Recent events, notably the disappearance earlier this year of a State Department laptop with important top secrets, and the flight this weekend of a Qualcomm exec's PC, have cast light on the problem. Managers know, too, that airport laptop thefts are far from uncommon. On this topic Newsletters Security Strategies.
Experts say the problem is a big one.
The Computer Security Institute, a membership organization composed of computer and network security professionals, estimates that 57 percent of firms suffered losses from laptop theft in 1999. Only virus attacks are a more prevalent security problem, according to the institute. And insurance industry estimates reveal that an estimated 319,000 laptops were stolen in the US last year. Naturally, technologists are at work on ways to stop laptop flight. Caveo Technology of Cambridge, Mass., is employing specialized silicon ICs developed by Analog Devices of Norwood, Mass., to forge a new kind of laptop security solution.