Intel adds GPS to track stolen laptops

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Intel and Ericsson have teamed up on new security technology, which will allow lost laptops to be tracked by GPS, as well as locked down if stolen.

It is similar to Lenovo’s recent announcement, and allows a network to send a SMS message to make a laptop unusable. However, this service can also take advantage of a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) in the Ericsson mobile broadband module which can send location data.

This means that that it can determine a theft situation if the notebook is moved outside a pre-defined area. Once this so-called ‘geo-fence’ has been breached, administrators should be able to tell if any equipment which was supposed to remain inside the boundary has left it.

The kill command from the SMS will block the reboot process, while the data can be protected in combination with third-party encryption software.

If the ‘Anti-Theft PC Protection’ technology works properly, ideally it would become pointless to steal laptops as the SMS feature will make the laptop unusable. It should also allow administrators to keep track of stray laptops which remote workers may have taken out of the office without permission.

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