GPS tracking slapped on laptop recovery service

Absolute Software has added GPS tracking to its laptop theft-recovery and asset-tracking service.

The availability of geolocation tracking for Computrace will allow asset managers to track GPS-enabled laptops to within ten metres and view their location using Google Maps technology. The technology will also speed recovery of missing or stolen computers, being easier to use than previous IP address-based tracking technology.

The technology uses embedded GPS receivers to acquire latitude and longitude location information from remote computers. This data, sent when the machines are connected to the internet, is then displayed on Absolute's web-based IT asset management portal, showing the current or historical location of a piece of kit.

Use of the technology means that salesmen may no longer be able to claim that they are visiting client premises rather than sneaking down the pub. The upside is that the lives of managers - particularly in the increasingly frequent cases where laptops are lost or stolen - is made a lot easier.

Other aspects of Computrace allow the remote deletion of sensitive information for regulatory compliance and the detection of hardware changes or prohibited software installations. Absolute's investigative team can be wheeled out to physically recover lost or stolen computers, and to work out what changes have been made to purloined PCs once they are recovered.

Computrace software is embedded in the firmware of computers from the the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba and Fujitsu. The agent is designed to withstand operating system re-installations, as well as hard-drive reformats, replacements and re-imaging. Subscriptions run for terms ranging from one to four years.

Geolocation tracking is available to Computrace customers at no extra cost on supported GPS receivers (list here). Use of a Qualcomm UNDP-1 (Gobi) wireless module is listed as a system requirement.