The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #105247 Message #2163364
Posted By: JohnInKansas
04-Oct-07 - 02:01 AM
Thread Name: Tech: LoJack for Computers - And the catch is?
Subject: RE: Tech: LoJack for Computers - And the catch is?
Putting "laptop antitheft" into Google will get you a number of similar services. These systems are intended primarily for laptops, which are subject to relatively easy theft. While they could, in principle, be used for office machines, it appears to be relatively uncommon. Some of the better ones have been reviewed by my "usual sources" but I don't have a quick trace to find the recent ones. Where appropriate, the good ones are apparently able to do what they claim, and are generally "recommended for consideration" especially by the "road warriors" who carry laptops with them to strange places.
One warning: A number of somewhat similar systems are offered as "administrative tools" to allow a system administrator to view what's on machines within a network and to see what individual users are doing with their machines. A few apparently reputable programs of this kind have been "cracked" and appear in malware, only slightly disguised. Some are extremely powerful, and allow full keystroke logging, saving/viewing monitor images, and remote control/operation of the computers.
BE VERY CAREFUL if you're looking for a service of this kind to make ABSOLUTELY SURE that you're dealing with a reputable provider. This stuff is far too powerful, once installed, for me to feel safe with anything "freeware" or "bargain class." You may be almost certain that the distributor will be able to get into your machine, so buy only from someone you trust to be there. This is not the kind of stuff for which you want to look for bargain basement deals.