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Lloyds TSB autolease gives managers advice to stop their laptops becoming another stolen statistic
Lloyds TSB autolease’s Marcus Puddy, Head of Fleet Management, explains why this is such a priority for business managers: “The Nationwide Building Society recently received a £980,000 fine when customer information was lost as a result of a laptop theft. This should send shock waves through businesses everywhere. Even if sensitive data isn’t lost, having a laptop stolen from a car incurs a significant capital expense and there are other hidden costs as normal business is interrupted.
“Drivers should treat their laptops as if they were £1,000 in cash. Would you leave it on display in your car? The advice might sound like common sense but recent figures from UK police forces show that over 34,000 laptops are reported stolen each year. That’s 100 laptops reported as stolen every day. The majority of these crimes are simply opportunistic smash and grab attacks, where the thief sees a laptop on a car seat and they break the window.”
In 2006, Lloyds TSB autolease found that body glass replacements, around 90% of which are caused by car crime, increased by 59% and totalled £280,000 in repair costs.
A laptop protection policy should document the responsibility of the user and how they should treat their computer and data, including clear guidelines on use with vehicles. The policy should also be linked into the employee’s contract of employment.
Managers should insist on a laptop protection policy and offer their drivers advice based on Lloyds TSB autolease’s ten Lap Top Tips. The document includes straightforward guidance ranging from how to prevent thieves scanning for a Bluetooth-enabled laptop hidden in the boot of a car, to which operating system offers the best data protection through file level security and encryption.
Marcus continues: “Theft of laptops from cars is likely to increase as the number of laptop users continues to grow. Drivers can make it harder for thieves to get hold of devices through these simple security steps. By encrypting data and good use of passwords, you can also ensure that the only value to the thief is from the sale of the laptop and not your data.
“Protection of corporate data is critical. Many companies have learned the hard way that the data on your computer is more expensive to replace than the hardware. Don’t let your laptop become another statistic!”
-ENDS-
For media enquiries, please contact:
Chris Norton or Matt Thompson, Harrison Cowley
Tel: 0870 606 0960
E-mail: chrisn@harrisoncowley.com
Lawrence Hamilton, Lloyds TSB autolease
Tel: 0161 447 7251
E-mail: lawrence.hamilton@lloydstsbautolease.co.uk
