I was hacked!  I feel so…so violated.

And stupid. All of my business contacts, work in progress, and other critical information were in the hands of some hacker, cracker, or script-kiddie. And how did I find out? My credit card company called to ask if I’d bought a bicycle in Taiwan. Or clothes in Paris. Not only was I hacked, the person got my credit card number and spread it around the world in less than 24 hours.

And that got me thinking. I’m not careless about the work I do. I have an outboard back-up running 24/7. I have a server-side firewall and a system firewall and spyware and virus detection software that runs every 24 hours. I thought I was safe with these redundant levels of malware protection. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. And how that little bastard hacked into my files remains a mystery.

Many of us work in the 2-D web world. We know the tricks. We know what to look for, and if I get another e-mail from a Nigerian banker I may barf. The point? Even though I thought my business information was safe, it wasn’t. At least the way I had things configured previously.

What about you? How many layers of security does a hacker have to dig through to get to the good stuff? It took me three days of scrubbing and checking every email I’d received for the past six months. Wasted time. Lost earnings. And I thought I was covered!

I’ve used an FTP to move data-dense content (audio/DV files) to clients around the world. These TCP-based systems translate data effortlessly between operating systems and ignore differences between my data formats and the recipients. Never had a problem.

However, I know that all FTPs aren’t secure and hackers can use a variety of packet sniffers to intercept data transferred via FTP. So, I never considered using my FTP service for remote storage. Then, as I was whining to a knowledgeable friend about my misfortune, he offered two suggestions. The first: use two systems. One for on-line activities and one that is always off-line. Sounded expensive and cumbersome.

His second option was to open a secure FTP account. A what? File Transfer Protocol with a bunch of malware protection built around it. Also, a secure FTP transfers encrypted data so there’s less likelihood of an intercept. I immediately found what I was looking for – a secure FTP that gives me tons of space to store virtually all business-related files to a remote location.

What if my house burned to the ground? What if your house burned to the ground? (Knock wood.) Would your business go up in flames, too? It will if all of your key data is stored “in-house,” or in this case “in-charred-embers.” What if some burglar broke into your house? What’s the first thing s/he’s going to grab? Your laptop, of course. The one that has all business contact information stored on it.

So, how do you protect your sensitive client data, work in progress, personal information, and other critical files? Is my secure FTP safe enough? Still not sure. So I keep a fire extinguisher in my office in case smoke starts pouring out of my Dell.

Any other suggestions for preparing for a worst case scenario? How do you keep the spammers at bay? And what about burglary, fires, earthquakes, and other acts of nature?

Thanks, in advance, for any suggestions.