Technology in the next generation of notebook hard drives will help you sleep better at night whether your notebook is lost or stolen. Phoenix Technologies has an agreement with hard-drive manufacturers Seagate and Hitachi to have FailSafe, its remote data-protection system, built into new drives available within the next two or three quarters.

“If you lose your computer, you lose the machine, but more vital for most users is that the machine contains an invaluable amount of documents,” Phoenix’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Gaurav Banga, told NewsFactor. “FailSafe is a mechanism by which the owner of a personal computer can continue to exercise command and control by the computer even when it is not in their possession.”

When a computer that contains FailSafe is purchased, the consumer adds it to the FailSafe system. FailSafe works through a password-protected, Web-based console that allows users to exert control remotely. From there, Banga said, “You can see where your computer is,

and you can reach out to it” and delete files, disable it temporarily, or simply turn it into a brick. Different manufacturers will offer different FailSafe capabilities.

Enhancing Existing Technologies

With new-generation notebooks including GPS, Banga said a stolen machine could even triangulate its location and display on a Google Map the next moment it’s connected to a network. Or it could snap a picture of the thief with its webcam and that could be made available to law enforcement.

Like other hard-drive manufacturers, Seagate already offers Seagate Secure Technology that provides encryption at the drive level. Banga said with the manufacturer agreements, FailSafe will protect the encryption keys and ensure that only the authorized user can access them.

In the event that a hard drive is removed or a new operating system installed, FailSafe will continue to protect the info and not release the keys, Banga said,…

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