Security marking

[Guest kerrymoralee9280]

Been asked to find a way to sercurity mark our new PC's.

 

Can anyone give me ideas? I've found plenty of different options... Just wanted opinions on which was best.

 

The HT is banging on about heat markings or something? Can't find anything on this.

[comedydave]

Give Smartwater a try, I don't use it personally, but the Librarian in the school marks all new IT kit with it

[Guest kerrymoralee9280]

Yeah, I've just enquired about Smart Water.

 

Anyone know anything about these heat things?

[plexer]

Well heat would only work with plastic parts of computers presumably?

 

Otherwise you have things like selcatmark that use a compound that etches itself into metal.

 

We use smartwater, cheap'ish and easy to apply.

 

Ben

[Pottsey]

Been useing smartwater for years, seems pretty good.

[john]

Worth knowing that anything thats engraved, scratch, UV'd, Smart Watered, stickers that are the shattery if removed type etc will "void" on-site swap outs. I have given over security marking anything now as they won't swap things out as its plasterd in our name so they can't send it to antoher customer after repair, so TFTs go from next day swap out to 3 week repairs instead

[FN-GM]

some security marking leaves the equipment with marks on and it think it looks a mess if it does this. Smart Water is good apparently.

[Joedetic]

Where I was we asset tagged. A plastic tag that was glued onto the kit with some cheapo araldite equivalent.

 

We never had a problem with swap outs or replacements for equipment.

 

Negative aspect is that they are shit. Kids snap them off. They leave a nasty mess where they where becasue of the adhesive. Tagging a room of 30 machines and monitors and two printers, a projector, a smart board and a stereo amp leaves you rather high. Take that as a negative or a positive as applicable.

 

Asset tagging was the "bells and whistles" replacement for heat branding....must have been a manglement decision.

[Gatt]

..stickers that are the shattery if removed type etc will "void" on-site swap outs....

 

We've got a problem with those stickers..

 

Using "Seton Duraguard" stickers - that are supposed to leave a VOID mark or something - cept the kids can rip them clean off - and io do mean clean - no marks, not even glue residue..

 

Just had an audit and the auditor picked up on this - luckily we had a printout of the database so we could prove that the PC's were registered.

[openhgs]

We had some permanent stickers made, except like all permanent stickers, they can be removed with the right tools, so in addition to these, I write the schools initials and postcode using as 5mm permanent felt tip. The ink can be removed, but the solvent etches into the case nicely, leaving the machine clearly marked.

 

The cheapest and most effective method of marking is to buy some oil based paint in the school colours and paint stripes on the item. It won't look pretty, but no one is going to steal the computer and if they do, they won't find anyone who would buy it. I've suggested this a number of times, but aesthetics always wins over security.

[TechMonkey]

We use an engraving tool. Etch clearly the school name and postcode and gnerally etch again somewhere discreet. Only had one problem on a swap out but we argued it round. Only way to get round it is to sand it off and then you will have a nice obvious patch that screams I'VE BEEN STOLEN!!

Ohhh and latops we engraved across the lid and wrote over it in permanent marker. If it is attempted to be wiped off it just wipes the ink into the etching and makes the etching even clearer

 

Is fun seeing how fancy you can make the engraving. Going to end up with a tattoesque tag on the machines at some point!

[FN-GM]

In all honesty if someone was to steal a PC and it was property marked they would probably change the case before they keep it for them selves or sell it. But if it's a laptop it won't be as easy to do that.