Lets talk about keeping our friends close…and enemies closer.
Leaving a computer or mobile phone unattended is like saying to the world “hey, take me”.
Beyond the obvious reason that it could be stolen, if its used for business purposes, you are potentially putting your own data and your customers data in harms way.
We as business owners must treat our customers and employees data like gold – leaving it exposed to the world, even for a few minutes, is not good business.
What this also highlights is the importance of password protection and encryption.
If this device has encryption or password protection, at least its protected in general, its hard to get at the data.
But that being said, you probably don’t’ want to just leave your device around and test that theory out -- some smart hacker could probably get into it.
It may seem innocuous to leave your stuff alone for a few minutes but unfortunately these days, its not. That is enough time for someone to do something malicious.
I am not saying you should live in fear and hold on to your laptop or tablet as if its your first born. But this goes back to my first blog post – awareness is important.
This is even true at the office – when you are not at your computer, make sure you and your employees keep the computer locked or password protected. C’mon, would you leave $1000 laying around for a few minutes? Probably not.
So to recap – don’t leave your computing devices unattended or unprotected. Password protecting your computer is not hard and you may not think you need to do this at your own workplace – but honestly, it’s a good habit to get into. Again, remember, its about awareness.