So, here we are again, this time with 75,000 customers’ details out there somewhere. Could it have been prevented? If RFID tags had been attached, would the laptops have conveniently been taken past a sensor station - or did they leave through a point of forced entry anyway?  

What is particularly interesting here is the decision process that the organization followed, balancing the needs of the police investigation with the rights of the compromized customers.

Vector has developed an approach to managing this process which can be adopted by any organization which perceives the loss of an IT asset as requiring a predefined response and escalation guidance.

Our Asset Loss Incident Manager couples the Asset Manager Pro asset database, with a risk profile defined for each asset, and Vector Issue Tracker, with definitions of executive responsibilities and workflows that guide the organization through an optimal response, appropriate to the circumstances of the incident.

One potential response might be to activate a mechanism such as Backstopp, which would trigger the laptop to wipe its disk clean with a 7-stage DoD approved process, as soon as it was rebooted either within reach of its mobile phone network for a GSM-enabled machine, or connected to the internet.

To return to this particular incident - it appears that this machine had slipped through a company policy regarding disk encryption.  There would have been far less of a chance of that happening, if for a few dollars/pounds/euros per PC,  a tool such as our Configuration Manager Pro had been in place.

About the Author

Colin Bartram's background in IT Asset and Service Management runs uninterrupted from the 1980s, and includes specifying, writing, selling and supporting software solutions. Today he contributes to product strategy and marketing for the Vector Networks group of companies. His spare time is focussed on his horse and the related demands of maintaining 5 acres of ancient pasture in Derbyshire in the UK.