In a world where digital technology is becoming more and more essential and present within companies, the risk of theft of computer products is increasing.
2005: 55 million PCs sold quarterly in the world
Over the last ten years, companies have been won over by remote working systems ( laptops and PDA).
In 2002, INDEXEL announced that it had sold 13 million laptops worldwide.
According to a DISTRIBUTIQUE study dated 03/11/2003, the French personal computer market grew by 19%, 52% of which was for laptops. “This exceptional growth places France well above the European average (+14%)”. DISTRIBUTIQUE adds that “with 55 million units, worldwide PC sales grew by 17.2% in the third quarter of 2005 (firms IDC and Gartner)[...]
Sales of personal computers in France in the first quarter of 2005 grew three times faster than in the whole world.”
Finally, more than 15 million PDAs were sold worldwide in 2005.
Computer theft in business: + 160 losses PER DAY in France
The portability of these products poses an important security problem for companies.
According to the Clusif"s 2003 review, "physical theft of a computer or a PDA means the loss and/or disclosure of vital business data, such as commercial documents, prices, lists of clients or suppliers or business strategies in the making"[...]
The impact is really significant for personal data such as bank details or a social security numbers, including the Internet access codes, which can be stored on a PDA.
In 2001, the insurer Safeware placed the number of these annual losses at 60,000 in France and 591,000 in the United States (Personal Computer of 01/11/01). The weekly Micro Hebdo states that out of every 1,000 laptops sold in 2002, between 30 and 100 are stolen each year while, out of all the claims for IT related incidents, Clusif estimates the theft to be at 15% (third after viruses 35% and internal breakdowns 18%).
On the other hand, in the United States, the CSI/FBI notes that laptop theft is the second most common computer crime after sending viruses and 70% of these thefts are committed internally by employees or collaborators outside of the company, who use them for personal use or in the family circle.
Also according to the Clusif 2003 review, one of the best ways to prevent this theft is to have maximum security computer equipment. However, anti-theft devices for equipment are not widespread in most companies.
The solution is deterrence.
Theft is rarely caused by armed and hooded gangs that break into a company to raid the entire site, but rather usually from staff (in 80% of cases) who sell them on to alternative markets or take them for personal and/or family use. In most cases, it is an act of opportunism in the absence of a deterrence and protection system. It is therefore essential to deter such crimes by raising awareness by informing and implementing simple solutions. “Don"t tempt human nature!"
Theft will not be completely eradicated, but it will be significantly reduced, resulting in a sharp drop in the costs incurred from having to repurchase stolen items, reinstall software and reloading information (where possible). We have developed and patented the Anti-theft Plate and SBE Anti-theft Plate with this in mind by understanding the root cause of the theft of computer equipment and by stopping it at that point using deterrence. This is by far the most economical solution of all protection systems at about 2.20 EUR per workstation. We would no longer just be protecting sensitive or particularly exposed equipment, but the whole site, which is a win-win situation.
Deterrence is a profitable investment. Do the maths !
We are constantly looking for solutions to prevent theft in companies, so we have written the following article : Securing your laptop with PC anti-theft in shared spaces.
For any question or request for information, click here !