SECURING YOUR DATA

Restricting access to local databases
If you create a local replica of a database on your hard drive, you can encrypt it so the database can be viewed only by you. It is a good idea to encrypt local database replicas if they are stored in a portable computer or if you share your computer with other users.

When you provide local security for a database replica to which you have Manager access, Notes encrypts the replica using your public key from your User ID. You are the only one who can then decrypt the database because you have the corresponding private key in your User ID. Nobody else's User ID can open the database.

Note If you use a disk compression utility, databases using medium or strong encryption will not use significantly less disk space.

To encrypt new local database replicas as they are created

You can set Notes to automatically encrypt new local database replicas when you create them.

1. Choose File - Security - User Security.
Macintosh OS X users: Notes - Security - User Security.

2. Click Notes Data - Databases.

3. Select "Locally encrypt using..." and then one of the following options:

Tip To turn off encryption for new local replicas, select "Do not locally encrypt."

Note The User Security setting applies only to new replicas, not new databases. Archives are considered to be new databases, not replicas, so they will not be encrypted automatically by using this encryption setting. However, if the original database from which the archive is created is encrypted, the archive should also be encrypted.

To encrypt existing local databases

1. Open the local database.

2. Choose File - Databases - Properties.

3. Click the "Database Basics" tab, and then click the "Encryption Settings" button.

4. Select "Locally encrypt this database using" and then one of the following options:

5. (Optional) By default, your User ID is listed as the only User ID that can open the database when encrypted. If you would rather give a different person access to the database, click the For button, then choose an address book and person from the "Select name" dialog box.
Tip To turn off encryption for this local database, select "Do not locally encrypt."

See Also