Five University of Arizona students / staff were surprised to learn that if you leave your laptop unattended for ANY length of time…  Bad Things will most likely happen…. Yes, it's true.  You may end up with your laptop stolen!   You can catch the full article HERE:  

UA police warn of laptop thefts at library

I always tell folks that are interested in purchasing a small portable computer that the Good News is that the computer is really portable!  The Bad News is – The computer is really portable, and you may find it missing much easier than a desktop computer.

Another popular "oversight" is to leave your computer/projector in your car in the driveway overnight so that you are *really* prepared for the client presentation in the morning…  The bright one who did this was a "high level" sales guy for a financial firm, and the laptop and projector were *STOLEN* from the car parked in his driveway overnight.

The big surprise of this event – Someone purchased the Thinkpad laptop for a really *good* price… then put 2 and 2 together, and called the sales guy and negotiated the return of the laptop!  The projector was never seen or heard from again…

The financial firm in this case coughed up $4500 to replace the two stolen items.  The sales guy swore he would never do it again…

Kind of a humorous story – Till you recall that financial institutions are under pretty heavy regulations to protect client information…

The moral of the story - Do Not Leave Your Laptop In Your Vehicle.  If you MUST leave it in your vehicle, put it in the trunk BEFORE you reach your destination. 

When you are selecting a laptop for your business, be sure you keep in mind what sort of regulations you are under in your chosen business.  If you take credit cards, have client personal information, client financial information, or other regulated data you may want to be sure you have some level of encryption available for your data or hard drive.

Another great strategy – Have the laptop call home!  Software resident on the stolen laptop can send a signal to a site, or send an email to let you know it's location…  and it will do this *silently* when it is connected to the internet.  Very cool, and not that expensive.  Google up "lowjack" for computers….

Keep in mind that crooks WILL bust a window and steal your desktop systems too!  This is a common tactic in most mid to large size cities.  It is a good idea to close your blinds at the end of the day.  If you do not have an alarm, you should consider getting one installed.  One *smash and dash* of your Regulation Protected Data will most likely require you to Disclose Your Breach Of Security to your CLIENTS as well as the governing Regulatory Agency!!!

Don't know about you, but I would MUCH rather pull one of my own teeth (with no novocaine!) than deal with a governing Regulatory Agency of any kind!!!  The cost of an alarm system will beat the attempt to replace expensive equipment too… and you know your business insurance will be happy to process your claim rapidly… (ouch)

Be vigilant – there are people who think it is easier to steal than to work.  Don't let your laptop be "The Stolen Laptop"…  Don't let your business be the "Most Recent Burglary Victim"…

Just a little work up front can save your business lots of grief…  when in doubt, get a professional involved.  If your computer guy can't advise you on such topics, perhaps you have the wrong computer guy? 

Let me know if that helps you out!

Be Safe Out There – Till we talk again,

Patrick Seeber . President of Seeber Consulting . The Seeber Consulting Blog Any questions, please send me an email.

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