Most of this is pretty common sense stuff to the typical IT Professional, but it’s good advice to clients, if nothing else. Mike Hayes from Ontrack Data Recovery writes:

In light of today’s airline scares, laptop computers need to be checked with baggage - at least for the immediate future. For those traveling on business or who need to carry a laptop, it could be a scary thought to trust such fragile equipment (that stores all critical data) with complete strangers. As such, Ontrack Data Recovery, the industry’s largest provider of data recovery services and products, offers several important tips to consider before traveling with your laptop in order to keep your critical and often “priceless” data secure:

• Back up all critical files on your laptop before traveling and make sure the backups are valid.

• Put your most important documents - ones you’ll absolutely need when you arrive at your destination - on a CD, Memory Card, or USB Stick and take it with you so just in case the worst happens and your computer is damaged. This way you’ll still have the most important files you need with you and can access on another computer.
• Confirm that your laptop hard drive is password protected so in the unfortunate event that it’s stolen or lost, the sensitive data on the machine won’t be compromised.
• Put your laptop in a snug fitting, padded laptop sleeve that will provide ample protection against rough treatment or invest in a hard sided computer bag or suitcase - versus duffle bag - to keep your laptop extra safe.
• If you don’t have a special bag for your laptop, wrap it inside clothes so it’s suspended in the middle of your suitcase and not touching or near any of the sides of your suitcase. That way, your laptop is well protected from bumps and drops.
• If the worst happens and your laptop is damaged, don’t fret. A professional data recovery company should be able to recover your data. Data recovery is performed on thousands of laptops every year and professional data recovery providers are experts at saving the data off laptop drives. If your data is valuable, it pays to search for a reputable recovery company and attempt recovery.

Tags: luggage, ontrack, check laptop, airline travel, data caution, suitcase, carry on