A new security system from IBM will let corporations electronically tag notebooks in much the same way that department stores tag leather coats.
The Asset ID technology, now available in two ThinkPad systems, uses a radio frequency antenna installed in the laptop to transmit identification information about the system to a receiver. The receiver can send information back to the system, including a signal to start-up preprogrammed password protection software.
A company could set up RF sensors at security gates that scan every laptop that comes out of the building. If the system isn't authorized for removal, the password protection would be switched on.
The system was announced last year for IBM's desktop PCs, mostly as an asset management device. But the security aspect is of much greater concern with laptops, said Phil Hester, of IBM's Personal Systems group.
The antennas can be installed for under $US50 per laptop, he said. The sensors are produced by third parties.
"This is the first technology that is true two-way technology. It's not just passively sensing something that goes through a gate, but it's identifying the asset and updating information in the asset."
The Asset ID is available on ThinkPad 770Z, which starts at $US4,799 and on the ThinkPad 660E, which starts at $US2,999.
