Computerworld — Love them or hate them, there's little disputing that devices like Apple 's iPhones , iPods and iPads herald a vast mobile wireless world. We haven't built this exciting new world without considering security, have we? I sure hope not.

Mobile Security Definition and Solutions
Slideshow: Mobile Security: How Gadgets Evolved

Of course, to be fair, there's a lot more in this field than just Apple's (AAPL) products. Indeed, the mobile wireless world as a whole has exploded in the last few years. Wi-Fi hot spot usage has skyrocketed, and all the big telco players are providing pretty respectable 3G (and 4G) coverage.

Not only are there tons of mobile wireless products out there, but we're starting to use them for more and more important tasks. They're far more than simple mobile phones and rolodexes these days. Indeed, I started out writing this column on my iPad while waiting for a meeting in a local Starbucks (SBUX). My iPad has become not just a delightful, entertaining toy, but a real productivity device for me.

But how secure are we as we move around and do all of these important things? Certainly, our devices and the networks we use them give us plenty of opportunities to make silly mistakes. But a knowledgeable consumer has a variety of settings and tools available to do things securely. If you aren't taking advantage of them, read on.

One of the biggest risks with mobile devices is that they will be lost or stolen. Another is the dreaded "coffee shop attack."

Mobile devices are, of course, highly portable. Their size makes them easy to misplace, and easy for someone else to snag them. There's a decent chance you or one of your employees will at some point lose a smartphone, tablet or other mobile wireless device. It's trivial to drive to the nearest store and buy a new one, but what happens with all that important information on the device? How can we protect it? Here are a few tips to consider:

• Lock the device. Pretty much every mobile device can be locked down, requiring a password to access it. Some will even wipe out their data after some pre-set number of failed log-in attempts. Learn your device's lock settings and use them to their fullest.
• Minimize the data you store on the mobile device. If you're editing a document or two, that's fine, but don't use the mobile device for long-term storage of sensitive data. And if it's too sensitive to lose, don't put it on the mobile device in the first place.
• Find-me services. Some mobile devices have features, such as Apple's MobileMe service, that allow you to search for the device if it's lost. The moment you realize your device is lost, go straight to the find-me service and see if you can find out where it is. MobileMe allows you to remotely wipe the data on a lost or stolen device. Do that without hesitation -- before you try to negotiate the safe return of your device.

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