Network Services Tip of the Week - 1/7/2008

Portable electronic equipment such as laptops, tablets, PDA's, or iPods can be easily stolen if not secured. Be mindful when leaving the office, if only briefly, to lock the door or secure the equipment in a locking cabinet. Faculty and staff 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. Recommendations (Note: these recommendations are directed to laptops, but many are applicable to other electronic devices also):

1. Never leave your laptop unattended.
2. Always lock offices and accommodations where the laptop is left.
3. A computer lock can be used to secure your laptop while you are away.
4. Regularly purge unneeded data files from your laptop. The same goes for PDA's. People tend to store more personal data - including passwords and PINs - on PDA's than they do on laptops.
5. When traveling, owners should avoid using obvious laptop bags or brief cases. They 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. Never use a bag with a company's name on it.
6. Never check the laptop as baggage. If you have to check in your laptop, remove battery and hard drive(s) and carry these items separately in your cabin luggage. If traveling with a laptop in airports, you must maintain line-of-sight control of it.
7. When transporting a laptop in a vehicle, it must be placed in the vehicle's trunk or car safe. If the vehicle doesn't have a trunk, e.g., a minivan or sports utility vehicle, then the laptop must be within the user's line-of-sight control at all times when transporting. If you leave the vehicle unattended for any reason, you must keep the laptop stowed in the trunk. If the vehicle has no trunk, then you must carry the laptop with you and maintain line-of-sight control. Never leave the laptop in any vehicle overnight for any reason.
8. At hotels lock your laptop away, e.g. into a safe if possible.
9. Back up all important data daily, e.g.; onto a USB-drive (stick, hard drive).
10. If possible use a security device such as steel cable locks security plates or alarms to secure your laptop computer. (If you do not have a lock for your Samuel Merritt College Laptop contact the Helpdesk)

Always contact the police in the event of a theft.

It is not guaranteed that these prevention techniques will prevent the theft of a laptop computer or other portable electronic device. However, using a combination of these techniques will significantly reduce your risk of being a victim of theft. If you have questions, contact the Samuel Merritt College Helpdesk at 510-869-6836 or email helpdesk@samuelmerritt.edu [1]

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To suggest an idea for “Technology Tip of the Week,” send an e-mail to helpdesk@samuelmerritt.edu [2]