FSC is offering SystemTrack (tracking software) and DataProtect (data protection software), which will be available from the first quarter of 2009 in selected Lifebook models, and in all business line models of the Esprimo mobile series.

FSC said these products feature technology by Intel and Computrace, but later told Techworld in an email that both products were bespoke FSC technology. Exact details of these products are still very thin on the ground, with FSC reluctant to expand beyond the official release, but it says it will be able to provide a greater level of detail in mid December.

What we do know is that when a business or consumer buys either one of the selected laptops, they will be offered the security products as an optional extra. Users simply need to register their laptops with the Computrace Customer Centre, and if their machines are stolen, they can report the theft (online or via telephone) in a similar manner as reporting the loss of a credit or banking card.

According to FSC, SystemTrack then tracks the stolen machine in real-time and detects its location as soon as the device is connected to the Internet or intranet. The device can even be recovered in this way, as three baggage handlers at Tampa International Airport found out to their cost back in April this year.

The theft of laptops (FSC estimates that laptop thefts rose by 84 percent in 2006 compared to the prior year) has rapidly become a headache for IT managers, who are already contending with securing their email systems and other organisational weak points, where confidential data can leave the company.