it’s been a long day, and you’re ready to quit and have a drink. However, as you walk away from your computer, you click the screen off and leave the computer itself running. Many people do this, especially when they want to quickly resume work in the morning. While leaving the machine on may save you a minute or two the next time you decide to work, there are a number of compelling reasons on why you should turn it off every night – especially if it’s a whole office full of computers.
It’s Frugal
Running a single computer for a year costs roughly $150, and if you leave it on at night, that cost doubles. While this isn’t a huge deal for one computer, a whole company’s fleet of machines being left on can cost a business owner thousands of dollars a year. Even if you’re a medium-sized business, you can probably think of better things to spend a thousand dollars on.
Security Updates
While we all hate the dreaded security update that pops up on our task bar, those security updates are often what protects us and our business assets from intruders and unwelcome guests. In addition, other programs may also need to update and sync and can only do so when the computer is restarted or shut down. Simply download the updates when you see the alert and turn off the computer at the end of the day to keep your computer protected.
Disconnection from the Internet
Your system being off at night means it doesn’t have an open connection to the Internet. This means if a Trojan or a type of virus infects the server, your computer will be safe as long as it’s switched off. This is especially important when the virus is found before you even turn your computer on. A Trojan or virus being detected and deleted before your computer even sees the light of day keeps all of the data stored on the computer safe.
Leaving a computer on isn’t the worst thing to do, but when it comes to saving a few dollars and keeping your system secure, sometimes it’s best to start getting into the habit of hitting that “shut down” button before you retire for the day.