myINFOSAFE
by CI Staff
myINFOSAFE is a secure digital vault that will store and help organize all of a user’s personal information and that of their family. Unlike online data storage services, myINFOSAFE stores and encrypts a user’s information securely on his or her PC. This means users do not have to worry about divulging their private information to an unknown entity over the internet or worry about whether their Internet connection is completely secure from intrusion.
Arguably, the key benefit of online data storage is that the data will remain unharmed if something were to happen to your computer or filing cabinet, such as a fire. For this reason, and for traveling purposes, myINFOSAFE allows users to back up their information to a USB, external hard drive, or even a free storage service such as that offered by Yahoo! or Gmail.
As for helping organize information, the program provides several categories and customization options so that users can break down their information as they see fit. For instance, someone who owns a lot of jewelry may want to record its value in the respective sub-tab under My Asset Repository. In addition to storing and breaking down information, the program provides features to help monitor the user’s financial positions, goals and other records. Users can also add reminders. For instance, the Income and Expenditure (Budget) sub-tab under My Finances helps users build a budget, while the Net Worth sub-tab allows users to enter their assets and liabilities to calculate their current financial position.
Under the My Life category, users can record their goals, whether they are financial or life goals, and prioritize them. The My Health category allows users to safely store all their medical information, including medical professionals, health insurance, and medical history.
Since manually entering a history of information can be time consuming, many of the categories within myINFOSAFE allow users to import documents. For instance, rather than manually entering historical medical information or key documents such as birth certificates and passports, users can import an electronic copy of this information into the program—that is, if the user can obtain an electronic copy. After importing a document, the program encrypts it and records it as a series of random letters and numbers. Users should make sure the document was imported correctly before deleting the original copy. Selecting Services in the toolbar will open a preview window of the selected category that allows users to email, print or export the information.
myINFOSAFE is a great, easy-to-use program for anyone who would like one secure place where they can store, organize, and access all their information. Arguably, the main issue regarding such a program is whether users will spend the time required to manually enter all their information (such as historical information and value of assets). However, since the bulk of this work must be done at the outset, users should be able to decide within the 30-day free trial period whether myINFOSAFE is a program they will use before purchasing it for $29.95.
myINFOSAFE
http://www.aaii.com/download-library/download?DL_ID=699
System Requirements: Windows XP, Vista or 7 (no Mac version available yet); Microsoft .NET environment (free download); a PC no older than 7 years
Size: 36.6MB minimum, 100MB recommended
Price: $29.95 (includes 12-months of free upgrades); free 30-day trial