WALTHAM — Imagine coming home to find your
apartment has been broken into thinking your
laptop computer with business files was
stolen.
That’s what happened to Alex Kesler. His laptop
wasn’t taken, but the event changed his life.
Laptops and wireless devices are vital in the
virtual office and their size and mobility make
them an easy target for thieves. Lost data can be
as valuable, if not more, than the equipment. In
1999 a survey by the FBI and the Computer Security
Institute found that 62 percent of security
officers questioned reported financial loss due to
theft. This equals $120 million financial loss for
businesses a year.
Soon after his experience, Kesler began to
write an anit-theft software program — zTrace —
that, when installed on a computer’s hard drive,
is completely undetectable until the recovery
software traces its location. zTrace consults with
on-staff retired police detectives who retrieve
the computers.
" We are the virtual ‘_______’ for laptops, "
President of zTrace Kesler said, " without us, you
have a 2 percent chance of ever having your
computer or your data returned. "
" We are the company to provide protection for
the mobile professional, " he added. " It gives
people a sense of security and an opportunity to
get their laptop back if it is stolen. "
While Kesler thinks the break-in at his home
was just random and not corporate espionage, the
software he developed aims to protect computer
users from either.
Security software and hardware like firewalls,
anti-virus and encryption are usually confined to
the walls of the office, he said.
As soon as you take the laptop out of the
office these security methods are not
effective.
After a laptop is stolen, a phone call or email
to zTrace will activate the tracking device. As
soon as the laptop connects online, the location
is discovered by its IP address and zTrace
identification. The zTrace registration is proof
of ownership when the theft is reported at the
local police station.
During the second phase funding strategy by
private investors, Kesler in the fourth quarter of
2001 plans to introduce an additional encryption
product, which will also be undetectable to the
human eye.
Kesler has a patent pending for his
intellectual property, but he is not alone in the
security protection market. zTrace is available at a monthly
rate or $49.95 a year. Sliding scale discounts are
available for volume purchases.
zTrace, a private company, increased sales from
last year. They have sold their product to
customers in several sectors, including
government, education, and corporate. Kesler is
still building market share and is indecisive
about an exit strategy.
Laptop revenue is expected to increase from $6
million in 1997 to $12 million in 2003. Security
products alone has a 14 percent growth rate in
revenue.
Visit zTrace online at http://www.ztrace.com/
or email info@ztrace.com.
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