KENYA SECURITY FIRM TRIES TO STOP COMPUTER THEFT Business Daily Africa - the international window into East African business opportunities - Security firm devises ways to stop computer thieves and hackers

Security firm devises ways to stop computer thieves and hackers

November 7, 2007: On the eve of 2007, the offices of National Environmental Management Authority at Nairobi South C were broken into and computers with vital data stolen.

In 2006, several government offices, including Jogoo House and the Times Tower offices that house the Kenya Revenue Authority were also broken into and laptops containing crucial tax return data carted away.

Every year, hundreds of lap tops are stolen and with them vital data.

But Mr Andrew Mbiru, a director of Secuplus east Africa, says that should not be the case.

But you need more than a conventional watchman to guard information in your computer.

It was because of that realisation that some three entrepreneurs came up with the idea of providing security to the corporate market—and the business is growing fast .

Business picked up for SecuPlus East Africa, which was founded in 2001, some three years ago when computer thefts became rampant.

But exactly how does SecuPlus provide 24 hour security? “ We provide physical security for the desktops as well as laptops by using cables of various intense magnitude that cannot be broken.

The most one can do is deform the cables that are used to attach the desktop to the central processing unit as well as the monitor, meaning that for one to steal the computer, they would have to carry everything including the desk where the computer is placed,” said Mr Mbiru, one of the directors of SecuPlus East Africa.

One of the desktop security solutions is the ProLine Kit, which is a formidable 9mm thick cable with a 1.5m cable and a 45mm padlock.

Mr Mbiru said a determined thief would take hours to cut the cable with a new pair of pliers. Most burglars do not have that time.

He said the firm can get cables in various colours, lengths and extra anchor points to suit the office décor. The desk anchors provide an easy, secure place to moor the cable.

Another solution for the desktops is the extreme Line Cable, which weighs in with a formidable 12mm cable for those with greater security concerns.
“We have a provision for a master-key that can be used in the corporate setting where the authorisation of the keys lies with the IT manager.

In this case, subsequent orders will come with locks compatible to the original master-key,” said Mr Mbiru. For most business people, especially medium and small enterprises, laptop security is paramount.

The company has various solutions to suit the needs of entrepreneurs.

One of the cables that is used to ensure security does not require a key to lock.

Just pushing the set button locks up the laptops. It is complete with a swivel cable and 360 degrees rotating body. Besides, there are 10,000 combination resettable locks that one can use interchangeably.

“ CompuLock and UniLocks work by replacing screws at the back of the computer where the UniLocks in the security kit are designed for use with most flat panel monitors, LCD and Plasma TV’s that are mounted on a wall support,” said Mr Mbiru.

But as Mr Henry Uwiti, Celtel Kenya IT manager, explained to Business Daily, the company has invested in 150 cables for their employees who used laptops, mainly the sales, technical and some of the managers who have replaced their desktops with portable computers. “We secure the laptops mainly to stop thefts in the office.”

Mbiru says companies that have been hit by computer theft were always receptive to their ideas.

The firm now boasts of more than 50 clients ranging from corporates, institutions and government offices.

But why invest so much in private security for the computers, yet the companies have guards in the building? Computers today are valued much more for the information they carry than for their purchase price.

Even the best insurance policies are not able to fully compensate for loss of data, resultant downtime, start-up costs and, in the worst case, corporate espionage.

“It is therefore, left to companies to devise the best measures possible to guard against loss of computers. Such measures take up valuable time and resources, for example backup systems and mirror servers,” said Mbiru,

“All of them, however, depend on the continued vigilance and goodwill of all the company employees.”

Related story:

How safe is your laptop from thieves?

By Peter Busolo


Laptops are used in virtually all areas of our lives. In this fast pace information world, the loss of a laptop may lead to loss of critical data, decrease productivity of workers or in some extremes, lead to the collapse of businesses.

Many have lost laptops in different circumstances, although it may or may not have been their fault. However, there are simple measures, often taken for granted, that can assist in recovering your stolen laptop.

Very few people ever take the time to go through the documentation that accompanies their laptops and they often miss these simple but vital steps that increase their chances of recovering lost machines.

Smart laptop owners take time to register their hardware with the manufacturer. Majority of us discard or ignore the hardware registration cards that accompany our laptops. We rarely fill them out and send it back to the manufacturer.

Yet this ensures that your laptop is catalogued not only in case of a warranty repair, but also is used by the manufacturer in tracking its hardware usage in different locations especially when they are connected online.

Registration also helps manufacturers earmark your laptop specifically, if it were ever reported as stolen, it can be traced if it ever comes in for repairs.
Therefore, make sure you record your laptop’s serial number in a separate location immediately after purchase and register your serial with the manufacturer.

The other wise step you can do is to purchase insurance coverage for your laptop. For a reasonably small fee you can insure your hardware for a designated period. This is extremely important especially if you have made a significant financial investment in purchasing the machine or if you are a remote user who frequents areas prone to insecurity.

You may check with your insurance agent to find out if it is covered under insurance regarding business travellers, homeowners or renters insurance. The additional record of your serial number in a separate location may also come in handy when you file an insurance claim.

Other measures that may help in recovering lost laptops include use of a tamper resistant metal asset tag because they can assist the police to track down the legal owner.

Otherwise, ensure that you back up your data regularly in a separate location and protect access to your important data with strong passwords or any other access control features.

Bear in mind that a laptop may be easy to replace but stolen data is often difficult to recover