According to some counts, there are nearly 2,200 cyberattacks each day – that equates to about one cyberattack every 39 seconds! And, though the latest Windows devices come with pre-installed security solutions to detect and prevent the various attacks, in most cases, it still won’t help to protect your data: hackers and cybercrimes can still easily detect the security vulnerabilities and access any information they target.
However, the specific security software can minimize your chances of being hacked, protect your devices and all the sensitive data stored on them and also contribute to your Internet safety as well. What is more, to secure a computer or laptop from cyberattacks, it’s not enough to simply install the antivirus software – there are many more solutions that can help you to both enhance the protection and add to the functionality of your devices!
In this article, we’ll present the most effective security apps you should certainly install on any Windows computer, yet introduce some of the safest software tools that can enhance your productivity and workflow as well.
Main Types of Software That Can Improve Your Security on Windows
Before you start searching for the right security solution for your machine, it’s better to start with a more general question: what types of software will help you to boost the security of your device? The first that comes to mind is the antivirus app, nevertheless, it’s not the sole option you’ll need to protect yourself from being hacked. Below, we’ve covered the most frequently utilized solutions for Windows users.
1. Antivirus Software
Without any doubt, a powerful antivirus is important for any device, regardless of its purposes of use: in some cases, you can get the virus even if you’re not connected to the Internet! Antivirus apps can make regular checkups of the entire system and the files it stores, protect your network, detect aggressive malware, phishing attacks, and viruses that may impact the security of your device and its performance.
Some popular antivirus security services worth trying include:
- Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud Plus
- Microsoft 365 Defender
- ESET Protect Complete
Even if you have a tight budget on implementing the security precautions to your computer, there are also many free antivirus options to choose from!
2. File Cleaner
If you have limited storage on your laptop, or often need to delete unwanted files from a computer, the cleanup software will be your best option. During the cleanup, the software can get rid of all the data temporary files that eat up disk space and invalid Windows registry keys. Additionally, the file cleaner app can also permanently delete the malicious files buried in the system, which adds to your system security too!
The decent software options we surely recommend you to try are:
- CCleaner
- Eraser
- File Shredder
3. VPN Software
As you might already know, the main purpose of a VPN is to hide your online activity by hiding your IP address, browsing activity, and personal data on any Wi-Fi network — even at home. Overall, there are different VPN use cases, as well as benefits it features, that make more and more users install and use this tool for different purposes, like hiding the Internet activity or accessing the websites or platforms that aren’t available for some regions, etc.
Nevertheless, if you’re concerned with your data privacy and want to create an additional layer of your Internet protection, VPNs will be one of the easiest and most accessible ways to do so. After all, there are hundreds of different paid and free VPN tools presented on the market: from the easy-to-use app solutions for Windows to one-click options installed as browser extensions.
Some great VPN options to try are:
- AnyConnect
- NordVPN
- CyberGhost
4. Password Manager
No matter how secure your password is, and whether or not you change it regularly – it’s better to store them in one place, that is encrypted and protected with a master password. So, the next tool that will improve your device security on Windows is the password manager app. It should feature a simple, easy-to-access, and user interface for a comfortable, seamless experience.
The top password managers you should give a shot are:
- LastPass
- 1Password
- RememBear
5. Firewalls
The last but not the least type of security application that will help you to empower your device security is firewalls. Basically, that’s the network security device that acts as a “filter” and helps to monitor the incoming and outcoming traffic – that’s why it is traditionally used as a barrier that sits between a private internal network and the public Internet. This additional protection layer also helps to mask your IP address and limit the traffic types to effectively protect your network from being hijacked.
Some popular firewall solutions to use include:
- McAfee
- Tinywall
- Comodo Free Firewall
Top 5 Most Secure Apps to Upgrade Your Workflow
Once we’ve defined what types of security apps you should look for when improving the safety of your Windows devices, we would also like to recommend the diverse digital tools that can surely help to boost your workflow! Here is the list of the safest apps that have already proven their reliability to millions of users today:
- Trello – a simple, easy-to-use tracker that can let you keep each task on a card
- Dropbox – a cloud-storage solution that enables online and offline accessing different files from multiple devices
- Movavi Video Converter – a powerful tool that helps to effortlessly change the formatting of any media file
- Slack – a classy communication software option that helps you to easily reach out to your team, colleagues, and friends within a single app interface
- Private Internet Access – an open-source virtual private network (VPN) service for personal use
Wrapping Up
To conclude, security software today is no longer an option but a necessity that enables protecting your devices and sensitive data they store, yet allows you to safely interact with the World Wide Web. Additionally, these apps can effectively scan all the programs to ensure they’re totally safe for use, recognize spam messages, detect phishing schemes, warn about the websites that tend to harbor malicious files, and many more.
We hope that the software options presented above will help you set up the secure workflow on Windows. Nevertheless, if you need to install some other apps – look carefully at their security level as well as the source it’s located on before downloading and installing it on any of your Windows devices.
