Service To Remotely Wipe Data From Lost Laptops

["Gary Funck" <gary () intrepid com>]

[Quick, name the top 10 reasons this service is a bad idea ...]

Service To Remotely Wipe Data From Lost Laptops
By Laurie Sullivan, TechWeb News
March 07, 2006 (9:59 AM EST)
URL: http://www.techweb.com/wire/181501479


Everdream Corp., a desktop management company, plans to launch a service "in
the near future" that can delete sensitive files on lost or stolen laptops,
remotely.

Pre-installed software would automatically locate and alert the machine to
delete sensitive data the next time the laptop connects to Everdream's
desktop management hosting service through the Internet.

Software, known as an "agent," communicates via the network every 15 minutes
to Everdream's control center looking for new patches or virus updates. The
same process also would allow the software maker to delete files.

Companies using the managed service, along with automated online backup
would have immediate access to important data on the missing machine. "We're
very interested in the new feature that would wipe company information from
the drive," said Doug Harr, vice president of IT and operations at Portal
Software Inc.

Portal Software, an Everdream customer since 2004, had a laptop with
sensitive company data stolen from a car roughly 18 months ago. Executives
never received evidence password-protected data was compromised, Harr said.
But keeping PCs healthy, avoiding risk of virus attacks and breech of
security remains top priorities.

The monitoring service will likely take a place along the new suite
Everdream rolled out Tuesday, according to Everdream chief marketing officer
Ed Mueller. "Most of our customers are interested in getting systems in
compliance, such as Sarbanes-Oxley," he said. "Keeping desktops protected,
which isn't an easy task, is another."


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