PC Guardian Physical Security News You Can Use

From all of us at PC Guardian, have a great holiday season and a happy new year!

U.S. IT SPENDING OUTLOOK FOR 2008

chart of IT spending 2004 - 2007

Some of the world's best IT research companies recently shared their views on IT spending growth for 2008 as reported the Wall Street Journal.* Each has their own measurement criteria, so they vary a little, but all predict “decelerating spending growth” next year.

Gartner says U.S. IT spending will grow 5.7% compared to 6.1% for 2007. Forrester says U.S. IT spending will grow 5.2% compared to 5.7% in 2007. IDC sees worldwide growth from 5.5% to 6% compared to 6.9% in 2007. Goldman Sachs found the same trend in an October survey of CIO's, and Sarah Friar, an analyst at Goldman Sachs, thinks growth may be confined to selected pockets next year. Friar “expects cautious information chiefs to turn their IT spending to projects what will help them reduce costs.” IDC's numbers for the last five years are above. A more conservative estimate comes from Computer Economics, who breaks out growth estimates by small, medium, and large businesses. Their survey suggests a composite growth rate of 2.75%.

*Source: ”Tech Spending May Veer Off Fast Track“ by Pui-Wing Tam and Ben Worthen, Wall Street Journal, 12/11/07

STUDY REVEALS MOST CASES OF INFORMATION LEAKAGE HAPPEN THE OLD FASHIONED WAY: OFFLINE

In looking at 887 cases of information leakage recently, the ISF (Information Security Forum) a non-profit consortium of security-focused enterprises and vendors, concluded that most cases of information leakage were not only accidental, but also done by “non-technical” means invisible to online monitoring tools.

“Lost laptops, emails sent to the wrong address, sensitive documents left on photocopiers, employees walking out of the building with confidential papers or storage media — these are not new sources of leaks, but they remain the most common,” warns ISF. Simone Seth, Sr. research analyst at ISF says, “security awareness remains the best method to prevent these sorts of leaks,” and “enterprises need to enforce security policies so that there are consequences for leakage.”
We can't show you the study, as it's only available to ISF members, but you can see Dark Reading's article about it, and you can download ISF's briefing on Information leakage. It's a detailed 6 pager on the definition of information leakage, the threats out there, and how organizations should be responding.

IT PROS AGREE: PROTECTING LAPTOPS ENTAILS BOTH PHYSICAL AND INFORMATION SECURITY

In a 2007 survey of IT professionals conducted by Ziff-Davis Enterprise Editorial Research for eWeek, 99% of respondents agreed that effective laptop security means using a combination of physical and information security measures. It's curious, then, that only 47% of respondents said they used physical security. It looks like we at PC Guardian have our work cut out for us.

See the slide show here, but we found the following excerpted results very interesting. Especially the percentage of respondents who had experienced a missing laptop (21%), the percentage who had lost 10 or more in the last year (12%), and the fact that nearly half (49%) of all missing laptops were stolen from vehicles. Makes us wonder when administrators will be able to integrate and monitor “mobility” in their end user policies. Summary of Ziff Davis' survey on laptop security:

67% of respondents strongly agree, and 33% agree that a combo of physical and Info. security is required
47% use physical security, 59% have user training in place, 51% have encryption, 18% use biometrics
75% have end user policies in place
21% have had 1-4 computers lost or stolen in the last 12 months, 12% have lost 10 or more in the last 12 months.
49% of stolen computers happened in a vehicle, 25% were left behind while traveling, 21% stolen from the office, 7% stolen from home

Source: “The Lowdown on Laptop Security” by Deborah Donston, eWeek, 12/10/07

PC GUARDIAN NEWS

‘TIS THE SEASON FOR SHARING

Do you have five minutes to take our Product Survey? If so, to show our appreciation of your feedback, we'll enter you into a drawing to win a Kodak EasyShare™ digital picture frame valued at $139.99. (Drawing Rules). Congratulations to last quarter's survey drawing winner, D. Miller, from Oakbrook Terrace, IL, who took home an Apple iPod Nano, and as promised, below are results from that survey.

