To some people protecting your personal belongings is a serious thing, others take it mildly and think it will never happen to them... think again!!!

Portable devices such as iPads, laptops, mobile phones and mp3 players are some of the biggest items targeted in theft with 90% of the population within Australia owning one or more of these devices. So how do you protect your personal information and prevent theft of these items?

iPads and mobile phones have become so advanced that we now rely on them heavily, so much so that we use them for internet banking, storing sensitive information like credit card numbers, passport numbers, dates of birth, funerals, calender entries, important business contacts and even photos, all of this information placed in the wrong hands could be dangerous... bank accounts emptied / stolen identity.... you name it.

iOS devices such as the Apple iPhone and iPad have a great way of keeping this information safe (not to mention those all important pictures of your girlfriend's pet samurai fighting gold fish).

* Setting up a pass code on iOS devices is one of the easiest ways to protect your info, this can done by opening the settings app -> general -> pass code lock -> turn pass code on -> enter a 4 digit pin -> confirm 4 digit pin.

This option is available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod.

Remember it is possible for people to crack or guess your code, a nifty feature under the pass code lock menu is "erase data", this will erase all information from your device if in the event some one has guessed the pin incorrectly 10 times.

Now on the other hand if your using an Android device such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the Asus Transformer tablet the same type of security can be set up with similar options to the iOS platform, open the settings app -> security or location & security -> set up screen lock.

Here you will be present with three choices, a pin number lock, password (alpha numeric code) or a pattern lock allowing you to draw a pattern on the screen to unlock your device. Data can also be erased from your handset if multiple attempts have been made to gain access.

A great way to keep your data safe on your computer is to utilize a cloud based program which allows you to upload important documents and photos to a server over the internet, completely safe and out of harms way, if some one breaks into your house they might steal your computer but having your info saved remotely will be the best thing you ever did as no files will be left on your PC or Mac.

Sus out Google drive at www.google.com or drop box at www.dropbox.com

Both services allow a free trial account as well.

So at the end of the day, keeping your data safe is vital but keeping your data out of harms way is even more important,