Turn your Mac into a security centre

One thing that’s been great since switching to Mac has been the lack of virus threats and security problems that plague Windows. However, this is only one side of keeping your computer safe. As with Windows, I still have to perform backups, make sure my passwords are safe, secure my VPN connection and protect certain files from unauthorised access. There are several applications I’ve come to rely on to help me do this and these are 5 of the best:

1 Password Arguably one of the best password managers for Mac. Password Manager offers anti-phishing protection and even allows you to auto-fill web forms and help you generate strong passwords. 1Password keeps all your confidential information including passwords, identities and credit cards in one secure place provided by Apple’s OS X Keychain. An essential for anyone who’s always losing their passwords.

iBackup If you’re not a fan of TimeMachine then iBackup is an excellent alternative that while not as comprehensive, is simple and effective to use. It’s ideal as a manual backup for  files, folders application settings, system preferences and applications. Even better, it can perform backups to local or network drives and even WebDAV servers so if the worst happens to your Mac, you’ll always be safe.

TrueCrypt Worried about unauthorised access to your data? Or do you share your Mac with others"async" src="https://articles-images.sftcdn.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2009/01/shimo_256.jpg" alt="Shimo" align="left" />Shimo An essential for anyone who works via a VPN client.  Shimo was designed originally to replace the Cisco client but it now supports a whole range of them. If you’re tired of broken connections or fluctuating traffic problems on your VPN, Shimo can help regulate it to make it more stable and functional. Although VPN clients are rarely complicated, it also makes it much easier to configure one.

MacScan Ever had to remove cookies for security purposes but then found you had to re-enter all your old passwords on your regular sites? This is just one of the things MacScan can help avoid by allowing you to blacklist and remove certain cookies while maintaining others. MacScan can also be scheduled to perform timely scans to clean up spyware and other trash left behind by internet surfing and uninstalling applications.