Study: More Than 12,000 Laptops Lost In U.S. Airports Each Week

  • Jul 08, 2008

IDC projects nearly 54 million units of business laptops will be purchased for employees and shipped in 2008. New research reveals that hundreds of thousands of these laptops will be lost or left behind at airports, and 65-69 percent of them will go unclaimed.

For many companies, the loss of valuable information contained on the systems may be of even greater concern as the research indicates that approximately 53 percent of surveyed mobile professionals carry confidential company information and 65 percent of those who do, don't take steps to protect it. This data can include customer and consumer information, confidential business information and intellectual property such as software code and product renderings.

The research, conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Dell, shows that up to 12,000 laptops are lost in U.S. airports each week. Highlights and a complete copy of the research may be found at http://www.dell.com/getprotectedandconnected

"It's staggering to learn that up to 600,000 laptops are lost in U.S. airports annually, many containing sensitive information that companies must account for," said Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. "IT departments must re-evaluate the steps they're taking to protect mobile professionals, the laptops they carry and company data stored on mobile devices."

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