1. Change Your Passwords
2. Check the Lost-and-Found
3. Make Clients Aware
4. Utilize Computer Tracking
5. Invest in an Online Backup Service

For #4, she digs into the MyLaptopGPS solution a bit and has a quotable or two. It’s a decent, short article, and worth a read.

In the case of laptops, keeping the paper right in the laptop bag or even posted on the palm rest is a common practice with a common result: compromised passwords.

Folks have been doing this since the first passwords were invented–since the first day that IT stopped by and said, “Hey, we need you to have a ‘password’ to get into the system now” and earned yet another thumbs-down from the troops. Even as security needs have increased and technology has proliferated, this problem has remained.

In fact, it’s the primary reason that MyLaptopGPS has Remote Decryption Kill. Even a thief who has the decryption password (probably because the laptop owner posted it on a sticky note right on the palm rest) is blocked when the MyLaptopGPS Recovery Team remotely kills the decryption system entirely.

In any case, Ferrell’s article is worth a read, followed by a stroll around the cubicles at the office. There’s more than chocolate chip cookie crumbs hanging out under those keyboards.

Columbus, OH (PRWEB) March 15, 2010 – Safeware, The Insurance Agency Inc. today announced a new strategic partnership with MyLaptopGPS , designed to offer ultimate and combined hardware and data protection for laptop and desktop computers.

MyLaptopGPS’ six-layer approach to laptop security begins with the globally unique SafeTag.

Safeware is the nation’s largest provider of specialized insurance programs designed to protect the investment of consumers who purchase laptops and desktops. Safeware’s policies protect the hardware in the event of accidental damage, liquid spills, theft, fire, flood, power surge and much more. Safeware’s partnership with MyLaptopGPS™ takes the protection even further, with six full layers of security designed to prevent theft in the first place, track lost and stolen assets covertly, and recover stolen data.

MyLaptopGPS boasts a remarkable 0.4% real-world theft rate, thanks to its six-layer approach to laptop security. The system begins with theft-deterrent SafeTags™, which are permanent property labels that bear globally-unique tracing numbers. SafeTags enable the MyLaptopGPS SafeRecovery Team™ to trace and identify lost or stolen property offline, but in the event a theft does occur, MyLaptopGPS software tracks the stolen machine worldwide and, most importantly, remotely recovers the data even while in possession of the thief, then destroys it on the machine. This returns the data safely to the rightful owner and ensures that a thief has no access. With users in 18 countries across six continents, MyLaptopGPS is a renowned worldwide data protection solution.

“Safeware’s protection of our customers’ assets was already industry-leading,” said James Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of Safeware, “but now it has reached a whole new level. We now protect our customers’ data, which is worth up to 300 times more than the hardware alone, and we can prevent 99.6% of thefts in the first place. This protection package is the premier solution in the marketplace today.”

In addition, Safeware announced a 10% policy discount to any new or existing customer that purchases the product. Said Johnson, “We are confident in MyLaptopGPS’ theft prevention and recovery prowess, and this discount is a way of showing our clients that we mean business and take their protection very seriously.”

Dan Yost, Chief Technology Officer of MyLaptopGPS, agreed. “We applaud and admire Safeware for taking a leadership role in the movement to protect consumers and businesses alike from identity theft, hardware loss and data breaches, and for stepping up to provide comprehensive, effective safeguards. It’s a great day to be a Safeware client.”

For more information visit Safeware at www.safeware.com/mylaptopgps, or call 1-800-800-1492.

About Safeware:

Safeware Insurance is the nation’s largest provider of specialized insurance programs designed to meet the demands of computer, electronics and high-tech equipment owners. For over 26 years, Safeware’s ongoing success is attributed to its ability to offer affordable, comprehensive, value-added insurance coverage for computers and mobile electronics, while maintaining best of class customer service and satisfaction. Safeware’s goal is to provide a higher level of protection and peace of mind for the electronics consumer.

About MyLaptopGPS:

Celebrating 25 years in business, Tri-8, Inc. (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) has specialized in complete system integration since its founding in 1984. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been serving leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems that simply work. With MyLaptopGPS, Tri-8, Inc. brings a level of expertise, dedication, knowledge and service that is unmatched. MyLaptopGPS’ rock-solid performance, security, and reliability flow directly from the company’s commitment to top-notch software products and services.

(STILLWATER, Okla. – Oct. 27, 2009 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Laptop computer security firm MyLaptopGPS, featured in Inc. Magazine, TechRepublic and elsewhere, has introduced patent-pending laptop encryption to its already robust Internet-based laptop tracking product. MyLaptopGPS™, whose unmatched industry theft rate sees only 4 out of every 1,000 machines equipped with the technology going missing to thieves, now features encryption with the fastest speed available and algorithms that far surpass standard AES. MyLaptopGPS’ new FIPS Level 2–certified laptop encryption provides Remote Decryption Kill (RDK), as well, locking data out of thieves’ reach even in the unlikely event that the encryption key becomes available to them.

