Absolute Software Reports Recent Successes In Educational Marketplace

Company Helps Schools Protect Against Computer Theft and Recover Stolen Assets

Vancouver, Canada - Absolute Software, a provider of patented Computer Theft Recovery and Secure Asset Tracking solutions, announced recent successes in helping IT departments manage and secure PC assets at several K-12 and collegiate institutions, including Boise State University (Idaho), Bryant University (Rhode Island), Charlotte ISD (Texas) and Selwyn House School (Quebec).

Laptop learning programs are expanding throughout North America, raising new security challenges for IT administrators – challenges that can be addressed with Absolute's solutions. Absolute's Computrace technology enables users to track up to 100 percent of their computer population – including where they are, who is using them and what is on them - all from one single point of control. In the event a computer is stolen, Absolute guarantees the recovery of the computer, and can remotely delete sensitive data from the stolen computer when data privacy is a concern. If the computer is not recovered within 60 days, the customer may be eligible for a Recovery Guarantee payment of up to $1,000*. In addition, Absolute provides customers with a cost-effective solution for tracking computer location, providing computer hardware/software inventories, managing lease returns and enabling software title tracking and license compliance.

"Laptops and other computer assets have become an integral part of today's learning process, but they have also become a target for theft and misuse," said John Livingston, Chairman and CEO of Absolute Software. "As a result, the education market has emerged as a significant market segment for Absolute and a key contributor to our sales growth this fiscal year. We are committed to protecting the business and personal interests of faculty, staff and students of both schools and universities, and our recent successes demonstrate the value proposition that our products can deliver to educational institutions of all sizes."

The following are recent successes that Absolute Software has achieved in the education market:

• Boise State University – Managing Unauthorized Computer Content
  The school was prepared to execute an innovative laptop loaner program, but faced the daunting task of ensuring that the equipment would not go missing and would remain structurally intact. By installing Computrace, the Boise State IT team was able to prevent computer theft, monitor the illegal installation of programs and quickly remove unauthorized content. This proactive approach has helped ensure the longevity and success of the laptop loaner program.

• Bryant University – Recovering Stolen Laptops
  A small private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island, outfitted all its incoming freshman with new notebooks that could be used for school or personal use. Within the first year of the program, 30 of the 750 laptops were reported stolen, with a zero rate of recovery. In response, Bryant implemented Computrace and by the second year of the program, the University had dramatic results - out of the 1,500 laptops distributed, only 10 have been reported stolen and eight of them have been recovered to date.

• Charlotte ISD - Protecting Technology Immersion Project (TIP) Computer Investment
  A small independent school district in Charlotte, Texas, Charlotte ISD initiated a program that would provide all students and staff with laptop computers. The project, which received funding from the Texas Education Agency's elite Technology Immersion Project (TIP), was protected with the installation of Absolute's Computrace. Within a few months, two computers went missing from the school's inventory. The investment in Absolute quickly paid off and the computers were located within two weeks.

• Selwyn House School – Reducing Laptop Theft
  A private all-boys school in Westmount, Quebec, Selwyn House School contracted Absolute Software's Computrace after losing 18 of its 22 laptop-program computers to theft. Since the installation, the school has reduced its computer theft issues, and has successfully expanded its program to 350 laptop computers.

In addition to these recent successes, Absolute's Computrace was recently selected in Media & Methods Magazine 2005 Awards Portfolio as a leading technology product and service that contributes to excellence in K-12 schools. Additionally, Absolute has helped a number of other schools across North America track and manage their computing assets, including: Flint Community School District (Michigan), DeSoto ISD (Texas), Episcopal High (Texas) and Newton County Day School (Massachusetts) to name a few.

SOURCE: Absolute Software