Before a work trip, make sure your code is pushed, your notes and configs are backed up, your disk recovery key and MFA backup codes are stored away from the laptop, and a trusted colleague knows how to reach them. The goal is that losing the device costs you hours, not weeks.
The two jobs
Backup answers: if the laptop vanishes, what do I lose? Escrow answers: if I can no longer unlock or sign in, who can help me get back in? Teams often do the first and forget the second.
What to back up
- Code. Push branches, including work in progress, to the remote. Unpushed commits on a lost laptop are gone.
- Configs and dotfiles. Keep them in a private repository or an approved sync tool, without secrets in them.
- Notes and drafts. Use an approved sync or cloud notes tool.
- Local databases or test data that you cannot recreate, if any. Prefer to recreate them from scripts.
- A list of what is installed and what accounts you use, so a new laptop is quick to set up.
Do not back up secrets in plain text. Keep tokens and keys in a password manager or secret store, and prefer short lived ones, as described in SSH agent on the road.
What to escrow
Apple states that if you turn on FileVault and forget both your login password and your recovery key, you will not be able to log in and your files and settings will be lost forever. It also says to keep a copy of the recovery key somewhere other than the encrypted startup disk. The same logic applies to other encryption tools.
Escrow these items:
| Item | Where | Who can reach it |
|---|---|---|
| Disk recovery key | Company escrow or password manager vault | Security lead, owner |
| MFA backup codes | Password manager or sealed at home | Owner |
| Second hardware security key | At home or in the office safe | Owner |
| Account recovery contacts | Identity provider | IT admin |
| Emergency contact numbers | Trip card, not on the laptop | Owner, manager |
More options for key storage are in Where to store recovery keys for encrypted laptops.
Test one thing
Pick the item that matters most and test it. Can you restore a file from the backup? Can a colleague read the recovery key from escrow when you ask? A backup you never tried is a hope.
What to leave at home
Leave old project folders, archived data, customer exports and credentials you do not need. The less the laptop holds, the less a loss costs. This ties back to Should developers travel with production access?.
After a loss
You restore from backup on a new device, start from the checklist in Lost or stolen developer laptop: first hour checklist, and rotate credentials. Safeguard does not back up devices. It provides dependency scanning, SBOMs and policy gates that apply to your code wherever it was written. Try the free scan.
Quick check
Is cloud sync a backup?
Sync mirrors changes, including deletions. Use versioned backups or a git remote for work you cannot lose.
Should the recovery key travel with me?
No. Keep it somewhere other than the laptop and not in the same bag.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
