How to protect personal and business documents from hackers

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Let’s face it the world of Internet and computers has made communication quite easy. However, with more institutions offering free Wi-Fi the threat of invasion of privacy by hackers becomes more realistic, especially when the network is no

The vulnerability is increased when you use the same device whether laptop or tablet for your office and personal use.

At times all one needs is to seat at your desk for a few minutes, know what you have been up to and before you know it they will be presenting your ingenious idea before your boss.

With the risk of corporate espionage when dealing with ‘classified’ documents it is better to use encryption to be safe rather than sorry.

Simply put encryption involves increasing the level of privacy on your documents by limiting access to users with the password.

Microsoft Office 2013 has made it much easier for people to put a password on the documents that they create. For instance, to protect a word document with password click on the File tab (which has Save As and Print options), when you select Info a side menu will appear. One of the items will be Protect Document and you can choose the Encrypt with Password button once you click on it.

Once you key in the password and confirm it, you are good to go as long as you do not leave the word document open when you are away from your desk.

Decrypting the document once it is ‘de-classified’ is easier go through the same process and delete the password saved.

The same formula is applicable in all other Microsoft Office 2013 documents whether Excel worksheets or PowerPoint presentations.

Protecting Excel documents are important in businesses as that is where the numbers are inputted. This data could range from information on suppliers and payments made to the actual payroll for your employees.

With Excel you could opt whether to protect a single worksheet or the entire workbook.

You can also create a password protected PDF file from word. Once you have created the Word document choose the Save As option, from the dialogue box select PDF for the save as type box.

Before you click on save though, click on the options button and select Encrypt document with a password. You will be required to enter and reenter the preferred password.

Once the document is saved as PDF. A person will require the password to open it.