Store Personal Data Securely

You could argue that medical data is about as personal as data can get. However, there's plenty of sensitive personal data besides medication that you might want to have access to on your Treo. As an example, consider all the different user IDs and passwords you use to access popular Web services, such as Amazon.com and eBay. If you want to access your account on an online service while away from your desktop or notebook computer, you need to know your user ID and password. Additionally, you might decide to log on and access your email from a temporary location, in which case you need to know not only a user ID and password, but also the mail servers involved. All this information can be safely stored away on your Treo.

Tip

This probably goes without saying, but be extra cautious about creating a password for DataShield that no one else can figure out. It's great that DataShield combines all your personal data in one place, but it also makes it that much easier for others to get your personal information if your password is compromised and they get their hands on your device.

The application that makes personal data storage possible is Ultrasoft DataShield, which is available for download from the Ultrasoft website at http://www.ultrasoft.com/DataShield/. With DataShield, you can store all kinds of useful data on your Treo that's conveniently protected by a password so that you are the only person who is able to access it.

The first step in using DataShield involves setting up a password, which is critical because you want all your personal data to be secure. After establishing a password, you can begin entering personal data according to each different data type. For example, your eBay user ID and password is entered as the Web Passwords data type, as shown in Figure 15.10. Other data types include Bank Accounts, Clothing Sizes, E-mail Accounts, Frequent Flyer, Insurance Policies, and Serial Numbers, to name a few.

Figure 15.10. Entering personal data simply involves specifying the information pertinent to the data type.

Notice in Figure 15.10 that the data entry fields correspond specifically to the data type being entered, which in this case is Web Passwords. After entering several pieces of data, you'll notice that they are readily accessible from a master list in the DataShield screen (see Figure 15.11).

Figure 15.11. The main list in the DataShield screen shows all the personal information you've entered.

To access any information in the list, simply tap the item with the stylus. You may be realizing that the DataShield application is fairly simple, in that it just provides access to data you enter. However, the data being broken down conveniently into common data types is a significant advantage compared to just entering the information as raw text. Having a single password that protects all your personal data is another important benefit that makes DataShield a worthwhile Treo add-on.