Reducing The Negative Impact of Laptops

Mark Brunelli wrote to mention a SearchEnterpriseLinux column about reducing the negative impact laptops can have on a network's security. From the article: "Portable computers often become an extension of the person using them. It is no surprise that laptop users are inclined to be rather autonomously minded. Many users don't realize that the power they have to install software and change settings is risk prone. Fortunately, larger corporations that install Microsoft Windows XP Professional usually don't grant the laptop user full administrative rights. The same cannot be said of smaller businesses, many of which simply purchase laptops from the local store -- laptops pre-installed with Windows XP Home Edition. "

Well that solves a pesky problem

[Anonymous Coward]

"...laptop users are inclined to be rather autonomously minded..."

How many people have struggled with the problem of free will. I know I have. The idea of free will is ages old and unresolved until now. Now we know laptop users have free will. Tyranny got you down? Buy a laptop.

Re:Linux on the Enterprise - My experience

[Anonymous Coward]

As a security consultant for several large companies, I'd always done my work on Windows. Recently however, a top online investment firm asked us to do some work using Linux. The concept of having access to source code was...

Reading troll messages like this one is alays more entertaining to me if i imagine dave chappelle's white person voice in my head.
try it.

Re:Well, go and set up the Computer correctly

[Anonymous Coward]

When issued a company laptop by control freaks, the following steps are in order:

# Copy an image the laptop's hard drive up to your machine at home

# Shrink the existing partition and install a boot loader

# Install the operating system and software of your choice, with full administrative rights

# Hit the road and enjoy!

# When eye-tee asks for the laptop to check up on you, take an image of it the way you like it, then restore the image saved in the first step and give the pristine laptop to eye-tee

# If original image is unavailable, ensure the hard disk is zeroized and act dumb, then return it

~~~