Protecting (or Retrieving) Your Laptop
by Jim Ware
( This is a cross-post from the Future of Work blog.)
One of the real downsides of this “Age of Mobility” is the risk of losing your laptop – or, more likely, having it stolen from a coffee shop or even an office. It’s especially a problem as these devices get smaller and smaller, and we become more and more dependent on them
Well, today’s [July 31] San Francisco Chronicle included a short note about a new, free software package that you can install on your laptop to help you find it when it’s gone missing (“One Way to Keep Track of your Lost Laptop“).
I guess it works sort of like LoJack for cars – it reports the laptop’s Internet Protocol address and other locational information. And if your laptop is a Mac the software (called Adeona, after the Greek goddess who protected travelers and children and ensured their safe return) will even take a picture of the person using it. Makes that little built-in webcam really useful!
Anyway, I just downloaded the software and installed it on my MacBook. It’s a small package, doesn’t take up much room on the hard disk and seems like a great idea. Of course, it’s one of those things I hope I never have to use.
I believe there are also plans to develop similar kinds of security products for smaller mobile devices like cell phones and pda’s too.
Seems like an essential component of the future of work to me.
Thought...
