Since your phone is almost always close at your side, either in your pocket or bag, it’s easy to skimp on security. But take a moment and consider just how precious the info you’ve got locked up therein and you may want to take steps to safeguard your phone.

MyLookout — a site that’s peddling its own security software — suggests several ways you can tighten up your phone’s firewall to protect yourself if it’s lost or stolen.

Highlights from the post:

Set up a password. — Sure, it can be tedious to type in a code whenever you want to use your phone, but you can set password protection when you’re on the road or mingling with a large crowd.

Download all those irritating updates. — Although it seems as though your phone is programmed to introduce software and app updates at the exact time it’s least convenient to download them, it’s smart to download them when you can in order to keep your phone’s security up to par.

Be careful about which apps you download. — With the market flooded with untested apps, it’s not out of the question that some of them are malicious. Scan the reviews carefully and heed recommendations from friends. It rarely pays off to be the first one to download a new app.

Of course, the post also suggests you download security software, but I don’t see much of a reason to go that far as long as you protect your phone by other means described in the post.

What do you do to safeguard the info on your phone?

Lookout’s Ten Tips To Stay Safe [MyLookout]

[Thanks, Cerena!]

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