You can protect your computer -- and more importantly, the sensitive information that may reside on it – without needing a degree in computer engineering.

If you've been following the news lately, you've no doubt read up on all the computer attacks, data breaches and cases of identity theft. Consider it a by-product of the information age.

So, what to do? We've covered a lot of ground in this Telus Talks Business blog over the past year – from tips on securing your wireless network to safer online shopping to reducing the odds of a spammed "phishing" attack – but now let's cover a few tips to creating a strong password for anything you or your business associates do online.

The basics

Creating a good password isn't difficult, but it does more time to come up with one than using common ones like "password," "123456," your phone number or your kids' or pet's names – all of which are not recommended for obvious reasons. A strong password is at least 7 characters long, has a combination of letters, numbers and symbols, and the same password shouldn’t be used for all of your online activities. After all, once someone finds out one password, they've got access to everything else. There are also some online password checkers that evaluate the strength of your password.

Words and acronyms work, too

If you don't want to use the recommended combination of letters, numbers and symbols, at least keep in mind single word passwords are easier to break than multiple word passwords. Instead of "monkey," use something like "orangemonkey" or "bigmonkeyface." Alternatively, use the first letter from a phrase – say, from a favourite song – so Bruno Mars' "Liquor Store Blues feat. Damian Marley" becomes "LSBFDM." This should be an easy password to remember – and better yet, at a number and symbol to this, too.

Managing multiple passwords

Because it's recommended not to use the same password for everything, come up with a system to better remember each of them, such as adding a relevant letter to the front, middle or end of the password – such as "b" for "banking," "s" for shopping, "f" for Facebook or "d" for an online dating site. If it's difficult to remember your passwords, use a trusted "password manager" program on your computer or smartphone, which requires a master password to get in, and then you can see all the rest of the passwords inside.

Change it up

Every so often, change up your passwords just to keep malicious types on their toes. How often you do it boils down to your comfort level, but I’d recommend at least every couple of months is probably conservative enough. Again, this is a personal thing, but the longer you keep the same password, the greater the chance someone could guess it, share it and use the information against you if they’re motivated enough. On a related note, don’t share your password. A recent U.S.-based survey showed tweens and teens frequently give out their passwords to friends -- and don't change it after they've had a falling out.

A step ahead

Google, for example, now offers a two-step authentication process, which serves as an extra security measure to protect your online accounts from being compromised. It confirms you – and only you – are granted access to your Google apps, such as Gmail. In addition to a standard username and password you'll also need a code that's sent via text message to your mobile phone. Before you gain access to the Google app, you'll be prompted to enter that short verification code. Instead of a text message, you can also download and install the Google Authenticator app on your Android, BlackBerry or iPhone. Many other companies are using two-step authentication, as well.

Heed the call

When you set up a landline or mobile phone voicemail, depending on your provider/carrier your voicemail password by default might be the last 4 digits of your phone number (9492) or the month and year of your birthdate (e.g. 0471 for April of 1971). Don’t keep these default voicemail passwords -- they're only meant to help you log in once and chance it to something else. Someone can easily see your birthday on Facebook; even if you don’t reveal the information, chances are family, friends and colleagues will post something to your wall on the big day.

Public enemy no. 1

If you're using a public computer – such as a shared PC at a library, cybercafé or airport lounge – be sure not to do private things better done at home (such as online banking). You might forget to clear the browser history, cache and cookies (or accidentally click to "remember my password" on these sites) and the next person could gain access. Or, there could be "keystroke logging" software or hardware on the public PC that tracks what you type on the keyboard -- a tip is to use the mouse on an onscreen keyboard offered by Windows if you must enter a password.

If last week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is any indication, "ultrabooks" are poised to be the hottest laptop category this year.

An "ultrabook" is a new category of incredibly thin and lightweight laptops – "ultraportable," if you will -- that also benefit from a powerful processor.

In other words, there's no trade-off between size and performance as there was just a couple of years ago with small but underpowered netbooks.

A term coined by Intel, "ultrabooks" not only have a fast processor to handle demanding tasks – such as video editing and smooth multitasking – but they also enjoy long battery life, too (once the Achilles' heel of laptops).

At CES, Intel announced more than 75 ultrabooks were it he works for 2012, most of which will house a Core i5 processor, capable of sipping rather than gulping electricity. Most offer at least 8 hours on a single charge.

Ultrabooks also benefit from Intel Rapid Start, a proprietary technology that uses flash memory embedded in the Intel chipset to improve boot-up times considerably.

Some believe the increasingly popularity of tablets had a direct influence on the creation of ultrabooks, as consumers wanted something thinner and lighter to tote around, with a high-powered but low-voltage processor. It would also be remiss not to draw comparisons to Apple's successful line of MacBook Air computers – ultrabooks might be considered a Windows-based version, but many PC makers are adding their own unique spin to the form factor.

