Secure corporate secrets
The corporate use of PDAs poses two security problems, says Panjwani: controlling data access through remote connections, and unauthorized access to the data. The first can be handled in the same way that it has been for remote laptop users: Using a VPN client that will interoperate with the existing VPN on the back end. The second is trickier. "If an employee leaves the PDA at a meeting," he asks, "and somebody just glances over and looks at the information, how do you actually protect that information?"
There are some security methods already built into PDAs. For example, the Palm OS allows you to assign passwords to specific records marked as private; in addition, an Off & Lock feature makes you use a password to reactivate your handheld. The Pocket PC also offers power-on password protection, while the e-mail application includes industry-standard network authentication, password, and SSL for Web-based e-mail. However, because the data itself isn't encrypted, it is generally accepted that somebody who knows the OS well can hack into the information on a PDA that's in his physical possession.
As a result, there are now many software products that can protect valuable data in PDAs that are lost or stolen. They offer varying degrees of protection.
Individual safeguards
The simpler, and less effective, are all available on a consumer level, and implemented on a device-by-device basis. For example, a basic way to protect data is to use a "digital wallet." Originally a term for encryption software that protected e-commerce information, it is now used by a number of inexpensive applets that create encrypted databases where you can store sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers. These include Developer One's CodeWallet, Ilium Software's eWallet, and PassKey from Application Development StudioA.
A more useful way to keep data both safe and separate is to keep it on a storage card. A number of programs, such as Paragon Software's Cryptographer for the Pocket PC, encrypt information that is stored on CompactFlash and PCMCIA cards.
Some applications offer basic data encryption for specific files and/or folders, so that users can protect crucial information without having to encrypt the entire contents. These include Applian PocketLock for the Pocket PC and seNTry 2020 by SoftWinter.
Users who simply want to lock down their PDAs, but who aren't satisfied with the included password protection, may want to check out an interesting security application for the Palm and Pocket PCs by Communication Intelligence Corp. called Sign-On. The program, which allows you to literally sign in to your PDA, measures the pattern of your signature.
