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The State Department administrator who had his laptop stolen in a crowded conference room was doing nothing different than what thousands of executives do every day-hauling a notebook computer from appointment to appointment. But these portable devices-rich in computing power and communications capabilities, and often loaded with sensitive data-are big targets to opportunistic thieves and industrial spies.
Criminals are definitely targeting laptop systems, especially systems that cost more than $3,000," says Brian Haase, a commercial marketing manager for Safeware. Hasse says that in 1999, notebook computers accounted for 88 percent of all of Safeware's total computer theft claims, compared to 53 percent in 1997.

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Security products provide effective theft deterrents and access controls, but ultimately it's up to the individual users to prevent laptop theft. Users need to be particularly careful in public locations, such as airports, hotels and conference centers, and take appropriate steps to ensure someone doesn't try to snatch their machine.When traveling, owners should keep their notebooks in bags sporting bright colors or large tags. Since thieves don't want to draw attention, they will often avoid stealing bags that stand out.

Unfortunately, few laptop users exercise such caution. Industry experts say organizations need to do a better job of educating their laptop users about physical security. "Laptop security is an issue that has been percolating from the bottom up in large enterprises," says Kryptonite's Courtney Celi. "MIS departments usually have a pretty good understanding about the potential problems, but it isn't a top concern for management-although it has been getting better after the recent high-profile cases."

Organizations should determine the appropriate security levels for different employees. A $50 physical cabling device is a no-brainer for all users. Stronger access controls, authentication and file encryption would be appropriate for managers who store confidential information on their machines. And, depending on the value of the data on the hard drive, an organization may want to explore using a tracking service.