Kim's 5 reasons to set up a financial Chromebook

Do you have a Chromebook in your arsenal of gadgets? If you don’t know, they are similar to a laptop but just a little bit different. Chromebooks run on Chrome OS, which was specifically built to be used with an internet connection.

Most of the apps and documents for the fairly inexpensive Chromebook are based in the cloud. The great thing is Google provides 100 GB of cloud storage for free on all Chromebooks for the first year.

There are many practical reasons to get yourself a Chromebook. One is to use a dedicated Chromebook to take care of your finances. Some of you might be skeptical, asking yourself, why not just buy a laptop? Well, Kim’s got five reasons for you, presented by our sponsor, Dell. Need help choosing tech for your small business? The pros at Dell can help.

1. The peace of mind

The best reason to set up a financial Chromebook is for security purposes. Using a Chromebook strictly for conducting financial business is a procedure known as “sandboxing.”

Sandboxing is a security term that refers to programs that are set aside from others in a different environment. This is important in situations where errors or security issues occur. When programs are separated like this, issues will not spread from one section to another within your gadget. For Chromebooks, this area is the cloud.

Since Chromebooks store everything in the cloud and not on a hard drive, you don’t have to live in fear of being infected with a virus. Tap or click here to see if Chromebooks really are virus-free.

Google has multiple layers of protection built into Chromebooks. Those include:

  • Automatic Updates – Chromebooks are always running the most updated version of the OS, so you don’t have to download patches.
  • Sandboxing – Each webpage and application runs in a confined area called a sandbox. If the Chromebook is directed to an infected page, it can’t affect the other tabs or apps, or anything else on the machine. The threat is contained.
  • Verified Boot – Chromebook automatically checks for malware when you start it up, and it fixes any problems before it opens. If it detects anything,l it automatically reverts to a prior, safer, version.
  • Data Encryption – Most data on Chromebooks are saved to the cloud, but anything saved to the computer is encrypted so it’s nearly impossible to be hacked.

Another reason Chromebooks are secure is its operating system does not allow the installation of traditional apps or programs. This really cuts down the chance of downloading a virus. But if you really want to keep your Chromebook secure, don’t use it to surf the web, check email, shop online or visit any social media sites.

Also, delete all financial bookmarks you might have on your old computer and don’t forget to clear its history. Once your financial Chromebook is set up, never use another gadget to access your financial accounts. Tap or click here to delete your search history from social media and your browser.

2. The price is right

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