The word "freeware" tends to get a bad rap in helpdesk technology conversations because of the association with sketchy downloadable files that put damaging spyware and even viruses on your computer. To secure the best freeware you first need to research the background of the company offering your company the resource.

With high-profile brand names like Microsoft or Apple you can be confident that the freeware being offered is likely safe for your company to use.

Should you want to secure freeware from a company that is lesser known than those above how should you proceed? Can you do business with an unknown company without fearing that a virus will be installed which will cause severe or even minimal damage to your computer, network or infrastructure?

Yes

Suggestions for how to do this safely are available in the rest of this article. Points covered will include.

- Looking for “trust symbols”

- Research before implementation

- Review testimonials

- Better Business Bureau (BBB) information

Look on the Website associated with the freeware and see if you can locate “trust symbols”. These are badges, links, or buttons from third party associations that guarantee the visitor that the software is 100% legit. TRUSTe (one company that provides these symbols) helps promote safety and trust online while ensuring website privacy concerns are not violated. Another option to consider checking for is Verisign.

Beyond these “trust symbols,” taking time to research the company for yourself before using the software they are providing is an excellent way of increasing your safety and results. For lesser known brands you can run search engine queries quite easily as part of your research. Viruses and violations of privacy are less likely to be issues of concern in companies that have been available on the Web for years rather than months or even days.

Read website testimonials from past customers and see if they report a good experience.

Review customer complaints easily by contacting the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and finding out what information they may have about the company. You can also know that the company is registered with the BBB if they display such a seal upon their website – companies must pay the BBB to review their site and determine if they do business properly before granting them membership.

*** Freeware for my help desk can be obtained from where? ***

Free help desk freeware is available from Spiceworks.com. Using their product you will be able to track tickets by user and asset, schedule and prioritize due dates and a great deal more. And should you hit any snags in the process, Spiceworks even provides free support by phone, email, or our online community of more than 1,200,000 other IT pros already using Spiceworks to completely manage and monitor their networks.

Get Spiceworks' help desk management software resources now!