What We Can Learn From Fidelity

5 Tips For Avoiding Laptop Theft And Losing Sensitive Company Information
by Dave Liniado | www.everonit.com

According to a recent article in the Boston Globe a Fidelity employee had a laptop stolen that contained retirement account information for 196,000 customers. Oops- there are definitely going to be a few worried and unhappy people. If a large corporation like Fidelity, with endless technology resources can have a laptop stolen containing sensitive company information, what can you as a small business do to protect yourself from a similar fate? I have put together 6 tips for avoiding laptop theft and losing sensitive company information. Read more to find out how to avoid what happened to Fidelity.

Backup Backup Backup

Large amounts of internal data, such as sales lists, financial records, and personal customer information should not have been on this employees’ computer. Always back up internal data to your company server and retrieve it remotely if it is needed for a meeting or presentation. I know it can sometimes be a pain or inconvenient but it can save a lot of time, money, and headaches if done regularly. A laptop should be thought of as a portal, not a database or storage center. I’m sure Fidelity would have rather paid for a new laptop rather than tell 196,000 customers their personal and financial information had been stolen.

Don’t Be Obvious

If it looks like a laptop case and smells like a laptop case then it probably is. These days, many companies manufacture a wide variety of computer cases that are a bit more discrete and fashionable to boot. Don’t make yourself an open invitation to would be thieves. Conceal you laptop and never leave it unattended

Look Over There

If you’re a company without remote access to your server try using a flash drive or even portable music player for backing up and transporting data. Most of the attention will be on your laptop and a portable data storage device can be easily concealed on your person and it’s small enough to lock up in a small hotel safe.

Lock It Down

If the unavoidable happens and your laptop is lost or stolen, a system password, biometric scanner, and encrypted data make it more difficult for the thief to access your data. This doesn’t return the data to you – that’s why you have it backed up, right? This does, however, limit the thief’s ability to get to your most important business secrets.

Return To Owner

Make sure your laptop is clearly marked with contact information so that it can be returned to your company or to its rightful owner. If you have your name or company name engraved on the computer then it would make it more difficult for a stolen laptop to be sold or transferred.

For more information about this article please contact Doug Ziewacz.

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