All language subtitles for Managing Software

Program, software, and applications are
terms that are synonymous with each other.

For now, we'll go ahead and use the term
software to refer to any of these.

There are certain types of software that
perform specific functions like drivers,

which allow us to interact
with our hardware.

There are applications that we use for
our day-to-day job functions.

And there are utilities that we use like
a calculator, settings, and other tools.

With the seemingly endless options for
software,

how do we know which ones to use?

How do we deal with them in a workplace
setting and in our personal lives?

Software is always changing.

Developers are releasing updates.

Software companies change,
features are added, and so on.

This constant change is
completely out of our control and

it can cause a lot of
headaches in the IT world.

Let's say the company that builds your
payroll system pushes out a software

update that causes settings to change,
or even worse,

completely breaks the compatibility
with your own company.

It can happen.

You should always test new software
before letting your company use it.

Another thing to worry
about is old software.

When you run old software on your machine,
you risk being exposed to cyber security

attacks that take
advantage of software bugs.

A software bug is an error in software
that causes unexpected results.

For now, know that software updates
usually contain critical security updates

and new features and have better
compatibility with your system.

A good guideline is to update
your software constantly.

Another problem that plagues the IT world
when it comes to software is software

management.

If you're setting up a computer for
someone, you want to make sure that

they'll have all the necessary tools
they need to hit the ground running.

That means you'll need to install all
the software required for their job.

That may also mean that sometimes you want
to remove software that isn't required for

the job.

We may not realize if a piece of software
we installed is malicious software,

which causes harm to your computer.

It's always a good idea to check if
software comes from a reputable source

before you install it.

A common industry practice is to not
allow users to install software without

administrator approval.

This prevents users from installing
unwanted software because they're actually

blocked with an error message that says
they need an administrator to enter their

login credentials.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves,
let's cover the basics of software

management, which include installing,
updating, and removing software.