Disaster Protection for Financial Data.

• Author: Sagner, James S.
• Position: Treasury - Brief Article

The World Trade Center tragedy has disrupted New York City for months now, and based on discussions with corporate clients, it's impacted nearly every business requiring daily contact with their bankers. Disaster recovery and contingency planning have been preached about for the past decade, and fortunately, most financial professionals were able to function using an existing back-up site or another facility.

One emergency "site" for many treasury executives has been their laptop computer. Responding quickly to the occurring disaster, New Yorkers grabbed their laptops and fled -- to their homes or another company's office. However, this convenience could potentially be a "land mine" for the unsuspecting: the threat to one's laptop data could be worth millions of dollars to a smart crook.

Key information on a company's financial matters may contain bank account numbers, balances, company investments, pending debt or equity deals or more. It could also store confidential documents, including emergency telephone numbers, disaster plans, marketing strategies or nearly anything that a competitor would gladly pay to see.

Commonsense Laptop Safeguards

Here are eight ideas for laptop security to include in your disaster planning:

1. Conceal your laptop. Any observant robber can spot a laptop; the shape of the briefcase is distinctive. Put the computer in a bag that doesn't look like computer luggage -- such as a gym bag. Your workout clothes hardly appear to be worth stealing.

2. Hide passwords and codes. Do not put your secret access information on a "post-it note" on the laptop, on the hard drive or anywhere in the carrying case. Memorize the information -- or keep it in your wallet -- labeled as something else.

3. Secure your corporate network and encrypt. Access to your corporate networks should be by "smart-card" technology, which requires the entry of a code that is displayed on a device (i.e., a SecurID [R] token). The code changes every 60 seconds, and your network recognizes the code by the time of its entry into the system. For data on your computer, encryption programs are available for about $50, rendering files unreadable without a key.

4. Store vital contacts with your computer. A disaster has occurred, you've relocated with your laptop and are all set to work, but the bank's lines are down and you don't remember how to access...