PC Stats have thrown up a new beginners guide to preventing Data Theft from a stolen Laptop! Here's a snip.
Portable computers are made for traveling and computing at the same time, and are thus incredibly valuable for their weight. We're talking 'carton of cigarettes' dollars-to-weight ratio here. Consequently, laptop's make a tempting target for thieves and have been known to go AWOL with distressing frequency when compared to less expensive things like your baggage full of Hawaiian shirts. Having a laptop stolen is a double-dose of bad news, since not only are you confronted with the fact that your (at least) $1500 portable PC is now gone, perhaps forever, but you also have to deal with the possibility of data theft. It's sort of like losing a wallet, but a wallet cannot hold gigabytes of potentially valuable or personal data. Credit data, email records, license keys, personal documents, all at the fingertips of the kind of person who was willing to steal your laptop in the first place. For business travelers, this is especially bad news.
In this article, we will look at methods to reduce the risk. First, We will cover physical security methods that can help prevent laptop theft in the first place, then we will go step-by-step through some essential data securing techniques that can drastically reduce the chance of your data being stolen along with your laptop if the worst does happen.
Preventing Data Theft From A Stolen Laptop
Portable computers are made for traveling and computing at the same time, and are thus incredibly valuable for their weight. We're talking 'carton of cigarettes' dollars-to-weight ratio here. Consequently, laptop's make a tempting target for thieves and have been known to go AWOL with distressing frequency when compared to less expensive things like your baggage full of Hawaiian shirts. Having a laptop stolen is a double-dose of bad news, since not only are you confronted with the fact that your (at least) $1500 portable PC is now gone, perhaps forever, but you also have to deal with the possibility of data theft. It's sort of like losing a wallet, but a wallet cannot hold gigabytes of potentially valuable or personal data. Credit data, email records, license keys, personal documents, all at the fingertips of the kind of person who was willing to steal your laptop in the first place. For business travelers, this is especially bad news.
In this article, we will look at methods to reduce the risk. First, We will cover physical security methods that can help prevent laptop theft in the first place, then we will go step-by-step through some essential data securing techniques that can drastically reduce the chance of your data being stolen along with your laptop if the worst does happen.
Preventing Data Theft From A Stolen Laptop