The Importance of ICT Security in Schools
With the school summer holidays in full swing, and many schools left empty for the summer, it’s important to remember the physical security of your school, and your ICT devices.
Choosing a charging trolley for your laptops, netbooks, or other mobile ICT devices is an important decision to make, especially bearing in mind the security of these valuable resources, as Millfields Primary School in Wivenhoe, Essex discovered the hard way.
In autumn 2011, Millfields Primary School, located just a few miles from LapSafe HQ, fell victim to not one, but two burglaries.
The first burglary happened on 5th September, where 34 laptops were stolen. Thieves then struck again in October, stealing 20 laptops which had been bought to replace the laptops previously stolen.
Teachers and pupils at the school were understandably devastated by the loss of their valuable IT equipment. Not only had they lost £15,000 worth of resources, but children were deprived of the opportunity to use ICT in lessons, causing disruption to lesson plans. Alongside this was the expensive insurance excess to replace the laptops, eating into the school’s precious budget.
Saddened by reading the news of Millfields loss, we at LapSafe® decided to donate the school a Mentor™ laptop charging trolley. The Mentor™ is a laptop trolley built with security in mind, and we hoped this would reduce the likelihood of the school’s laptops being stolen again.
Unfortunately, just two weeks ago Millfields Primary School again fell victim to callous burglars, who gained access to the school by smashing through several doors with what appears to be either an axe or sledgehammer.
Luckily, crooks didn’t manage to gain access to the Mentor™ laptop trolley, containing 30 of the school’s laptops. Whilst the thieves clearly tried to break into the laptop trolley, they were thankfully unsuccessful due to the sophisticated security features of the Mentor™.
The Mentor™ features a fully welded 2mm steel construction, reinforced to 4mm on the doors, and anti-drill locks. Anti-jemmy plates inside the doors prevent thieves gaining access to the trolley using a crowbar, and an optional alarm can be deployed to deter theft.
It’s important to remember it’s also wise to employ additional security features, such as a docking station, which will allow you to bolt the laptop trolley to a wall overnight. We suggest bolting the trolley with the doors facing the wall, making it far more difficult for thieves to access the trolley and attempt to break through the doors.
For more ICT security tips, check out our ICT security whitepaper here.
