- May 15, 2023
Quarterly reports, campaigns, start-up meetings, training new co-workers and planning for H2. The spring can be an intense time of year, no matter what department you belong to.
The holidays should, therefore, be a time when you can relax, in double measure. Pictures at important presentations that summarise the quarter are exchanged with photos of late dinners with the nearest and dearest. Telephone messages and reminders are replaced with chirping birds in real time.
At the beginning, our mobile phones contained only an address book and prepaid SIM card. Some might go so far as to say: “It was better before.” And looking at it from a security perspective, we can partly agree with that.
The list of important information on our phones today can be quite long. It is therefore important, not only for you, but also for the company you work for to take care of your phone while on holiday - after all, what would happen if your phone were to fall into the wrong hands? The answer varies depending on how much information you have on your phone and how you protect yourself. Pictures of late dinners can always be taken again, but email conversations and customer information that is abused can in the end make for an expensive tale.
In order for you to lean back, lounging in the sun and enjoying all that vitamin D production, we have put together 3 smart tips to keep you proactive during your holiday:
1. Use a password, Touch ID or similar for unlocking your phone
It may sound like the world’s most natural thing. But far from everyone uses a passcode for unlocking. In order to protect your phone from unauthorised users, it is a simple tip to use a passcode or Touch ID for unlocking. When it comes to a passcode, make sure to use 6 digits instead of 4. The more advanced the number combination, the better. If your phone is stolen and you don’t use a passcode for unlocking, the risk is quite large for identity theft. The culprit can use your social media in order to trick nearest and dearest into giving money.
2. Backup your content regularly. In the cloud or on your computer.
The human factor is a problem when handling phones and computers. Much of the information that is stored on our phones is impossible to recreate if it should happen to disappear. Therefore, make it a habit to backup your phone regularly, especially before you go on holiday. Here we have put together a few links for information on what to do for Android devices or iOS (iPhone or iPad).
3. Never connect to open Wi-Fi networks
An increasing number of cafes and restaurants offer a free, open Wi-Fi network. It is a useful service when you're low on data or when you want to use it sparingly. It is far from risk-free to connect to an open Wi-Fi network. Your phone can be hacked and your password then becomes available to anyone.
Traffic in an open Wi-Fi network is done with text so that it is possible for all to see your password and username. This means that a person connected to the same network as you can have access to your private data. A clever hacker, with help from a special program, can see everything on your phone, computer or tablet. The hacker will have access to a wealth of private information to choose from: social media passwords, ID papers or bank information.
Here are a few clever tips for protecting your information:
- Make sure that website addresses start with ‘https’ instead of ‘http’. This indicates that the address encrypts traffic between your web browser and the recipient.
- Turn off ‘Connect to Wi-Fi automatically’ on your computer and phone. Many use this function in order to avoid entering the same password several times. As long as you are within a certain distance from the network, your phone will automatically connect to it. The risk with connecting automatically is that someone can setup a network with the restaurant’s name for instance, and your phone will connect to it.
- Use VPN services (Virtual Private Network) - a type of service that is offered by several companies. It basically creates an encrypted connection to a server and allows all the traffic to pass through it, instead of going out over the network. The encrypted connection ensures that no one can see what you're doing.
Data security - a vital part of circular economy
Lack of data security can lead to security breaches, loss of customer confidence, legal consequences or even sanctions. To ensure data security in old IT equipment, data gathering should be a fundamental step in the IT decommissioning process. Having a good process in place is important and can save a company a lot of money.
Dispose of your old tech safely (and sustainably)
Whether you’re moving on to new tech or clearing the stores of dusty old devices, why not take advantage of our market-leading REfurbish, REuse, REcycle programme to perfectly manage the disposal of your old assets? Data destruction is carried out using best-in-class device sanitization software, and you have peace-of-mind as you can follow the whole process through a dedicated portal.
If you are thinking about how you can dispose of your devices safely and securely, learn more about our IT asset disposal service.
Or, watch our short video to learn how to unlock hidden value in redundant IT:
