For those of you who have been around for awhile, this may be a familiar topic to you.
I have a confession to make.....vacation is on my mind.
Probably because I'm leaving on a cruise later this week, but that is neither here nor there.
However, it really got me thinking. Yes, we are a business supporting businesses in their technology and networking needs. BUT. We are also people supporting the people in those businesses, and everyone needs a vacation once in awhile!
And because of the crazy connected world we live in now, it's very rare to leave technology behind when on vacation. I mean, that's one of the number one reasons I choose a cruise for vacation - forced disconnection. But that's not for everyone, and not even for every vacation I take!
So.....how do you make sure that you are being safe with your technology while traveling?
First I would say that if possible, use a VPN when travelling. It's a way of securing your connection - it basically encrypts everything you are doing online. I would say this is a definite must if you are travelling and doing work while away, but even for personal use - you may log into your bank account, or log in to social media with the password that you use for EVERYTHING. You don't want this information getting into the wrong hands - like someone who set up a con man's wi-fi connection.
If interested in a VPN recommendation, let us know and we can help you figure out the best fit for your needs!
Second, just as important as making sure you make a secure connection is making sure you DON'T make connections willy-nilly. Make sure the option to automatically connect to wi-fi is turned off on your devices. You only want them connecting when you TELL them to connect. Once you are at a location (such as your hotel), you can tell your device to automatically reconnect to that wi-fi, but don't let it connect on it's own.
Third, make sure your devices are password-locked. If your phone or tablet were lost or stolen, you don't want the thieves having instant access to all your information just because all they have to do is swipe up.
Side third - if it's password-locked, please make sure you don't have your password written on a post it that is taped to your laptop base.
Finally, for any and all accounts possible - make sure you have multi-factor authentication turned on.
Look. I get it. It's SUPER annoying. I hate having to have my phone out every time I log into accounts. It's frustrating. Especially if I left my phone in the other room.
Unfortunately, this is the world we live in. And the bad guys aren't going to stop being bad. They are out to ruin it for everyone. So these are the safety precautions we need to take. So set up that MFA so that no one can get into your accounts but YOU!
