In conjunction with our proposed systems, TVs can provide much more than traditional TV channels, from mobile device casting to Content from HDMI devices that can be broadcasted on a predefined channel throughout the project (IP TV Boxes, CYTA Vision, Multimedia NAS, etc.)

Considering the peculiarities of current TV systems the goal is to setup the infrastructure as a whole and deliver a hybrid system that will provide the best of both to both worlds while taking advantage of Satellite Dishes and other Signal sources.

Lighting Automation

It is quite difficult to talk about home automation without mentioning lighting automation. This is because the latter plays a crucial role in all homes, and is one of the smart home most used features today.

Lighting automation is a broad term and covers the field that has to do with creating automated alterations or changes in lighting levels to emphasize architecture, affect the mood, and illuminate art.

It also encompasses everything from a one-room scene-control lighting system to a whole house system that controls both interior and exterior lighting. Lighting automation can also work as a stand-alone feature or used for the entire house and can be tied into the security system as well.

WHY FIDELITY

We provide ONE STOP exceptional technology solutions that fulfil all your projects technology needs.

Considering the big variety of technology solutions that allow your project to run smoothly you can get caught in the trap of having to deal with multiple suppliers for support who will put the blame on each other leaving you with unsolved problems and having to decide who has to address the issues that your project is facing.

Think back to all of the times you’ve called technology support for help with a technology related issue, only to realise that the person you’re speaking with doesn’t really have the expertise needed to get you a solution.

Pretty frustrating, right? Luckily, with Fidelity’s Professional Engineer Network, you won’t have to face that issue anymore. We’ve got the solutions and the IT professionals, each one an expert in their chosen field. Whether you need onsite help or hospitality technology solutions our team has you covered.

Contact us and…

Based on the points above mentioned and after doing a research on the various options available in the market and the current price range fluctuation (Different brand, technology, quality, etc.) we will prepare a Project Average Projected Budget to be used as an indication of your project total cost.

Get your Free Consultation

If you don’t know how to work from home or where to get started, need help or just don’t have the time to to it, our experts can help you out.

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Gaming Laptops

The gaming computer market is no longer a simple niche where a group of kids buy their mechanical keyboards and colorful towers.

Today everyone plays to a greater or lesser extent and enjoys the most demanding components in terms of installed RAM, graphics and cooling capacity.

Portable gaming grew thanks to the miniaturization of components, which enabled connections that weighed less and more space for ventilation.

Another key factor affecting weight reduction was the jump from mechanical to solid components. A good gaming laptop will no longer exclusively mount an HDD, but will instead opt for an SSD.

Looking for the ultimate computer to play, it is evident that the definitive team does not exist: they all are if you know how to choose correctly. The main manufacturers (ASUS, ACER, LENOVO, HP) have created sections dedicated exclusively to the game (Republic of Gamers, Predator, Legion, Omen) and the offer is broader than ever.

A player should consider guidelines such as the refresh rate of the screen (from 60 to 120 Hz), the space to install their games (256SSD and perhaps another 500GB in HDD), the quality of the keyboard (betting on backlit WASD keys and with good touch, analog response).

If we take a look into the most important factors we must talk about:

• Graphics card: responsible for “moving” all those polygons and performing all the calculations, whether you’re doing photo retouching or landing in ‘Fortnite ‘.
• RAM: not less than 6GB. Large gaming computers mount up to 32GB of RAM but in most laptops you would see up to 16GB. Of course as time passes it is becoming more common to see 32GB of ram used in gaming laptops.
• Processor: one of the most important components of a laptop if not the most important. Although it might not be as crucial as the graphics card for games it is still very important for the responsiveness and the swiftness of the laptop. Moreover looking ahead in time you could say that the better the processor the longer it will take before you start to experience stutters and slow responsiveness. As of now we could say that a good CPU could not be anything less than a 8th generation i5 from Intel or a Ryzen 5 2600 or 2600x on the AMD side.
• As for connectivity it’s always good to have a few USB ports, a Type C port, a headphone jack(a connection option that is starting to disappear) and an HDMI port.

Lets take a look at some of the best gaming laptops in the market right now.

Contact Us

If you have specific questions not addressed here please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Fidelity Measures associated with Covid19

Further to the new measures announced by the government, our business has been allowed to re-open.

We will be following the recommended guidelines to keep our employees and customers safe.

