Business Travel: Securing Your Laptop on the Road

As a business traveler, your laptop becomes your office away from home. With key information at your fingertips, it is best to ensure that important information is secure while you’re on the road.

Computer hackers try to exploit weaknesses. On its website, the FBI offers the same advice for keeping your computer secure that parents give to teenagers when they’re starting to drive: stay out of bad areas, secure your vehicle (or computer) and take steps to reduce your vulnerability.

One option to protect your various files is to have a designated travel laptop that is fully updated and contains only minimal software with remote access to other key files. But if that’s not possible, there are steps you can take to increase your safety.

When you’re packing your suitcase for a trip, it’s important to travel light, to bring the essentials and leave the valuables at home. The same goes for your computer. Before you leave, do a thorough check of everything you have on your laptop. Remove any apps and sensitive data that you don’t need for your trip. Clear your browser cache files and remove all saved passwords. Make sure that all of your devices are protected using strong passwords and back up important data that you need to bring with you.

Reducing vulnerability also means making sure your operating software and all of the apps you need are updated with the latest security patches, including antivirus protection software. Antivirus programs will warn you about risky websites, flag suspicious emails and prevent malicious software from embedding on your computer. Don’t forget protection against spyware, too, that will stop others from peering into activities on your computer. Just make sure that you’re getting your anti-spyware technology from a reputable source.  And if you have firewall protection, keep it turned on.

Many of us routinely keep our computers on all the time, but the FBI suggests that’s not a good idea. The downside of always “being on” renders computers more susceptible to hacking. Beyond firewall protection, turning your computer off when you’re not using it effectively severs the connection for a would-be attacker.

Being on the road means that you may be using your laptop in public places, like coffee shops or airport lounges. Invest in a privacy filter that will keep people around you from being able to easily see what’s on your screen. If you’re in a public place, be wary of doing sensitive work for business. The free Wi-Fi that’s offered probably won’t have encryption, making it easy for people to intercept your data or pretend to be an official Wi-Fi hotspot. One option is to use a Virtual Private Network. A VPN will turn your public connection into a private one.

Finally, when you’re leaving your hotel at the end of the day for dinner, be sure to lock your laptop in your room safe.

For help planning a business trip, contact our corporate team.