The FBI has said that only 3% of laptops that are stolen, are ever recovered.
That’s a horrible statistic.
Being a Macintosh guy, I’ve never really had any security concerns per se. However, I realized awhile ago that there are different types of security concers: device security, data security, and network security. These three arenas have very different games being played, and it is important to think about all of them.
Device Security
People do bad things, sometimes even in good places. At college, students are advised that the best defense against laptop theft is taking away easy opportunities. The first step in that equation would be to physically control the environment. Kensington lock sets are the easiest deterrent for most environments. At around $50, they provide you with a cable that connects to your computer, and loops around some solid (ideally non-movable) object like a desk. These are easy ways to have a physical method to protect your computer, and about 80% (or more) laptops have the locking port built in.
Sometimes though, that’s cumbersome. We’re human. We forget to lock it up, or forget to bring the cable everywhere we go. Personally, I struggle daily to find my car keys – adding something like a security cable to my laptop wouldn’t be my best spent money. For me, I’ve invested $15/year in a program that assists in the recovery of stolen computers. It’s called Hidden. The software runs on my Mac, and if it ever gets stolen, I log in to a web portal where I can find it on a map, and see pictures that the built in camera starts taking as soon as I report it stolen or lost.
It’s pretty neat. Granted, in doing so, my information is still vounerable (see Data Security), and I am without my computer, plus I am relying on the police to safely recover it. I have heard a great success story from a friend of mine using this, which is part of why I said the $15/month is an easy investment for me. I’ll just bring my lunch to work one day this week.
Another option that is a little more robust would be from LoJack. They are experts in security software that protect laptops, cars, and far more. One advantage that LoJack has over Hidden, is the ability to lock and erase the computer, as well as similarly track and take pictures. With the more advanced features, also comes a higher price point; it starts at $39.99/year.
Neither is a proactive approach to theft deterrent, but its strength is in the recovery of your computer, and potentially protecting your data.
Data Security
If someone does get a hold of your computer, how vounerable is your data? There are a few things to consider when it comes to your data. Do you back it up? I always think everyone has the greatest of intentions to back up their data, but hardly ever do. Mac OS X makes it incredibly easy to back up – plug in a hard drive and let Time Machine do the rest. On Windows, there are software programs that help let you establish a routine as well. The problem is that we all need to actively do it, and that’s where we get too busy or forget. An alternative is a product that is developed locally, and quite fantastic. The folks over at Code 42 Software have something called CrashPlan. It takes your information, and backs it up to their servers (or, a hosted environment depending on your need). What’s great is that you are backed up, and it isn’t your responsibility to do anything – it runs in the background. The downside, is if your computer gets lost, stolen or even broken, downloading your data can take a fair amount of time. That’s where a hosted solution, where we can help expidite that process, comes in to play.
One very important item that is free and often overlooked, is the security that is built into the computer. Enable a password, and have it set so that even if the computer is asleep, you need to enter your password to use it. This is a first-line of defense for your computer, and there’s no reason not to do it.
Network Security
One of the great things about the internet, is that we don’t associate it with a physical space, or realize how it is all actually connected. One of the biggest misconceptions about the internet is that you always go from point a to b directly, and no one can bump into you on the way there.
Independant of what type of organization you are in, network security should always be top of mind. If your organization has a server that you connect with, make sure that you have a good security device, a firewall, in front of it. There are numerous different options for firewalls and VPNs. We can help find the right solution to fit your organizational needs to help protect your information as it goes from one location to another.
For security concerns, whether it be Mac, PC, or even iOS, there are ways to help protect your investments – both physically and the data that resides on them. If you have questions about what your organization can do to protect itself, reach out and see where we might be able to help.
^MW
