[whsbuss]

Ascendo DataVault for Blackberry

Date Reviewed: July 22, 2008
Web: BlackBerry Password Manager - Ascendo DataVault - Password Manager for BlackBerry

Summary of Application: Ascendo DataVault stores confidential information like Credit Card numbers, usernames, passwords, PINs, etc. on your BlackBerry and Desktop using AES, the most powerful encryption available.

Price: $29.95 - Ascendo DataVault comes with a 90-day money back guarantee.
================================================== ==================

Review:
One of the most important issues in the electronic data world is securing personal information. We hear stories about someone’s identity being stolen on a daily basis. And some analysts put loses at more than $1 billion each year. But many of us require access to our personal information when we’re on the road. Whether we decide to keep the data on our PCs or PDA, securing access has always been a daunting issue. So what can us Blackberry users do to protect this vital information?

Ascendo’s DataVault application is the perfect solution for both the Blackberry device and the accompanying desktop sync. Data is updated between the blackberry and PC by adding DataVault to the blackberry desktop manager synchronize function.

Blackberry Device:
DataVault on the blackberry is a very simple to use, but powerful application. Here are some of the many features available.

Information can be displayed in Tree or List views. Options for expand/collapse view, setting number of fields to display in list view, are but a few of the many ways to have your data visible on your blackberry. Need to find something quickly? Just type the first letter and DataVault immediately displays the matches in alphabetical order.

One of the best features I like is the ability to display items by category and/or type. Categories include Personal, Business, Computer Info, or you can define your own. This allows quick access to the specific information you need without having to scroll through all your data.

Screen customization is another plus with DataVault. Change colors, fonts, use up to 10 different skins, and item icons to your delight. Ascendo’s design gives users the capability of personalizing the application and not some fixed format found with other programs. In fact, there are 100 different item icons that you can associate with any data item. This makes items very easy to recognize even without looking at their assigned name.

Need some extra email security? Well the latest version of DataVault provides Encryption & Decryption of emails using Blackberry email client. How cool is that? Now you can ensure privacy with other DataVault users when sending/receiving email. You data is protected with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) on both the blackberry and PC. DataVault can generate strong passwords using options for spaces, punctuation, upper/lower case, and numbers. You can also set a security timeout to automatically log out a session for inactivity. No need to worry when you forget to close the application.

Desktop Application:
DataVault includes a very handy desktop application to augment the management of your data. Before I purchased DataVault I kept my data in an Excel spreadsheet. So how do I get the data into DataVault? Surely not by typing each item on my blackberry. The desktop app imports data in various formats. CSV, Crytpmagic, MiniSafe, and Handy Safe are but a few supported formats. You can also export your data to a CVS file.

The desktop app looks/acts similar to the blackberry app. Tree or List views, expanded/collapsed tree view and customized colors/fonts. But the functions don’t stop there. Filtering by category, advanced integration with Internet Explorer or Firefox, auto fill web forms direct from the item, various templates to speed data entry, and more.

But of course the best feature is having your data securely synchronized between your blackberry and PC. When you sync with the blackberry desktop manager, you are prompted for the access password (same as on the blackberry). When conflicts exist on either the blackberry or PC a pop-up window shows the mismatches and prompts to proceed.

Summary:
Ascendo DataVault for Blackberry requires BB OS 4.0 and above & 300k of free disk space. Ascendo DataVault Desktop requires Microsoft Windows and 2Meg of free disk space. In my opinion, the unmatched features and ease-of-use make Ascendo DataVault the best selling Secure Password Manager for BlackBerry. You can download DataVault for a free trial period at their website, Ascendo Inc. - Award Winning Software for Blackberry, Symbian and Java Phones