Protect the Personal Data On Your Work Computer

Back in the 1950s, when people put on suits and carried a briefcase to the office each day, they'd come home promptly at 5pm, where their stay-at-home wife was waiting with a newspaper and a hot meal. I gleaned all of this mainly from watching episodes of Bewitched.

These days, we sometimes spend just as many hours at work as at home, and consequently our office PC is a mish-mash of corporate and personal data. Dumb Little Man has some interesting advice for protecting personal data on a corporate computer, especially if you are unexpectedly laid off. The highlights:

• Don't store data on the computer's hard drive. Instead, invest in a USB memory key and store everything of value on that. Take the key home with you each evening for safekeeping.
• If you're let go and restricted from accessing your PC, ask your boss for permission to reclaim personal data. Be explicit that these are all personal files and someone else is welcome to supervise the process.
• If that's a no, then ask if the IT department can retrieve the data for you. You'll need to provide them with a list of specific files and locations, because honestly, they're doing you a favor.
• And employ common sense: Always be polite and reasonable.