January 11, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Little Security Issues
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January 12, 2009 at 4:06 am
Data loss events in regard to stolen laptops as well as stolen jumpdrives is still a huge issue. According to the Open Security Foundation's statistics 21% of all reported data loss events are from stolen laptops (http://datalossdb.org/statistics). I am surprised to hear that these devices do not have enough power to run some security features. The big question is why not. Performance vs. Security I suppose. Yikes!
January 12, 2009 at 4:46 am
Cheap, light, powerful. Pick any two.
Sadly, there's always a trade-off somewhere.
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January 12, 2009 at 5:20 am
"...may be widely deployed to those people that need protection from themselves the most: executives and sales people."
There, fixed that for you.
January 12, 2009 at 6:32 am
I'm trying out a Dell Mini 9, $307 with shipping for a refurbished one. Keyboard is smallish but usable for touch typing. Easily good enough for Powerpoint demos, have not tried loading SQL or similar to see if it still be usable.
January 12, 2009 at 6:58 am
January 12, 2009 at 7:14 am
I've been eying netbooks for a while myself, but not for business purposes. I want one to make blogging on the go easier, perhaps use it as an e-book when I'm getting ready for bed, write a few forum messages before falling asleep. 🙂 A small cheap computer with WiFi has so many possibilities.
January 12, 2009 at 8:15 am
Maybe the security answer is not in the laptop. If I had to sign an agreement that I was personally liable for any data loss that occurs with my laptop. I would probably be keeping a closer eye on it. I could not afford to get sued.
I wouldn't be leaving my laptop in the car when I go to get a coffee - not even locked in the trunk. Not only that, I would insist on a security cable at work so that I can lock my laptop to my desk.
Mia
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January 12, 2009 at 8:37 am
It's amazing what they're putting in little boxes nowadays.
I like the suggestion in the article that users consider an encrypted thumb drive like IronKey. Of course, if the problem is non-technical users, and if the smaller devices aren't up to central network management, you can't assume users will always save data on the right drive.
Maybe we just shouldn't let executives go outside the premises? 😀
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January 12, 2009 at 8:39 am
XP supports encryption, but it's a CPU cycle issue from what I've read. I haven't tried one, but perhaps enough complaining will get my boss to buy one 🙂 for testing, of course.
I was skeptical myself, but then again, security software marches forward like all others. The XP versions might not be supported or they might not run well on these lower powered machines.
Linux probably gets more secure with less power, and that software isn't end-of-lifed, but how many of you would get your IT department to run it? Or you'd run your software?
I considered it. Not much of I do really requires Windows. SQL, but for traveling when I'm writing, Linux works fine.
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January 12, 2009 at 9:04 am
mhaskins (1/12/2009)
I wouldn't be leaving my laptop in the car when I go to get a coffee - not even locked in the trunk. Not only that, I would insist on a security cable at work so that I can lock my laptop to my desk.
Doesn't always help. Mine was stolen off my dining room table last week.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
January 12, 2009 at 9:08 am
I'm debating what to replace my stolen 17" with. Despite the weight, I'm probably going to get another 17" laptop. I don't travel all that much and when I do, the laptop becomes my work machine for the duration of the trip. That means it needs to run SQL, SSIS, SSAS and perhaps even Oracle. Plus the large screen is so much nicer to work on.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
January 12, 2009 at 9:14 am
If a tiny little wireless AP can handle encryption, I'm pretty sure a netbook will too.
As for data loss, that has nothing to do with the power of the machine and everything to do with the corporate security procedures of the people with the lost data. After all, there is no processing power in a jump drive or CD/DVD which is occasionally the media being lost.
January 12, 2009 at 9:17 am
majorbloodnock (1/12/2009)
Cheap, light, powerful. Pick any two.Sadly, there's always a trade-off somewhere.
Exactly...If you don't mind paying the extra coin, there are some powerful 10-12 inch laptops out there. Not quite a netbook, but a lot more peace of mind.
Gaby
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January 12, 2009 at 10:24 am
An AP uses a chip to do encryption, and arguably not that well. I don't know how to judge it, but it encrypts network traffic. Netbooks probably handle VPNs, not sure about disk encryption, which is what you need.
There are definitely policy issues, but we know people will break policy, so we want to protect against that. Many smartphones come the ability to remotely wipe them, perhaps something that should be there with netbooks?
Gail, I'd check out the Apple laptops. I was surprised how many SQL MVPs run them and use Parallels or VMWare with external USB drives. They're expensive, but nice.
Alternatively, the Dells have worked well for me. Not so much for some other people. If you liked your old one, I might stick with that.
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