Why, oh why do I need to lock it up?

I recently came across an interesting question from a non-IT person (actually it was my IT illiterate woman). She asked me why her company (and others) tell their employees that need need to lock up their laptops during the day with a laptop lock and put them in a locked drawer at night if they aren’t taking them home. This came up because the other day when her coworker forgot her key, they simply yanked real hard on the drawer and got the laptop out anyway. Well, I tell you — these dang locks are neither secure or protective of the machine! In fact the locks treat the laptops like they were their distant cousin who always pulled their hair when they were younger.

The laptop lock is in no way a great way to keep you laptop where it is if someone really wants it. I have pulled laptop locks right out of the machines before, cracked the plastic on the machine edge or sometimes cut the cable if we needed it that bad. The lock ports on most machines are simply plastic which would not hold up to much stress but it is a deterrent. It keeps people from simply walking by and putting the machine in their pocket (if you are one of the lucky ones to have an Eee PC). The lock itself is more like putting a sign up that says, “Please don’t steal the laptop. I would really enjoy keeping it for at least one more day.”

Now the drawer is another interesting “security” feature that many companies have employed. Most filing cabinet-type drawers on desks have only a limited number of key types which means that it is quite easy to get the key for that cabinet. In addition, as Magda saw in her company, a strong tug of the drawer or swift kick of the foot can get that puppy open in no time (Note: no dogs were harmed during the typing of this email). The drawer is there for the out-of-sight, out-of-mind idea. If the laptop isn’t in plain view, most people wouldn’t go rummaging around to find it unless they really wanted it — and if they did, they would have it already.

Now I’m not saying that the IT folk in your company are right in making you lock up the machines but it definitely won’t hurt. It may be annoying to carry a key for the laptop but if it helps keep your machine on your desk when you take you 15th coffee break of the day then it might be a decent idea. I for one would always recommend encrypting your hard drive with a 256-bit password and then placing it into a locked safe and pulling out all communication equipment to keep your data and machine where it should be. But that’s just me. Till next time, I ask you what irks you when it comes to your IT people?