The quest for convenience is a two edged sword. In our quest for speed, efficiency and walking as little as possible, we strive to make life as simple as possible. It was not so log ago that business was done face to face; meetings and paper letters were how we communicated. When we shopped we walked or drove to a store, loaded a trolley or basket and checked out.

Now, we can sit in the comfort of our own home and have face to face meetings through video conferencing, send a letter in less than a second and most importantly, shift our hard earned cash from one bank to another.

But there is a price some pay and it goes beyond the fees and any appropriate software. The more convenient we make life, the more potential avenues for theft and fraud we create.

Internet security is of paramount importance. When you live in a city, you lock your house door, lock the car, engage the alarm and leave lights on when you go out.

We speak of a 'global village', but I think this gives a false impression. Life on the internet is not a village - it's a global city - and city mentality is needed.

So how can you lock up and alarm your virtual doors?

ANITVIRUS

For some reason, there are some people out there who get kicks out of writing little programs that cause computers problems. These range from annoying little bugs to complete computer breakdown. It can either be irritating or catastrophic leading to a loss of all data.

The solution - anti-virus (a virus killer). There are many programs that can spot a virus when it comes via a website or email - and kill it outright - is like cyber-bleach. These programs stay in the background, get updated with the latest threats and jump into action when needed.

SPYWARE

Although spy ware doesn't usually cause computer meltdown, it can actually be more damaging. Spy ware are other little programs that run in the background of your computer - the monitor you online activity and report back to the sender. The threat? If you're banking online or dealing with sensitive data, it could be under threat.

Like anti-virus software - there is a host of good spy ware checkers and removers.

It pays to get protected before you need it - there is no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. You can see the cyber locksmith http://online-security-solutions.com

(c) 2006 Copyright Steve Holloway. You may republish this article as long as it remains unchanged and the resource box is included.