Whether we’re traveling across the country or just down to the local coffee shop, we’re increasingly on the go. And our laptops, packed with more information than ever before, are usually there with us. That can pose problems-your Mac isn’t nearly as safe sitting on a coffee shop table as it may be at the office.

SecuriKey might not keep your computer from being stolen in that scenario. But the hardware-software combo from GT Security will keep the data on your machine safe-and that might be more important in the long run.

SecuriKey is like a key to your laptop; once you’ve installed the software, you insert a USB key into a port on your Mac to log in. Without the key, no one can log in to your computer, whether they have your password or not.

In security terms, SecuriKey provides two-factor authentication for your Mac. Logging in via SecuriKey requires something you know-your password-as well as something you have-the SecuriKey token. Even if hackers look over your shoulder as you type in your password, they’re not getting into your computer unless they have the SecuriKey token.

SecuriKey can also do something at least as important as preventing unauthorized logons: it offers you the option of creating an encrypted partition on your hard drive, which every user should do immediately. Using AES-128 encryption, SecuriKey places a partition on your hard drive that is effectively impossible to break. If you’re frequently working on sensitive documents or you have important personal documents on your hard drive, you’ll really appreciate this feature. It’s simple to set up an encrypted partition, and during the setup process you can choose to have your Mac mount the partition upon login.

SecuriKey’s initial setup is extremely easy: put the setup disk in your Mac, follow the on-screen prompts, and insert the USB key when instructed. After that, it’s just a matter of having the key inserted in the USB port any time you log in.

And having that key in the port is critical-when you remove it, the SecuriKey program returns to the login screen, logging you out or shutting down the computer, depending on which option you’ve selected. (GT Security strongly suggests you opt for the login screen to avoid losing changes to any documents or files you were working on when you removed the USB fob and the system shut down.)

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