What’s wrong with using the public wi-fi?

Welcome to the latest edition of Gary’s frequently asked questions. With permission from Gary, we’ve created a series of answers to some of the most common problems in the IT industry that Gary has asked us for help with over the time we’ve been his IT consultant. We’ll take it from here, thanks, Gary.

“Why can’t I work on the public wi-fi? I keep forgetting the password anyway. It’s no big deal, right?”

Wrong, Gary. It’s a pretty huge deal. Public wi-fi networks are very insecure, even if the network in question is your office network. If the network is set to public, it’s a huge security risk for your business, and here’s why;

Data can be stolen from users on your network.

Other network users can monitor what you are doing on the network and where. This can lead to data being stolen such as personal information and passwords.

Your computer is accessible while it’s using an unprotected network

What this means is that somebody else can connect to your laptop or desktop while you are using the network and browse through the data on your computer at their leisure. Most of the time, you wouldn’t even notice it happening.

“Oh. So how do I stay secure on a public network?”

Whoa, hold on Gary. That sounds like another GFAQ in the making. We’ll answer this question (and many more, we’re sure…) next time.

In the meantime, if you or your IT department are looking for assistance with your IT services, consider giving us a call like Gary and outsourcing to one of our experienced IT  consultants. We can even be your IT department if you don’t have one. External or on-site, find out what AAG-IT can do for your IT services today on 0114 352 0688.