>>BEACON TECHNOLOGY FOR LAPTOPS

The Technology
Software that reports the IP addresses of machines when they log on to the Internet and allows their owners to remotely wipe out their data if the machine is lost or stolen. Owners can also try to have a physical PC recovered.

Deployment and Use
At an early stage. The market leader, Absolute Software in Vancouver, B.C., has software embedded in the Basic Input/Output System of about 20 million laptops sold by Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, HP, Lenovo and Panasonic. More than 800,000 of these machines have the software turned on. Absolute reported $19.3 million in contracts for software licenses in 2006, a 70% increase over 2005.

The Vulnerability
Laptop theft has long been a concern for big corporations; it is now emerging as a material risk. That's because most states require organizations to notify their residents of any data breach that exposes residents to identity theft—and to take corrective action. The steps required in such cases can cost millions of dollars.

What To Do
The risk of losing data because of laptop theft has shifted organizations' focus from hardware recovery to data security, says

Troy Allen, the chief fraud solutions officer at security company Kroll. Beacon technology is an extra safeguard that some companies are aiming at the problem.

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