Security Risk: Harried Business Travelers Forget Laptops
A staggering number of business computers are found abandoned each week in airports, a Dell-sponsored study says.
By Garry Kranz Comments 0 | Recommend 0
Lost Laptops: When laptops aren’t being pilfered, they often are being
mislaid. According to a new study sponsored by Dell, business travelers lose
more than 12,250 laptops per week in U.S. airports. Given the pressure many
companies are under to comply with government regulations on information
management, this makes companies vulnerable to grave risks. Only one-third of
the lost laptops are reclaimed, with the remaining 67 percent disposed of. That
means “potentially millions of files containing sensitive or confidential data”
may be accessible to airport employees, contractors and others, according to the
June 30 study by the Ponemon Institute, a Traverse City, Michigan, research
organization.
Additionally, although 53 percent of business travelers say their laptops
contain confidential company data, only about one-third take steps to secure the
information. The data is based on field research at 106 U.S. airports.
Workforce Management contributing editor Garry Kranz is based in Richmond, Virginia. E-mail editors@workforce.com to comment.
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