(Written by Barry Klein)
In our increasingly connected world, more and more of us spend more and more time checking e-mail on the road (unless, of course, the purpose of your trip is to escape to Fiji so you really can get away from it all). For most of us working stiffs, however, the ability to check e-mail on the road is part of what enables us to take a business or personal trip.
The paradox is that as it becomes harder to check e-mail remotely, it’s also becoming easier.
It’s becoming easier due to the proliferation of hot spots, which are springing up all over the place. Many airlines, like JetBlue, offer free wireless access, as do some airports, such as Tucson International Airport. Many coffee shops (including Starbucks) have it, as do many hotels. Even some McDonalds now offer it. A few cities are also experimenting with free wireless. Many exhibit halls offer free Internet Cafes, often with wireless and network cables for your notebook if you don’t want to use theirs. In short, it seems that you can fire up your notebook and find a wireless network just about anywhere these days.
The hard part is that many of these connections are insecure at best. At worst, they are outright phishing sites. They can capture your information with keylogging software if you’re using their hardware and can literally pull it out of the air if you’re using your own.
Presumably, you know better than to log onto your bank account from a public terminal, but what’s the problem with checking your e-mail from it? Think about it. If someone has access to your e-mail account, they have access to your life. Every time you forget a password, it is e-mailed to you (and, if you’re like me, you save it in a folder). Likewise, every time you register new software, your ID and password (probably the same one you use for everything) — are e-mailed to you. Need I go on?
On the road, you either have your own notebook computer with you or you don’t. These are the two basic scenarios.
Using your own notebook computer
There are two parts to using your own computer. One is the notebook itself, and the other is the connectivity. The absolute best-case option is to provide your own connectivity, and it might be easier (and less expensive) than you think.
If you have Sprint cell phone service, as I do, they offer unlimited DSL-speed Internet connectivity at a very nominal cost. So does Verizon. These services aren’t limited to the browsers built into the phones; you can use them as high-speed modems with your notebook. When I open my notebook, I connect (via Bluetooth) to my cell phone for Internet access, and don’t have to worry about whether the free local service is real or a phishing site.
Don’t have Sprint or Verizon? If you have a PCMCIA slot, Verizon sells a high-speed PCMCIA modem, and a low-cost monthly data service that will get you Internet access anywhere they provide cell service, which is most of the country, even if your cell service is with a competitor.
If these aren’t an option, the next best thing is to go out of your way to make sure that the connection you choose is a safe one. For example, one of the joys of the upcoming HIGH-TECC conference is that attendees sit at big tables using their notebooks as they listen to and participate in the sessions, checking e-mail, and staying in touch. You can’t just log on, however; you need to have the appropriate access code. That’s because it is a secured site, and those are the best.
Next best is to make sure that what you are using is the real service, provided by Marriott, Starbucks, or wherever you are. If there is more than one service showing (I’ve seen as many as three presumably T-Mobile sites at the same location), check with someone who knows which is the real one.
As an aside, as we get more accustomed to wireless connectivity, we tend to disdain the lowly CAT-5 cable connection. However, if you’re using the cable connection in your hotel room, at least you can be reasonably sure you really are connecting to the hotel’s own network, and not someone else’s.
Using a “complimentary access” computer
First and foremost, don’t type personal information into a complimentary access computer. There are alternatives.
One easy one that we often forget is to check your e-mail on your cell phone. More and more phones have browsers built into them. Yes, it isn’t as easy, comfortable, or fast as a computer, but it is far more secure. Plus, if you answer e-mail via your phone, it encourages brevity. BlackBerry users, for example, have elevated the one-sentence email to an art form.
Another alternative while away is to set up a new, separate e-mail account — such as a free one from Yahoo or Gmail — and let your family and office know to use that one. You won’t have access to all of your stored e-mails, but neither will anyone else who happens to capture your keystrokes and goes into that account. If you’re using it just to stay in touch, it’s a simple, easy, and free solution, and you can close the account when you return home.
With a little forethought and planning, you can check e-mail on the road and still stay reasonably secure. Of course, it would still be more fun to be in Fiji without e-mail.
G. Barry Klein is a former insurance agent who maintains the www.ultimateinsurancelinks.com Web site as an industry service. He can be reached at barry@barryklein.com
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