RESULTS FROM LAST QUARTER'S SURVEY:
*What is your IT security priority for the remainder of 2007 and 2008?*
Ensuring compliance with new or existing regulations	68%
Ensuring user compliance	50%
Integrating IT security with other corporate security	42%
*Which of the following products will you be purchasing in 2007/2008?*
Laptop PCs	82%
Desktop PCs	64%
Docking Stations	55%
*Which of the following security applications will you be considering in 2008?*
Encryption	50%
General Asset tracking	42%
Expanding physical cable lock-down	42%
*What is your biggest concern when using computer cable locks?*
#1. Lack of user compliance #2. Ease of use. If cables are easy to use, people will use them. #3. Bolt cutters
*What is your biggest IT security concern for 2008?*
#1. Theft #2. Unauthorized access to network resources #3. Quick asset tracking and physical security

NEW PRODUCTS FROM PC GUARDIAN

The reception to our new PC Guardian Ezolution™ Combo locks has exceeded all of our expectations. All three versions, each with their own administrative features, have received tremendous response. Now, the new Multi, Mini, and Duo will really get your dials turning

All three versions of our Ezolution™ Combo have been very well received:

MasterCoded (MC) - This new technology lets administrators retrace any user-set combination, making it a true Master Key without the key.
Preset (PS) - Our online administrative tools are a great support.
Note: New lower MSRP of $39.95 per lock as of 1/1/08, min. order 25
Resettable (RS) - Large, easy to set dials and the new quick release trigger makes this a favorite with end users.
Note: New lower MSRP is $34.95 starting 1/1/08

Because of the buzz, we are expanding our Combo Lock system offerings to include the following:

Laptop/Monitor solution - The new Ezolution™ Multi RS and Ezolution™ Multi MC secure the monitor and give the ability to unlock the laptop for easy and secure mobility.
18" Security Cable - The Ezolution™ Mini RS and Ezolution™ Mini MC provide flexibility to secure additional devices to workstation setups, such as docking station, 2nd monitor, or external hard drive.
Monitor/CPU Solution - The Ezolution™ Duo RS and Ezolution™ Duo MC, permanently secure a monitor and CPU

View our entire Combo Lock selection to find out which solution best fits your needs.

QUICK LINKS

www.pcguardian.com
Combo Locks
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WIN A KODAK DIGITAL PICTURE FRAME!
Take our three-minute survey and quality to win a Kodak Digital Picture Frame! (Details below)

BUSINESSES SPEND 20% OF IT BUDGETS ON SECURITY
The percentage of IT budgets spent on security rose to 20% in 2006, up from 15% in 2005, and 12% in 2004, according to the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) survey of 1,070 organizations. We of course think it should be more, but we like the trend.

Breaking security spending down further, the survey found that “of each dollar spent on security, about 42 cents goes toward technology product purchases. In general, 17 cents goes toward security-related processes; 15 cents covers training; 12 cents for assessments; and 9 cents pays for certification. The balance goes to other items.”
Read the InformationWeek article.

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN (for 34 microseconds)
A Swedish consultancy has concluded that Santa has 34 millionths of a second for each of the 2.5 billion homes he visits, and his reindeer must travel at 3604 miles per second, traveling against the earth's rotation, in order to deliver his gifts on time. And you thought your holidays were hectic? Read the whole story on yahoo!.

TIPS FROM THE TRENCHES:
Real world advice from PC Guardian Employees on the front lines
Solutions for Retail
From Danielle Bright, Regional Sales Manager, Midwest:
My large retail chain customer was experiencing a spike in thefts of its display computers and was looking for a more robust and aesthetically pleasing solution. They chose PC Guardian's Ezolution™ Ultra that features an extra heavy duty cable and a compact, push button keyed lock. They attached the laptops to their shelves with PC Guardian's Perma Dome Anchors, and now the stores' laptop theft problem has virtually disappeared, and changing out computers is a lot less time consuming.

ABOUT PC GUARDIAN
PC Guardian is a leading designer and manufacturer of computer and data security solutions for corporations, resellers and distributors. Protecting corporate assets with patented, award winning products since 1984, PC Guardian successfully serves a wide range of businesses, including many Fortune 1,000 companies, by solving their security needs and ensuring compliance through innovative products, quality, integrity, and commitment to exceptional service and results.