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Technologies that can help save your company's laptops and data.

July 01, 2004 —

TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN HELP SAVE YOUR COMPANY'S LAPTOPS
 Cable Locks
Makers: Anchor Pad, Kensington, Kryptonite, others
Cost: $30-$70		 Pro: Stops petty theft
Con: Inconvenient		 Cable locks are about as simple as it gets. Think basic bicycle locks for your laptop. The idea here is you chain it to your desk so that while you're in the bathroom or grabbing a cup of coffee, no one can walk off with it.
 Motion Alarms
Makers: Caveo, TrackIt
Cost: $50-$100		 Pro: Could deter thieves
Cons: Alarm could trigger accidentally, limited range		 Wouldn't it be nice if your laptop could holler "Stop! Thief!"? In effect, that's what motion alarms do. If your laptop is vulnerable, the alarm goes off, and presumably thieves aren't going to want to carry around a shrieking notebook
 Tracking Devices
Makers: Computrace, CyberAngel, Stealth Signal, others
Cost: $20-$60 (Computrace and CyberAngel also have yearly fees)		 Pro: Some versions delete data
Cons: Varying police cooperation, requires perp to connect to Net		 Think LoJack for your laptop. Tracking devices secretly send a message whenever the computer is logged on to the Internet, allowing it to be tracked and recovered. Some also are set up to delete the data on the machine once it's plugged in, which can offer some protection.
TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN HELP SAVE YOUR COMPANY'S DATA
 Encryption
Makers: Various
Cost: Varies		 Pro: Protects most data
Cons: Inconvenient, potential for lost passwords		 Hard drives with encryption software use algorithms to take stored files and make sure they can be read only by those who have the key. There are a variety of ways to implement encryption schemes on a laptop; IBM has even built an algorithm into a chip in its laptops. Encryption is also getting easier to use, addressing a longstanding issue with the software.
 Fingerprint Biometrics
Maker: Targus
Cost: $80		 Pro: Simple concept
Con: Unreliable		 Let your fingers do the talking, at least as far as getting at your data is concerned. Fingerprint biometrics made by Targus is offered as an option by Gateway and others.
 Tokens
Makers: Authenex A-Key, SecuriKey, others
Cost: $15-$129		 Pro: Can't forget password
Cons: People lose their keys, have to remember to keep it with you		 Just like having an ignition key for your computer. A token is a USB-device that's small enough to fit onto a key chain, and stores authentication data. Without it, no one can access files on your computer. Some devices offer more security features as well.
 Motion-Activated Encryption
Makers: Caveo, Targus
Cost: $50-$100		 Pros: Prohibits access, encrypts data
Con: Could go off at wrong time		 This motion alarm does more than just sound an alarm; it automatically encrypts data and prevents access to the screen if it believes a laptop has been stolen.
 Remote Data Wiping
Makers: Computrace, CoreStreet
Cost: $50-$80		 Pro: Prevents damage from employee theft
Con: Not widely used, so battle testing is needed		 Remote data wiping devices vary, but in general they work by sending messages that either vaporize the contents of a hard drive or lock them so that they can't be read. They can depend on someone reconnecting to the Internet, but in the case of CoreStreet's device, it's designed to disable the laptop after a certain period even if it is never reconnected.

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