The main reason why people love their laptops is the inherent nobility of the design. Laptops are designed to go where you go, which is great for busy professionals and students but also makes them a soft target for criminals.

The crime statistics relating to laptop theft aren’t exactly positive, either. Every single laptop in existence has a 10% chance of being stolen. Some research firms have conducted studies which state that a laptop is stolen every minute.

While these stats might be sobering, they’re not that surprising once you think about them for a minute. Think about where people use their laptops; cafes, airports, libraries, etc. These are all places filled with people coming and going (making them the perfect hunting grounds for laptop thieves).

Luckily, there are some basic protective measures that anyone can take to bolster the physical (and digital) security of their laptop. Below are three of the top ways to protect your laptop from both physical and digital crime. We cover physical security locks, encryption, and other pertinent tips and tricks of the security industry.

Invest in a Physical Lock

You’d be surprised at the number of people who aren’t using a simple physical lock for their laptops. These devices vary in their design/layout, but all of them work to stop physical thieves in their tracks.

There are quite a few companies that manufacture locks for different laptop brands. Most Windows-based laptops come with integral lock slots, however, Macbooks do not. In order to use a physical lock with your Macbook, you’ll need to purchase a special lock (from a company such as Maclocks).

The way that most of these locks work is by connecting the lock to the laptop, and then connecting the cable that’s attached to the lock to an anchor (e.g. a desk). Think of them kind of like a bike lock. They need to be attached to something quite large and sturdy in order to be of any use.

While this might not be possible in some public locations, in an office environment (or even somewhere like a hotel room), having a lock like this installed on your laptop can be the difference between being a victim or successfully stopping a thief from stealing your computer.

One of the main things that most people don’t mention in regards to physical security is situational awareness. Always be aware of your surroundings (especially when it comes to your technology).

Most thefts are committed when the owner of the machine is distracted and/or not paying attention (which is why physical locks are such a great equalizer - they make it a lot more difficult for the criminal to get away with your laptop).

Consider Using GPS Software

GPS tracking isn’t exactly a breakthrough development in the world of tech. They’ve been around for a while (especially in the auto industry - which is also rife with theft). However, recent developments to GPS technology (especially in regards to software capabilities and interactions with WiFi), have made laptop-based GPS tracking applications a very solid tactic for guarding your laptop against theft.

This type of software allows you to track exactly where your laptop is. Some of these applications even have the ability to remotely log in to your system, turn the webcam on, lock the system down, etc. Needless to say, if you’re serious about the security of your machine, you should invest in GPS/tracking software for your laptop.

Archive Your Data

So many business owners (and the people who work for them) fail to employ the most basic data management strategies (i.e. backing up the data of their laptops). Not only can doing this one simple strategy literally save you thousands down the road, but it can also save you a lot of headaches in the short-term as well.

Have you ever considered how you/your organization would cope with the physical theft of your machine(s)? Now consider what you would do if none of the data on those machines was properly stored/backed up. That would be both a major data and monetary loss for your business.

There are numerous ways that one can back their data up. Whether it’s via an external hard-drive, exporting everything to the cloud, or saving it on other machines, there are countless ways to ensure the integrity of your business’s data. Several web-based SaaS companies offer data backup services, most of which are priced relatively cheaper than a lot of physical storage options.