As vacation time is in full swing and more and more people have to take their work with them, it seemed like a good time to talking about some safety measures while using the computer outside of the home. We came up with an even dozen… share your travel tips in the comments.

 

Using your laptop in a public area, Internet Café or coffee shop…

 

1Pay attention to those around you; be sure you don’t have sensitive information on your screen that anyone could read over your shoulder.

2Don’t leave your computer unattended while you “get coffee” or leave your table for any reason.

3If you need to get up briefly, and you have a password that opens your computer, simply lock your computer while you’re up. Most computers can be locked without losing your place by:

8       Simultaneously press “Control (CTRL), Alt, Delete”

8       This will open “Task Manager”, click on “Lock Computer”

8       When you return, simply press “Ctrl, Alt, Delete” to unlock the computer

8       Enter your password. Your work will be in the same place as when you locked the computer.

4You may want to disable some features: disable the webcam, mute the sound, etc.

 

Using a public computer in a library or business center…

 

5Be sure you log all of the way out. It is not enough to close the browser window or type in a separate URL. Log out of the site and in some instances you are urged to close the browser completely afterwards (i.e. when you are accessing financial information like your bank or credit card company; it is always wise to log out of every screen and then close your browser to break the connection completely.)

6Many programs include automatic login features, or will ask if you “want this computer to remember your passwords”. Be sure to disable these or say no.

7To disable the feature that stores passwords, before you start navigating on the Web, turn off the feature by:

8     In Internet Explorer, click “Tools”, and then click “Internet Options”

8     Click the “Content tab” and then click “AutoComplete” – “Settings”

8     Click to clear both check boxes having to do with passwords

8Erase your work. Once you have finished using a public computer, you should delete all temporary files and your history. Most computers will have Internet Explorer and the steps you should take are:

8     Click “Tools”, and then click “Internet Options”

8     On the “General Tab, under “Temporary Internet Files”, click “Delete Files” and then click “Delete Cookies”

8     Under History, click “Clear History”.

9Protect your company. If your company Website allows you to view internal corporate documents remotely, you may be inadvertently storing sensitive documents on the public computer. Avoid this by:

8     Deleting all of the files in the temporary folder of your user account which you can find at: C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local settings\Temp.

8     If your company uses Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server, empty the temporary folder (My documents\SharePoint Drafts).

10If you can avoid it, do not enter sensitive information like Credit Card numbers into a public computer. Most business centers will let you swipe your credit card to print or use time on the computer. And many hotels will charge your room and/or credit card for daily use in the room. Be sure that you check your bill upon your return home to make sure that the charges are:

8     The amount you were told

8     Not billed to your room and your credit card resulting in double charges

 

Using your personal laptop in your hotel room…

 

11Never leave your computer “on” while you are out of the room.

12Remind your children that traveling with a laptop is a privilege and they need to observe all family rules that apply to home computers wherever they “log in”.  

 

Travel safely online as you travel offline…