Security Tip - What to do BEFORE you go to Starbucks

img-before-you-go-to-starbucksSo, youíre in the car on the way home from Starbucks, basking in the glow of consuming your triple-shot, low-foam, extra-hot pumpkin-spice latte when you suddenly realize your laptop has gone missing. You drive back like the caffeinated lunatic you are, only to discover no one has turned it in. What do you do? That depends on what precautions you have (or havenít!) taken. First, if youíve properly encrypted your data, password-protected the access to your device and shut down and logged off all key applications, youíve got a bit more time to respond. But the first thing to do, whether or not youíve taken those precautionary measures, is to notify your IT department (us) that youíve lost your device. That will allow us to change passwords and lock access to applications and data a thief may gain access to via your unprotected laptop. We can also remotely wipe your device to make sure no one will be able to gain access to the data stored on your computer. (Which is also why itís CRITICAL to back up your data on a daily basis!) Next, change ALL the passwords to every website you log in to, starting with any sites that contain financial data (your bank account) or company data. If your laptop contained medical records, financial information or other sensitive data (like social security numbers, birthdays, etc.), then you need to contact a qualified attorney to understand what you may be required to do by law to notify individuals who may be affected. Quite simply, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; so make sure youíre engaging us to encrypt and back up your data, as well as put remote monitoring software on all mobile devices. Put a pin-code lock or password requirement to access a device after 10 minutes of inactivity, and get into the habit of logging out of websites when youíre done using them.
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