LabStats User Tracking Software Helps Recover Stolen Laptops

Online, July 21, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Universities have been able to track hardware thieves thanks to software normally used to check user logins and alert lab managers to when a computer needs technical assistance. Gene Marchand, a lab manager at the University of Akron, employs LabStats on machines across campus, software he uses to monitor student activity on computers each day. Thanks to the tracking of the software, Marchand was able to help another lab manager track down a laptop thief.

"We have a laptop checkout in our Student Union, and we have LabStats software running on all of them," said Marchand. "One of the students working at the checkout had stolen four laptops. The manager of the checkout called me asking if I had those laptops down in my service area, which I didn't. I checked my user tracking software, and sure enough, the student had logged into four laptops, and logged off at 7:30 a.m. The checkout manager had only called me at 8 a.m., so I called right back and to let them know their student was just on them." A few hours later, Marchand received a call that the student had been arrested, and police were able to recover two of the four stolen laptops.

"This isn't the first time we've heard of this happening," said Josh Norman, CRO of Computer Lab Solutions, the company that produces LabStats. "We've had stories of monitors being stolen, keyboards, laptops, you name it . . . LabStats software shows who last logged into a computer and when, so universities have been able to track down thieves. We're pleasantly surprised that our software has been able to help in is this area."

Paul Woo of Barnard College was able to track down stolen network cables when LabStats alerted him that a computer had gone offline. "I thought it was a simple technical problem, but when I got to the computer I saw the network cables were missing. I was able to look up on LabStats who had last been at that computer, and sure enough, once we tracked down the student, we found they had stolen the cables. Right away LabStats was able to alert me and tip off that something was up."

LabStats software helps to not only track users, but application launches, energy consumption, computer availability, and report technical issues.