“Purchasing a capable laptop theft protection technology is easily one of the smartest moves any organization can make,” said Robert Siciliano, CEO of identity theft protection firm IDTheftSecurity.com. “The alternative to paying less than ten dollars per month to protect a machine is to play chicken with costs reaching into the hundreds of thousands, even the millions—the typical aftermath for any organization struck by a highly publicized data theft. MyLaptopGPS far surpasses its competition in not only protecting mobile computing devices from thieves once they’ve gotten a hold of a machine with valuable data on it, but also in deterring those thieves from even bothering to steal the machine in the first place.”

With clients in 18 countries across six continents, MyLaptopGPS, a Tri-8, Inc. company, is a leader in laptop computer security and mobile data privacy. Thanks to a proven multilayered security approach featuring strong encryption, covert laptop tracking, remote data recovery and deletion, and theft prevention, MyLaptopGPS boasts a 99.6 percent success rate in the battle against laptop theft.

MyLaptopGPS Encryption features the following:

• Remote Decryption Kill (RDK)—even a thief who has the decryption key cannot decrypt the data on a MyLaptopGPS-equipped machine
• Fastest encryption available today (patent pending)
• NIST FIPS Level 2 certification
• Non-expanding encrypted data footprint (patent pending)—whether they be entire disks or individual files and folders, the addition of MyLaptopGPS will not increase their size
• Flexible encryption model: disk, file, folder, file type, etc.—the technology adapts to protect entire disks or individual files
• Administrative recovery of lost keys
• Automatic re-encryption
• Hardware-specific encryption: data cannot be decrypted on any other hardware (optional)

“We are aware of no other solution that offers the level of protection now available with MyLaptopGPS,” said Dan Yost, chief technology officer of MyLaptopGPS. Yost, a recognized expert in laptop security and security best practices, provides guidance to corporations, small businesses, academic organizations, and other groups. He invited readers to follow MyLaptopGPS’ laptop computer security blog and laptop computer security posts on Twitter. Anyone who belongs to LinkedIn® is encouraged to join MyLaptopGPS’ laptop computer security group there.

“The addition of technology that enables users to actually shut off the keys to new, industry-leading encryption capabilities is truly game-changing,” Yost continued. “When your technology already stops laptop theft nearly one hundred percent of the time—the best success rate in the business—you know you’re doing something right. But we just couldn’t stop there, and now, the impossibly small percentage of MyLaptopGPS customers who do see their laptops go missing to thieves have at their disposal even more tools for damage control.”

Even without encryption, only 4 out of every 1,000 laptop computers equipped with MyLaptopGPS ever go missing to thieves, a theft rate unmatched in the industry; the company’s technology for laptop theft prevention, in fact, is itself a deterrent. Machines equipped with MyLaptopGPS laptop tracking technology that do end up in thieves’ possession have long enabled their rightful owners to remotely track their property and covertly delete and recover data from it, all unbeknownst to the criminal.

Additionally, MyLaptopGPS includes SafeRegistry™, a comprehensive system for inventorying entire fleets of mobile computers. Bolstering SafeRegistry is a full line of SafeTags™, police-traceable property tags designed to secure not only laptop computers, but also iPods™, iPhones™, cell phones, BlackBerry™ devices and other mobile property. Notably, SafeTags are applied with 3M 300LSE pressure-sensitive adhesive, the functional equivalent of welding for Low Surface Energy plastics.

###

About MyLaptopGPS

Celebrating 25 years in business, Tri-8, Inc. (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) has specialized in complete system integration since its founding in 1984. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been serving leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems that simply work. With MyLaptopGPS™, Tri-8, Inc. brings a level of expertise, dedication, knowledge and service that is unmatched. MyLaptopGPS™’s rock-solid performance, security, and reliability flow directly from the company’s commitment to top-notch software products and services.

About IDTheftSecurity.com

Identity theft affects everyone. CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, Robert Siciliano is a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report’s editorial board and of the consumer advisory board for McAfee. Additionally, in a partnership to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and provide tips for consumers to protect themselves, he is nationwide spokesperson for uni-ball in 2009 (uniball-na.com provides for more information). A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on “The Today Show,” “CBS Early Show,” CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX News, “The Suze Orman Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Tyra” and “Inside Edition.” Numerous magazines, print news outlets and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters and others. For more information, visit Siciliano’s Web site (idtheftsecurity.com), blog (realtysecurity.com/blog), and YouTube page (youtube.com/stungundotcom).

