Protect Your Win2K and NT Laptops

Do you realize how important laptops have become to the security of corporate information and assets? Stolen laptops can compromise confidential employee, customer, and trade-secret information. Because of the difficulty of keeping laptops backed up, you can also lose information if a laptop's hard disk becomes corrupted. In addition, laptops are more vulnerable to data loss from network attack and viruses than firewall-sheltered desktop systems. If you have mobile users, you need to take steps to prevent data loss from laptops and minimize your risk if loss occurs.

You can start by teaching your employees some simple low-tech measures to prevent laptop theft. The sidebar "Physical Prevention Measures," page 3, discusses common risks and provides information about proximity alarms and cable locks. However, both Windows 2000 and Windows NT are vulnerable if an attacker does manage to gain physical access to a system, and any hard disk can become corrupted or irretrievably damaged. You need to go further to minimize loss of confidential information and ensure that you can recover it should all your protective measures fail. . . .