Computers have certainly come a long way since I sat down at my Commodore 64 in 1983. That’s especially true when it comes to laptops. Today, we can carry a laptop, either Mac or Windows PC, that has more power and abilities than those original computers that filled entire rooms. They are light and thin, too.

While laptops make it easy to tote great computing power from place to place, there are some negative sides to these compact machines. The primary downside is that they can be lost, forgotten or, worse yet, stolen. (Although I haven’t yet been able to confirm this with Gartner, some websites quote Gartner, a technology research firm, as reporting that a laptop is stolen, on average, every 53 seconds.)

To those of you reading this post who might tell yourself “I don’t have anything of real value on my laptop.” I can only say, you’d be surprised. Hackers have the ability to extract way more information than we think.

Wanting to keep your laptop secure, what can you do? There are a number of precautions you can take. Here are a few of them:

• Record the model and serial number of your laptop (a picture taken with your smartphone is a great method for accomplishing this task) and keep the information safe but not on the laptop itself.
• Don’t advertise that you’re going to be out of town, especially if you are leaving your laptop at home.
• Don’t post photos and other information on Social Media when you are away – post them after you get back home.
• When you’re in a public area, never leave your laptop’s side. Don’t even let your friends watch it while you go to the rest room. Your laptop isn’t as important to them as to you.
• Don’t be distracted by others – people asking for directions or other information. I hate to sound cynical but “trust no one” is a good philosophy when you’re out in public with your laptop.
• Airports are a magnet when it comes to forgotten laptops. You’re waiting for your plane, which is delayed. Finally, they are boarding. You gather your belongings in hurry. Only, you forget the laptop you slipped under your seat. Always take a moment and make sure you have your laptop before moving anywhere in an airport or similar location.
• Use a secure password on your computer.
• Encrypt your computer (more on that in our next blog post).
• Use online data backup on your laptop.
• Use Lojack For Laptops – Premium

The last item on my list – the Premium version of Lojack – allows you to remotely lock your computer and even delete your files. It also allows the company to locate, inform the police and often recover your laptop. According to their website, they have recovered over 45,000 devices. If you don’t have this protection on your laptops now, I recommend you click on the banner below and get started. (Yes, we’ll get a commission if you purchase but I’d recommend this even if that wasn’t the case. I have Lojack on all my laptops.)