

31, Absolute had 550,000 subscribers, up from 370,000 a year earlier.

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Livingston says, "is to be the most tamper-resistant piece of software on the market."Īs of Dec. It's extremely difficult to remove from a computer, remaining on the machine even when its main operating system, such as Microsoft Windows, is reinstalled. The BIOS is a mini-operating system that enables the computer's keyboard and display screen, among other things. (Absolute says this was an exception - it doesn't routinely replace stolen computers.)Ĭomputrace is embedded in the BIOS, or basic input-output system, of a computer. When contacted, the serviceman readily agreed to ship the machine stateside and Absolute sent him a replacement, for no charge. serviceman had bought it not realizing it was stolen. Last year, one stolen machine was traced to Iraq. Other stolen laptops, however, have been tracked down in far-flung places. Workers, wasn't equipped with its tracing software, Absolute says. The company recovers about 25 stolen computers a week, according to Absolute Chief Executive John Livingston.Ī laptop stolen recently from a Fidelity Investments employee, jeopardizing personal data on 196,000 current and former When the machine logs on to the Internet, Absolute knows it almost immediately and gives information to police to help recover the computer and apprehend the thief.Ībsolute's 96 employees include a computer-recovery team that works with police and Internet service providers. When a computer is reported stolen, Absolute flags the machine and asks it to signal the data center every 15 minutes.
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The signal, sent daily when a computer is online, provides important information that can be used to locate the machine, such as the computer's IP address and serial number.

Absolute's software, called Computrace, works by sending a regular signal from a computer to the company's data center in Vancouver, British Columbia.
