Be prepared for the unknown with your IT

I have recently gone through the loss of a family member and assisted with getting their affairs in order. I was astounded at how many things you need to do and how difficult it can be. 

This has changed my perception on what I have and what I would leave behind for someone else to deal with should the inevitable happen. In particular, all those IT passwords we have accumulated on all the devices we own. 

On my new journey I recently discovered that Facebook allows you to nominate a ‘legacy contact’. This enables you to nominate a person to act on behalf of you for your Facebook account after you have passed away and your account is memorialized. I strongly recommend that people look at implementing this option as it will make it easier to manage. 

To do this you log into your Facebook account click on the  top right corner of your screen. Click on Settings then under the General Account Settings click on Memorialization Settings type in a friends name and click Add. It will prompt you to let your friend know you have chosen them as your legacy contact – click send.

Once you have set this up this contact will receive an email from Facebook with information. When your account is memorialized your friend will be contacted by Facebook. They will then be able to repsond to friend requests, update profile pic and pin a post to the timeline on the account.  

This is just one step amongst many we should implement. The next thing you should arrange to do, if you haven’t already, is make a list of all the Apps/Programs you have on your devices. Put a tick next to those which are paid ones as they are most important to have stopped.  In regards to passwords on your devices for all your Apps/Programs I wrote an article previously about setting up a Password Manager account that would manage ALL your online accounts. If you have implemented this then you can just provide this to the person you wish to have access, simplifying the management of your IT accounts.  

One of the most common things our iseek computing tech’s get asked is logging into devices handed down to them or left behind. If you want to retain the data and you don’t have the pin you are stuck basically.  So remember to include pin #’s for phones and tablets in particular. 

As always the friendly team at iseek computing can service your devices and help keep them up to date. Just give iseek a call on 1300 047 335 or pop into their store.