Stolen Laptops, What You Can Do

By Henry Burrece

Technology has changed immensely since the days of Maxwell Smart and so to have the tools at our disposal in dealing with criminals. Specifically when it comes to laptops there are a few options available to you in protecting your property and information. I recommend the following to family, friends, and co-workers.

1. Renters or owners insurance: Check into a policy that includes items that are with you while you work or travel. If you already have this type of insurance you may already be covered for this type of loss and not know it. For anyone that has been in the military check out USAA, their renters insurance is as low as $10 a month and includes this in their policy.

2. LoJack for Laptops: Is a stolen computer recovery service that claims a 75 percent recovery rate on stolen computers on which their software was installed. You can visit their site at www.LoJackForLaptops.com A quick look reveals protection for about $0.13 per day.

3. Don’t leave your car unsecured: Pretty obvious but had to throw that in there. If you must have your laptop with you and will be leaving it in your vehicle put it in the trunk, out of site out of mind.

4. Use an external drive or thumb drive: If you hold a lot of personal data or other people’s personal data on your laptop consider utilizing a large thumb drive or 2.5 inch USB portable drive to store all of your documents. In the event that your machine is stolen at least your data will not have been compromised.

More links will be posted on Friday...