Notebook Security

Did you know that the loss of a single laptop to theft averages $6,285 when you include replacement of not only hardware and software but also the loss of productivity? And that's before you factor in the cost of any data stored on the hard drive.

Here are 4 steps you can take to protect your notebook and the data it contains:


1. The first step to notebook security is to physically secure the equipment. To do this you can purchase a cable locks that can be used anywhere. All you need is a stationary item like a table or a pole to lock your laptop to. It works similar to the bike lock concept. The locks range in price from $10 to $60 dollars. You can choose a key lock or a combination lock system. Please follow the link below for a list of notebook locks from CDW.
Notebook Lock

2. Encrypt your sensitive documents or folders by using the Windows FES system. You have to be careful and follow each step carefully and read about the rules and policies because if you don’t you can also lock yourself out of your own files. For example: changing your domain password on a different machine will prevent you from accessing your encrypted files on your regular computer that you originally encrypted your files on. Please follow the link below for more information about encrypting your files.
How To Encrypt a Folder in Windows XP

Windows Vista has a much more advanced and complicated method for securing data on your hard drive. You can read more about it by following the link below.
Windows Vista Security Guide

3. Another method of securing your data is by using RSA SecurID® two-factor authentication method. It’s based on something you know (a password or PIN) and something you have (an authenticator)—providing a much more reliable level of user authentication than reusable passwords. RSA has an excellent online tutorial that shows exactly how their SecureID works. Please follow the link below for the demonstration.
RSA SecurID Authenticators page

4. If your laptop is stolen there are some steps you can take to track the stolen laptop and also delete your sensitive data remotely by using Absolute Software’s Computrace Data Protection service.
Here is how it works:

Computrace Data Protection tracks the location of your computer using a small and undetectable software agent (“Computrace Agent”), enabling the computer to report its location to Absolute's confidential and secure Monitoring Center each day it connects to the Internet. As well as collecting location data, the Computrace Agent also collects user, hardware and software information to help you track and manage your remote assets. You can also set up a Data Delete request so that sensitive data on a stolen or missing computer is deleted the next time the computer calls in to the Monitoring Center.

Targeting files to be deleted

Computrace Data Protection can remove data at the file, directory or operating system level:

Method Description

Data Delete with Operating System (OS) -All files including the OS removed from the hard drive
Data Delete excluding Operating System (OS) -All files except the OS removed from the hard drive
File- or Directory-Specific Data Delete -Choose specific files, file-types and/or directories to be deleted

Follow the link below for more information:
Computrace Data Protection