SimpleumSafe for digital nomads
Protect project files.On the move and at your next workspace.
Keep contracts, project files, receipts and notes encrypted on Mac, iPhone and iPad, prepared for travel and offline work.
Client and project files travel with you
A contract for the next assignment, meeting notes, drafts, receipts or project access information: location-independent work often means carrying business files between a home, coworking space, train and temporary accommodation.
SimpleumSafe provides a separate encrypted space for selected documents on Mac, iPhone and iPad. Keep files together by client or project and make the content you need available locally on your devices before a journey.
Everyday tasks
Keep client projects separate
Keep contracts, meeting notes, drafts and receipts together by project. File names stored in the Safe remain encrypted too.
Prepare for offline travel
Keep required files available on your own devices and allow optional synchronisation to finish before departure.
Capture receipts on the move
Capture paper documents directly into the Safe without first saving them to the general photo library, then transfer them into the intended accounting workflow.
A protected space alongside your work tools
SimpleumSafe supplements your existing project records with an encrypted space for selected files. No cloud is required for local use; encrypted synchronisation between your own devices is optional. Fully download the content you need before departure and check that it opens without a network connection.
Decide which version of a file is authoritative and how edited documents return to your project workflow. SimpleumSafe is not a project management system, communication channel, password manager or device management service. It does not provide VPN protection for your network connection either.
Carry only what you need
Travelling does not automatically make an incident likely. Devices are, however, transported more often, used in changing environments or temporarily left out of sight. Limit the client and project files you carry to the assignment at hand, protect and update your devices, and check any requirements set by clients, commissioning organisations or the destination before crossing borders. Encryption protects stored content but does not replace a device lock or suitable travel and access procedures.7
Article 32 GDPR lists encryption as one possible measure within risk-appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. The software alone does not make your working arrangements GDPR-compliant.5
Data protection and security in detail
How does SimpleumSafe protect your documents, and what still needs attention when working on the move? Open the topic you would like to explore. The legal references below concern the EU GDPR.
Encrypt files and file names
SimpleumSafe protects file contents and associated information, such as file names, using AES-256. A closed Safe therefore does not reveal which clients or projects it contains through its file list. You can use multiple Safes, for example for selected assignments or to separate business and private documents.1
Protect the travel device and access together
You open your Safe with your Safe password or, where supported and configured, biometric authentication. Use a strong, dedicated Safe password, enable the device lock and install security updates promptly. Store recovery and setup information separately from the travel device.
Readable content may be accessible on an unlocked or compromised device. SimpleumSafe therefore does not replace whole-device protection, a password manager, multi-factor authentication or central device management.17
Check offline availability before travelling
Each configured device has its own local Safe. Let the project files you need finish synchronising before departure and test-open a selection while a reliable connection is still available.
The integrity checker examines the Safe's internal structure and the links to stored file data. Additional options also allow you to check whether files can be read and decrypted. A successful check applies to the areas examined and does not replace a backup.23
Prepare backups and emergency access
Back up your Safes regularly and independently of your working device, for example to a separate storage device kept in another secure location. Files stored in the Safe remain encrypted in a complete Safe backup too. Before a longer journey, check that the backup can be restored.
Create a recovery password in advance and store it safely, separate from your device. It allows you to reset a forgotten Safe password. It does not replace a backup or restore deleted files.1
Assess loss or theft in context
If a device or a copy of a Safe is lost, effective encryption can prevent unauthorised people from reading its contents. Whether credentials, key material or an unlocked or configured device are affected is crucial to the assessment.
Communication to affected individuals is generally required where a personal data breach is likely to result in a high risk. Under the conditions of Article 34(3)(a) GDPR, effective encryption can make that communication unnecessary. Notification to the supervisory authority under Article 33 must be assessed separately; the incident still needs to be documented.5
Synchronise your own devices deliberately
SimpleumSafe can be used locally without a cloud. You can optionally synchronise changes between your configured Apple devices in encrypted form, through iCloud or directly between devices; a shared folder is also possible between Macs.
Normal synchronisation data does not contain the separate Safe key file. Copied synchronisation data and the Safe password alone are therefore insufficient for decryption. This statement does not apply unchanged if setup information, key material or a configured device is also compromised.
Synchronisation also propagates deletions and unwanted changes and does not replace a backup. For cloud services, contractual arrangements and data protection requirements must still be assessed separately. Encryption does not automatically remove the need for a required data processing agreement.36
Capture documents on the move and prevent onlookers
Using the camera in SimpleumSafe for iOS, you can photograph paper documents and save the images directly in the Safe. They are not stored in the general photo library. Even so, check that the capture is necessary and that it does not include unnecessary people, addresses or other confidential information.45
On a train or in a café or coworking space, encryption of stored files does not stop someone seeing an open screen. Position your workspace accordingly, lock the device when stepping away and open confidential content only when the surroundings are suitable.
Separate file paths, communication and public networks
Importing brings a file into the Safe. Depending on the import method and settings, the original may remain in its previous location. Importing does not retroactively protect copies in an email inbox, Downloads folder, messenger or project portal. A file must temporarily be readable for editing, and the editing application may create its own copies or cloud backups. Exporting or sharing creates a decrypted copy outside the Safe.4
SimpleumSafe encrypts file storage, but it does not automatically encrypt emails, chats or the entire network connection. Disable automatic connections to public Wi-Fi and use a trusted connection method suitable for the assignment when transmitting sensitive information. Whether that means your own mobile connection or a correctly configured VPN belongs in your wider security arrangements.78
Sources and product documentation
- SimpleumSafe: Security and Encryption method – access, file information, backups and recovery passwords.
- SimpleumSafe: Integrity checker – scope and additional options.
- SimpleumSafe: Extreme secure synchronisation – local Safes, device synchronisation, key material and limitations.
- How SimpleumSafe works and Take photos directly into the Safe – importing, editing, exporting and captures.
- GDPR, particularly Articles 5, 28 and 32–34.
- EDPB Guidelines 07/2020, “Hosting services” example, p. 16 – storing encrypted data on behalf of a controller.
- German Federal Office for Information Security: encryption on mobile devices – device locks, updates, additional file encryption and automatic connections to public Wi-Fi (in German).
- German Federal Office for Information Security: travel security guidance – public networks, mobile data connections and VPNs (in German).
Protect project files on your Apple devices
Would you like to keep selected contracts, receipts, notes and project files encrypted while travelling? Explore SimpleumSafe’s features and find the right purchase option for Mac, iPhone or iPad.
What you can do with SimpleumSafe
Learn more about the features and protection for your files on Mac, iPhone and iPad.