Here are ISG's Ten Travel Tips for your mobile device, especially for those traveling outside of the U.S.
- Contact your wireless provider several weeks before you travel to discuss and activate the most cost-effective plan to fit your needs. For Brown devices, contact Telecommunications. For non-Brown devices, users should contact their cellular provider directly.
- For phones, familiarize yourself with international roaming and data charges. We recommend turning off or setting a limit on cellular data usage for your smartphone to prevent incurring significant fees.
- Consider using Google+ Hangouts to bypass the phone. See About Hangouts site for help on getting started.
- When traveling with a laptop, remove all PII from it or encrypt it. If possible, we recommend using a laptop specifically designated for travel with no personal information on it.
- Become aware of and comply with all export controls (see Brown's Export Control Policy). For example, some countries ban or severely regulate the use of encryption, you should check country-specific information before traveling with an encrypted laptop. See the Encryption page for links information on international traveling restrictions (both the BitLocker and FileVault articles include details). See also Designing IT Guidelines for Global Travel.
- Set a strong password or passcode for your device. Here are some ideas on how to create a strong and memorable password.
- Make sure all operating system and anti-malware software is current. If you haven't installed an anti-malware client for your phone, do so.
- Install device finder software, such as Absolute (for laptops) or Lookout (for tablets and phones).
- Use VPN to connect to Brown's network when away from it. OIT offers both a web and client versions. If you haven't used VPN before, test it before leaving.
- Make sure you have contact information for your local IT support professional and the IT Service Center.
Finally, see the companion document, Prepare Your Laptop for Traveling, which reinforces the above information and provides a few more details.
Bon voyage!