Encrypting and Protecting Gradebook Files on a Portable USB Drive
The past Using Gradebook Software From a Portable USB Drive article made sense of how for run a gradebook program from a compact USB Flash drive. This is exceptionally helpful as it permits you to work on your understudy grades on practically any PC whenever, regardless of whether organization or Internet availability is restricted. While utilizing a gradebook in this manner it is essential to consider the security parts of the grades put away on a compact USB drive.
In one sense, putting away understudy grades on a versatile drive is no less safe than putting away their grades in a paper based gradebook – – both can be lost and found by somebody other than you – – the way that a USB drive is so little can be an issue. USB Flash drives are in many cases called thumb drives for the explanation of their size.
On the off chance that not really Windows BitLocker Encryption on there is the genuine chance that your USB drive, with every one of the information on it, could be lost. The rising limit of such drives likewise intends that there is much more data that could fall into some unacceptable hands in case of the drive disappearing.
In the rest of this article, choices for safeguarding and getting your gradebooks are made sense of. There are three methodologies covered here.
Encryption of the whole USB drive, so none of the items can be seen without the right secret word.
Utilize the secret key insurance of your gradebook program, if accessible.
Encode individual documents on the USB drive so a secret word is expected to open and work with the gradebooks.
Encode the entire drive
There are a few programming frameworks that are exceptionally secure and can scramble the whole volume of a USB streak drive. One illustration of this technique is TrueCrypt which is an exceptionally protected and well known for certain clients. Be that as it may, normally such programming has one critical impediment.
Ordinarily there should be a unique Windows driver introduced on every PC that you need to have the option to open the records of the USB Flash drive. On the off chance that you are utilizing your gradebook program at explicit fixed areas, this may not be an issue as you can introduce the encryption driver on every one and afterward uninhibitedly move between every PC to get to your documents.
And, after its all said and done there is the additional obstacle that introducing the unique Windows driver is unimaginable all of the time. Introducing the product expected for the encryption programming might require a degree of admittance to Windows, for example, being a head. This may not be commonsense to utilize your gradebook program on a workstation at work, or in another climate where you don’t have the opportunity to introduce extra programming.
So while encoding a whole USB drive is secure, it can restrict the adaptability and accommodation of working with your gradebook program without question, anyplace. Since adaptability is the reason behind having a gradebook that can run from a compact drive, it is frequently not prescribed to scramble a whole drive.
Gradebook Password Protection
If your gradebook program can secret phrase safeguard the gradebook records, then, at that point, utilizing it is a conspicuous decision when you are putting away your understudy grades on a compact USB drive. With The Gradebook Program there is an order in the File Advanced menu called Protect that offers secret phrase security.
This order prompts for a secret word and after it is placed the presently open gradebook document is scrambled utilizing that secret word. Then subsequent to saving and shutting the gradebook it can’t be opened again without a similar secret word. This Protect order encodes the items in the gradebook record, so that if the gradebook is seen straightforwardly in a document supervisor kind of program the data is jumbled.
While utilizing The Gradebook Program from a versatile USB drive it is prescribed that you use to Protect order in this manner on each gradebook document. All things considered, be mindful so as to ensure that you can recall the secret key on the grounds that without it you will not have the option to open your gradebook. For comfort, you might decide to utilize a similar secret word of each gradebook document to make it more straightforward to get to every one.
Scrambling gradebook documents in this manner gives one degree of safety and will prevent unapproved clients from getting to your understudy results. This encryption will keep most meddlesome eyes from opening a gradebook that they shouldn’t, yet it’s anything but a decided programmer evidence arrangement. This prompts the following strategy for scrambling your gradebook information.
Scrambling with an outside program
Scrambling your gradebook documents with an outer program adds an additional layer of safety and can give a more elevated level of insurance than just encoding from the gradebook program itself. There are a few projects, both free and business, for scrambling individual records.
One basic arrangement is to utilize the encryption office of a pressure program. This enjoys the benefit that you can pack all of your gradebook records into a solitary secure document that will likewise save space. One specific encryption program that is easy to utilize and conservative in size as is undeniably fit to running from a USB drive is PeaZip.
PeaZip (Pack, Encrypt, Authenticate Archive Manager) is accessible in a convenient rendition that is explicitly intended to run from a USB drive and as a freeware program it tends to be utilized for no expense. Assuming you truly do like the program you are urged to make a gift to several beneficent associations that the program’s creator values crafted by. You can download the convenient form at the PortableApps.com site.
With PeaZip you can pack and encode your gradebook documents with just couple of steps. While compacting your records into a zip bundle the solid AES-256 encryption is utilized. After the gradebook documents are compacted and scrambled the Secure Delete order in the File Tools menu of PeaZip can be utilized to eliminate the first gradebook records from meddlesome eyes.
Remember reinforcements
When your information is secure make certain to make extra duplicates of your gradebook documents some place other than on your USB drive. Secure, encoded gradebook documents are no utilization to you, assuming your versatile drive is lost, harmed, or simply chooses to bomb one day. Make certain to make reinforcements – – that is various duplicates – – of immeasurably significant information. One day you will be happy you did.
Scott McDonald is the writer of The Gradebook Program that alternatively runs from a USB drive and can shield its records from meddlesome eyes. It is a cutting edge Windows gradebook program for recording, weighting, and reviewing understudy results. Scott McDonald is a one time optional school science instructor who is presently a full-time proficient software engineer.