How To Turn Your Stolen Laptop Into A Snitching Doorstop
I look forward to the future, when laptop computers are so cheap they aren't worth stealing. As bad as having to buy a new one is, it's all the sensitive information on your machine that keeps you up nights if yours is stolen. Business Week uses Seagate's new drive encryption capability as a jumping off point to examine the ways currently available to keep bad people from doing bad things with your 411, and maybe even get the hardware back for you:
By the reckoning of IT research firm Gartner Group, the loss of a single laptop to theft averages $6,285 when you include replacement of not only hardware and software but also the loss of productivity. And that's before you factor in the cost of any data stored on the hard drive.
With the value of that information in mind, hard-drive manufacturer Seagate Technology (STX) has just launched a new line of hard drives that protect data using encryption technology, which renders information useless to anyone who doesn't have the coding key - and, in particular, potential notebook thieves.
I think I'd prefer rusty, razor sharp, rotating knives that spring from the bottom of the laptop, followed by a refreshing spray of acid and anthrax; but for now, perhaps drive encryption is the way to go.
