| One of the most significant and philanthropic | | | | your data and storage devices while you are busy |
| benefits of modern technology is the mobility and | | | | holidaying. As they say, prevention is better than |
| flexibility it allows us. Now, you can have your | | | | cure. Don't let your laptop or phone out of your |
| cake and eat it too! That is, if you want to travel | | | | sight. Don't leave it unattended in the room or car |
| or vacation to get away for a while, you need | | | | or at least transfer the data to a flash drive or a |
| not worry about losing your precious working | | | | portable media and take it with you. Infact, locks |
| hours. All you need to do is carry your laptop, | | | | are available for your laptop and you can chain |
| mobile phone and i-pods etc. with you and work | | | | them as you would chain your bike. Attaching an |
| while having fun. Your digital camera can make | | | | alarm device is a good idea too. Also many |
| your vacation truly memorable and your mp3 | | | | companies have their laptops protected with a |
| player will keep you rocking to its beat. Such are | | | | fingerprint lock. Keep changing your passwords |
| the blessings of modern gadgets. | | | | and updating your antivirus software. Encryption is |
| However, if you are not careful about certain | | | | generally more reliable than passwords and should |
| things, you may end up having a vacation data | | | | be used if the data is very sensitive to theft. |
| disaster! The data lost may be personal in nature | | | | Even if the data is lost, the thief will have a very |
| like your family's pictures on the beach, or, it | | | | hard time getting an access to it. These are some |
| could be commercial, related to your profession. | | | | of the commonsensical methods to ward off the |
| There are many ways you can lose data from | | | | thieves. |
| your data storage devices and your vacation may | | | | Even while vacationing, give your storage media |
| or may not be the cause but it does make your | | | | the same respect as you usually give it. If you |
| devices particularly vulnerable. Data could be stolen | | | | are in a particularly adventurous mood, give your |
| by thieves or lost due to mechanical carelessness | | | | laptop a vacation too. Handle it with care. |
| which damages the hard drive. While vacationing, | | | | Moreover, as accidents may happen despite all |
| laptops and hard drives have to face a relatively | | | | your cautious behavior, Back Up. Before you |
| harsher climate, whether you are camping, | | | | leave your home, make copies of all your |
| trekking, doing road trips or simply lying on the | | | | important, irreplaceable files and store them |
| beach. Extreme variations in temperature and | | | | safely. If the data stored is small or has been |
| moisture, exposure to sunlight and sand and | | | | acquired while vacationing, it's very easy and |
| mechanical jolts and rough handling all make your | | | | convenient to use online backup. One can always |
| hardware prone to crash. Mobile phones | | | | access the data as per one's will and it will be safe |
| accidentally get dropped in the swimming pools | | | | from the vacationing hazards. |
| and other devices don't fare much better. | | | | Practical sense will tell us that carrying a small |
| Another story could be of theft. Maximum laptop | | | | portable storage media along and backing up the |
| thefts are reported from airports and hotels, | | | | data on it is a smart thing to do. It could be as |
| restaurants, beaches and gardens are also some | | | | tiny as a memory card, a USB flash drive or a |
| of the areas preferred by these thieves. It's not | | | | small sophisticated hard drive with a larger |
| only the price of the laptop they are interested in. | | | | capacity. They can save you a lot of time, |
| Even the data inside could be very valuable. The | | | | money and heart aches. Arrange your data in |
| wi-fi and internet ports provided in most of the | | | | such a way that it's easier to backup and retrieve |
| hotel rooms and cyber cafes are insecure and | | | | in case of loss like putting all the documents in |
| almost anyone can have access to your data if | | | | one folder. |
| they want. By gaining access inside your hard | | | | So, we know vacationing is important and we |
| drive, they can delete and manipulate your | | | | can't do without it, neither can we do without |
| programs. Another risk from these unreliable | | | | data. It's possible to have both if we just know |
| connections is that of viruses which can corrupt | | | | how to do it. It's akin to protecting ourselves with |
| your software. | | | | the little knowledge of a sunscreen. You should be |
| Having elaborated upon the risks, now we can | | | | able to look back upon your holiday with a smile, |
| understand and execute the ways to protect | | | | not a frown. |