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One of my favorite features of Lion is the new version of FileVault, the security feature built-in to OS X since 10.3 years ago. In Snow Leopard and earlier, FileVault would encrypt your user’s home folder, so that in the event your laptop was stolen, all your personal info (documents, emails, etc) would be encrypted.

With FileVault 2 in Lion, Apple has taken it one step further, and instead of merely encrypting your user’s home folder, now encrypts the entire disk; applications, temp files, libraries, etc., making the whole thing that much more secure. For years, 3rd party companies have offered “Full Disk Encryption” software for he Mac. But now, Apple has it built-in.

As someone who carries a lot of sensitive client information on my machine, this is welcome news. Read Topher Kessler of CNET’s great overview of FileVault 2 here.

REMEMBER: Do not enable FileVault or FileVault 2 unless you deeply understand what you are doing. If you forget your account password, all your data is completely lost for good. Also, if you enable it with a weak, simple, short password, its about as safe as putting a screen door on a bank vault.