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COMPUTING ON THE GO
Password management for PDAs
SplashID is ideal for those who need to carry and share confidential data among their PDAs
PEE KAY
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SplashID lets you share your password management capability among various handheld PDAs. |
There are all kinds of passwords which we use daily, especially if you work in a modern office environment. As security involves trade offs, password management plays a crucial role in how you deal with digital security issues. In the real world, if you employ good door locks for your house, there is a very good chance that your house will be less subject to intruders.
On the other hand, if for better security you decided to install a combination lock for each door, your premise might be more susceptible to intrusion - simply because its harder for you to lock and unlock these doors on a daily basis. In the end, you might decide not to use them at all. In other words, trying to maximise security by adding security devices can be impractical at times. It's the mixture of security devices and implementation methods - not devices alone - that dictate the level of success of any security system.
The same holds true in the digital world, which is the main reason why I maintain multiple classes of password, three of them actually. Passwords at the lowest level are ones that I change frequently and need to jot down somewhere. Mostly, I use this class of password for non-commercial web site access. I also put my office LAN password in this category - because LAN administrators at the place I work have decided that a combination of complicated password rules and frequent change of the password itself is the way to go. As a result, I can no longer remember my own LAN access password.
My second layer of passwords consists of more important ones that provide access to services involving fund transfers. ATM PINs, credit cards PINs, and passwords to my Internet banking and shopping web sites are in this category. Normally I don't change this set of passwords often. And I remember them by heart. But I also need to keep them somewhere safe just in case I forget them.
Passwords at the highest level are ones I use for accessing services that demand extreme security. They are intentionally long and complicated enough to provide the necessary level of security while still easy enough for me to remember. I only have a few of these and I rarely change them. These passwords safeguard my encrypted data as well as the other two levels of passwords.
Today we will discuss SplashID, another password management utility for Pocket PC that lets you keep your passwords safely. Lets start with its basic features. Like other password management software, SplashID lets you keep you sensitive information in one basket, which is then protected by strong encryption: 256-bit Blowfish, in this case.
The different kinds of sensitive data that you might need to store dictates customisation capability of the software, while frequency of access dictates its ease of use. I'm happy to report that SplashID is second to none on both counts.
The software supports an unlimited number of record types and categories, making customisation a breeze. Its interface is also very simple. You can sort and resize columns with ease, for example. If you don't want to create passwords for the application yourself, you can use the software's password generator feature to do the job for you.
SplashID also allows you to import and export your sensitive data to CSV format - a common file format readable by most spreadsheets, databases and word processors.
One drawback of the software that I should mention is that it doesn't let you create more than one data file. As a result, you cannot create one file for each data category. It's a feature that trades simplicity with flexibility. I cannot say that I approve it but I can understand the idea.
The desktop versions of SplashID come in both PC and Mac flavours and, in my opinion, are quite necessary if you plan to create a large sensitive data file. One last interesting capability of SplashID is the fact that it's the only password management software I know of that works and can share data among various platforms, from Palm OS, to Pocket PC, to Smartphone, to Symbian UIQ, to Series 60 mobile handsets, and finally to BlackBerry.
On a daily basis, I carry one PPC and one BlackBerry. At the moment, I'm also testing a Nokia N93, a series 60 mobile handset, and a Samsung smartphone. So it's a good opportunity to see whether this software works well on a cross-platform basis. Due to time constraints, I only tested the application with the Nokia N93 and my HP PPC.
Although I didn't invest in testing time on this platform as much as I did on the PPC, I can attest that the S60 version carries the same interface as the PPC and the desktop version. I anticipate that all versions will have the same interface, and data can be transferred and shared easily among the PPC, desktop, and N93 - although not automatically via the normal syncing process.
In conclusion, SplashID is simple to use, highly customisable and its cross-platform proficiency make it an ideal choice for those who need to carry and share confidential data among their PDAs. It's available at http://www.splashdata.com/ and costs US$29.95.
Bangkok Post
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