Protecting your companies valuable data and equipment should be a priority and include the latest technologies for anti-theft, both cyber and physical. One of the most common targets of thieves is business laptops. Employees often use them outside the office and they can get lost, stolen or used on unsecured networks. The compact and lightweight design also makes them easy to steal inside or outside of the office.
Data breeches are one of the most frequent forms of theft for all sizes of businesses. In fact, it has been reported that 24% of all healthcare data breeches involved laptops. Data encryption is crucial and widely available from many vendors. Many business laptops now come pre-installed with anti-theft software, such as EasyGuard Technologies. When purchasing your business laptops, encryption and security features should be one of the most important features to consider.Another important thing to consider when purchasing your laptop is how you will retrieve your data if your computer is lost, stolen, or damaged. Secure Data Recovery specialists can restore your system while also maintaining security controls.
Another new business laptop security technology is Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chips that store encryption information apart from the software. This makes it necessary to enter a special password to gain access to the laptop on boot up. EasyGuard comes with this chip and also lets you put multiple passwords in different areas of your computer systems. For the ultimate in password protection, don’t use a password. Instead EasyGuard laptops can boot up with a special SD memory card that contains all of the password information. Also provided is a device lock that prevents boot up from an external hard drive.
In conjunction with the security measures, employee training is a must. There should be a company policy and review system in place to make sure that proper security procedures are being used. It is best for any company using the internet for business to have a network security plan. It is a sad fact that 83 percent of small businesses have no formal cyber security plan, while 69 percent lack even an informal one. This should be a priority for any business that uses the internet.
There are many devices to protect your business laptop when it is lost or stolen. Like cars, there now exists a Lojacksystem for laptops. It features device location, device lock, remote file deletion, a recovery service, and recovery guarantee. Easy Guard has a similar system that sounds a shrill alarm when the laptop is picked up. To help find a misplaced laptop, a number of proximity alarms are now available. When you get a certain distance away from your laptop, an alert is sent to your smartphone. Laptops can also now have a cable lock that uses a combination with the other end attached to an immovable object. EasyGuard has a reinforced security cable lock slot to easily attach a security cable. A plate can also be glued to the back of the laptop and attached to a stand on the desk. If stolen from the office, the plate warns that this is a stolen device and deters resale. Having a reliable system in place to keep your business laptop safe, such as EasyGuard technology from Toshiba (learn more at www.toshiba.ca/Business), is a great way ensure that your invaluable data remains with its rightful owner.
