Computrace with geofencing capabilities alerts when laptop or mobile device goes beyond virtual perimeter

(24/11/2009)

Absolute® Software Corporation has announced the launch of geofencing capabilities with its commercial line of Computrace® products.

The Absolute geofencing feature allows IT asset managers to incorporate the physical location of a device into their IT Asset Management strategy. Customers will be alerted after a laptop or mobile device goes beyond a virtual perimeter the customer has defined on a web-based map within the online Absolute Customer Center. To better protect the device and the data on it, the IT asset manager can then take the appropriate action, such as deleting data from the device and, if necessary, reporting it stolen.

“Companies are looking to Absolute for better ways to secure their IT assets,” said John Livingston, chairman and CEO of Absolute. “By adding geofencing, our customers know sooner when mobile devices may be out of their control, so they can quickly protect the security of those devices.”

“Because Absolute customers can draw a geofence on a map, they have more flexibility in determining the range of devices and do not need to rely on perimeters predetermined by ZIP codes or city names,” said Carter McCrary, chief operating office at Absolute. “With Computrace geotechnology capabilities, Absolute customers have more control over the security of their mobile computing devices.”

The Computrace Software Agent that powers Absolute’s solutions is embedded in the firmware of computers from the world’s leading computer manufacturers right at the factory or it can be easily installed by the customer. The Agent is activated by customers when they purchase a subscription with terms ranging from one to four years.

The Agent regularly contacts the Absolute Monitoring Center – sending location and IT asset management information to the Absolute Customer Center portal. Customers log in to the Absolute Customer Center to access that information, manage their IT asset population, run reports, remotely delete data and plot the location of their computers and mobile devices on a map.

If a computer is reported stolen by a customer, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team will forensically mine it using procedures, such as key captures, registry scanning, file scanning, geolocation, and other investigative techniques to determine who has the computer and how it is being used. Absolute then works with local law enforcement to help recover the computer. Embedded in the firmware of a computer, the stealthy Computrace Agent is capable of surviving operating system re-installations, as well as hard-drive reformats, replacements and re-imaging.

The geofencing feature is available now with Computrace Complete in North America.

Related topics:  Detection systems   Mobile and Wireless Security   Monitoring systems 

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