Enterprise Nation

If you use a laptop when you are on the move, chances are you are carrying with you a lot of important data. With some simple preparation, you can keep your business data secure. Here's how:

Back up data before a trip

Make it standard practice to back up data before making a trip to protect yourself against loss, breakage or theft.

There are various options for backing up data, including saving it onto a rewritable CD, plugging a Flash memory card or stick into your computer or a web-based data backup service which gives the added reassurance of information being stored in a secure environment.

Keep your data secure

Access to your laptop should be protected by a password. Password Safe is a free download that acts like a lockable notebook. You can use it to store all your passwords, and only need to remember one to access them.

Data stored on backup devices such as CDs and memory sticks should also be password protected in case they are lost or stolen.

If you have a lot of sensitive or confidential electronic documents, you could also consider encrypting these for added protection.

Have a contingency plan

With improvements in videoconferencing and conference-calling technology, it's possible to rearrange face-to-face meetings at short notice if your chosen mode of transport is suffering from delays or cancellations. Check out Learn the Net’s guide to virtual meeting technology for more ideas.

Source: Enterquest