Information

How To Keep Your iPad Secure, safe and out of harms way.

..."The iPad has great tools for keeping your data safe and personal information out of harms way"...

The iPad is one of the safest computing devices you can use. Its combination of hardware and software security give you a device that probably more secure than your Mac or PC. Especially if you take the right steps to secure it. Because there are currently no known remote attacks against iPads, the biggest security risk that is present at the moment is physically losing the device itself. Thus the first step is to make sure your tablets data is safe in case it gets lost or stolen. For that Id suggest a combination of encryption and remote wiping.

Passcode Encryption
By Default iPads encrypt the data stored on them. You can encrypt email messages and attachments as well by turning on the data protection option on your iPad. To do so go to Settings/General/Passcode Lock and then enter a four digit code twice. If you want to be extra safe, turn off the Simple Passcode option on that same page you can then use longer codes. This will ensure your device is safe and cant be hacked or passcode bypassed by anyone or anything. While youre there set require Passcode for no more than 15 minutes and turn on Erase Data. You can make those passcodes even more powerful by downloading and launching Apples (now poorly named) iPhone Configuration Utility (Macworld/7185).

Designed for enterprise IT managers, it provides a number of additional security and business settings. To start, tap Configuration/Profile/New and select Passcode from the list. Youll now have lots of options. At the very least specify a minimum length for the passcode. To activate these password settings, fill in a name and identifier for your new profile on the General Tab. If nobody else uses the iPad, set the Security drop down menu to always. If youre configuring an iPad for someone else and dont want him or her to change settings without your permission, set it for Never or With Authorization (and then provide a password).When the profile is set, click share to send it in an email message to your iPad. On the iPad, open Mail and find the message Click on Attachments and select install.

Remote Wipe or Remote Wiping
Remote Wiping allows you to delete data on a lost or stolen iPad when it connects to the internet. If you have MobileME account, you can set this up by enabling Find My iPad in Settings/Mail Contacts, Calendars/MobileME. Business users who connect to a Microsoft Exchange Server (or Alternatives Such As Kerio Connect) can use the Exchange Active Sync support to Wipe there devices. This is managed on the server not on your device so youll need to work with your IT administrator.

In Use
There are also things you can do in daily use to make your iPad more secure. One of the best is to use VPN (Virtual Private Network). Another way is to use Secure connections for email. Properly configured Microsoft Exchange Servers Encrypt Data by Default. If you use an IMPA or POP3 server, and it supports SSL, you can go to Settings/Mail Contacts Calendars/Your Account Name/Advanced On Your iPad and enable it there. Although data protection encrypts your email attachments the moment you send them off to an app such as pages they are protected by the iPads basic encryption only. If youre really worried about such documents, you can use a special secure email server tool like good enterprise (macworld.com/7202) and its free companion iPad App. Good for enterprise locks encrypted email attachments (and any files downloaded from its secure browser) inside the app which means that you can read them but not edit them.

If you do lose your iPad one of the first things you should do is change your password and DE-authorize the device for any services such as Drop box or iDisk. That you used for connecting to it the device your Apple iPad. Finally consider getting the 1Password Pro App ($15.00 macworld/5943). It enables good password habits (requiring a different complex password for every site). It syncs with your Mac and other devices over the network or VIA drop box and it stores secure notes and other information, including passwords. It even comes complete with its own embedded Web Browser so you can log in to sites without having to copy and paste your credentials.

Desktop Backgrounds, While Apple includes some lovely wallpapers with OS X, swapping in a fresh desktop background is the easiest and one of the most effective ways to reinvigorate the look of your Mac. Start by rummaging through your own photo library for something that grabs you. To Avoid blurriness you should use images at least as large as your screens maximum resolution. Found by navigating to background images of any subject you can imagine. Want a trippy nature themed look? Desktopgraphy (Desk08.customize.org) has the good for your Mac. For edgier fare of the occasionally NSFW variety check out the wallpaper collect at the deviant are (bit.ly/jDhkQC). A Wide range of cool cartoony backgrounds for all ages can be found at The iCon Factory (iconfactory.com/freeware/desktop). But if youre still not satisfied and old fashioned Google Search Can Help in your search.

Enter your subject of interest (Twilight, or Game Of Thrones say) then click images in the resulting pages sidebar. In the size selection of the next page choose an image size matching your Macs resolution to narrow your choices to pictures that will look sharp when you use them as your macs wallpaper. System preferences/ Displays and clicking the display button your Macs default resolution is the highest available. Fortunately, shots in your iPhoto Library probably exceed the magic number. To turn them into Desktop backgrounds go to System Preferences/Desktop Button,, then scroll o the contents of your iPhoto library (here you can also access the photos folder or add other by clicking the "+" button). Then Click an image file inside your events faces and places or any album or folders youve created to show it off on your Desktop. Backgrounds can appear full screen, tiled, or re-sized to fit your displays dimensions handy for fitting widescreen backgrounds to full screen monitors or vice versa. You can even set a collection of images to display in sequence to make a slideshow on your Desktop.

This will allow you for full customization of your Mac OS X desktop and give you the full benefits of what you can really do with your Mac. Having such a feature out performs and out does what a PC can do. With the ability to re-size your image from the point of putting a background on your Desktop really gives way to the meaning of Desktop Back Ground. So if your tired of your background and are looking for a whole new look, then do as described above and see what you can really do to bring some life to your Mac OS X. Remember if it isnt a Mac then it isnt a work of art. With PCs you have to re-size VIA a program or Paint option, but with the Mac that option is available to you without doing any more needed work than simply selecting the option resizing to fit your screen and seconds later your done. So get out and start Customizing your Mac OS X today and see how much more eye candy you could be having with your Mac.