Absolute® Software Sets the Computer Theft Protection Standard for Education |
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Absolute Software Corp.
Suite 800 - 11, Dunsmuir St.
Vancouver, V6B 6A3
Canada
Press release date: July 5, 2006
Leading provider of computer theft recovery and secure asset tracking solutions reports recent successes in educational marketplace
VANCOUVER, July 5 / -- Absolute® Software Corporation ("Absolute") (TSX: ABT), the leading provider of firmware-based, patented Computer Theft Recovery, Data Protection and Secure Asset Tracking(TM) solutions, today announced recent successes helping IT departments in colleges and school districts more effectively manage, track and secure their computing assets. Institutions leveraging Absolute's Computrace® software products include Yuba City Unified School District (California), St. Andrew's College (Ontario), William Penn University (Iowa), Mesquite Independent School District (Texas) and Daviess County Public School District (Kentucky). In addition, Absolute Software's computer theft protection technology is now being utilized at 9 of the 15 largest Independent School Districts in the US market.
Absolute's Computrace technology enables users to track their computer population on a daily basis with up to 100 percent accuracy -- including location, software and hardware title inventories, software compliance and user information -- from a single point of control. In the event that a computer is stolen, Absolute can recover it and/or remotely delete sensitive data from its hard drive. If a computer is not recovered within 60 days, the customer may be eligible for a Recovery Guarantee payment of up to $1,000.(x)
"Laptop computers are an important learning tool that can increase student productivity, boost morale and provide new levels of access to information," said John Livingston, Chairman and CEO of Absolute Software. "Unfortunately, these mobile devices can also create new challenges in the areas of security and information privacy. Absolute Software is deeply committed to helping schools of all sizes protect their computers and the information that resides on them."
Recent successes in the education market for Absolute include:
o Yuba City Unified School District, California - Secured Investment
After providing 1,200 new laptops to its teachers, district officials quickly realized that advanced security solutions were necessary to protect the laptops against theft and sensitive data loss. Absolute's ComputraceComplete was selected to fill that security void and recently led to a laptop recovery. "I didn't realize we had that many thefts; we've had three or four in the last few months," said Steve O'Toole, Director of Technology. "If the general population knows that we're able to track down stolen computers, it will cut down on theft."
o St. Andrew's College, Ontario - Multi-level Management
At St. Andrew's College, one of Canada's few remaining all-boys boarding and day schools, new laptops are issued every two years to the 550 students and 60 faculty. Steve Rush, Director of IT, recommended ComputraceComplete to manage and protect the school's fleet of laptops. When a student left his laptop unattended in November 2005, the unit was stolen in a matter of minutes. The laptop was detected on the Internet later that day by Absolute's Recovery Team, who relayed the user and location information to the College's IT department and the laptop was recovered. In addition to tracking and recovering laptops, ComputraceComplete is being used at St. Andrew's to verify configurations on remote PCs, track hard drive usage and identify unauthorized software.
o William Penn University, Iowa - Preventing Laptop Theft
Prior to implementing ComputraceComplete, the 1-to-1 student laptop program at William Penn's College for Working Adults faced two significant challenges: loss or theft of the laptops, and students who failed to return their computers after dropping out of school. To combat these problems, the school turned to ComputraceComplete. Within weeks of a laptop theft in October 2005, the stealthy software helped police recover the stolen computer. "This was the first case I worked on that involved a stolen notebook equipped with ComputraceComplete. I was really impressed with how Absolute helped us locate the system," said William Boggs of the Des Moines Police Department. "Because of that software, the university has their Gateway PC back, and we were able to stop a crime."
o Mesquite Independent School District, Texas - Eight is Enough
Over $11,000 in hardware, including eight laptops, was stolen recently from a Mesquite high school by two students. Immediately after the theft, Judy Rollins, Director of Career & Technology, notified Absolute's Theft Recovery Team. Three weeks later, two of the missing computers silently contacted Absolute's Monitoring Center, leading police to recover all eight stolen laptops, and arrest the thieves.
o Daviess County Public Schools (DCPS), Kentucky - Enhancing Protection
Funded by the Enhancing Technology through Education Federal Grant, this Kentucky school district created an ambitious plan to expand an eLearning project from 160 to 900 students. As a means of safeguarding its investment, DCPS installed Absolute's Computrace on each of its laptops. Since its deployment, Computrace has been called into action on multiple occasions, helping to track and recover numerous laptops. "One of the greatest benefits for our district is the peace of mind in knowing that our laptops can be recovered quickly and efficiently, enabling us to focus our attention and resources on our core business of educating students," said Steve Burton, Computer Operations Manager at DCPS.
In addition to these successes, Absolute has helped numerous schools across North America track and manage their computing assets, some of which include: Boise State University (Idaho), Bryant University (Rhode Island), Charlotte ISD (Texas), Colorado Technical University (Colorado), Quinnipiac University (Connecticut) and Selwyn House School (Quebec).
(x)The Recovery Guarantee is subject to terms and conditions. Please see absolute.com/pdf/EULA.pdf for details.
For more information on Absolute's success in Education, please visit http://absolute.com/public/education/PC-security.asp
About Absolute Software
Absolute® Software (TSX: ABT) is the leader in firmware-based, patented Computer Theft Recovery, Data Protection and Secure Asset Tracking(TM) solutions. Absolute Software provides organizations with solutions in the areas of regulatory compliance, data protection and theft recovery. The company has key partnerships with global leaders, including Dell, Lenovo, Gateway, HP, Toshiba and Fujitsu. For more information about Absolute Software and Computrace, visit www.absolute.com.
Source: Absolute Software Corporation
CONTACT: Public Relations: Courtney Chauvin, Affect Strategies, courtney@affectstrategies.com or (212) 398-9680; Investor Relations: Dave Mason, CFA, The Equicom Group, dmason@equicomgroup.com or (416) 815-0700 x237
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