Apple Thoughts: Secure Your iPad

"The iPad is one of the safest computing devices you can use. Its combination of hardware and software security translate to a device that's probably more secure than your PC or Mac-especially if you take the right steps to secure it."

And securing it mainly means keeping it out of someone else's hands! But if by chance you do lose your grip on it, you can secure the data that is there very simply by putting a passcode on it. The article goes into some other in-depth options also, but first and foremost, set up a passcode.