There is probably nothing scarier than heading home from school or heading to your next class, only to find that you don’t have your handy-dandy laptop with you. Did you forget it, or worse, was it stolen?
Luckily, now some colleges are now offering laptop protection plans to protect against theft and recover lost electronics.
UCLA offers free laptop protection software, which can be downloaded through frontdoorsoftware.com, and comes with a four-year license for multiple computers.
The software is easy; the program simply uses GPS tracking to locate laptops. After a laptop is reported stolen, the program will also issue a loud, audible theft alert when the laptop is switched on. Students can choose from a pre-programmed audible alert or a personalized alert.
The user can also lock down the laptop remotely to protect personal information from another computer. On the computer’s login screen, the owner’s contact information is also displayed so the laptop can be returned to its original owner if found.
The university will pay an annual fee of less than $5,000 per year for the program, UCPD Capt. John Adams told the Daily Bruin. The money comes from a grant from the Office of Insurance and Risk Management. The office will continue to provide funds for the program in the future.
Previously, the university’s main protection program was called S.T.O.P. Plate. The program, which cost $20, attaches a security plate that had a warning message to laptops and other electronic items.
The plate took 800 pounds of force to remove and would imprint the device a stolen property message if taken off. It seemed that not many students were taking advantage of the old system, so the school looked for a new way to protect student, staff and faculty property.
Adams contacted Front Door Software after listening to a presentation at an International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators conference and hearing about its early successes at Brown University and other colleges.
The electronic program has not been previously advertised since its initial launch late fall quarter.
Adams said he hopes the program will reduce theft and make UCLA less of a target-rich environment. If word gets out and the majority of students are using the software, thieves will go elsewhere to look for easy targets, Adams said.
If you attend UCLA, you can contact UCPD for more information on how to get the software and how it works.
