How To Protect Your Laptop Against Theft & Loss

     Laptop theft is rampant. You have a 1 in 10 chance
your shiny new laptop will be stolen. And the real
shocker: according to the FBI 97% are never recovered.

     And they should know, the U.S. Department of Justice
stated in a recent report that the FBI lost 160 laptops
in a 44 month period ending in September of 2005. If
FBI agents have trouble keeping track of their laptops,
imagine what the ordinary person is facing.

     The statistics are pretty grim. A laptop is stolen every
53 seconds. Ouch!

     With stats like those you have to do everything in your
power to avoid becoming a victim of laptop theft. If you
keep valuable personal or business information on your
laptop the consequences can be even more gruesome and
devastating. For laptop hardware can be easily replaced,
but your valuable information may be lost forever.

     So here are...

10 Practical Ways to Protect Your Laptop Against Theft,
Loss or Misplacement.

1. Keep Your Eyes On Your Laptop

     Be aware of your laptop at all times especially when
traveling. You wouldn't leave a Thousand Dollar Bill
lying around unattended would you? So watch your laptop
closely.

2. Don't Use An Obvious Laptop Bag

     Carry your laptop in regular luggage that doesn't look
like it has a laptop. Don't advertise your laptop to any
would be thieves.

3. Use Visual Locks And Restraints

Use visual locks and restraints to secure your laptop and
to act as a deterrent. It won't fool hardened thieves but
most will opt for a less secure laptop. For example, you
can use a product like STOP, this system works by attaching
a specially-made security plate to your laptop. This plate
is barcoded and registered. It also carries a warning label
letting would-be cyber thieves know that the ownership of your
laptop is permanently monitored.

4. Use Passwords And Encryption

     Use passwords and encryption to protect any sensitive
information on your laptop. Again, unless you use very
sophisticated encryption it won't fool the experienced
hacker or hard-core digital thief but it will slow down
and hinder the common criminal.

     Set a BIOS Password for your laptop. You have to take
advantage of any security option that's on your laptop's
OS or operating system. For those using Mac OS X you can
encrypt your entire hard drive and set-up a master password
in order to view it.

     Windows XP & Vista lets you encrypt files and folders. Just
right click your data, select properties, open general tab
and then advanced to check "Encrypt contents to secure data
box".

5. Use Encryption Programs Like Steganos Safe 2007

     You can also try something like Steganos Safe 2007. Vital
files can be encrypted and it can even turn your USB thumb
drive or iPod into a key for unlocking your hard drive.

6. Use Anti-Theft Software Like LoJack

     Use anti-theft software that can track and locate your
laptop or computer through the IP address once the stolen
laptop is used to access the Internet. Use systems like
"LoJack For Laptops". It costs around 50 bucks a year
but it may be worth that price for your peace of mind alone.

     According to the info on their site they recover 3 out of 4
stolen laptops equipped with the LoJack system. It basically
places hidden and silent software that reports back the IP
address and location of the laptop once it is stolen and the
thief connects to the Internet.

7. Use Invisible Ultraviolet Markings

     Use invisible ultra-violet markings so that any recovered
stolen laptops will be clearly marked as yours to the police.
Keeping track of your laptop's serial number is also a good
idea and have this number stored in a different place other
than on your laptop.

8. Try Remote Data Deletion

     If you place important information on your laptop have a
remotely controlled self-destruct solution in place. Then
your highly sensitive information can be deleted remotely
after your laptop is stolen.

9. Be Prepared

     Create company policies for management of your company's laptops.
Have set procedures in place for tracking and reporting of any
laptops stolen or misplaced. Be prepared for the inevitable.

10. Backup Backup Backup

     Regularly backup any vital information you have on your laptop.
Most information will be useless to potential thieves but may
be extremely important to you personally or for the running of
your business.

     No matter if it is through theft or simple misplacement, losing
a laptop is a painful experience, one you should avoid at all
costs. However, if it does happen to you, be assured you can
minimize the pain by having a complete backup of your laptop's
contents. In most cases, this information will be much more
valuable than the laptop itself.

     For hardware can be easily replaced, your personal data and
months/years of work may take forever to recover or redo.
Sometimes it is lost forever, so BACKUP your information
regularly. Keep your laptop and its contents safe and out
of harm's way. Simply protect yourself and your laptop by
using the tips you have just read.

....
      The author has a keen interest in all things laptop and runs an online: Laptop Buyer's Guide For Timely Special Savings/Deals/Coupons on Toshiba, Dell, Apple, Sony, Alienware...click here: Cheap Laptops Copyright © 2007 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

     Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Titus_Hoskins

Laptop Encryption: Protecting Your Data

     I am being asked more and more about how busy professionals can protect the business critical and often sensitive information they carry around on laptop and netbook computers.

     The simple solution to this problem is to encrypt the laptop disk drive so that only the owner of the computer can access the data.

     Most computers have a password which is used to prevent access to the software, applications and data in a casual fashion. Passwords, and particularly strong passwords are a vital component in preventing unauthorised access to information and applications. However, they only protect systems that remain in the physical possession of the owner.

     Once physical possession is compromised, as in the case of a lost or stolen computer, then there are ways of bypassing the logical access controls imposed by usernames and passwords. Such bypass techniques can be as simple as using software to reset or brute-force the password, or even just removing the hard disk drive from the machine and plugging it in to another computer.