We are taking the following precautions with our employees:

• All employees will have their temperature taken before entering the building.
• All employees on the frontline are required to have a face mask.
• Assigned Personnel will sanitise and disinfect shared services frequently.

We encourage our customers to:

• Wear masks or facial coverings.
• Wash/sanitise their hands before coming to the store.
• Stay at home if you are feeling sick.

We ensure that employees and customers maintain distance:

• We have placed decals on the floor to direct traffic flow.
• We limit the number of customers in at a time.
• We do not allow customers to use shared common areas.

We are carefully monitoring the situation. The most important thing is to make sure we conduct business in a safe environment.

Contact Us

If you have specific questions not addressed here please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Ways to promote your online shop

By creating a great ecommerce website is only the first step of your online business!

The next step is promoting your online shop to increase sales.

An online shop or website alone is not enough to make sales.

In order to achieve this you need to create a plan on how you can use different digital marketing techniques like SEO and Social media marketing to reach out to your potential customers.

Let’s see some great ways on how you can promote your online store:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO strategy is really important for any website, especially for eshops.
All of your category pages and products have to be visible in the Google search results.

Hiring a good SEO company will make sure that your website adjusts to the latest SEO rules so your Google rankings will keep improving.

2. Run a Facebook Campaign

An efficient and cost effective way to promote your products or services.

By running Faceebook Campaigns you can promote your message / sales ad to the right people using targeting.

So, if you want to get some traffic on your website and make sales you should run Facebook ads with the objective of making ‘website conversions’.

3. Use Google Ads

Google Advertising can send high quality leads and visitors to your website.

With Google Ads you can show your ad in Google search results.

You can make your campaigns highly targeted since Google Ads are based on the keywords people use in the Google search box and you have the option to only pay for clicks on your ads (PPC) which makes them cost effective as well.

4. Website Blog

This is one of the most cost effective ways to get more website traffic. You can make blog posts to highlight new products or special offers.
This can increase your brand’s visibility in Google results.

4. Social Media

Social Media platforms like Instagram and Facebook offer businesses opportunities to reach new customers.
You can start by posting appealing content to your Social Media Accounts and link it back to your eshop.

Get your Free Consultation

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Online Meetings

With the spread of  COVID-19 most of the companies around the world try to work remotely by learning new ways to keep their employees, company partners and customers connected.

Without being able to meet them in person, companies need to adjust new approaches like onlne customer meetings or online employee training calls.

But how can they make online meetings and calls as effective as in person?

Fidelity Team has the answer!!  By using some powerful tools like Microsoft Teams Meetings, Microsoft 365 live events, LinkedIn Live and PowerPoint Live (coming soon) you can make your meetings virtually effective.

Let’s see each of these tools and their capabilities:

1. Microsoft Teams Meetings

Microsoft Teams is great for meetings with 250 or less attendees.

• You can meet from anywhere, collaborate on documents in real time or screen-share,
• The meeting organizer can send a note or even post a short video clip within the meeting chat window prior to the meeting to share his preparatory thoughts.
• You can use the Whiteboard app to bring ideas to life.
• If someone can’t attend the meeting, other attendees can record it so he can catch up later. 

2.Microsoft 365 live events

Microsoft 365 live events is great for meetings more than 250 people and up to 10 000.

• It is not a standalone product.
  Microsoft 365 Live Events is a set of capabilities that allow you to do “broadcast-style” video presentations, both live and on-demand.
• For live events you can use webcams and screen-sharing for informal presentations and opt for quality professional  formal events.
• You can use Teams, Yammer, or Stream to host and deliver yout live events.

3.LinkedIn Live

LinkedIn Live is great if you want to engage LinkedIn members in real time. 

• You can broadcast keynote speeches, panels, news and announcements to your LinkedIn page followers and engage even more LinkedIn members with the replay. 

4.PowerPoint Live presentations

PowerPoint Live in PowerPoint for the web is coming soon.This new feature will allow you to conduct trainings and engage audiences in new ways.

• Presenters will be able to share slides. 
• Using a QR code or short link, presentation viewers can join and follow along with live subtitles in more than 60 languages on their personal devices. 
• This new feture will also include live reactions and a participant survey.
  

Get your Free Consultation

If you don’t know where to get started, need help or just don’t have the time to to it, our experts can help you out.

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