Johannesburg, 11 Jul 2007
It's the worst possible feeling; one that starts with a dry mouth and develops rapidly into full-blown nausea.
Your notebook is still there - but your confidential files are not. Or, worse still, they're suddenly being displayed for all to see and you weren't the one who opened them.
The simple truth of the matter is most of us aren't expecting to be hacked. We assume the software on our computer protects everything from e-mails to our grannies to highly confidential employee data - a virtual impossibility until now...
Ask the self-proclaimed 'IT guru' in your office about hackers and you'll probably find yourself in the dark, dingy opening scenes of the Matrix: stories of secret deals and microchips; pale men with beards breaking code in cupboards in abandoned buildings.
What they won't tell you is most hackers are driven by the thrill of making 'the impossible' possible: accessing 'secure' files and revealing program weaknesses. This can be done by a virtual amateur on any computer running Windows XP via its infrared port across a conference table.
And, while most of us probably support the 'making the impossible possible' philosophy, albeit in a more conventional way, it's not very comforting to know that your average 'thin' line of defence is completely in the hands of your notebook's operating system and software - that probably weren't developed by hackers.
This makes the latest developments in HP's notebook series not only extremely welcome, but a necessity. As a leading distributor of HP products, Axiz is excited not only about the capabilities of the notebooks themselves, but especially by their new security features.
"HP has gone beyond current security trends in the industry - things like full-volume encryption, data protection and integrated biometrics - and created everything from its HP Mobile Data Protection system to fingerprint pre-boot authentication," enthuses Adele Oosthuizen, HP PSG platform lead at Axiz.
"This promises our clients that much more peace of mind, not only when travelling, but also just around the office."
With a range of options available in the series, Oosthuizen believes it's about finding a notebook with the level of security necessary in that client's specific situation. "Different levels of clients have different needs. Increasing notebook security is not about creating paranoia, but rather about addressing the very real needs of business professionals. In today's highly-competitive marketplace, information is a priceless commodity. The right information has the ability to make or destroy a business."
The Axiz solution to security is a combination of excellent products and common sense. With minimum security features of the HP Standard package, including HP ProtectTools, panel protection system, and its Mobile Data Protection system and Privacy Filter Support, Axiz clients can rest assured their data and work is that much safer. For those needing extra security, the Professional package is even more sophisticated, with fingerprint pre-boot authentication and HP Lock Out key features.
Beyond recommending things like enabling a strong BIOS password, using Encrypting File Systems (EFS) and even creating a dummy administrator account, Oosthuizen says the greatest threat to your computer is actually you: you and your natural tendency to help: "We all do it. Someone we don't know calls us, says they're having trouble logging on, or can't remember the number for the modem, and we help, telling them exactly what they want to know - precisely what we shouldn't be telling them," she explains.
Dubbed "social engineering techniques", these seemingly innocent calls and e-mail requests for information are the most common ways hackers and data thieves gain access to the very systems we're trying so desperately to protect.
The solution then? Get yourself the most up-to-date and hacker-proof operating system and the latest software available (something like Microsoft Vista with user account control and BitLocker Drive Encryption), and politely refer "desperate colleagues" to the IT department with any queries.
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