Keep Your Notebook Computer Safe At The Airport

Volume 4 Issue 43

June 2005

Further, a stolen computer can also threaten government and national security by being an untraceable breaking and entering tool into high security computer systems. And the problem is getting worse – lots worse. Here are some ways though that you can help fight the problem where many computer thefts happen – the airport.

Personalize your computer. This may sound too easy but a thief is not likely to steal a computer with somebody else’s name all over it. You can buy personalized identification tags that can not be removed without harming the computer case. These tags not only make your computer less likely to be stolen but, if the computer is stolen, it is less likely to be easily sold such as to pawn shops and easier to return to you.

You can also personalize the inside of your computer by filling out the registration of the software on the machine. This makes it that much easier to return a stolen computer and, if thieves know that many people have the software in their computers in their name or company’s name, the thieves are less likely to steal such computers. Anything that individualizes your computer makes it less likely to be stolen.

Buddy up when traveling. Many notebook computer thefts are committed right where your carry on luggage is examined. A thief who has already checked through security waits for a notebook computer to come through on the conveyor belt and grabs it while the owner is distracted. The thief quickly passes the stolen computer to a cohort who rushes the computer out of the airport.

To prevent this, travel with another employee or a friend. One of you watches the other’s possessions coming out on the conveyor belt while the first person is dealing with security personnel. If the observer sees somebody grab the computer or other possessions, he screams to security personnel and anyone else around that a thief is stealing from the security conveyor belt. The thief is either caught in the act or gets away without your computer. Either way, your computer is safe.

If you are using your notebook computer in the lounge area, use a security cable to attach the computer to something like the desk you are using the computer on. These cables are between $20 and $50 in most computer stores and lock computers to where they are being used. Even if you walk away, your computer will not while you are gone.

If you are just carrying your computer with you, do not use those fancy computer briefcases that scream “Notebook computer!” to every thief in the area. Instead, use a backpack made for notebook computers or other luggage that does not indicate there is a notebook computer in the case.

Of course, do not tell people you do not know that you are carrying a notebook computer with you. Some of those business men you meet in the lounge are actually lookouts for computer thieves who will have your notebook computer right after you leave that friendly guy you met in the lounge or in line. Thieves keep in touch by cell phone – likely cell phones they stole from real business people like you.

Now, while losing your notebook computer is devastating enough, your also lose the data in the computer.

Of course, you have that data backed up right? That is normal computer common sense these days as not only do computers get stolen but hard drives fail and computers get damaged. You can buy portable CDRW drives to back up your information onto CDs. If you have high speed Internet access, you can copy your data to your corporate network or to back up services such as the one Yahoo! offers in its briefcase service. No matter how you back up your computer’s information, you can access it easily with your new computer or, in the case of online services, you can access your data using any computer with Internet access.

In fact, you can even back up your data on new memory sticks that simply plug into any computer USB port and access through the computer like another drive. This can even be a solution to computer theft if all you need is the data and not the computer. These devices can be kept right in your pocket and look like a key ring without keys.

There are so many ways to make your data safe there is no good excuse not to do so. There is also no real excuse not to keep that data safe from people who should not be seeing it.

Encryption software codes documents on your computer so only you and others with the right password can read them. There are different levels of this software. The basic level can be downloaded for free in many cases from the publishers of the more complex versions of encryption software which you can buy in most computer stores or even online for as much as $100 – inexpensive insurance for data that is worth hundreds of thousand to millions of dollars to your company.

And, of course, you have your computer insured. If you do not, you should now. The insurance can be anything from a rider (addition) to your homeowner’s insurance policy to a separate policy covering your computer.

Protection of your computer is cheap when you consider the cost of losing your computer and its data to you and your company.

Protection of your computer is also your duty to your company, your industry and your country when you take into account what else someone might do with your computer.

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