It's the 800 pound gorilla in the room.You get a notification that a software update is available and you ignore it, banishing it back to the digital oblivion that it originated from.

Unfortunately, this has been all too common among the residents of Lacey. A common problem that I've noticed when working with the community is the fact that people tend to think that updates are unnecessary, or won't do anything.

You see, the case is the exact opposite of that. I can't tell you how many people have came upon this unfortunate fate. It's the same old song and dance every time: Jon or Jane Doe will ignore the critical software updates for the latest-and-greatest software, and since their system is unpatched, they remain vulnerable to the nastiness of the internet: viruses, malware and spyware.

One of my clients got a piece of malware called "extortionware". This trojan horse masqueraded as a real antivirus program- and even prompted her to enter her credit card number- yikes! I was able to update her software, but her credit card needed to be reissued.

So what can we learn from our neighbour's unfortunate plight? It's better to take those extra five minutes now than wait until later when the damage is already done. Trust me, it is a time consuming, cumbersome process to remove a virus, and it is a task not for the faint of heart, best left to a professional. Read on, and we can cover some basics of updating.

Protect yourself with updates

The good news is that it is in fact quite simple to stay up-to-date, and you needn't worry about losing data. Updates enhance performance of your system and related software, and help keep your data safe, secure and private- and they're free!

On A Windows PC, simply navigate to Control Panel > Windows Update and click "Check For Updates" and then install them, restarting your PC if needed.

On A Mac, simply click the Apple Menu, select "Software Update" and install all available updates.

Just like preventitive measures we take for our health, it is important to do the same for that of our computers- which are increasingly becoming larger parts of our digital lives. Updating is a simple and effective way to keep your system in top shape, and your data secure.