University of Utah officials this week admitted that a metal box of backup tapes containing billing records of about 2.2 million patients was stolen from the car of a courier.
It’s just another in a series of heartbreaking stories about data loss on the road. With laptop computers now outselling desktops, a lot of critical and important data is mobile and bound to get lost or stolen. It’s not the panic about losing the laptop itself, it’s losing what’s inside that will drive people to tears.
Here are three ways to prevent such a loss:
1. Back up your data. Most of us are guilty of not doing it. But once you get the discipline, it’s second nature. There are two methods of backing up: local and remote.
The local backup is fairly easy to do. 250 GB portable drives are hovering around the $100 range. We can do it manually, but making it automated is far more easy. For the Mac crowd, this is made simple with Time Machine. It literally is a no-brainer. For Windows users, SyncBack will handle your backup chores with ease.
Remote storage, for me, used to mean keeping a hard drive at Mom’s. I also use Mozy, which offers unlimited storage for $55 a year per computer. It uses your broadband connection to keep everything remotely. And since it’s owned by storage giant EMC, it will be around for a while. The downside is, depending on how much data you have to back up, it might take a while.
2. Secure your data. I work in an industry where our data means money and a major black eye for us if it gets into the wrong hands. And it’s not just about work — my personal information needs to be kept private. Everything from my tax information to those embarrassing vacation photos.
The best free solution for securing data is a program called TrueCrypt. It will create a virtual drive in which you store data you want to secure with military-strength encryption. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but the price is right.
In the corporate world, PGP’s Whole Disk Encryption does exactly that – protects your entire hard drive with the same military-strength encryption. Most companies, including mine, use this.
3. Get your laptop back. Let’s face it — losing a laptop sucks. However, it is possible to install a piece of software that will “phone home” and allows it to be located if it’s connected to the internet – which is practically a given. Absolute Software makes Computrace, which, if stolen, can work with local law enforcement to track your laptop. Computrace can even remotely wipe your computer clean to prevent the bad guys. It’s for both Mac and Windows users.
Also for Mac – there’s also Orbicule’s Undercover, which will not only get you tracking information, but will use the built-in iSight camera to take photos of who is using your stolen laptop. It makes it easier for the police to recover your laptop if they have a name and a face to go on.
Keeping your laptop safe should be a priority of every traveler. Using these simple steps and common sense, like not putting your laptop in checked luggage and keeping it secure, you’ll have less stress if your laptop ever goes missing.
