Tried opening a document recently only to see a series of zeros, naught, and some unrecognizable symbols? Data entry experts with the responsibility of inputting highly confidential legal contracts may have found it difficult or impossible to read the details of the contract due to ciphers placed by encryption software. Portions of the message appeared void making it hard to decipher. What kinds of documents need encryption? Sensitive business files, personal files containing social security numbers, personal identity information, a new invention or even those intimate anti-social images shot in your private chambers or while on a night-about-town with friends. It is smart to protect everything on your computer as if it was life鈥nd in reality it is.
Computers and information need protection from prying eyes, accidental removals and viruses. More importantly, this may be a promotional business opportunity to encourage customers to do the same. Handy tools to back up your files externally include USB promotional drives otherwise known as 鈥榯humb drives鈥?developed by Trek International in Singapore and released in the year 2000 by IBM. In the annals of the promotional and advertising world promotional USB drives are fast replacing printed material such as flyers, brochures, person-to-person sales presentations, live business meetings and so on.
Your customers need to know how to keep their promotional USB drives secure. Two methods are available: password protection and encryption. The easiest way for the layperson to secure a flash drive is have contents encrypted by using encryption software or programs that utilize other encryption software such as ZIP and RAR. There are even programs available that do not require administrator rights. Many USB promotional drives may already have hardware-based encryption as part of the disk鈥檚 internal structure. Choose from any of the following need-no-administrator-privilege software:
USB Secure, Rohos Mini Drive, USB Flash Security and Gilisoft Private Disk. In some cases storage capacities vary; for example, Rohos Mini will protect only 2GB maximum.
