Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/45522
strong passwords. For more information, see ILTSO Standard 47, which suggests that "Passwords should be at least eight characters long, and composed of at least one uppercase and one lowercase alpha character, and at least one character that is either a numeric or special character. Passwords should never contain parts of the user's login name, common words, common numbers (like birthday, age, SSN, address or telephone number) or predictable sequences (like 12345, qwerty, abcde, etc.)." Using a password manager to store unique passwords for different cloud resources is also advisable. Attorneys should also remember to encrypt portable devices and computer hard drives using either a built-in OS solution (like FileVault) or any number of free solutions (such as TrueCrypt), and to enable "remote wipe" features in case a device is lost or stolen. 10. What else can I do to protect myself and improve my cloud experience? There are a number of ways in which you can substantially improve the reliability, security and overall experience you have with your cloud-based applications. • Invest in a high-speed Internet connection (at least 10mbps downstream, 1mbps upstream). When your office relies heavily on cloud-based applications, improved bandwidth will result in shorter download and upload times, as well as faster page load times. • Encourage the use of wired connections over slower and less reliable wireless connections. If using Wi-Fi is a necessity, implement appropriate 26 Risky Business ILTA White Paper security measures (such as WPA2, MAC addressing and hidden SSIDs; see ILTSO Standard 23 for more information). • Keep your operating system, applications and antivirus software/subscription up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates. • Consider adding a backup Internet connection using a different backbone (DSL instead of cable, for example) as a fail-safe. This fallback Internet connection is a relatively inexpensive insurance policy should an outage occur with your primary connection. • Add tethering to your mobile plan. This provides access to the cloud while you're on the road, as well as another fallback should your primary Internet connection be unavailable. • Embrace mobile devices. In many instances, the cloud and mobile devices are a perfect fit, and together can reduce the synching headaches of yesterday. You can have instant, anywhere, real- time access to your data via devices like your iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, Android or other smartphones. • Interconnect your cloud services. Many cloud services offer API links or other integration points. If you've decided on one cloud service, explore other services with which it might integrate. These combinations can improve usability, reduce duplicate data entry and associated errors, and provide unique value-adds such as single sign-on, seamless data sharing, and more. ILTA