e-skills UK Guide: Securing your data while travelling
Keeping Your data Secure on the Move
Most businesses rely on data. Even if you keep your customer list on a simple spreadsheet that data will be very important to you and your business. Imagine if that data was lost – think of the stress of trying to remember loads of customer names and prospects.
Like many things prevention is better than cure. This guide is designed to assist you understand the problems of loosing business data when you are out and about and provide you with some tips to help secure this important information.
How can business data go missing?
Think through your daily activities. Running a small business can mean dealing with a multitude of problems and issues, spending time visiting clients, prospects and suppliers. More and more business data is now sitting on PCs and hand held devices all of which are easy to loose or have damaged.
In a 6 month period over 63,000 mobile phones, 5,000 PDAs and 5,000 laptops were left in the back of London taxis alone!
Unfortunately portable electronic devices are also subject to the keen interest of the criminal fraternity and large numbers of devices are stolen from cars, airports, restaurants and anywhere else that people may put them down. The Friday evening wind down at the pub with the team may result in expensive kit being whisked from under your nose.
Electronic devices are also subject to damage. They are a lot tougher than they used to be, but dropping a laptop from a height of an average desk will pretty much destroy it and wreck the data on the hard drive. Laptops falling out of overhead bins on aircraft are also likely to get destroyed. The move to increased airport security has lead some airlines forcing laptops to be secured in the hold, not an ideal place for sensitive equipment.
Tips to stop your data being lost
Probably the best assumption to make before you travel with your PC is that the laptop will go missing or be damaged at some point on the trip. This should focus the mind and ensure that you back up or make a copy of the important data on the laptop. These small USB pen drives are ideal for taking a quick copy of your data – but make sure that you leave it somewhere safe, maybe back at the office or at home. Placing the USB drive in the same bag as a laptop is not a good idea. Some people will simply place the drive into their pocket so it is with them at all times and kept separately from the laptop which is a good idea.
Don’t forget to take a full backup of your data at other times as well. Depending on the amount of travel you do it may be an idea to back up data to a CD drive once a week or once a month and then use a USB drive in between times for smaller backups.
When you are carrying your laptop why not put it into a secure bag that does not look like a conventional laptop holdall? Some of the branded bags from the computer vendors are very good, but shout out loud that you have an expensive laptop in the bag.
When you arrive at your destination and get your laptop out make sure you secure it using a laptop lock. This comprises a piece of armoured cable that attaches to the laptop with a lock and goes around a fixed object. It is a bit like a bicycle lock and pretty secure. That way if you leave your laptop briefly then it will hopefully be there on your return. Another tip is to always secure your laptop in your hotel room or hide it all together, out of harms way. Sticking it in the bag with the dirty washing is often a good hiding place! Locking devices can cost between £25.00 and £75.00 depending on what type of device you want.
If you are in the type of job that requires you to take a laptop to a harsh environment consider a “ruggedised” laptop. These are especially designed to withstand harsh conditions such as water and physical shocks. They are great if you work in the building or surveying trade or otherwise work outside. Rugged laptops can cost between £1000 and £3000.
It is possible to secure data on a laptop by encrypting it. Once encrypted if the laptop goes missing at least your data should be secure. Some of these solutions are quite sophisticated and enable you to share data with trusted colleagues by providing keys to unlock the data. It’s a bit like issuing a set of keys to your office to trusted employees. If someone does not have a key then they cannot access the data. This type of data security can range in price from £50 per laptop through to about £100.
Suppliers of security products for mobile workers
Here are some suppliers of laptop locking devices:
Here are some suppliers of “rugged” laptops;
Here are some suppliers of data encryption products for laptop computers;
Commercial suppliers
We do not recommend specific products or suppliers; instead we provide you with a representative sample which covers the range of suppliers/products available. You may choose to look at these suppliers or products but this is entirely at your discretion.
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