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Alexander Kesler, founder of zTrace Inc.,
says his software can locate and lock out your stolen laptop the
minute it‘s on the Web. |
zTrace tracks lifted laptops using stealth
software, Net connections |
| 10/23/00 |
| By Matthew
French |
Alexander Kesler hopes your laptop
will get stolen.
The 23-year-old Muscovite and Babson
College graduate is even banking on it. Kesler founded his company
zTrace Inc., in late 1999. ZTrace uses a patented technology that can
trace a laptop or desktop computer once it has been
stolen.
The application, also called zTrace, is a completely invisible function that
sends a digital fingerprint to a zTrace server each time the computer connects
to the Internet. On any normal day, the zTrace server will make note of the signature
and that is the end of the process. But, should that laptop get
stolen and the theft be reported, zTrace‘s functionality comes into
play.
"Simply put, this is the for computers," Kesler
said. "The application sits in your memory and you are never aware
of it. There‘s no icon, no button, no file, no visible connection
anywhere on your computer. This is total stealth
technology."
After registering with zTrace, a computer is assigned a unique
identification number, which is stored in zTrace‘s database. When zTrace receives a theft report, the company
will start monitoring for entry of the computer‘s ID to the
Internet. The zTrace center will send
an alert signal to the computer as soon as it connects to the
Internet and an SOS program will then be activated, enabling
zTrace to pinpoint the address where
your computer is being held.
Kesler, a one-time finalist in
the Babson College business plan competition, decided that the
information on his and every laptop was too valuable to leave
vulnerable.
ZTrace uses an
algorithm that enables a centralized server to note the location of
a laptop or desktop. The people at zTrace have no way of knowing a machine‘s
location unless that machine has been reported as being
stolen.
"We are very concerned with privacy and we know our
customers are, too," Kesler said. "Honestly, we don‘t care where
your computer is, so long as you know where it is. But once it is
stolen, we can trace exactly where it is and begin to start the
recovery process."
Kesler has employed a Cambridge police
officer to work with zTrace and begin
the recovery process. The police officer then contacts the local
police department and alerts them to the presence of a stolen
machine in their town and whether the resident might pose a threat,
based on a background check.
The company offers a guarantee
that any machine armed with the zTrace
will be recovered within 30 days of a loss or theft.
Kesler
is working with equipment manufacturers to get the zTrace installed as a standard application on
all laptops and desktops. The next version of the application, due
in early 2001, will enable the owner of a laptop to virtually
control the data from any remote location.
"In our next
version, the owner of a stolen laptop can protect that data even
after the machine has been stolen," Kesler said. "He or she can back
up their data, save their data, delete their data, and even
password-protect and encrypt their data on the stolen machine from
any connected terminal."
A subsequent version of the zTrace made for personal digital assistants is
expected in May of 2001, Kesler said.
Kesler realizes that
many stolen laptops are resold to unsuspecting people – companies,
college students, and so forth – who don‘t even consider that the
used laptop they‘re buying might be hot. But his software is aimed
at recovering the machine, not necessarily catching the
thief.
"We have very good relations with local police
departments and it‘s their job to pursue the thief once the theft
has been established," He said. "If our software leads to the thief,
that‘s great. If it leads to the machine only, perhaps the trail can
be traced back and the thief caught. But our main concern is for our
customers‘ property."
To date, Kesler said the zTrace has been installed on machines belonging
to a Brookline-based consultancy and a Boston marketing company, but
has yet to be used.
"No machines with the zTrace have been stolen yet, but we‘ve run
tests in the field with our own machines with a 100 percent recovery
rate," said Kesler. "I don‘t really want anyone‘s machine to get
stolen, but I‘m really looking forward top proving the zTrace‘s functionality." |
| |