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There should also be a separate book or program for the user that stores part numbers, passwords, and information on equipment assignments. Any changes to the users equipment profile should be reflected in this record.
Registering the serial number of the equipment with the police and providing a picture shows proof of ownership and also serves as a quick and accurate description for the police and insurance company if mobile computing equipment is lost or stolen. The insurance company will be able to process insurance claims faster with this information. In addition to a printed copy of the equipment registration, there should be a disk or tape backup of this information.
After the cataloging is completed, the hardware and software that came with the new equipment should be tested to ensure that it works properly. The hardware should be tested to ensure that it recognizes an external keyboard, mouse, printer, and monitor. The CD-ROM, sound card, and PCMCIA should be tested to make sure they have been installed properly.
The person performing the testing should have a checklist of what needs to be done. If new equipment is purchased and tested frequently, it may be helpful to set up an area, preferably a separate room, in which the work can be done with few interruptions.
Security software should be installed before productivity software (i.e., word processor, spreadsheet, contact manager, network) is installed. The security software should include an antivirus program and security software. Once installed, a directory should be created on the hard drive for copying the system files, including command.com, autoexec.bat, and config.sys.
The security program will require that the user make a boot disk with the systems files on it. This disk should be copied for the user. Security passwords can be entered into the system before the user gets the equipment. Users can be informed of the password during their orientation session. As always, the passwords should be easy to remember but not too obvious, and they must be recorded in the user section of the cataloging book.
Setting up these security procedures before the user receives the mobile equipment gives administrators of mobile computing equipment uniformity of installation. It also helps make ISs job easier when users call with systems problems.
It is very helpful to conduct and orientation session with users when they receive new equipment. The meeting requires a room in which the hardware, software, manuals, cases, cables, and cataloguing paperwork can be set up. Orientation will usually take no longer than an hour.
Many organizations require users to sign for the receipt of computer equipment, as they do for keys and ID cards. The first phase of the orientation involves discussing hardware and software setups, including security logins. Cellular phones, network connections, and login instructions can be demonstrated, and data transfers can be tested.
Users should be advised to take along a hardware travel kit when they are on the road. This kit includes adapter cables and connections for hotel telephones and power bars. This equipment is especially important when traveling outside the U.S. and Canada. Users should know that these precautions are important not just for safeguarding the equipment, but because insurance companies are starting to increase premiums and deductibles for people who carry mobile computing equipment because of increasing theft.
Users should also be briefed on how to use their mobile equipment in public. People with cellular phones to their ears walking down a busy city street are easy targets for thieves who are watching to see where they put the phone when they are through. Headsets that can be attached to cellular phones offer hands-free operation and are less visible to other people. Having the cellular phone in a carrying case attached to a belt, jacket pocket, or inside a purse makes it more secure.
Users should also be informed of the damage that sunlight can do to a notebook. Notebook computers with dual-scan or active-matrix color screens, when exposed to direct sunlight, can fade and become damaged. PDAs use a monochrome screen that is more effective in partial sunlight, but can still be damaged by direct sunlight.
Notebooks and PDAs are also affected by extremes in temperature. Very hot or cold temperatures can damage a notebooks moving parts, screen, or output ports. The screen of a laptop left in the car on a hot summer day could be destroyed. The screen output can also be disrupted for days as a result of even a short car trip in very cold weather. When traveling by car, users should keep their laptops in the trunk. Nothing should be left lying on the car seat. It should not be obvious that the user is in possession of computer equipment.
Computers are becoming more interconnected with users wired to each other through many types of electronic devices. As users become more dependent on computers, the possibility of breakdown and loss of information and connectivity to others is more likely. Furthermore, equipment is getting smaller, more powerful, more portable, and more accessible to users and workers outside of the office.
The security basics include a high-end power bar, an antivirus program, and regular backups. Once the basics are covered, security hardware and software should be considered. It is also very helpful to record serial numbers for equipment, and photograph it as an added measure. These precautions will help prevent downtime and insurance claims for stolen or damaged computer equipment.
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