I spent last Thursday in San Francisco at a press briefing held by Intel’s Anti-Theft Technology group regarding the new Ponemon Institute Billion Dollar Lost Laptop Study. Larry Ponemon’s study found that businesses are losing billions of dollars through lost and stolen laptops – something I wrote about three years ago…and a problem that’s been around even longer.
Malcolm Harkins (Intel’s CISO), Anand Pashupathy (GM of Intel’s Anti-Theft Services), Larry Ponemon (Founder of the Ponemon Institute) and I had a lively discussion on the findings of the study, why we have this problem, and what it’s going to take to stop it.
I still shake my head when I see businesses ignore such a high-payoff security control.
Here’s some press coverage for your reading enjoyment…check out what the reporters involved in the briefing had to say. The numbers are crazy and can be a great resource for finally getting some support for laptop encryption and related security controls. It’s arguably some of the most important stuff affecting infosec today.
Wall Street Journal: Intel-Backed Study Tallies Laptop Losses
InfoWorld: Corporate America’s lost laptop epidemic
eWeek: Intel: Failing to Protect Laptops Cost Companies Billions
The Register: Intel reveals ‘the billion dollar lost laptop problem’ – Chipzilla’s plan to rescue $bns spent on McAfee
CRN: Intel Says Businesses Must Do More To Protect Their Mobile PCs
VentureBeat: The Wikileaks wake-up call: Lost or stolen laptops cost corporations $2.1 billion per year