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Encrypted hard drive (or at least home directory/desktop/etc) on all Laptops by default.

40 points posted to Small Business, Simplify IT, Laptops by jmxz Jan 8

Laptop Theft is an important concern of many businesses. Even home users often store sensitive information (banking info, "remember your password" browser features, etc) on their computers and could risk identify theft if their laptops are stolen.

One of the more effective tools to protect against this is encryption of entire disks or partitions.

Would it make sense for Dell's to default to having people's home directories (and MyDocuments/Desktop or whatever the equivalent is on other OS's) reside on an encrypted partition and/or use an encryption feature of the OS to protect directory trees?

[PS: IdeaStorm needs a "Security" category. I guess since more workplaces are requiring encryption on laptops this goes under Simplify IT]

undead999
Jan 9		 The buyers/users would need to be informed of this as it could complicate data recovery if a user forgets their password or windows becomes corrupt.
jmxz
Jan 9		 Of course it should be documented - but hopefully as a security feature.
"By choosing this option your password will actually protect your data -- if you don't choose this option even though you have a password people can access your files without it."
winoffice
Jan 9		 I know that Windows Vista Ultimate has a drive encrypter/decrypter...but I have never used that tool yet.

By the way, you are talking about laptops, but why not desktops or servers?
jmxz
Jan 10		 Good point - this applies to all of the systems.
I was thinking laptops because laptop thefts seem more common; but as servers hold that much more important data the consequences of a theft would be that much worse.

I've played with encrypted partitions; but haven't done anything with them yet. It seems promising, and if I ever reformat my laptop I'd probably try using it for real there.
jordann
Jan 19		 A BIOS option should be included to make use of USB encryption tokens.
zanlok
Jan 27		 Dude, you have some GREAT ideas!

About your "ps", I just added an idea like that. I think we need more malleable buckets. The categories are fine. I hate the injustice of bad merging. A way to label ideas and see the total counts for ideas in a similar vein would be really nice. *

http://ideastorm.com/article/show/76293
 
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