Absolute Adds Wi-Fi Tracking for Laptops

02 February 2009, 3:26pm

Vancouver, Canada: February 2, 2009 – Absolute® Software Corporation, the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions today announced that it has added Wi-Fi geolocation tracking to its popular Computrace® line of mobile computer anti-theft and management products. With this addition, customers can now track their computing devices on a GoogleTM map using either GPS or Wi-Fi triangulation location information sent from the laptop.

“In the present economic climate, there is increasing pressure on IT and compliance departments to get more from their investments in mobile computing while ensuring maximum protection against data breaches,” said John Livingston, Chairman and CEO of Absolute Software. “The addition of Wi-Fi tracking is helpful for us in our recovery efforts and for organizations in reducing loss and exposure to data breaches. But, more importantly, it enables organizations to track their Wi-Fi enabled computing assets, such as desktops, laptops, and netbooks, on a single worldwide map. When used effectively, this intuitive tool can help them mitigate losses by enabling simple and timely identification of when an asset may have moved to unauthorized locations.”

Added Livingston, “We continue to focus our efforts on delivering tools for driving down the costs of managing a fleet of computers while staying several steps ahead of computer thieves. With Wi-Fi technology built in as a standard feature in virtually all current laptop computers, we believe Wi-Fi tracking as a management tool will be extremely well-received by our customers.”

With the addition of Wi-Fi tracking capabilities, Absolute’s Computrace mobile computer anti-theft and management products now benefit from all commercially-available tracking methodologies: IP tracing, global positioning system tracking1 and now Wi-Fi tracking. Commercial customers can now log in to Absolute’s online asset management portal, Customer Center, to view their computers plotted on a Google map – whether they are down the hall or across the world. And, by leveraging Google mapping technology, customers also benefit from access to satellite imagery, terrain display and other Google features. Both the Wi-Fi and GPS mapping capabilities are available only if opted-in by the customer in order to ensure maximum flexibility and privacy for organizations and their computer users.

According to Carter McCrary, Absolute’s Chief Operating Officer, “One of the amazing advantages of delivering our solutions over the Internet as a service (SaaS), is that we can instantly push out powerful new features to all of our customers. Previously, we offered GPS-based geolocation tracking. Now during its introduction, Computrace customers can immediately benefit from Wi-Fi.”
How Computrace Solutions Work

The Computrace® Software Agent that powers Absolute Software’s solutions is embedded in the firmware of computers from the world’s leading computer manufacturers right at the factory.2 It can be activated by customers when they purchase a subscription with terms ranging from one to four years. The firmware-embedded agent regularly contacts Absolute’s Monitoring Center – sending location and IT asset management information to the Absolute Customer Center portal.

When a computer equipped with Computrace is reported stolen, Computrace sends a silent signal over the Internet to the Absolute Monitoring Center, allowing the Absolute Theft Recovery Team to forensically mine the computer using a variety of procedures including 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.

Geolocation using GPS and Wi-Fi technology is currently available in Computrace product offerings as well as Absolute Track.

For more information on Absolute Software and its range of computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions, please visit the links below.

Absolute Software

Computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions

Geo: International