Protecting your data on the go

With holiday travel right around the corner, now is the perfect time to make sure that you are staying secure while using your computer and other work devices on the go. From airport terminals to public Wi-Fi on trains and planes, there are near limitless chances for bad actors to take advantage of weak IT security. The good news is that it is relatively easy to protect yourself while traveling. We’ll break it down for you below.

The first and perhaps most important step in getting ready to travel with your computer and mobile devices is to make sure they are up-to-date prior to leaving. There are two benefits to this. Firstly, Windows, Apple and other developers are constantly releasing security patches to their devices to make sure you are protected from the latest threats. Being on the newest operating system is critical for this, so make sure you check your settings and look for software updates at least a day or two before traveling. The other benefit is that major updates often require a speedy internet connection and decent processing power, which might be hard to come by on the go. Updating beforehand ensures your computer speed isn’t bogged down by background processes and slow Wi-Fi.

When browsing the internet or checking email on public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, always ensure that the website you are on has a secure connection. If you see “https” at the beginning of the URL as opposed to “http” or if your browser has a “lock” icon next to the URL, that indicates that you are on a trusted and secure website that will encrypt any sensitive information. If you don’t see that, you could be on a website that is not secure or is trying to mimic common sites like Google and Facebook to steal your information.

A common misconception is that you need some sort of VPN to truly be safe while traveling. Outside of a few specific instances, this is typically not true. Being on secure websites means your credit cards, login info, etc. are safe from others on the same network. The benefit of a VPN is that it blocks others on the same network from even seeing what you are doing. So, unless you are worried about others finding out that you are on Amazon the day before Christmas Eve, you should be fine. If you still feel the need to have one, we recommend Mullvad VPN for its privacy and user-friendly interface. Microsoft 365 also has a VPN built into Windows Defender that is currently available for Android devices and is coming soon to Windows.

Finally, if you are an Outlook user, only open your email application if you are sure it is encrypted. Microsoft Exchange accounts and those using the Google Workspace sync tool are encrypted by default, but if you don’t know for certain, it’s best to use a browser with a secure connection like Chrome or Safari instead.

If all of this has you confused or worried about traveling during the holiday season, have no fear. Reach out to us and we are happy to help get you set up in no time.

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