Data is a valuable thing for any business. Within it, is the past, present, and future of what your business is, what it does, and who it does it with. And there are pieces of this story that should never be shared with others. But unfortunately, sharing is just way too easy these day – especially when you consider that your business data can go anywhere, with anyone, on any device.
Just one of the many perks of modern mobility.
So for the sake of privacy and for hopes of avoiding data breaches, hackers, and snoops, here are a few quick tips to help keep your data private when it’s on-the-go and mobile.
Public Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi is great, but it’s not always friendly. There is such a thing as a malicious Wi-Fi hotspot, and if you connect to something like this, any number of things can occur. For one, the creator of this hotspot can potentially track everything you type and everywhere you go within that mobile device of yours. Or, they can just throw some nasty viruses in your direction. Either way, both situations are not pleasant.
If you must connect to public Wi-Fi, do so with caution. Make sure everything looks as it should and always stay away from private, sensitive data when you’re connected.
Locked Devices
One major issue with data being on mobile devices is that it can be lost or stolen with no hacking necessary. In other words, you lose the device, you lose the data. Someone steals your device, someone also steals your data. Because of this, you need to take a handful of proactive measures to ensure this data isn’t easily accessible when it is lost or stolen.
And the very first step you should take is locking your screen. Never leave your device wide-open to threats by keeping it unlocked. Whether it’s a pin-code, password, or fingerprint, something is always better than nothing.
Gadget-Finding Apps
While we’re on the subject of proactive measures, another one you can take is with a gadget-finding, device-turning-on, data-wiping app. These apps are great to have at your side for a variety of reasons – they can help you track down a lost device, lock your gadgets remotely, and even turn the camera on for you. However, when it comes to your data, things get even better.
Some of these gadget-finding apps are capable of remotely retrieving data for you, as well as wiping your device of all its data. So in other words, if your phone or laptop is stolen, all you have to do is tell the app to wipe the device and remove all its data. Sure, you’re device will still be stolen, and sure, you’ll be down a whole lot of data. But at the end of the day, this still beats some stranger creeping on your private data.
Some well-known gadget-finding apps are Prey, Avast Anti-Theft, Lookout, and Cerberus.
Saving Passwords
Hypothetically, say your phone or laptop is stolen and the person who steals your device does manage to get through the lock screen. If this happens, you don’t want this person to get into your accounts – for example, to log into any sensitive apps you’ve downloaded or hop onto any websites you have an account with.
To avoid a situation like this, you’ll need to make sure you always log out of your online accounts. Unfortunately, this means you shouldn’t allow websites or apps to remember your login credentials – even if it is convenient. Because remember… the website doesn’t remember the password for you… it remembers the password for the device – whether it’s in your hands or not.
Do you have employees that work from home or out of the office? Are you taking the necessary precautions to ensure the security of your company’s data?
You don’t need to sacrifice security for mobility! Give us a call today to learn how you can keep your business mobile and protected.
