Whether you just have important business files or are a paranoid psycho, TrueCrypt is free software that you can use to keep your files safe. TrueCrypt is free, open source disk encryption software for Windows.

You can use it to encrypt parts of your hard drive, flash drives, whole hard drives, and even your entire operating system. Encryption is done automatically, on the fly, and transparently so that you don’t have to worry about important data being stolen. TrueCrypt has a few different algorithms to choose from, and you can even combine them for ultimate encryption protection.

Use TrueCrypt if you just want to ensure your customer data is secure while you aren’t at the office, to keep the government from looking at those super secret world domination plans, or to keep the aliens from finding out where you live. It’s free and easy to use, and also available for Mac OSX and Linux.

I discovered TrueCrypt about a year ago when I was searching for a program to encrypt files for a customer. I was a little surprised that something like this would be available for free after going through so many trial versions of paid programs. It turned out that the program was exactly what the customer needed, and they didn’t have to pay a penny for it. Ever since I recommended it to them I’ve been using it myself.

Now I haven’t really used it actively for a few months so I just re-downloaded it again. I just love how easy it is for anybody to be able to set up an encrypted file or device. Even your grandmother could use this program. I might have two of my hard drives encrypted using TrueCrypt, and possibly keep pretty much everything on those now. It can be used if you don’t want certain organizations to find out what files you have, or if you just want to keep your identity safe just in case your computer is stolen. It’s free and it’s awesome. I love TrueCrypt.