Lockdown That Laptop

Laptop loss can ruin more than your day

Does your laptop accompany you everywhere? Is it full of work material or just your Great American Novel? Statistics show that the likelihood of your laptop being stolen is almost one in twelve. Here are some things you can do to prevent a.) your laptop being stolen and b.) the thief from profiting from the information on your laptop.

Laptop Theft Prevention
1. Never, ever leave your laptop unattended even if you are only fifteen feet away. A thief can pick up your laptop and be gone in the time it takes you to order a refill for your latte. If you get up, unplug you laptop and carry it with you.

2. Use a lock cable to secure your laptop to the table or furniture where you are using it. Practically every laptop has a lock tab that allows you to insert one end of a locking cable (much like a bicycle lock). Wrap the other end around the table or desk leg and make sure it is secure. These are available for under $50.Use the lock in your hotel room or even a client’s office if you are going out for lunch.

3. Use a laptop case that doesn’t look like one. Dump that black leatherette case that scream laptop and buy a fabric or hard case that looks more like a regular bag or attaché case. You can acquire a padded inset to actually carry the laptop in to protect it.

4. Purchase the software service that announces your laptop’s position if it is put on the Internet after being stolen. There is an annual subscription for this service (about $50). Once notified of the theft of the laptop, these services can often track it to a specific address and possibly even the floor where it is being used.

Most thieves don’t care about what you have on your laptop; they will fence it for just a few dollars anyway. But your boss or client might not like having their business plan, deposition or financials floating around on a stolen laptop.

Laptop Data Protection
1. Use a password-protected login and screensaver. Make sure your account requires a login name and password to login. Most thieves, if they can’t get your operating system to run without a password, will simply reformat your drive and reload the operating system from disc. Your laptop is still stolen but your data will be wiped.

2. Encrypt your data. There are a number of programs out there that will encrypt your data so it is unreadable without the correct password. If you carry sensitive data on a laptop, this should be the first thing you do when you purchase one.

3. Make frequent backups of your laptop data. Even if the data on your laptop is personal, it will take your hours if not weeks of labor to reproduce it. Most laptops today have CD or DVD burners installed so it is easy to copy your data files to CD-Rs or DVD-Rs periodically.

4. Carry and use a surge suppressor. You can purchase quality surge suppressors from APC or other vendors that have only one to two outlets. One good voltage surge can fry a laptop and make it a paperweight.

This isn’t rocket science or even complex. Use common sense and you should be safe from most any problem short of a mugging.