Earlier this week, one of our team managed to lose his iPhone during a holiday. This raised the issue of data security because the phone, like many others out there, contained both confidential company information and personal details.
If you’re the owner of an iPhone, there are some simple steps that you can take to secure your data. For starters, regularly backing up your iPhone through iTunes will make sure you have a copy of any data on the phone.
Next, you can enable the Passcode Lock feature. You can set this to activate right away, after one minute or after five minutes. Included is an option to automatically wipe the device after ten failed passcode attempts. You can access the feature through Settings > General > Passcode Lock:
Once you have enabled the Passcode Lock feature, you’ll have to enter the passcode when bringing your iPhone out of standby:
If you use your iPhone with Microsoft Exchange, then it may be possible, in the event of your iPhone being lost or stolen, to remotely wipe the device. With Small Business Server 2008 (Exchange 2007) this can be done through Outlook Web Access by the end user. You access this functionality through Options > Mobile Devices > Wipe All Data from Device:
Remote wipe is also available in Small Business Server 2003 (Exchange 2003) but will require some prior configuration on the server from your IT support team.
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