At CES, HP unveiled the gorgeous glass-covered Envy 14 Spectre ultrabook with multiple wireless radios under the hood (launching next month), while Lenovo debuted its IdeaPad Yoga, a flexible ultrabook that can swivel into a tablet 9due out later in the year).

I mentioned there were no trade-offs between size and performance but be aware there might be something you're giving up with ultrabooks – and it might be an important consideration for businesses. Most ultrabooks use SSD (flash) memory instead of a HDD (hard drive), which means less storage for all your programs and files. But with "cloud computing" becoming a big trend, it may mean less locally-stored files anyway.

Therefore, if you enjoy carrying around many thousands of documents, presentations or media (photos, videos, etc.) you might opt for a laptop with a hard drive instead.

Lightweight SSD-based computers also contribute to the fast boot-up times and zippy performance, not to mention the lack of rotating magnetic disks means it also helps extend battery life and makes the PC more durable, too.

Also be aware most ultrabooks do not have an optical drive, so you can't run software on a CD-ROM or burn a DVD – unless you opt for an external optical drive that plugs into the ultrabook's USB port. Personally, I haven't used my DVD burner in my laptop in nearly three years, so I wouldn't miss it.

As you might expect, prices for ultrabooks are higher than standard laptops –something budget-conscious businesses must keep in mind, especially if they're handing them to multiple employees -- but prices will inevitably come down over time.

Thousands of downloadable programs and online services exist on the web -- if you know where to look, that is.

From free anti-virus to no-cost alternatives for storing important files, there's no shortage of quality programs. There might be a catch, however: some of these apps may be advertising-supported and don't offer extensive tech support, if any. In some cases, you might also see a "nag screen" to upgrade to a pro version of the software.

But for Canadian entrepreneurs or small businesses looking to save some cash, these are often minor inconveniences.

And so the following is a look at five recommended freebies.

To serve and protect

A small handful of anti-virus programs are available to download and use – for free -- but one of the highest-rated is Avast! Free Antivirus, which has received an average user score of 4.5 stars out of 5 at CNET.com. This program protects your computer in real time from viruses and spyware, the latter of which can be Trojan horse files buried in another download and secretly spying on your web surfing activity. Spyware can also slow down your PC, cause inappropriate pop-up windows or even add a toolbar to your web browser without your permission. Time is money, as they say, so your business likely can't afford to slow down over an infected computer. Avast! isn't just for web protection, but also filters your emails, instant messaging programs, and more. A simple-to-use interface also makes it a great pick for computer users on a tight budget.

What's up, Docs?

While Microsoft Office is the granddaddy of office productivity software, you could spend up to $669 for the suite of programs ("Professional Edition"). Instead, the completely free OpenOffice.org from Oracle includes a number of powerful applications that include word processing, spreadsheets, presentation creation, databases and graphics. OpenOffice.org is also available in multiple languages and runs on many operating systems, plus the suite supports a wide range of file types created by other programs (yes, you can even import your Microsoft Office files such as .doc, .xls, .ppt, and others). Because this is "open-source software," you can install it on as many computers as you like and make copies for your employees, friends and family.

To the cloud!

It's important to back up important files to protect them from theft, fire, flood, nasty viruses and power surges. Instead of buying an external hard drive or USB thumbdrive, however, you can take advantage of free online storage with services such as Microsoft's Windows Live SkyDrive. Consider it a password-protected virtual drive that resides on the web, with up to 25 gigabytes (GB) of free storage offered per account (you can have multiple accounts). Not only is Windows Live SkyDrive easy to use, but you can also access your files from any Internet-connected computer in the world, and, if you like, even section off part of your storage folders for colleagues or clients to access with a different password -- ideal for sharing large files.

Customer care

Customer Relationship Management software could run you a pretty penny, but a small business might first consider a free alternative to see if it suits their needs. FreeCRM.com, for example, is a web-based solution for managing customer data and sales force automation – including common tasks ranging from contact/lead tracking, sales forecasting and pipeline management, group calendaring, support ticket and customer service, call automation, integrated email campaigns, and more. This software is free to use for up to 50 users, while the "pro" (paid) version adds advanced features such as support automation, XML web services, synchronization tools, technical support, unlimited data storage and no advertisements.

