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Survey Says 62 Percent of Companies Believe Missing Computers Go Unnoticed

Posted on: Monday, 19 November 2007, 09:00 CST

VANCOUVER, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Absolute(R) Software Corporation ("Absolute" or the "Company") (TSX: ABT), the leading provider of Firmware-based, patented Computer Theft Recovery, Data Protection and Secure Asset Tracking(TM) solutions recently polled its customers about their attitudes toward computer and data security. Absolute surveyed two groups: corporate customers of Absolute's Computrace(R) solutions and customers that had purchased Computrace(R) LoJack(R) for Laptops, Absolute's computer tracking and recovery solution for consumers.

"Consumers, as well as corporations, need to have a multi-layered approach to computer and data security," says John Livingston, chairman and CEO of Absolute Software. "Most of us store personal information, banking records, credit card information, passwords and other sensitive data that could be used to harm us if it falls into the wrong hands. For businesses, a lost or stolen computer can lead to the intense media scrutiny associated with a data breach. Consumers who experience the loss of a computer may be at increased risk for identity theft and often lose irreplaceable photos, records and music collections."

Absolute's survey of its consumer customers had 1842 qualified respondents while 402 companies responded to the corporate survey. A summary of each can be found below. For additional results from both surveys, please visit: http://www.absolute.com/resources/computer-theft-statistics-complete-survey.asp

Corporations Fear Data Breach: Corporate Survey Highlights: -----------------------------------------------------------

Corporations should be fearful of a data breach. By their own estimates, 16% believe a significant breach can cost $1 million dollars or more, 20% believe it can cost close to $100,000 and 22% believe it will cost nearly $10,000. More than half of companies (62%) surveyed believe that historically, computers have been lost or stolen that no one is even aware of.

Corporate customers leverage Computrace to recover missing computers (82%) and deter theft (73%). In addition, 8 out of 10 (83%) companies said they are better able to manage their computer assets with Computrace.

One in five (20%) companies reported experiencing a data breach in the past and believe that the majority (61%) of data breaches are perpetrated by internal employees. However, one in five (20%) also believe that sensitive data has been breached that no one in the company is aware of. What kind of data is being exposed? 39% have had confidential business information lost, 22% have had employee information breached, 22% have had customer information misplaced and 16% have had Social Security numbers stolen.

Consumers are Concerned About Identity Theft: Consumer Survey Highlights: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Absolute's consumer survey found that one in five (20%) people knew of a friend, family member or co-worker that had their computer lost or stolen. Approximately one in 10 (8%) reported having their own personal or work computer lost or stolen.

The majority (62%) of consumers had spent between $1000-$2000 on their computer. One-fourth (25%) spent between $2000-$3000 and approximately one in 10 (7%) spent more than $3000. Although the vast majority (84%) of consumers purchased Computrace LoJack for Laptops to recover their computer if it is lost or stolen, one-fourth (25%) made the purchase to prevent identity theft.

Consumers are concerned about more than the cost of the hardware when a computer is lost or stolen. Their top four concerns (in order of diminishing importance) are losing their computer, having someone steal their identity, losing files/data and having unauthorized persons access their files.

Consumers are taking steps to protect themselves but lag behind corporations in their approach to computer security. Although all the participants in this study are currently using asset tracking and recovery solutions from Absolute Software, many are not implementing the most basic forms of protection; 7% are not using anti-virus software; 16% do not have a firewall; 46% are not backing up their data; 69% are not password-protecting files; 72% do not use any form of cable lock to prevent theft; and more than 80% do not use any type of encryption or authentication software.

99% percent of consumer customers would recommend LoJack for Laptops to a friend.

How Computrace Works

When a Computrace-equipped computer is reported stolen, the embedded Computrace agent sends a silent signal to Absolute's Monitoring Center providing critical location information. Absolute then works with local law enforcement to recover the computer, and, if necessary, assists with search warrant applications and subpoenas to ISP's. The stealthy Computrace software agent can survive accidental or deliberate attempts at removal or disablement. With embedded support in the BIOS(1) firmware of a computer, the Computrace agent is capable of surviving operating system re-installations, as well as hard-drive reformats, replacements and re-imaging.

(1) For a complete list of BIOS-supported computers please visit http://www.absolute.com/BIOS. About Absolute Software

Absolute Software Corporation (TSX: ABT) is the leader in Computer Theft Recovery, Data Protection and Secure Asset Tracking(TM) solutions. Absolute Software provides organizations and consumers with solutions in the areas of regulatory compliance, data protection and theft recovery. The Company's Computrace(R) software is embedded in the BIOS of computers by global leaders, including Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, HP, Lenovo, Motion, Panasonic and Toshiba, and the Company has reselling partnerships with these OEMs and others, including Apple. For more information about Absolute Software and Computrace, visit http://www.absolute.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the expected performance of our services and products, possible guarantee payment eligibility, and other expectations, intentions and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact. When used in this press release, the words "plan,""expect,""believe," and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current expectations. They are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in technology and general market conditions. In light of the many risks and uncertainties you should understand that we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release will be realized.

(C)2007 Absolute Software Corporation. All rights reserved. Computrace and Absolute are registered trademarks of Absolute Software Corporation. Computrace U.S. patents # 5,715,174, # 5,764,892, # 5,802,280, # 5,896,497, # 6,244,758, # 6,269,392, # 6,300,863, and # 6,507,914. Canadian patents # 2,284,806 and # 2,205,370. U.K. patents # EP793823 and # GB2338101. German patent # 695 125 34.6- 08. Australian patent # 699045. The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the information contained in this news release.

Absolute Software Corporation

CONTACT: Public Relations: Leslie Campisi, Affect Strategies,leslie@affectstrategies.com or (212) 398-9680 x144; Investor Relations: DaveMason, CFA, The Equicom Group, dmason@equicomgroup.com or (416) 815-0700 x237

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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