Scrambling once a device is stolen is very stressful. Plan now and you can be much more prepared and less anxious if it happens to you or a member of your team.
Laptops are smaller, lighter and more powerful than ever. They get stolen out of cars, offices, café tables and even out of backpacks on trains.
Here's what to do to help reduce the impact of a theft on your team.
if you are worried about a critical file or data on the device, you're doing it wrong. All your data should live in more than one location, usually with a cloud account
if you're worried about access to the data on the device, you're doing it wrong. The stolen device should always be completely encrypted. The only way you'll know this is if you employ device management on all your computers where you get reports of any offenders that may have somehow disabled encryption on their computer.
while there are tools to track stolen devices, the reality is that the thieves typically just want to sell the equipment right away and aren't interested in combing through your files for intelligence. This isn't Jason Bourne, it's just run of the mill (often organized) crime.
insurance is really the only annoyance if you prepare for stolen devices. Having serial numbers easily recorded and accessible will make your police report faster and easier. Again, device management reports make this easy. Ask us for help if you want to see examples of such reporting options.
requiring a device to have biometric access to log-in is another failsafe, especially if a device is not set to sleep or require unlocking a screen saver to access it. You have to make sure only authorized people have access. The password to the computer should be UNIQUE and the only way you can ensure that is using a password manager such as 1Password and periodically audit your employees' use of the software. It will report if they are re-using passwords, which is a huge no-no in securing your data.
What you can do
If you have a device stolen and ask us for help, we'll send you this link: www.mann.com/stolen - but you can go to it now and determine what the impact will be if you or a member of your team has a computer stolen. Be ready to just order a new one, but set yourself up to not have any of your data at risk
Prepare now so that the only reaction you have to a stolen device is annoyance, not fear or panic or scrambling.