So much of today's technical news focuses on when technology fails us.  Security breaches, lost laptops with social security numbers and emails that contains "too" much information are on the minds of business people around the world. Law firm clients are acutely aware that poor technology management can lead to unintended results and they are asking their firm's to take note.

Here are some of the steps that firms can take to avoid being in the headlines:

Blackberry and Handheld Management How many of your partners have lost their Blackberry in a cab or at a restaurant?  If unprotected, a Blackberry's emails and contacts are free for the taking.  Firms should consider the following to avoid an incident:

• Require that each Blackberry has a four character password at minimum.
• Each Blackberry should prompt for a password after an hour (or less) of inactivity.
• Ensure your IT staff knows how to remotely "wipe" a Blackberry.  That lost goldmine traveling around in the back seat of a cab can be erased from the Blackberry server to mitigate data loss.

Laptop Encryption. Surprisingly, laptops are just as easy to loose as Blackberrys.  We have heard stories of laptops disappearing in the court room, at a hotel or in a cab.  Even if your laptop requires a password to login, your data is still accessible to a criminal with basic computer knowledge and some free tools you can download from the internet.  Encryption has become an attractive countermeasure, but a solid standard has yet to emerge.  Here are some options, however, to consider:

• PGP WDE (Whole Disk Encryption)
• Voltage Secure Disk
• PointSec
• Guardian Edge
• Microsoft Vista's BitLocker Technology

Make users understand the "gotchas" with encryption.   From performance loss to unrecoverable data, if encryption technology is not implemented properly you can get your firm in a world of confusion. In the end, there is no single, easy answer to protecting against data loss.  A solid network design and thoughtful computer policies will provide the foundation you need to secure your firm's data.  We have helped many firms establish and implement better computer policies.  Let us know if we can help you.