Ever worry about someone stealing your business?

Have you ever thought about what others could find on your laptop or desktop computer if it were stolen?  What about the portable USB drive you carry around in your pocket?

Computers store a lot data we don't want other people to see.  Tax documents, financial information and customer data are all examples of things that should be protected. 

Encryption is a way to keep others from accessing your files.  It is like a digital safe that can only be opened with the correct password.  Even if your computer or USB drive is stolen, there is no way to open the safe without the correct password.

Encryption works by transforming or "scrambling" the data you want to protect into something that is unreadable.  Only authorized users with the correct password and encryption software can unscramble the protected data in order to read it.

The following information will guide you on how to protect your valuable data assets as prevention is still the best rule of thumb.

Note : It is important to remember that if you lose your password, or the media you're storing the encrypted data on becomes damaged, it will most likely be impossible to get your data back.  Therefore, it's important to keep secure backups of your encrypted data and encryption codes.

IronKey (www.ironkey.com) – A military grade hardware encrypted thumb drive that self destructs (internally) after ten bad password attempts.  It has a built in web browser for private web browsing and password management software.  It is very easy to use and very durable.  It has a secure backup feature, and an online password backup feature built in.

Encrypted File System – A feature built into Windows XP Professional that allows you to encrypt individual files and folders. See the following Microsoft article for instructions on how to do this: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308989.

BitLocker Drive Encryption – Full disk encryption feature that is built into Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Vista Ultimate edition.  See http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766295.aspx for detailed instructions on how to use BitLocker.

TrueCrypt – Free software that can be used to encrypt an entire drive or create a virtual encrypted disk. See www.truecrypt.org for the software and detailed instructions.