1) It’s a major headache to replace the content;
2) It’s costly to replace the laptop;
3) It invites the misuse of the sensitive data files you have stored on it;
4) It opens the door to the potentially bigger problems of data loss and identity theft.
Unfortunately, it’s a growing reality for hundreds of thousands of consumers, as between 600,000 and 1.5 million laptops are stolen or lost each year in the U.S. alone. Clearly, it’s foolish for business and consumers to ignore this increasing threat and not have computer security software and anti-theft products, with the idea that it only happens to other people.
I recalled from this past spring that Intel and Ponemon Institute released a study about the cost to businesses of a lost or stolen laptop:
"A recent study commissioned by Intel and conducted by the Ponemon Institute shows that a lost or stolen laptop is worth far more than just the hardware. When everything is taken into account, such losses cost a company as much as $115,000 and an average of $49,000.
The study analyzed 138 cases of lost and stolen notebooks. The average cost of $49,246 was based on costs associated with much more than just hardware and software replacement: detection and escalation, forensics and investigation, data breach, lost intellectual property, lost productivity, and other legal or regulatory costs. The study notes that the highest cost components are data breach and intellectual property loss..."
Wondering how much costs could be reduced if lost or stolen laptops had a security product like Phoenix Technologies' FailSafe™ [http://www.failsafe.com] - a theft-deterrence product that helps "protect, track, and manage lost or stolen laptops" using a BIOS embedded, tamper-resistant tracking agent.
