The growing crisis of laptop theft costs businesses , government and individuals much more than the price of the equipment . In just the recent eruption of the crisis laptop theft , the identities of thousands of people are at risk :
A lost laptop costs severely Eden Project Cornwall. The computer was not encrypted , privacy with delicate details of 500 employees.
Popular retailer Marks and Spencer has also been responsible for the loss of an unencrypted laptop containing confidential data on 26,000 employees.
When a laptop light has disappeared from a hospital, the personal data of 11,500 children have lost .
A well-known bank could not follow with a laptop containing unencrypted about 11 million customers financial data.
The Department of Safety for U.S. Home does not seem to be more cautious when shown a removable hard drive light is gone. Data were lost members 100,000 .
Lost or stolen data and critical laptop : there seems to be no end to the madness !
Companies put data at risk
Several unfortunate cases mentioned above are the direct result of poor labor practices . Too many companies use basic office applications , then they should be using a hosted on the server software. Manages worry there with huge databases on their laptops, making vital business and customer in great danger, not knowing that these data should be stored on a powerful server, locked with security software Advanced and physically protected in a secure data center .
Very few are encrypting their files
While bad practices play an important role in the loss or theft of confidential data, the fact that 7 out of 10 laptops are not encrypted no problem much better. These users put their social security numbers , bank account information and identity risk . Banks lost consumption data and national agencies have thieved critical government information. This means that identity theft can happen to anyone, including yourself.
Although no one can guarantee the security of your laptop, you do not have to leave you vulnerable to data and identity theft . There are a number of software solutions available file encryption to protect your personal information in encrypted folders . Many offer excellent value , encryption of important data on the fly with the U.S. government recommended algorithms and usually cost between $ 20 to $ 40. Most offer a free trial.
Steve Jordan is Managing Partner of Intricom Technologies , developers of software encryption SensiGuard files. Visit our website for more information on the encryption software and download a free trial version
