There’s a common saying “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”. We could apply this to different aspects in our lives, but no more so than our personal technology devices, which for many people are like an extra limb. We’ve talked to Richard Tubb, founder of Tubblog, about how difficult your life can be if you lose one of your tech treasures.
Lesson #5 – Install Tracking Software on your devices before you lose them!
Then I recalled I’d installed tracking software on my laptop. If the laptop was connected to the internet at all I’d be able to track where it was and even take a screenshot of whomever was using the laptop via its webcam, but more importantly, I could remotely lock the laptop to hinder any attempt to access the data upon it.
Lesson #6 – Insure your Tech, and make sure your Insurance Schedule is current
I reported the laptop lost on the tracking website, and waited for it to report back. The likelihood that it ever would be was admittedly slim, but at least I wasn’t kicking myself that I’d not bothered to install that tracking software which takes all of a couple of minutes to install!
When I got back home later that weekend I dug out my insurance paperwork and prepared to make a claim. Thankfully I’d retained all details of my purchases, and in many instances, the original purchase receipts (including such things as the hard drive and memory upgrades I’d installed in the laptop) – so I’d be able to make a full claim for the items. I’d also set a diary reminder at the time of my insurance renewal earlier in the year to make sure the contents schedule was up to date – useful if you’re always updating your tech, as I am.
Lesson #7 – Social Media helps connect the world in the most unexpected ways!
Now for most people, the story would end here with an insurance claim and the purchase of a new laptop and the inevitable hope (and prayer) that the confidential data contained on the lost laptop would never fall into the wrong hands. But a few days later, whilst I was away travelling on business, I received an email from a truly lovely lady entitled “Are you missing a laptop?”
The email went on to explain how this woman worked for a training company in London who had run a student event at the venue at the same time as the conference at I was speaking, and whilst sorting out equipment brought back from the venue, she had spotted that they’d acquired an additional laptop!
Powering the laptop up, she had spotted my name on the login screen and then Googled it. My blog post about my speaking at the event had come up as the first search engine hit, and she put two-and-two together and got in touch via the contact details on my blog to see if it was indeed my laptop.
Lesson #8 – There are some genuinely helpful and wonderful people in the world
Thanking this lady profusely for taking the time and effort to track me down, one of my friends in London heard about my predicament and offered to retrieve the laptop from her nearby – going out of his way to organise all the details with her directly. A week later, I was re-united with my laptop! Thankfully I got away without losing any possessions or more importantly, confidential data. But I learned a number of really valuable lessons about what it feels like to lose mobile devices and data.
We hope you’ll find the story above thought provoking in terms of how you view your own data and devices, and help give you the peace of mind that you’re doing all you can to protect yourself. For details on specific solutions to help you safeguard yourself, please Contact Pensar.
Note: This article is adapted from the original with kind permission from Richard Tubb. Follow Richard Tubb on Google+