Is your data at risk?:

Why physical security is insufficient for laptop

computers

Evaluating the various data security options to protect your PCs can be challenging. This

paper examines the options, discusses why passwords alone are not sufficient and makes

the case for strong data encryption.

Is your data at risk?: Why physical security is

insufficient for laptop computers

New frontiers in computer security

The meaning of computer security continues to evolve. Physical security used to be the

main concern. Through the 1980s, expensive mainframe computers were locked in special

climate-controlled rooms within secure buildings.

Security costs, when they were considered at all, constituted a very small percentage of the

overall system costs. Today, such systems are called 'server systems'; and although they are

important in their own right, they make up a small percentage of all computer shipments each

year. According to market researcher Gartner, 2.3 million server systems shipped worldwide in the

third quarter of 2008, compared to 80.6 million PCs that shipped in the same period.

The widespread use of PCs creates much greater vulnerability compared to yesterday's mainframe

computers. Although desktop PCs are arguably less secure than centralized servers, such systems

probably have physical security identical to that of a company's other on-premises assets. The

least secure computers are those that are mobile.

According to the Gartner estimate for 2008, worldwide mobile PC growth is 25% versus 1.2%

for desktops. According to its forecast, 293 million PCs would be shipped in 2008.

Whether you prefer the term 'mobile PC,' 'laptop' or 'notebook,' the vulnerable systems

are those taken off-premises. In spite of employee diligence, mobile PCs do get lost and stolen. Not

convinced? Take a look at