Threat of Lawsuits Should Spur Initiatives to Equip Laptop Computers with GPS

(IDTheftSecurity.com) Laptop theft is on the rise, and according to research organizations and legal experts, it can exact a significant cost. Robert Siciliano, a personal security and identity theft expert, expected that smart organizations would equip their laptops with safeguards such as Internet-based GPS tracking, encryption technology, and systems to remotely retrieve and delete data, to dodge the costs of mobile computer theft, which can reach thousands of dollars for even just one lost machine.

Siciliano, president of IDTheftSecurity.com, provides consumer education solutions to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. The Privacy Learning Institute has featured him on its Web site. This year, Siciliano has discussed identity theft on CNBC’s “On the Money” multiple times, on NBC’s “Today Show,” and on FOX News. He is author of “The Safety Minute: 01.”

“The research into mobile computing security reveals findings that are daunting and irrefutable,” said Siciliano. “Laptop computers stand to be stolen in large numbers over the next few years, and the associated costs, including lawsuits, threaten to be a major source of frustration. I predict that more and more organizations will turn to simple, yet effective, countermeasures such as GPS tracking and encryption technologies.”

According to legal experts whose article appeared on Tech News World last week, California Senate Bill 1386, passed into law in July 2003 and now emulated in about 30 states, provides consumers and employees, under some circumstances, the legal basis to sue companies that have suffered data breaches. On Nov. 27 Investor's Business Daily reported research from Kahn Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in the legal, compliance, and policy issues of information technology: Only 35 percent of the 80 percent of companies that equip their workers with wireless devices secure the machines.

Also cited in the Investor's Business Daily article was research from IDC, a firm headquartered in Framingham, Mass. IDC predicted that the number of mobile workers will increase by 30 percent by the year 2009, and that these added workers will see, rising along with them, the security threat to mobile computers.

Symantec has found that a laptop computer is stolen every 53 seconds, and that 97 percent of these machines lost to theft are never recovered. And research from Gartner Group has revealed that the financial price tag of laptop computer theft can exceed $6,000 for even just one machine.

Siciliano encouraged laptop computer users to increase their chances of dodging these potential costs by considering solutions from firms such as MyLaptopGPS, a company that offers GPS tracking and encryption technology as security for mobile computers. Internet-based GPS, the technology MyLaptopGPS™ uses, is more affordable and user-friendly than other types of GPS tracking and effectively tracks lost machines.

"Anyone who loses a laptop computer wishes their machine had the functionalities MyLaptopGPS provides," said Dan Yost, chief technology officer at MyLaptopGPS. "Rather than deal with the thousands of dollars and pure headaches that come with lost mobile computing devices, smart organizations are opting for our affordable service."

On Dec. 7, Yost addressed faculty and students at Oklahoma State University on the importance of MyLaptopGPS to laptop security (click here to download an mp3 file of Yost's speech). MyLaptopGPS not only tracks lost laptops with Internet-based GPS, but also installs software that encrypts and silently removes and retrieves files from the machines—at once returning the data to its rightful owner and deleting it on the stolen computer. Users can invoke MyLaptopGPS’s functions remotely.

"Peace of mind is hard to come by,” Siciliano concluded. "For a fraction of the cost of a lost laptop computer, GPS and other technologies provide an all-encompassing solution to laptop theft so that even if your computer is stolen, it won't matter."

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About IDTheftSecurity.com
Identity theft affects us all, which is why Robert Siciliano, president of IDTheftSecurity.com, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, “The Suze Orman Show,” “ABC News with Sam Donaldson,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” “Sally Jesse Raphael,” and “The Howard Stern Show.” Visit Siciliano’s Web site, www.IDTheftSecurity.com, or his blog, www.IDTheftSecurity.blogspot.com.

About MyLaptopGPS
Since 1984, the minds behind AIT Solutions, LLC (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) have specialized in complete system integration. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been servicing leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems. With MyLaptopGPS™, AIT Solutions, LLC 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.

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

Robert Siciliano
Personal Security Expert
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com

John Dunivan
MyLaptopGPS Media Relations
PHONE: (405) 747-6654 (direct line)
jd@MyLaptopGPS.com
www.MyLaptopGPS.com

The media may also contact:

Brent W. Skinner, President
STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.biz
www.STETrevisions.biz