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Anytime you log into a public place the odds are great that someone else is looking at your info. It’s no secret that public wi-fi is not secure so you must protect yourself in order to keep your data private. All of your traffic is sent in the “clear” meaning that it is readeable in plain text. Anyone armed with “sniffable” software can see your data in real time while you are checking your email. The software can record your usernames, passwords, credit card numbers and copy any files sent to your computer. You may think that your firewall is enough protection. It may help stop some network attacks  but it won’t stop your outgoing traffic from being observed.  

In order to protect yourself against this type of spying you will need a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN as its name indicates is a private network that encrypts your data as it leaves your laptop. Your encrypted data is sent to the ISP who then sends your data unto the Internet.  You don’t need to install any software or add any hardware.  If your company uses a VPN, you should use your VPN client to log into your corporate network. This way your traffic will be protected as your laptop goes to your business VPN and from there to the Internet. If you don’t have access to a corporate VPN, you can get one from many ISP’s. It takes minutes to configure and you’re protected from hackers while online. To find ISP’s that cater to the individual user,  do a search by entering the text VPN and hotshot.

Now that your laptop is protected, you should also protect other mobile devices such as your Palm, iPhone and other devices that use wi-fi.

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This is a review of the Grand Central communication system. You sign up with Grand Central and have one phone number for life that rings all your phones. You can receive all your messages in one voicemail box and the system can act as your answering service. The company was recently bought by Google and is currently in beta testing. The best part is that most of the features are free. First you reserve your Grand Central phone number from a long list of area code numbers. You will receive an email with your new phone number. The Grand Central website is well designed and it is easy to enter information. Once you log-in, you can start adding all your phone numbers that will be connected to your Grand Central number. No need anymore to give one number for home, another for work, etc.. You just give out your Grand Central number and all your phones ring at once when someone calls you. You can screen callers, switch phones during a call (just press the star button) and record the conversation. Your address book can be tailored so that each person that calls you can have an individual greeting. You have the option of receiving an email or SMS when someone leaves you a message. You can also have people call you directly from your website while keeping your number private. You just install a button which links to your Grand Central number. This is an ideal feature for eBay sellers for example. It is also possible with click2call to call directly from your address box or inbox showing your Grand Central number as the calling number

I have been using Grand Central for over 8 months. I would highly recommend it for its usefulness. The features are easy to use via the phone touch pad. You need to log in only to add new phone numbers or addresses. Overall I can see a bright future for Grand Central. 

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