Let’s be honest.
You probably don’t lose things.
You don’t misplace your keys. You don’t forget where you parked.
And your phone? It’s probably surgically attached to your hand.
But here’s the thing—phones get lost.
Phones get stolen.
And if you don’t have a plan for that moment, you’re about to find out just how screwed you are.
This Isn’t Just a Personal Inconvenience
It’s a corporate crisis.
Because your phone isn’t just your camera, your calendar, or your texting device.
It’s the gateway to your business.
To your MFA.
To your email.
To your passwords.
To everything.
Here’s your action plan—the four things you need to do right now to make sure a lost phone doesn’t turn into a full-scale disaster.
1. Back Up Your MFA Authenticators
This is non-negotiable.
If your MFA codes are only on your phone and you lose it?
That’s like losing the only key to your office—and the locksmith skipped town.
Use an authenticator that offers cloud backup or transfer.
Better yet, talk to your IT team about getting your MFA system centralized and recoverable.
Otherwise?
Your lost phone becomes a corporate lockout—and the recovery process can be a nightmare.
2. Don’t Let Your Phone Be Your Password Vault
We get it. Your phone remembers everything.
But if your device is the only place those passwords live, and it’s gone?
You’re locked out twice—once from losing the phone, and again from losing the passwords that get you back in.
Use a real password vault—one that stores encrypted passwords in the cloud with secure recovery options.
Not your notes app.
Not your browser.
Not a sticky note photo saved in your gallery.
3. Back Up the Stuff You’ll Miss (Even If No One Else Will)
You know what doesn’t come back with a new phone?
Your contacts.
Your photos.
Your text messages.
The voice memos you made that one time in the car.
You might think “no big deal.”
Until you realize your two-factor auth recovery code is buried in a text thread…
Or your client’s number lives only in a thread you can’t recover.
Back. It. Up.
4. Have a Wingman (or Wingwoman) for Your Next Device
You’re traveling.
Your phone’s gone.
And now you need to:
• Prove your identity
• Call your carrier
• Get a new phone overnighted
• Restore your backup
• Reconnect to your business life
Sound easy?
Now try doing that… without your phone.
You need a designated contact—someone in IT, your assistant, your operations person—anyone who knows how to get your new device to you and restore what matters.
Because when you’re standing in an airport in Tucson (or Tokyo), the Apple Store might not be an option.
Bonus Tip: Set Up Remote Wipe and Tracking
If you haven’t enabled Find My iPhone (or Android equivalent), you’re gambling.
Remote wipe gives you a shot at protecting your data.
Location tracking gives you a shot at recovery.
And neither one works unless you set it up before the problem.
This Is About More Than Just Convenience
It’s about business continuity.
It’s about security hygiene.
And it’s about not being the reason your CFO can’t log in, your clients aren’t responded to, or your critical systems stay offline.
Want help building a personal cyber plan that covers situations just like this?
Start with a Level 1 Pen Test. We’ll help you identify where the holes are—and what you can do before it’s too late.
Let’s get that done before your next business trip.
