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Case Study

Laptop Security

Obviously, Joe's laptop computer is equipped with the most up-to-date antivirus, firewall and encryption solutions, but it also has more advanced security gizmos.

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To ensure that his stolen laptop takes company secrets to the grave, Joe also has a Data Delete feature that uses algorithms that meet the United States Department of Defense standard for data removal. Once removed, data cannot be recovered by any means. When a data delete function completes, a log file can be viewed in the Customer Center website, confirming that all sensitive data has been deleted.

Computrace LoJack for Laptops, a product by Absolute Software in Bellevue, Wash., offers its premium laptop theft protection for a one-year subscription of $50, and $100 for a three-year subscription. The data delete feature costs extra and is part of an enterprise package called ComputraceComplete. The company claims to retrieve three out of four laptops reported stolen, or about 5,000 laptops to date.

Outsmarting the Bad Guys
To keep a step ahead of would-be saboteurs, hackers and thieves, Joe continually updates his laptop security software and devices with the latest products by smaller, agile companies - just as government security agencies do.

"We can be assured that whatever technology we're fielding, there are potential adversaries whose adaptation cycle is rapid" as well, says Kathleen Kiernan, CEO of security consulting firm The Kiernan Group in Washington, D.C., and an adviser to the intelligence industry. "Sometimes development of technology is really slow - so we're looking for that small, agile company on the cutting edge that is thinking through hard problems" and how to thwart not just existing security threats, but the next generation of threats, she adds.

Just to be extra cautious about a really old-fashioned threat, Joe keeps his laptop physically locked to his desk with a steel cable during the day.

-Stacy Collett

[attachment deleted: Joe's Response]