Picture perfect

Chances are your business deals with photos on a daily basis, whether it's product pictures, website design, editing for social media initiatives or newsletters and brochures. So, how do you organize, edit and share these assets? One of the most intuitive and powerful – and free -- photo management programs is Google's Picasa. The 12-megabyte download is a breeze to use, offers many editing tools (including exceptional one-click red-eye fix) and has a clever "tagging" feature that scans all the photos in your collection, identifies the ones with faces, and groups photos with similar faces together; then you can add name tags to dozens of photos at once by clicking "Add a name" below a photo and typing in the person's name. Picasa currently works on Windows, Macintosh and even Linux operating systems. More advanced users in search of free photo editing software might consider GIMP, also available for Windows, Mac, Linux and other operating systems.

It's official: Microsoft's next-generation smartphones will debut sometime before the holidays.

Specifically, four different Windows Phone 7 models will be available in Canada this year, including two from Telus: the LG Optimus 7 with a 3.8-inch touchscreen and the HTC 7 Surround with 3.6-inch touchscreen and slide-out Yamaha speaker and kickstand.

In this week's column, we discuss what Windows Phone 7 brings to the (crowded) table, Microsoft's approach to application development and distribution and how small businesses can benefit from these smarter smartphones.

Hot features

In case you haven't been following the news, these Windows Phone 7 smartphones offer a number of features not found in current smartphones, dominated by the likes of BlackBerry, iPhone or Android devices.

Instead of static icons on the home screen, Windows Phone 7 devices use large "live tiles" to show you relevant information at a glance, such as how many emails or voicemails you have waiting, status updates from friends' social networks, a photo slideshow, and more. Secondly, the clever People hub houses info and images on all the people who matter to you -- not only with full contact info (such as phone numbers, email addresses and such) but it also folds in your friends' (or colleagues') social networking status, photos and other updates – all on one page per contact.

Because Microsoft likely created the operating system you use on your computer every day, you'll also find many familiar programs and features on Windows Phone 7 smartphones, too. This includes a Start button and pocket editions of Outlook (email), PowerPoint (presentations), Word (word processing), Excel (spreadsheet), Internet Explorer (web browser) and OneNote (note taking, sharing).

Another advantage to Windows Phone 7 is the fact Microsoft has partnered with multiple phone makers – such as Samsung, LG and HTC -- to create different kinds of handsets. That is, while there is some consistency between devices (all must have a touchscreen, a dedicated Bing search button, and so on), consumers can pick a design (and carrier) of their choice. One person might want a large touchscreen only while someone else might want a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, too.

App is up

But how will Windows Phone 7 fare in the application department? Its competitors can already boast popular app stores for its customers to download many thousands of inexpensive programs -- and thus customize their smartphone to their liking.

"Microsoft realizes it won't gain traction in the app market unless it gets developers onboard," says Carmi Levy, an independent technology analyst based in London, Ontario. "It released easy-to-use development tools to reduce development time -- a key metric for developers who build their business models on creating sellable titles in a reasonable amount of time."

"The company has also made it much easier to support in-app advertising, which will allow developers to make money not only from selling their software in the first place, but through ongoing ad sales once the apps are installed on end-users' Windows Phone 7 devices," Levy adds. "While Apple has made similar moves on its iPhone, Microsoft's implementation is cleaner and more direct."

Full-circle approach

From a developer perspective, Windows Phone 7 delivers an "end-to-end" solution, says Gladstone Grant, vice president of developer and platform group for Microsoft Canada. "This includes comprehensive educational materials, vibrant community support, productive and uniform developer tools, and an open, transparent and reliable marketplace program and an underlying application platform which fosters the accelerated development of tightly integrated applications and games."

Further, applications developed for Windows Phone 7 are also created to emulate the phone's "glance and go" feel, explains Grant. "They are aesthetically appeasing and look more modern than existing applications on other mobile operating systems." "With Windows Phone 7, it’s all about the information -- the subtle interface is very unobtrusive, which lets the application really shine," adds Grant.

Microsoft's App Marketplace will also support carrier billing, which will arrive "sometime after launch," assures Grant. "In the meantime, the payment mechanism will be via credit card until carrier billing is available in Canada."

Windows Phone 7 for SMBs

Small-to-midsized businesses can benefit from these phones because it provides "direct access to the largest ecosystem offering provided by Microsoft," says Grant.

"From Windows Live, previously known as Hotmail, now offering wireless email and calendar synchronization to secure remote access to offerings such as Exchange and SharePoint via hosted services, Windows Phone 7 is that 'window' that lets SMB organizations effectively compete with major organizations without the need of third party applications."

"Access to pertinent information, easier and faster, will help smaller businesses grow," he concludes.

Marc Saltzman is one of North America's most recognized and trusted technology experts. Based in Toronto, Marc currently contributes to nearly 50 publications, has authored 14 books and is the host of CTV News Channel's "Tech Talk," CNN's "Tech Time" and Cineplex's "Gear Guide" (seen in movie theatres across Canada).