     This can be a particular problem in the case of mobile computers and laptops, where the opportunity for loss or theft is far greater than machines protected by a secure physical environment.

     Encryption of the hard drive can protect against the dangers highlighted above. It means that, in effect, if the computer is lost or stolen, the data cannot be accessed by the new owner without the password or pass phrase used to perform the encryption. In addition, where whole disk encryption is utilised, the system cannot even be started unless it is completely reinstalled - overwriting any data on the disk drive.

     Encryption of the hard drive will also provide your organisation with significant protection against legal and regulatory compliance penalties should a computer containing sensitive business, financial or personal data be lost or stolen.

     In the UK the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has the power to fine organisations who lose or have stolen computers containing personally identifiable information (PII) under the Data Protection Act.

     Similar legislation exists across the European Union and in most US states.

     So if you want to protect your mobile computers and laptops, or even your office based computers should you feel the need, then get your local IT guys to look at encrypting all of your organisation's laptops.

     If they can't help you or you don't have your own IT team speak to a local IT services provider or IT security company. They will be more than happy to go through your requirements and help you decide on the best solution for your business.

     Lee Hezzlewood is the founder of Secure Thinking, a UK company providing specialist services in Data Protection and Cyber-Security. For more information on information security for SME businesses take a look at our Managed Security Services.

     Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Hezzlewood

How To Choose the Right Laptop for College

     In 2012, many laptops are cheaper than before. Some innovations in technology made them easier to carry around. With their long battery life and high level of portability, many of the new laptop models became very demanded.

     Today, most of the universities and colleges require from you to carry a laptop in your studies, especially if you are in such a speciality connected with information technologies. If you don't own a laptop, you should really get one, especially if you are about to study abroad. You will always need a laptop or at least a small notebook. So forget about the old desktop machines and look around for the best laptop for college work. The next few paragraphs may help you a lot in choosing the perfect solution.

     Firstly, a laptop for university shouldn't be larger than 15.6". Even the 15 inch screen is larger than the necessary. If you are about to carry around your laptop at school, why not to pick up a portable one - such is the 13 inch.

     Remember that if you need a larger screen for some purposes, you can always purchase a huge (23" plus) external monitor and connect it to any notebook device.

     Another very important criteria is the battery life, because in college it may not be the right time to put your laptop for charging while having some studies at the same time. Most manufacturers don't pay enough attention to the battery performance. Apple notebooks, for example, have the best battery performance on the market these days. Some other great manufacturers are Asus, Acer, Sony and HP. So before purchasing a laptop for university, make sure that the battery is strong enough.

     It is very important what are you going to use your laptop for and what is your budget. At college it is more likely not to play a lot of games. If you don't have a large budget you can save some money from the external graphics card, while choosing a laptop with an integrated one (such is Intel graphics card). Also very important parts of the hardware are the CPU and RAM. Again - if you are not willing to overwhelm your laptop with hard processes and you want to save some money, just choose low-performance hardware. Low-performance hardware will also save a lot of battery while working.

     But if you are going to run heavy processes - such as 3D rendering, video rendering, video games, etc. - make sure to select a laptop with high performance. Hard disk is also important. The new SSD (Solid-State drive) technology is way faster than the old HDDs. For better performance choose SSD.

     Before purchasing a laptop for university check for student discounts on laptops or any other price reduction, either in the local store or global online shopping websites.

     Dragomir Ralchev is author of many articles such as Best Laptop For College. Before choosing a laptop you may also take a look at some of the student discounts on laptops.

     Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dragomir_K_Ralchev

Read About the Different Categories of Laptops

      Choosing a good quality laptop may seem very confusing when you are at the showroom. This confusion can be avoided if you understand what various kinds of machines can offer you. After that you should choose a laptop which satisfies all your needs and budget. Here we will be discussing about various types of laptops and its specifications. Buying a desktop is much easier than purchasing a laptop. Laptop computers are primarily classified based on its functionality.

      The smallest in the category of laptops is the UMPCs or Ultra Mobile Computers. These are the hand held devices with 5 or 7 inch screens. They are more like large mobile phones with touch screen. They are now commonly referred as tabs. These computing devices have evolved a lot in the recent years and is now filling the gap between mobile phones and laptops. It has become a rage among the young generation. Tabs do not have physical keyboards or mouse attached with it. They are devised based on the entertainment point of view.

      Next is a Netbook which has a 7 - 12 inch screen. They are laptops with small keyboards and minimalistic specifications. They have a low voltage single core processor, 1 GB of RAM and genuine OS. They lack any optical drives and are very light in your hands. The category of netbooks are becoming out of fashion as tablets are capable of doing more things at a lower price.

      Ultra-thin and ultra-portable laptops are the next in line. They sport a 12+ inch screen and will be having a standard keyboard which will be very comfortable for constant typing jobs. These devices are mainly aimed at the office workers. They are light weight without features like DVD drives and heavy storage capacity. They will be equipped with all the functionality for perfect office work. They will be having batteries with longer life.

      Then we have the market of thin yet powerful laptops. These laptops are packed with heavy features with almost all the facilities that are provided by a desktop. They will be adaptable to your needs in various ways. The power of the device will be above average and will be equipped with the latest processors like i5 and i7. Then we have the basic laptops with 4GB RAM and 250 GB memory. There are laptops which are capable of replacing our desktops and this will cost about 4 times the price of desktop PCs.

      You should always choose the best laptops that meet your requirements.

                                Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7197421