When Was The Last Time You Updated Your Browser?

What do you do online? If you’re like most people, you use the web to access email, shop, for social networking, banking, finding directions, or just plain research.  These are the most common uses for using the Internet.  To access the internet we have several options of browsers – the most common is Internet Explorer or IE (that little blue “e” on our desktop screen that we are just plain used to clicking to get to the Internet).

BUT according to recent security software surveys – nearly 25% of all browsers that consumers currently use to surf the net are out of date.  We all have experienced that pop up that tells us it’s time to update some program or another and if you’re anything like me, you’ve gotten into the habit of clicking that little box that says, “not now” or “remind me later.”  But ignoring those popups to update your browser can actually put your computer at risk to serious breaches in security.  It also is slowing your computer down AND you are literally depriving yourself of the upgraded experiences the Internet now has to offer.

Software engineers spend countless hours developing websites and programs to give the viewer more enjoyable and interactive experiences, but with outdated browsers you are missing out!  PLUS at Tropical we just upgraded our own security to give our members the best protection available, but with older browsers our members are running into all kinds of difficulties accessing their accounts.  It’s not JUST the browsers, but the add-ons as well: when was the last time you upgraded Flash or Java?  Even if you make all the upgrades you still have to clear your cookies, allow for popups and clear your cache so your computer is rid of all the “bad stuff” that was preventing you from having the best experience possible.

To try and give you step-by-step instructions on upgrading every browser out there in this blog would make it more into a novel SO we created a list of exactly how to do that for each browser on our website, you can access it here.  There is also a wonderful resource that explains all the different browsers and their benefits from Smashing Magazine.  To update individual add-ons like Java or Flash, you’ll need to go to those individual websites and download their latest versions.

ALSO make sure your computer is protected with security software like McAfee or Norton and be sure to download the extra security software we offer our members for free, Trusteer, which gives you a secure portal to any website to which you need to enter secure information.

We want to be sure that your online banking experience is easy AND secure along with helping give you the best experiences the web has to offer, but to do that we ask that you help us help you by updating your browser and add-ons.

If you’re still having problems, contact us at e-CommerceDept@tfcu-fl.org and we’ll walk you through the process to get you back on track; right where you belong!

^Amy