Travel with Laptop Security in Mind
Many work at home professionals carry their laptops to take advantage of hot spots while traveling. But if your laptop is lost or hacked, you may give away sensitive information and hand out a free ticket to your home network.

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when traveling with a laptop:

Keep your laptop in sight at all times. Just a few careless moments is all it takes for an alert thief to disappear with your computer.

Don’t use a laptop case. A laptop case only advertises the fact that you are carrying a valuable computer. Try using a padded sleeve in your briefcase, or a backpack with a laptop compartment. The less attention you invite, the better.

Read More: Securing Your Laptop on the Road

As with your desktop computer, use a strong password to log on to your laptop. A laptop with a fingerprint reader in addition to a password adds an extra layer of security.

Read More: Creating Strong Passwords

Since laptops are more easily lost or stolen, keeping your data backups current is essential. Today, there are many cost-effective and simple methods for data backups ranging from online services such as Carbonite and Mozy, to inexpensive thumb drives and USB drives.

Not all WiFi connections are equally secure. It may be possible for a clever hacker to read all of your work – including passwords and account numbers – as you sip your coffee and type. Remember that, if you are using an unsecured WiFi network, any information that you transmit can be intercepted fairly easily.