The media are encouraged to get in touch with any of the following individuals:

John Dunivan
MyLaptopGPS Media Relations
PHONE: 405-334-4302
FAX 405-533-1136
info AT MyLaptopGPS DOT com

Robert Siciliano, Identity Theft Protection Expert
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert AT IDTheftSecurity DOT com

Brent Skinner
President & CEO of STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
BrentSkinner AT STETrevisions DOT com

But I’d be remiss not to issue a tip that puts my money where my mouth is. Or, that is, why not follow my own advice?

Laptop tracking, remote data destruction, covert data recovery, and a 99.6% security success rate are all excellent security layers. We’ve always said so, and have always used them. But now, it’s time to up the ante in a big way by bundling on-disk strong encryption–another extremely important layer we’ve always highly recommended.

A thief who has your laptop should have no access to your data, ever. Good on-disk encryption such as MyLaptopGPS Encryption guarantees that, and then, as always, the other layers back it up. Remember, there’s no silver bullet in the security world.

Another nice thing about a bundle of highly effective layers such as these is that additional features can surface as a result. For example, with MyLaptopGPS Remote Decryption Kill, even a thief who has your encryption key (you didn’t write it on a post-it note in your laptop bag, did you?) cannot decrypt your data.

A solid laptop data security strategy always relies on many layers. Encryption must be a primary one.

Some security protocols, measures, technology, algorithms, methods and ideas are much stronger than others. Some are more comprehensive. Some are less vulnerable. Some are more easily implemented.

But one thing remains true, and that is that absolutely no single security measure is the be all, end all, guaranteed-unbeatable savior of the world. There is No Silver Bullet.

Instead, even the best security technologies must be implemented in concert with other technologies–a layered approach. Each layer has another to back it up.

Locking your car is a very good security measure and will stop a large portion of thefts and burglaries. Adding a quality alarm system catches many of the rest. Parking inside a garage adds even more protection. Hiring a 24/7 guard to watch the vehicle takes it to the extreme.

Layering is a fundamental rule in the security world. It’s why MyLaptopGPS uses six layers to secure crucial laptop assets. But even MyLaptopGPS should not be used alone, in many cases. In most enterprises and even small businesses it is a big piece of a broader puzzle. There is No Silver Bullet. A machine gun full of bullets is better.

The message: Distinguish yourself with our lovely Audi Q5… because you’ll be the only person ever to own it and you’ll never get it confused with another car… not even another Audi Q5.

It might not be a great commercial for a car, but think about it: Slightly tweaked, it would be a great commercial for identity theft.

Because think about it — identity theft affects everyone. With another laptop being stolen every 12 seconds, it’s only a matter of time before you or a loved one or a friend of a loved one will be affected.

Really, you WILL eventually know someone whose laptop gets stolen. And what does that mean for you?

Well, unfortunately that means there is likely a lot of personal data up for grabs. And then, BAM: identity theft.

The point is, protect your laptop. The best-case scenario is you’ll have protected it with MyLaptopGPS, and we can get it back to you in one piece. If you don’t, though, you’re putting yourself at risk for identity theft. You get vaccinated for chicken pox and all those other diseases, you have home owner’s insurance, you pay a car insurance bill every month. In other words, you’ve protected every other aspect of your life. Why not protect your laptop? It’s got some of your most valuable information on it.

In the middle of March, a laptop was stolen from the Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Safety Office. The office, in Kapolei, reported the laptop missing on March 18th of this year, and recently sent letters to nearly 2,000 licensed drivers in the area. A copy of the letter can be seen here.

KGMB9 News reported, in their article, that the laptop was stolen from the fifth floor of the building. The computer contained the names, personal information, and Social Security numbers of 1,892 drivers. The Department of Transportation urges anyone whose information may be compromised to seek credit-monitoring services, or at least to get a copy of their free annual credit report. It also suggested ways in which to protect yourself from identity theft.

Had the DOT computer been equipped with tracking software like that offered by MyLaptopGPS, I could be sitting on the beach, happily drinking a Mai Tai and hula dancing, not giving a fleeting thought to laptop theft. Or the fact that my credit card charges are going to be so high for these Mai Tais.

Another laptop gets stolen every 12 seconds. Don’t think for a second (or 12) that your laptop is safe from predators. They’re everywhere.

In fact, I received 12 emails today from my lovely RSS feeds alerting me of laptop thefts. And those are only the ones reported in the news, with my specific keywords.

Moral of the story is, keep an eye out. One second or twelve, it really makes no difference. These are crimes of opportunity, and no one wants to be called a fool when their laptop gets stolen.