So here’s the thing: I like having access to my information. It could be files, pictures, music, or my favourite books, shows, or podcasts. Doesn’t really matter what it is—if it’s mine, I want to be able to get to it. I happen to know I’m not alone in this feeling, and the internet has been fantastic for that. It means you can have access to whatever you want, wherever you want, anytime you want. To do that, you need to have at least a partial understanding of Access Point Management. The main point of Access Point Management that any user needs to be aware of is where your endpoints are.
What are endpoints?
Endpoints are the devices you use to access your data. This could be your phone, your laptop, or your tablet. It’s also a smart watch, your TV at home where you watch your favourite show from a streaming service, and the browser you check your social media from. Typically you don’t have to worry too much about your endpoints because 90% of the time you’re accessing your data from the same 3–5 devices—your phone, laptop, tablet, and maybe the odd browser. When I access my data, I do my very best to make sure I’m doing it from devices I trust.
Why does it matter?
The reason it’s so important to be able to manage your endpoints properly is simple: if you don’t know all the places where you’re accessing your data, you can’t possibly know if anyone else is accessing your data from those places either. Let’s take the example of staying at a hotel and logging into your favourite streaming platform because you’ve got a movie you want to watch. Fair enough—I’ve done this a couple of times. Once you’re done watching, you go about your business and eventually go home. If you don’t log out of the streaming platform before you leave the hotel room, then the next people who stay there have access to your personal account—or, worst case, the ability to take over your account entirely. Same goes for any system you log into on any machine you don’t control. If someone has access to your systems the way you do, then they can control whatever they want.
What can be done?
The solution is remarkably simple. If you find that you need to log into one of your accounts on a terminal (computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.) that isn’t your own, simply make sure you log out of your account before you leave that terminal. It gives you peace of mind knowing your account is secure, and the only one who has access to your system is you.
Having access to your data everywhere you go is a wonderful benefit of the internet age we’re in. The only thing is that you need to be able to secure the various accounts you want to access when you need them. Granted, with mobile technology being what it is, it’s very unlikely you’ll be caught short without some way to access your data—but ensuring you take the right measures to secure your account before and after using a device that isn’t your own helps make sure your systems stay secure.
Do you know your endpoints?
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